Chapter 44 There were at least two bobby pins in my bra. Possibly three. I could feel them. "Hold still," Scarlet muttered behind me, her tone flat with the infinite weariness of a teenager forced into manual labor even though this had been entirely her idea. "You move one more time, Bea, I swear I'm shaving your head." "I signed up to be your practice dummy for victory rolls, not a buzz cut," I reminded her. "Well, I might change my mind. Grandpa Tony says it's a woman's prerogative." I snorted. "If that's the case, I'm going to change my mind about being your mannequin." As usual, the kids had waylaid me when I'd gotten home from work, dragging Benjamin and me across the street. After running his little legs off in the yard, Benji-bear passed out on the bed the Gallo kids had bought for him, and I'd been roped into getting my hair done. Not that it had taken much convincing. I was beginning to regret my decision, though, as Scarlet drove yet another bobby pin into my skull. "Be nice, Scar," Lacey piped up from the arm of the couch where she was taking her official job as bobby-pin passer very seriously. "You're gonna be so pretty, Bea. Like one of Grandpa's movie stars." I already had one curl pinned lopsided over my forehead and what might've been a section of hair twisted into a misshapen blob on the left. I hadn't seen a mirror, but the look on Tony's face when he'd passed through the living room had said more than enough. Talon didn't want anything to do with our makeshift hair salon. He sat on the floor by Benjamin, reading quietly over his snores. "And then Reginald adjusted the silverware placement exactly one point five inches from the edge of the table," he said, pushing up his glasses like a tiny professor. "Because, as everyone knows, precision is a sign of respect." Frank Sinatra crooned from the kitchen, and Tony hummed along as he stirred something rich and garlicky, his "Kiss the Cook" apron tied snug around his waist. Altogether, it was kind of absurd, but it was also perfect. Then the front door opened, and a moment later, Salvatore walked into the living room and froze, like his system couldn't process what he was seeing. His gaze swept over us all. I probably looked like a madwoman, Scarlet behind me, jerking my head to and fro. Lacey, bubbling with boundless energy. Talon, reading to a snoring Benji. Tony, belting "Fly Me to the Moon" into a wooden spoon. He didn't say anything. Just stared. Unblinking. Nostrils flaring. Taking it all in. His eyes locked on mine, and it took two heartbeats for them to soften. His mouth began to twitch, and a laugh traveled from my belly like it had wings and flew out of me. "Hey," I said. He bowed his head, full-on grinning now. "What a sight to come home to." "Not half-bad, right?" "No." He looked over his kids, my dog, me. "No, there's nothing bad about any of this." Salvatore kicked his father out of the chair beside mine at the table and took it for himself. When everyone was seated around us, he threaded our fingers together and put our joined hands on the table. My heart stopped. His forefinger stroked the space between my knuckles, giving me a kick start. I looked at him and whispered, "We're doing this now?" "Yes." He brushed my chin with the pads of his fingers. "I love you. You're part of this family. The sooner they know how much a part you are, the better." "Okay." My heart jumped and jittered, doing a wild, excited, terrified dance. "I love you too." He smiled. "I know." Lacey, sitting directly across from us, was the first to notice. Her big brown eyes grew impossibly wide as she gasped, her hands flying to her cheeks. "Oh my goodness. Uncle Sally and Bea!" She shoved Scarlet's shoulder. "Look at them! Oh my goodness." Scarlet brushed her off then looked at us with narrowed eyes. When she saw our joined hands, her gaze lifted to mine. "What? Really?" I couldn't quite get a bead on what she was thinking. Her poker face was just as refined as her uncle's. I nodded and leaned into Salvatore. "Yes. Really." Lacey squealed like she'd just been given her very own unicorn. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?" She bounced in her chair, absolutely vibrating. "Do you kiss? Like, really kiss? With your mouths?" Salvatore coughed. I choked on a laugh. "Lacey," Scarlet nudged her sister with her elbow. "That's way too much information. And really gross." "It's not gross. Boyfriends and girlfriends kiss," Lacey shot back. "They kiss and hold hands and go on dates and maybe get married in a big wedding where I get to wear a sparkly dress and throw rose petals!" Scarlet rolled her eyes. "I guess I can get on board with the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing, but I'm not being a flower girl. I'm way too old for that." "No one will have to throw anything," Salvatore said mildly, his voice tinged with amusement. "Unless Bea wants to make that part of the contract." "There's a contract?" Talon asked, looking up from his plate. "Does Bea get paid to be your girlfriend?" Salvatore blinked. When he didn't answer, I took over. "No, Tally. It's a volunteer position." "Then what do you get?" Talon tilted his head. Salvatore looked at me. Just looked. Like he had the same question. "I get him," I replied, tightening my fingers around his. "That's all I need." Talon considered that, turning to his uncle. "And what do you get?" Salvatore contemplated this as he wrapped his other hand around mine, trapping me firmly. He didn't need to, though. I wasn't going anywhere. I liked it here, with him-with all of them-far too much to want to leave. "I get someone who brings laughter to my house," he said softly. "Who makes everything warmer. Who accepts me for who I am. Who loves you guys-and me." My throat tightened. Talon nodded and said matter-of-factly, "That's true. Bea does love all of us." Throughout her siblings' barrage of questions, Scarlet stayed quiet, taking it all in, watching us warily, like she wasn't sure what to make of this news. "You okay, Scar?" I asked gently. She shrugged, eyes darting to her lap. "Yeah, I'm all right. You guys are cute and all. I guess...just...don't screw it up. It would really suck if that happened and we couldn't see you anymore." "I'm not going anywhere, darling. No matter what," I promised. She met my eyes then gave the smallest nod. "Good." I didn't miss the way Salvatore had been watching me all evening. He always did, so that wasn't new, but it was his pensiveness that struck me. Something was on his mind. Probably the email. Up until we closed his bedroom door, we hadn't had a moment alone to discuss it. He sat on the side of the bed and reached for me. "Come here. I need to talk to you about something and want you close." "'Kay." I perched on his thigh, and he circled his arms around me, tugging me into his chest. He didn't say anything as he dragged his nose along my neck and into my hair, breathing me in. "I didn't know we were telling them about us," I murmured. "They took it well," he replied. "Yes. For the most part. Scarlet's wary." "She's lost a lot. Her being the oldest, she felt it the most." He stroked my stomach and slid his hand beneath my shirt, cupping my breast. "She won't lose you." "You sound sure." "I am. I want you to be sure as well. That's what I would like to talk to you about." With his free hand, he reached into the nightstand and pulled out a slim folder, handing it to me. I tilted my head. "What is this?" "It's the deed to your house. I've signed it over to you." My mouth went dry. "What?" "The house is yours now, Beatrice. Immediately after I bought it, I had these papers prepared. It was always meant to be yours." My heart thudded. I would have asked if he was serious, but this was Salvatore. He didn't joke about things like this. "Why now?" "Because we're together. This is serious for me." "For me too," I agreed. "Good." He tugged my bra down to pop my breast free and stroked my nipple. "Then I hope this makes sense to you. I do not want you beholden to me for any other reason than you love me. No strings or conditions." I gasped, both from the rush of his fingers on me and the quiet force behind his words. "Sal..." I placed my hand over his, stilling his touch though I craved more of it. "I don't feel beholden to you. I never have." His eyes searched mine. "Good. But I have to be sure. It's yours to do with what you want-keep, sell, rent it out, or turn it into your workspace. Whatever you want." Tears burned behind my eyes, stupid and fast. "It's yours, Bea, but I need you to know I want you here, living with me and the kids, full time. It's too soon now-not for me, of course." I laughed wetly. "Of course." "But I don't want it to be someday," he continued. "Soon. Our family has been through a lot of changes. Too many, really. But we're in a good place, and I'm certain you would fit in like you've always been here. When you're ready, and the kids are ready, I want you living here." I blinked, my breath catching in my throat as I looked down at the folder again then back to him. "That would be pretty amazing." I blinked hard. "Not yet, Sal, but I love that you want that." He dipped his head to rub his cheek against the swell of my breast, and I threaded my fingers through his hair, cradling him against me. "Can you see it?" he murmured. "Can you see yourself with us?" I could. It was crazy because I didn't do ki-all right, I wasn't even buying that anymore. But I'd been convinced of it for so long, it was almost impossible to wrap my head around the one-eighty my life had taken. I'd done more than wrap my head around it, though. I'd fully embraced these people. They were chaotic, unusual, a little strange. It was no wonder we'd been drawn to each other. They were my kind of people. My people. "The thing is," I started, my voice low, "that house was my dream. You know that, right? It's the nicest place I've ever lived that was mine." He stilled. Listening, waiting, his face over my heart and arms around my waist. "But dreams change," I whispered, cupping his cheek and tracing the sharp edge with my thumb. "Lately, mine's been looking less like black bricks and everything on this side of the street." He sighed into my flesh, and his arms tightened around me. "Thank you for giving me my house. It's a huge, generous gift. I'm not sure I quite believe it. But it's you, so I do, because that's who you are. It's why I love you. You've given me so much I never knew I wanted, Salvatore." He lifted his head, his eyes intent on mine. "Because I know you." "You do," I whispered. "When the kids are ready, I'll move in here with you guys." He exhaled like I'd knocked the air out of him. Then he kissed me like I'd given it back. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!