Page 173 of Captivated

Joe reminded himself to thank his brother. And maybe sign off on buying another business with him—one he’d been holding off on for a while because it meant more time spent away from the happiness and privacy of his own company.

Cory would like that.

Always pushing Joe out of his comfort zone.

It seemed in a very short span of time, his family had managed to get quite attached to his little ballerina. They were fully willing and ready to welcome her into the folds of their family whenever Joe got back around to bringing her home with him.

He just didn’t know when that was going to happen.

“And your mom, too,” she added.

“Probably not my dad, though.”

Liliana grinned. “Damian Rossi is kind of quiet.”

“That he is.”

“He did say hello whenever your mom called, though.”

Joe smiled faintly to himself. “Seems like his style.”

“I miss them.”

His arm tightened around her waist, saying, “They miss you, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Why wouldn’t they?”

Liliana shrugged a bit. “It’s not like we know each other very well, or—”

“They don’t have to know everything about you. They only need to know one thing that matters to them above the rest.”

“And what’s that, Joe?”

Their gazes met.

He leaned in and kissed her—soft, slow, and sweet.

“How much I love you, Liliana. That’s all they care about.”

She smiled against his kiss. “I love you, too, Joe.”

“Sorry I was gone for so long.”

“Yeah.”

“It won’t happen again.”

Liliana’s gaze darted up to meet his—green fire in a blink.

God, he loved this girl.

“Promise?” she asked sweetly.

“You know it.”

Liliana’s grin turned a little sly as she peered around the room at her family. Some were fully engaged in conversations, while others were looking at something on a tablet, and laughing. They had finally given Joe and Liliana a little room to breathe, and be alone. He appreciated it, but he also didn’t mind being there with her and her people, either.