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He looks so disappointed I can’t help but lean up to kiss him, which he takes full advantage of.
“I’m not sure I can wait that long,” he purrs, pushing me back against the counter. “I’m starving…”
Just as I’m about to melt into a puddle of goo, the TV in the background catches my attention.
“In breaking news, Harold Rothman, CEO of Rothman-Chase Bank, has been arrested on charges related to the possession of child pornography. His son, Landon Rothman, is also implicated…”
We both freeze, our eyes glued to the screen as the cameras show Harold Rothman being led out of his building in handcuffs. He’s grayer than I remember, smaller, and less impressive. I wonder how Glenda, his wife, is holding up. Having a husband arrested on such despicable charges will ruin her reputation. Oh, the shame.
It takes me a moment to realize Romano isn’t at all shocked. In fact, he looks positively gleeful.
“Did you know this was going to happen?” I ask with one eyebrow raised.
He smirks. “Harold wasn’t very good at hiding his tracks, and Landon deserved to go down with him.”
I lean into him and rest my cheek on his chest. Since we met, he’s done nothing but look out for me.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“Landon’s lucky he didn’t end up in the foundations of our new office complex downtown,” Romano mutters, but I pretend I didn’t hear that. I’d rather not know about the more unsavory aspects of the Faugno business empire. It’s an understanding we came to a while back.
He gives me a lingering kiss before saying, “I have a surprise for you after dinner.”
“Oh yeah? Does it involve getting naked?”
The way he grinds into me, all Hamish-related injuries forgotten, tells me a naked surprise is definitely on the menu later. I’m aware the pasta is almost ready but I can’t quite tear myself away from my handsome boyfriend. He’s just too addictive. By the time we finish kissing, I’m about ready to skip dinner in favor of something that involves getting naked, but then he pulls a key from his pocket and places it in my hand.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“Our new house.”
“House?” I’ve settled in here, so why are we moving?
“Yeah, I’ve bought a house in the same gated community as Salvo and Thalia. Christiano has bought one too for him and Cara. There’s a school nearby for Joel and that fucking psycho cat can go outside and hopefully get eaten by a coyote.”
I’m speechless and also cross with him for wishing such a horrible fate on poor Hamish, whom I adore. “I’ll take you and Joel to see it after dinner,” he adds.
My head is in a spin.
“Is it out of the city?”
“Yeah. On the shore, with a private beach.”
“You’re fucking with me, right?” Surely this is some kind of joke. Things like this don’t happen to me. I’m a small-town girl from Minnesota.
“No, I would never joke about something like this.” He looks worried that he’s somehow pissed me off.
Tears prick my eyes and my lip wobbles. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”
“Wait until you see the house,” he jokes. “It even has a separate annex for your mom, if she wants to come and live there.”
“Pretty sure you won’t be able to keep her away.” Now she’s in remission, she’s rediscovered her passion for painting and my old bedroom has been turned into a small studio, where she paints beautiful acrylic still life and landscape paintings.
“It has plenty of room in case we decide to expand our family.”
“Do you want kids?”
He pushes a lock of hair away from my cheek and smiles wistfully. “Yeah, I’d love a little girl.”
