Page 99 of Dangerous Deception

“What did he want?”

“He just had some financial reports to drop off. Things to do with the businesses we absorbed from Pascal.”

Ah. My father’s businesses.

I had no desire to keep them, so after we absorbed them, I immediately distributed them to many of the smaller families feeling lost after Pascal’s betrayal to the Irish. Money and words can buy loyalty, sure. But providing a business and independent stability spoke louder to those families and in one deal, I secured their loyalty to both Raffaele and me. It was a spur of the moment decision that worked in our favor, much like my purchase of the hospitals.

Raffaele is happy to foot the bill because he’s still surprised that we gained six smaller families in one afternoon without a drop of bloodshed.

“Is everything okay?”

“Mmhmm.” Raffaele nods and feeds me another grape. “He just compiled the last quarter’s profits for you to review. He thinks one family might need some assistance in how they run things, but it’s more of a need to educate than anything else.”

“Understood. I’ll take a look after Lucille wakes for her feeding.”

As if hearing her name, Lucille shifts and sniffles in my arms but she doesn’t wake.

“How can I have so much love for something so small?” Raffaele says quietly. “It’s almost overwhelming.”

“I know.” I lean over and gently kiss his cheek. “But we’re learning together. And we’ll be overwhelmed together.”

“Did I die in that warehouse?” He tilts his head back and gazes up at the sky. “There’s no way this is my reality. I must have died and gone to heaven.”

“Really? Would I have broken your finger in childbirth if this were heaven?”

Raffaele glances down at his healing but still bruised knuckles and laughs. “No, I suppose not. Glad I could be of assistance, by the way.”

“I still feel terrible,” I reply. “I didn’t know I had that kind of strength.”

“Given that you were pushing ahumanout of you, I’m not surprised.”

“I am pretty amazing.”

“Yes, you are, and I love you for it.”

“I love you too.”

Raffaele kisses me again, slower this time, where he pays attention to my lower lip and smiles brightly as we part.

“Marry me.”

“What?” My heart jumps slightly. “We’re already married.”

“Marry me properly. A real ceremony that you can plan—we can plan, together. A real thing that’s for us and how we feel rather than a business transaction.”

“I think that’s just called a refreshing of vows,” I tease while excitement kicks my pulse up a few gears.

“Whatever.” He grins. “Will you? Marry me again?”

“A real ceremony for us? One that I can plan and we can have a proper celebration? Yes,” I say, laughing so eagerly that Lucille is woken in my arms. “I will marry you again.”

We kiss deeply to the sound of our daughter cooing in my arms, and my heart soars.

My soul is full.

Life is perfect.