Page 43 of And Twice as Twisted (Agostino Crime Family #4)

APOLLO DELUCA

V exatious. Maddening. Bothersome. Down-right fucking irritating. So many different adjectives, all with the same meaning. Sienna. They described the mother of my son, the woman in my bed, and the cause of the pain in my chest. She was all those things and more. But above all else, she was mine.

I’d made a promise the day she walked back into my life with my son in tow.

I’d protect them. She’d always had my loyalty because of her last name, but my devotion came with the boy who shared mine.

Salvatore had so many parts of his mother, but as each day passed, I saw the good parts of me in him too.

He was emotional, a bleeding heart in his own way, but he was smart and attuned to everyone in the room.

He watched, dissected, and adapted. He didn’t start walking; my son took off running, wreaking havoc alongside his cousin Nico.

The boys were inseparable and constantly getting into trouble.

Lucky and I were often pleased with their antics.

They pushed themselves far beyond the limits you’d assume children their age were capable of.

They were fast-learners and had an eye for chaos that their mothers had a hard time harnessing.

In the end, they were kids enjoying a very extravagant life.

Bella and Sienna were concerned over their immediate bond and it gave us a glimpse of the future of New York.

But it was Lucky and Bella’s second child who truly troubled them.

Mario exhibited many of the same personality traits as I had, with his lack of empathy.

They were keeping an eye on him, but their attentions were misguided.

The boy was detached but his protective instincts were unparalleled.

New York had no clue what the next generation was going to bring them. No one did.

“Well?” Al poked my side, motioning towards Sienna, who was standing in the vineyard yelling at Sal and Nico for whatever recent trouble they’d found themselves in.

“Would you presume you were born this irksome, or was it something you grew into?” I inquired, amused at Al’s obvious irritation as he stomped away.

“Get on with it.” Lucky nudged me.

“Salvatore!” My son froze, turning to look at me over his shoulder as I approached. “What did I tell you?”

He laughed, looking at his mother expectantly.

“What?” She watched both of us, her eyes narrowed with suspicion as our son dug into his pocket before pulling something out. It took Sienna a moment to realize what she was looking at.

If I had known a little piece of white gold with a diamond attached would silence her, I probably would’ve done it a lot sooner.

Everyone in the city, in our world, knew exactly who Sienna Agostino belonged to.

Her last name had always came with the weight of her father’s strength and power.

However, mine would elicit something else altogether.

Fear. And it was time to do right by her.

“Nothing with you has ever been simple. There isn’t a single uncomplicated part of you.

” I pulled her flush against me. “I think I’ve known for longer than I care to admit that you belong to me.

Faults and all. Marry me.” It wasn’t a question.

It was a command, but I expected a response nonetheless.

“And you belong to me, psychotic tendencies and all .”

I raised a brow, urging her to elaborate.

“Of course, I’ll marry you. ”

I lowered my lips to hers to quiet her before she could say more, or push me into another argument. She went to open her mouth and I raised a hand to cut her off. “Do not dare to even think about it.” I slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her once more.

For a woman who was so against using her family name to her benefit, choosing to work for everything she earned, she sure as fuck kept giving me issues when it came to changing it.

Marriage she was fine with. Her not-so-subtle hints told me what she wanted from me, what she had been waiting for, and I obliged.

But other traditions—like dropping her maiden name—gave her pause.

That being said, relationships were about give and take, or so she liked to remind me, and I wouldn’t concede on this.

She didn’t need to be an Agostino anymore. Deluca would suit her far better.

She was my darkened angel. My beacon in the bleakest of times, and I was ready to ensure it stayed that way. Because an angel couldn’t fly without her wings. And this ring, catching the sunlight from where it presently sat on her finger, ensured Sienna Deluca’s wings would be forever clipped.