Page 101 of Mine Again (Mafia Bride #2)

Isabella

Four weeks later

I reach for another chocolate from my favorite Sicilian chocolatier, slipping the little swallow onto my tongue and letting it melt slowly.

Mmm, so good.

Luca placed the three unopened boxes on the bed the day we returned to the island. I cried, overwhelmed by the memories of those birthdays, certain now I hadn’t been forgotten.

The older chocolates remain untouched, and I can’t bring myself to throw them out. The last box is still perfectly fine, and every bite tastes like proof of his love, stubborn and enduring, just like the man himself.

Beside me, Luca’s fingers fly over the keyboard. Once this room was his fortress, locked against the world. Now my desk sits pressed against his, our monitors glowing in tandem, the hum of our work a new kind of intimacy.

Yesterday he surprised me with the setup. A sleek new desk, a chair so comfortable I might never get up again, and three monitors fast enough to keep up with me. He unveiled it like he was handing me a kingdom. And maybe, in his own way, he was.

I never expected to love crypto trading.

It began as a lifeline to make money to find Luca, but somewhere along the way it became mine, a freedom and a choice.

When I saw the desk, I called him ridiculous.

He kissed me until I could hardly breathe, and then we christened it together, our moans etched into these walls as surely as our love.

The television drones in the background, Hale’s name still scrolling across the ticker. I smirk.

“You know what this reminds me of?” I ask, pointing to the screen with Carter Hale’s picture plastered all over it.

Luca glances at me, one brow lifted. “What?”

“The end of those true-crime movies, when they flash text on the screen about where everyone ended up.”

His mouth curves. “Go on. What would ours say?”

I clear my throat, all mock-serious. “Carter Hale is rotting in federal prison for the rest of his life. Before his arrest, he and Luca Caruso spent a few days ‘clearing up’ their differences.” I draw quotation marks in the air.

Luca’s smirk sharpens as he wheels his chair closer. “Differences resolved. He looked a little worse for it.”

I grin, continuing, “Isabella Caruso accepted the bounty, gave most of it away, and tucked some aside for her sister.”

He tilts his head. “Smart choice. Next?”

“Aldo and Caterina were married at what was supposed to be their engagement dinner.”

He chuckles. “Improvisation at its finest.”

“And Maximo and Mia…” I pause, tapping my finger against my lip. So much of their story is still unwritten.

“Maximo Marcos and Mialina Accardi tied the knot a week later in a wedding only the Chicago Don could pull off on short notice. The bride did not vomit on the priest.” God, I miss Mari!

Luca leans closer, brushing his lips against mine. “And Luca Caruso?”

My chest swells. “Luca Caruso remains hopelessly obsessed with his wife, loving her fiercely forever. They live happily ever after in a secret offshore lair.”

“Correct,” he growls, cupping my face and kissing me until the television fades to silence.

I melt into him, my hands fisting in his shirt, my heart so full of love for this man.

“There’s one more line in the closing credits,” I murmur against his lips.

“Hmm?” He pulls me closer, his kiss deepening until the air between us is nothing but heat and want.

Panting, I force the words out. “The last line will read: Isabella Caruso loves her husband just as fiercely and will do so until the end of time.”

I feel his smile in my whole being as his mouth continues to claim mine, leaving no doubt that he feels the same. For a moment, I let myself drown in it, in him, in the forever we fought so hard to win.

But the knot in my stomach refuses to be ignored. I press my palms against his chest, breaking the kiss with a shaky breath.

My fingers rise to the butterfly necklace Luca gave me all those years ago and had sent back to us from Sicily. I put it on the moment it arrived in Chicago, surprised at how complete it made me feel.

Needing that comfort now, I roll the delicate charm between my fingers, nerves prickling.

“Luca.” My voice is quiet, but something in it pulls his full attention. His eyes search mine, like he already knows something is coming.

It could be nothing. Stress could explain it. The chaos we’ve lived through is enough to throw anyone off balance. But the possibility is there, whispering louder with every hour, and I can’t keep it to myself any longer.

My throat works as I swallow, my thumb still worrying the butterfly. “I missed a period. And I think…” Deep breath now . “I might be pregnant.”

For a heartbeat, dread flares. What if this isn’t what he wants?

But his eyes light up like I have handed him the stars. He sinks to his knees in front of me, his hands cupping my face, certainty blazing in his gaze.

“I know you are,” he says.

My lips part. “What?”

I don’t understand, but there’s so much certainty in his eyes that I almost believe it.

“How could you know? I haven’t even taken a test.”

He leans his forehead against mine, grounding me.

“Because I know you. Every breath, every heartbeat, every shift in your body. I notice everything.”

He speaks quietly, reverent, as if sharing a secret.

“And you’ve been different these past couple of weeks. Your body told me even if you weren’t aware.”

My eyes widen, shimmering. “You’re serious.”

“Yes.” His thumb drifts across my cheek, then he lowers his hand to rest gently against my stomach. The gesture is so sweet my heart leaps before finding a faster pace.

A tremor runs through me.

“How? How am I different? I haven’t noticed anything.”

His mouth curves, smug and tender all at once.

“Your nipples are more sensitive. You flinch when I touch them. And you tear up quicker—”

Heat floods my cheeks. “I cried at my mother and sister’s weddings. That’s not unusual,” I cut in.

“No, it isn’t,” he agrees. “But a cake-cutting wouldn’t normally set you off.”

I bite my lip, remembering. I did cry, a lot actually.

He keeps going. “And at night… your body runs warmer against mine. I feel it every time you’re in my arms.”

Is he serious?

I huff, indignant. “What, you’ve got a built-in thermometer now? ”

He shrugs, maddeningly sure. “When it comes to you, farfalla , I notice everything. Our child is already with us.”

Heat pools low in my belly, not just from embarrassment that I didn’t catch any of this, but from his raw intensity.

Nothing slips past Luca. It should be unnerving, but instead it feels like the safest thing in the world. I’ve never felt more seen or loved.

A laugh bursts from me, tangled with a tear, joy and disbelief colliding. He points at my face with a smirk.

“See, the proof is right there.”

More tears follow, spilling over, and I hiccup through them.

“You’re ridiculous. And I’m not sure why I’m crying.”

He grins at me, eyes blazing with love.

“Hormones, farfalla … because you are pregnant. But we can take a test if you really need a little stick to tell you I’m right,” he teases.

His mouth covers mine, slow and soft, like he’s sealing the truth between us.

Then he bends, lifts my shirt and presses a kiss to my abdomen. My throat tightens as his lips brush my skin.

It’s so reverent and loving, I can’t help but swoon.

It’s more than a kiss… it’s like a promise, a vow to protect, love and cherish the tiny spark of life growing inside me.

“Hello, little guy,” he says, awe in his voice.

“Or little girl,” I correct, laying my hand over his where it rests on my belly.

“Honestly, I’d love a little girl, especially if she’s like you. One Isa is already enough to undo me, but a mini version? She’d have me wrapped around her little finger in no time.”

My laughter spills out. The future really is ours, wide open and waiting.

Then he leans closer, whispering low into my ear, “And when you’re ready, we’ll make another one… and another one… and another one.”

“Luca,” I groan, shoving at his chest, though my smile betrays me.

The thought of him putting more babies into me makes my core heat, unleashing desire to be full of him this instant.

“You don’t think I’ll stop at one, do you? In fact, we should practice some more right now.”

“Hmm.” I tap my finger against my lips as if I’m weighing it up. “Not a bad idea, actually.”

Before he can react, I leap up so fast he lands flat on his ass.

“Race you to the bedroom.”

I take off running, laughter pouring out of me. His footsteps aren’t far behind.

The next second, strong arms sweep me off my feet. My giggles turn breathless when he spins me, joy sparking in his eyes. I guess I didn’t make it far.

He gently lowers us onto the living room rug, moving his body over mine.

Then his lips are on me, his hands roaming my body.

Every touch reminds me that I’m his, every kiss a promise that he’ll spend a lifetime worshiping me as fiercely as he claims me.

“You want to do this here?” I ask, tearing at his clothes, desperate to have his skin against mine.

“I want to do it everywhere with you. But here is a good start.”

Smiling, I dig my fingers into his hair and melt my mouth to his.

If this is how forever begins, with Luca’s arms around me, his laugh chasing mine, and the promise of more life between us, then I’ll never stop running toward it.

The End