Chapter 40 Eventually, we both put our clothing back on. I mourned every inch of Bea's skin as she covered it, but it was necessary. If we didn't, there was a danger we'd start all over again and never say the things that needed to be said. Bea was the first to break the silence. And she did it with blunt honesty. "I still don't want children." I slipped my glasses back on, her face returning to me in sharp clarity. "Okay." "But I love your kids." Her nose crinkled. "Children aren't my thing in general, but those three...well, they've sort of forced themselves into my heart." I chuckled, though I wasn't sure which direction we were headed. "They have that way about them." She took my hands in hers, her gaze level on mine. "You have to understand, I will never give birth. That isn't negotiable. I will love your kids-I mean, I already do-but I can't give you babies. This is a hard limit." I shook my head. "I have three kids. It's already an embarrassment of riches. How could I possibly want more?" She huffed, as though my easy agreement frustrated her. "Are you saying you don't have the urge to spread your seed far and wide?" I barked a laugh. "No. I can say I have never had that urge. Is that...a thing other men feel?" "For my mom's husband, certainly." She dragged in a long breath. "I've done the whole sleepless nights, diaper changes, teething, fevers, feeling like I'll never be alone again. I know, without a doubt, I don't want that." "Okay." Her brows shot up. "That's it? You don't have any questions?" "No. If you'd told me you did want a baby, I'd have to put serious thought into it and how it would impact my kids. Telling me you don't? That's easy." I brought her hand to my mouth, rubbing my lips along her soft knuckles. "We spoke about this when we first met. I understand where you're coming from. It's a nonissue." Her shoulders curled forward as the fight left her. "I'm still scared." "I've given you a lot of reasons to doubt me. Not purposely, but that doesn't make it better." I let go of her hand to cradle her face. I'd kissed most of her makeup off. All that was left were dark smudges of mascara beneath her deep-blue eyes, and she'd never looked lovelier. "It doesn't," she agreed. "I'm sorry for that." I touched my lips to her forehead. "I'm sorry, blue. In my head, I had a list of steps that had to happen before I told you about the kids and wouldn't allow myself to deviate from it. That you would feel betrayed had never entered my mind. Not until after the fact. I see how shortsighted that was, and yes, manipulative. At the time, though, I'd been too focused on keeping you to see beyond that." She leaned into me, her breath feathering against my skin as she sighed. "You think differently than I do. I know that, and I love the way your mind works. But lying, even of omission, has to be off the table. You can't keep things from me, big or small. I won't feel safe with you if I'm always worried about what you're hiding." "I know what it is to have you and lose you." I closed my eyes, dropping my forehead to hers. "I will not jeopardize this ever again. The last two weeks have been brutal. A lifetime without you is unacceptable." "A lifetime?" she breathed. "I don't make moves without thoroughly thinking them through. I see a future with you, Beatrice. I think we fit. Not just you and me, but all of us. If you allow it, I would like to open my life to you so you can see for yourself there's an empty spot shaped just like you." Her palms slid up my chest and shoulders, stopping at the sides of my neck. "If we don't work out, I'll lose more than just you. I've already lost my siblings, Salvatore. I don't know if-" "We'll work out." "You can't be sure." "I can." I pulled back to meet her gaze. "Do you know the first time I drove by you, it was purely by chance? You were crossing the street, and we were stopped at a red light. I was trapped in a thick fog of grief, but I saw you. Two bike messengers crashed into each other while waving at you, and you stopped to help them. I rolled down my window to hear them apologizing to you even though you were perfectly fine. Do you remember that?" Her cheeks flushed, and she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well, I...things like that happen a lot. My mother always told me I was a magnet for the strange and unusual. Things tend to...erupt around me." My shoulders shook as I laughed. Of course that was her answer. I'd been called strange plenty of times in my life, so why wouldn't she have drawn me in? "Bea..." I shook my head, chuckling. This woman was a pure delight. "It doesn't matter if you remember. I do. That day, the fog lifted for the first time since Tia had died. I went home, finished the app I'd been tinkering with in my downtime for ages, then sent it to you because I couldn't not." "And you followed me." My ears burned. "Sometimes. I tried to resist, but I got hooked on seeing you, even if from afar. And every time I did, the fog stayed gone longer and longer." She traced the shell of my ear, a soft smile curling her lips. "I'm glad I could do that for you." "I'm glad I didn't scare you." "Never. I was never afraid of you. That might mean I'm a little unhinged, but that's okay. We can be unhinged together." "You think I'm unhinged?" Her brows rose, wrinkling her forehead. "I don't think designing an entire app to keep in touch with me, buying my dream house, and following me in your limo is exactly normal." Her smile kissed mine. "Luckily, I find normal boring as hell. You picked the right girl to get obsessed with." I caught her mouth, kissing her hard and deep. I wasn't sure if I'd picked her or she'd lured me in like a siren, but here I was, devoted, with no plans of ever giving her up. "It might've started as an obsession." I slid my fingers through the side of her hair. "But as I got to know you, I fell in love with you too." "You love me?" she squeaked. "I do. That's how I know we'll work. I've never loved another woman, and I don't have it in me to do it again. You're it for me, Bea. In order for this to end, you'll have to be the one to leave me, and I intend to keep you so happy, you'll never want to." Her lips parted as she stared at me. "It's far too soon to make those kinds of declarations." "It's been two years." "But"-she licked her lips-"can we rewind, just a little? I'm still catching up with us being back together, and you're talking about lifetimes." "I'm done. No more talk about loving you until I take my last breath." "Tore!" She shoved me away, giggling. "Stop it. I need more time." "All right. I'm not so set in my ways I can't compromise. We'll spend the weekend as boyfriend and girlfriend, then we'll discuss our future." She mimed strangling me. "I take back all the 'good boys' I gave you. You're a bad, bad man." I caught her and buried my face in her neck, my teeth scraping her skin. "Nope. That isn't going to happen. I'm your good boy. Say it." My teeth dug into her flesh, making her scream and writhe. "No, I won't do it!" Between screams, she giggled and slapped at my arms banded around her. "You're so bad, Salvatore Gallo. The absolute worst." "I'll show you my worst." I bit a path along her shoulder then licked every spot I'd marked. She squirmed and laughed, doing a piss-poor job of fighting me off her. My cock plumped up as her body flailed against mine. Rolling her onto her back, I rocked against her damp panties, and she arched and bucked, drawing me against her heat. "Sal," she breathed. "Bea," I answered, reaching between us to tug her panties to the side. "Say it or I'm going to fuck you right now." Her lips rolled over her teeth, and she shook her head. Her legs parted just a little more. "You're in for it," I growled, yanking my underwear down. "I'll show you how bad I am." I plunged into her in one hard thrust. Right where I belonged. The last thing I wanted to do was stumble home at midnight, but Bea understood I couldn't spend the night without some preplanning. And since I'd left my phone at home, I couldn't exactly ask my father to stay in the main house with the kids. As far as I was concerned, tonight would be the first and last time I fucked Bea and left her after. We'd have to be careful for a while around the kids, but leaving her sated and alone in her bed had gone against every fiber of my being. My father was waiting for me in the living room, a smug grin sliding across his face when he laid eyes on me. "I see you got the girl," he remarked. "I did." I stuffed my hands in my pockets, off-kilter. We'd had the birds and the bees talk when I was an adolescent, and he'd been fairly hands-off with me since. That might've been due to how deeply private I kept my sex and dating life...and the several years of drought I'd had recently. "Thank you for staying. I appreciate it." He rose to his feet, stretching his back. "It's no trouble, champ. I figured you might be gone for the night. A gentleman doesn't leave his lady after-" I held up my hand. "I know. I don't like it either, believe me. But I didn't tell the kids I wouldn't be here tonight, and I would hate for one of them to wake up looking for me and find my bed empty." A flash of pain crossed his face before he schooled it. "You're right to think of that. Tia did a good job picking you to be their parent. But you don't have to sacrifice yourself for them. Remember that." "I know, and I have no plans of doing that. Tonight will be the last time I leave her." He nodded, drawing in a deep breath. "She's a very good woman. I haven't gotten to see the two of you interacting much, but from what I know of you both, I like the idea." He kept nodding, slower now. "Yeah, I like it a lot. You'll have a nice balance." "Thanks," I muttered, unsure what else to say except I agreed with him. He walked by me, headed toward his attached apartment. As he passed, he squeezed my shoulder. "Happy for you, Sal. Glad you chased her." "Me too, Dad." I would never stop. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!