Page 79 of Depraved

She pats my cheek as she giggles. “Maybe if they don’t give me a raise.”

“Consider it done, gorgeous.” I grin as I lean down and kiss her lips softly.

Her mouth melts into mine, following my lead, and a cacophony produced by “awws” and hollers bring a grin to my lips as I look up.

“I swear to God. I can’t introduce you to anyone,” I chuckle half-heartedly in complaint.

Sarah hides her face in my chest as she laughs. She’s such a badass, but seeing her like this, embarrassed by their easy teasing, makes me want to tell her…

Tell her that I think I’ve loved her from the minute I danced with her at Luca’s wedding, when she basically told me to fuck off, then followed my lead.

“Introduce? We knew her first, dick,” Luca calls, grabbing my attention.

I toss a dinner roll in his direction, hoping to smack his face, but he catches it and takes a bite. “Good looking out.”

He wags his eyebrows in challenge until his gaze drifts to the door, and I watch his eyes soften. The sound of the French patio door calls the table’s attention, and Gretchen steps through with a freshly cleaned Ella.

Ella’s wrapped in a towel that has a hood with a penguin on it. She looks ridiculous and adorable.

“I stole her to say good night to everyone before Rose puts her down for the night.”

“There’s the little love of my life. Come here.” I smile, holding my arms out for the little monster covered in dark curls and blue eyes. “Get over here and let your favorite uncle hold you.”

“Favorite? Nah, I win by default. I’m Luca’s twin,” Dom protests, reaching out for Ella only to be ignored.

I laugh deeply as the little thing tosses her body forward toward my arms. “You need to accept that I’m superior in all ways, little brother.”

Luca claps and barks out a laugh, enjoying Dom’s torture. Before I came along, Dominic used to love to call himself the big brother because he came first. Tormenting him by calling him little is one of my greatest pleasures.

Sarah laughs softly, and I look to my side at her as I snuggle the wiggly toddler. “Sorry, Billy, but my heart is taken.”

Ella’s chubby arms wrap around my neck. Her fingers quickly find their spot tracing all the pictures peeking out above my T-shirt on my neck.

“Are you trying to make me swoon to death?” Sarah teases, smiling at me.

“Yeah. Is it working?” I question, wagging my eyebrows before blowing raspberries into Ella’s little neck.

Deep belly laughs rock Ella’s body, and Sarah laughs again. “Maybe.”

Her eyes shine with her joy in this moment.

The conversation is flowing around the table, the others talking about Dom and Drew’s new twins as Sarah and I speak quietly.

“It’s strange to be here with everyone,” she says, hushed, as she rubs Ella’s back. “I spent so much time keeping people away, trying to stay ahead of my father, that I didn’t realize how much I missed out on.”

“Well, now you never have to miss out again,” I reassure her as Ella’s little head lies on my shoulder, her fingers still trying to grab at the colorful art on my skin.

“Sure. Well, until we find where they are…” she replies absentmindedly, playing with Ella’s chubby little fingers.

My head swings to Sarah’s. “Hold on, are you still planning to leave? Take off when we find them?”

No fucking way is she saying this to me. After all of this. After the fights, the deals, the fucking…after the I love you.

She pushes her hair behind her ear, avoiding my eyes as she reaches for a crumb on the table. “No…well, yeah. But I could come back…or… I don’t know, it’s just more complicated now. I feel different, but the circumstance is the same.”

My voice stays quiet, but I want to demand, yell, shake the shit out of her.

“It’s not the same. These people consider you family, Sarah.” I look around and back to her. “You’ve had more people in your corner than you knew.”