Page 74 of Mila: The Godfather

Throwing my head back, I stretch my arms out and float with my eyes closed, hyper aware that Riagan is not far away. Even with my eyes closed, and with my head in the clouds, I still feel him near me.

My head was buzzing with thoughts, wishes, desires, fears, doubts—a swirling maelstrom of them.

It’s still surreal to me that this is my reality.

How does one go from a lonely castle to this wonderful adventure in a matter of days?

“Butterfly…” I was jolted back to awareness.

No longer floating but swimming in place, I look at Riagan. I really look at him at this moment with his hair wet and pushed back away from his handsome face. His lips seem redder than pink today, and his skin is glistening.

Perfect.

The total opposite of me.

“This is the best day ever, Riagan, like it was yesterday and the day before. All my best days seem to be with you. I want more days like this one.”

He smiles gently. “I do, too.”

“You do?” My heart starts to pound fast, so I tap my chest repeatedly, trying to calm myself.

He nods and then sticks his hand out from the water toward me. “Here.” There’s a clam in his hand.

When did he find this?

Where did he get it from?

“You found a seashell?” I frown, looking at it, confused as to what is so special about the clam. A clam is not a treasure. At least, I think it is not.

Wait.

Taking the seashell from him, I squeal in delight. “You found a pearl!” I gently pry the thing open. “That is so—” The rest of my sentence gets stuck in my throat when I see what the clam holds inside. Shocked and barely able to find my next breath, I stare into Riagan’s eyes which are as blue as the sky today. “What is this, Riagan? I do not understand. How is it possible that you found this in a clam?” I mumble, alternating between looking at his face and the beautiful ring inside the seashell.

A small ring with a traditional diamond and a pearl next to it. The jewels are perfectly placed in the form of a heart.

His gaze burns hotter than the sun on my skin when he takes the ring, then my hand and gently places it on my ring finger.

“It seems we both found a treasure, butterfly. Cross it off your list.”

I swallow hard. “I’m sorry. I do not understand what this means.” I don’t.

The ring feels heavy on my ring finger, and I can’t help but bring it up to my face to look at it. It’s so pretty. A treasure, indeed.

“My future wife needs a ring, no?”

I nod, dumbfounded. “Yes, but you shouldn’t have gone to the trouble or spent your money.”

“Money is no issue, Mila, and you need a ring. Everyone needs to see my ring on your finger for it to look real.”

“Oh.” My heart was crashing, skipping beats, staccato and arrhythmic.

His thumb strokes my bottom lip, and it parts just like that. My heart hammers, and I think maybe I’m dreaming or something. He was a mystery. Fascinating, compelling.

“Riagan,” I mutter, his name falling from my lips. What did I want to say? I had no idea. This strange feeling in my chest is overwhelming.

I am no idiot.

I might not have the most experience in this subject, but I do read a lot, and these feelings I only experience around him seem to feel a lot like…

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