Page 96

I look over to where Grandpa Gino sits in his usual corner booth, shuffling a deck with surprising dexterity. He's having one of his good days — they've become more frequent lately, thanks to a new medical trial Sam got him into. Nurse Kelly sits at his side, sipping a lemon seltzer and watching him swindle anyone brave enough to play against him.

Chuckling, I shake my head. "I'm not surprised."

Once I’ve placed the drinks for the guys on a tray, I head over to their table, handing them out. Sam catches my hand, pulling me into his lap.

"How's my girl?"

"Happy," I say simply, because it's true.

I used to think I was destined to repeat my mother's mistakes — falling for a dangerous man, ending up broken-hearted and alone. I believed Sam was cut from the same cloth as my father.

I was wrong.

We're writing our own story, Sam and I. Creating something new from the ashes of our pasts. The ghosts that haunted us both have finally found rest.

"What are you thinking about?" Sam murmurs against my ear.

"That we changed the ending," I reply, turning to kiss him softly.

"I have one more page, I think." He straightens me up so I'm standing again, and then he drops to the floor on one knee.

My breath catches in my throat as he pulls a box from his pocket, opening the black velvet to reveal a stunning diamondset on a diamond encrusted gold band, looking like something out of a fairytale.

I stand frozen, the sounds of the bar fading to a distant buzz as Sam kneels before me. My heart hammers against my ribs, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.

"Olivia Marchese," Sam says, his voice steady despite the vulnerability in his eyes. "When you walked into my life — or rather, when I dragged you into it — I had no idea you would become my everything."

The bar has gone completely silent. I feel everyone's eyes on us, but all I can see is Sam.

"I know this isn't the perfect love story. We didn't meet like normal people." He smiles. "But somehow, in the middle of all that chaos, we found something real."

My vision blurs with tears as he continues.

"You saw the worst parts of me and stayed. You taught me that love isn't a weakness, it's a strength. That family isn't just about blood, but about who you choose. I want to choose you, every day, for the rest of my life. I want to build something that's ours, something better than what either of us came from."

I'm aware of Grandpa Gino watching from his booth, his eyes clear and present in this moment. Of Madi, Lana, and Zoe holding their breath. Of Joey behind the bar, grinning like a fool.

"Olivia Marchese, will you marry me?"

The question hangs in the air between us. Six months ago, I was his captive. Now I'm standing at the edge of forever with a man who's seen me at my worst and loved me anyway.

"Yes," I whisper, then louder, "Yes!"

Sam slides the ring onto my finger, then rises to his feet and pulls me into his arms. The bar erupts in cheers as his lips find mine, sealing our promise with a kiss that tastes like new beginnings.

We're barelythrough the door back at his house when his mouth crashes against mine, desperate and demanding. I moan as his hands find the sides of my dress, bunching up the fabric until he can pull it over my head. The cool air hits my skin, but I'm burning everywhere he touches.

"Been wanting to do this all night," Sam growls against my neck, his teeth grazing my pulse point. "Seeing you with my ring on your finger… You're mine, Olivia. Mine to own, mine to worship."

I gasp as his hands cup my breasts through my lace bra. "Then worship me already," I challenge.

Sam's eyes darken. He fists my panties, ripping the fabric from my body with one rough tug, making me whimper. "Always a little brat, aren't you?"

I don't get a chance to answer as his mouth swallows any words I might say. He kisses me like a starving man, and I lose myself in his lips.

"Mine," he growls, biting down on my shoulder, hard enough to mark me.

I cry out, the pain blending with pleasure as his fingers find me, testing how ready I am for him. When he feels that I’m already soaking wet, he groans.