Page 16 of A Sixpence For Your Shoe (Revenge Brides #6)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Vincent

O n the drive to the apartment, I have cleared for Misha’s mother, she is over excited but trying to contain it. I kept glancing at her, at her bright smile and the way her eyes are glittering.

Making her happy has an incredible effect on me.

It makes me happy.

Seeing her so full of life and excitement - it makes me excited.

I squeeze her thigh gently, my hand resting on her leg while I drive. She places her hand over mine and threads her fingers between my fingers.

The last time I felt this happy with someone was when I met Celso’s mother. It was the wrong time and the wrong place. I was married with kids, and she came into my life out of nowhere.

Amelia. Her name constricts my heart in dark ways.

She was everything to me. But I couldn’t have her. The mafia world, our traditions - it’s ok to mess around outside of your marriage - to play a little - but to fall in love, so deeply, madly, wildly in love with another woman. That is not acceptable.

My wife found out. My beautiful Francesca found out about Amelia, and she threatened to leave me if I didn’t end it with her.

But ending it meant that Amelia would be free to be with someone else and that kind of knowledge crippled me.

The image of her being with anyone but me - I couldn’t survive that image.

So, I did the only thing I could do.

I killed her.

If I couldn’t have her and I couldn’t set, her free without suffering for eternity thinking about it - I had only one choice.

A choice that has haunted me every day since.

But it is the right choice.

And now - decades later - the gods have forgiven me. Karma has forgiven me, and the universe has rewarded me with love again.

Love.

I grin to myself, staring ahead at the road as I think about how much things have changed - how drastically my life has shifted since Misha walked into it.

Yes. Love.

I am in love with this dark little creature. This little raven. I am in love with her, and it thrills me to realize that.

Parking underground at the apartment building Misha is practically dancing in her seat.

“Come on, let’s see if you’re happy with the place.” I say, climbing out of the car.

“Are you kidding - this building looks like a five-star hotel? The street outside is clean. There’s a security guard.” She says, looking around with wide eyes and a bright smile.

I chuckle as I pull her close to me and we climb into the elevator.

Misha loves the apartment.

Up on the fourteenth floor the views are gorgeous. Both the bedroom and the living room windows face the ocean, and her mother will be able to look out over the entire city of Boston from the comfort of her sofa.

“Do you think she’ll be happy here?” I ask as Misha rushes around admiring every inch of the place.

“There’s a spare room that she can set her sewing machine up in.

Like a whole separate space for her office.

She doesn’t have to work in the living room anymore.

And the kitchen. She has so much space to cook in.

She loves cooking. And there is a bath and a shower and a separate laundry room—” She rushes away again, exploring more.

I sit down on the wide gray sofa to wait for her. She makes me so happy.

Everything about her makes me happy. She is beautiful and energetic. She’s feisty and wild. She’s drop-dead gorgeous and so fucking sexy I can’t get enough of her.

She is my perfect match. More perfect than anyone - anyone - I’ve ever met.

The universe took everything I loved about Amelia and added even more perfection to that. And so, they created Misha. My little raven.

Misha runs into the living room and leaps onto me, flattening me against the sofa.

“I can’t believe how amazing this place is, thank you, thank you, thank you.” She shouts, over excited, almost in tears.

She grabs my face and kisses me.

I pull her back to look into her eyes. “You like it?”

She shakes her head. “No, I hate it. But I’m faking being this happy to please you.” She rolls her eyes so dramatically it makes me laugh.

“Good.”

“The bed is so big it’s the size of the entire apartment she lives in now.” Misha says seriously. “I’m not joking about that.”

My arm slips around her waist and pulls her tighter against me. “All I want is to see you smile. I’ll do anything to see you smile, little pet. Anything.”

Her gaze grows intense as she stares into my eyes. “All I do around you is smile, Vincent.”

“Let’s celebrate.” I say, picking her up as I stand.

“OK, how?”

“Dinner. I know just the place.”

“It’s only three in the afternoon and I’m not dressed for a fancy dinner.” She giggles, wrapping her legs around my waist.

“Shopping. Then dinner. I do rather enjoy dressing you up.” I smirk.

“We could just go home first and change there?” She scrunches her nose.

“Where’s the fun in that? And besides, maybe there is something you think your mom needs in the apartment? We can get it now while we’re out.”

“I think my mom has everything here that she could ever need. Besides, I’m going to put money in her account as a gift. Seeing as I don’t have to spend it on rent.”

“Your mom is lucky to have someone like you.” I say, nuzzling my face into her neck and breathing in her beautiful scent.

“No, it’s the other way around. I’m the lucky one.”

We walk into the restaurant just as the sun is setting over the city.

Misha is wearing a tight, short red dress and black stilettos and it took every ounce of self-control I had not to drive her straight home instead of coming here.

On the way here she spoke to her mom on the phone and there was a lot of laughter and excitement.

She told her mom she couldn’t believe it. She’s thrilled.

“Look at those views.” Misha says happily.

I am staring at her though, the views behind her hardly catch my eye compared to her beauty.

“I am looking at the most gorgeous thing in the room.” I say and as she glances at me, she realizes it’s herself.

Her cheeks flush pink and she scrunches her nose.

“How do you always know what to say to make me smile?” She murmurs.

“I’m only sharing what’s in my heart, little raven. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

I reach beneath the table and pull her chair right next to mine. I don’t like it when she’s too far away from me.

Misha shifts to the edge of her seat and leans her head into the curve of my shoulder. I wrap my arm around her and when the waitress comes to take our order, neither of us move.

With orange and blue cocktails in our hands we sit and watch the last rays of sunshine dip below the horizon.

We don’t speak. And the silence between us is one of my favorite things because I’ve never had such a comfortable silence with anyone before.

She understands me and reads me without words.

Her touch tells stories as her fingers trace gently over the back of my hand.

She leans close and kisses her warm lips against my neck, then turns her eyes back to the view.

Her silence is comforting. Her body is the book I read.

When our food arrives, she sits up and her eyes meet mine.

“Vincent, I wanted to say how grateful I am for you. You’re changing my life. No one has ever cared enough to do that for me. To see me. I mean, to really see me.”

I reach over and brush my fingers over her cheek. Letting my fingertips trace over her soft skin.

“I see you, little raven. I see all of you and I adore every inch of you.”

She smiles, lighting her eyes and making her face shine.

I’m in love with her.

And I’m thrilled by the idea.

I’ll make her mine. As soon as I think she is comfortable with it - I’ll ask her to marry me.

I can’t ever let her get away from me.