Page 23 of Days Of Valentino

Antonio taps something out on his phone.

“Who are you messaging?” I ask him.

“Emilio. Telling him to replace the funds in your account.” He smirks at me.

“Antonio, this is the twenty-first century. If I want to buy our home, I can.”

“I know and you did. Come on, give me the tour.” He takes hold of my hand and walks us farther into the house. By the time we’re finished the whole tour, he looks at me. “You’re right. It’s the perfect place to raise our family.”

“You mean that? You really like it?” I ask while peering up at him.

“I love it,” he says, wrapping me in his arms. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” I rest my head on his chest. “I saw our life, you know. When I was… Well, I saw our whole future and it was really good.”

“Any future with you in it is bound to be great,” Antonio replies with a grin.

Episode Ten

“Babe, your family is here,” Travis groans. His arm tightens around my waist, pulling my back closer against his chest.

“How do you know it’s my family?” I ask him.

“No one else is getting into this house and making that kind of fucking noise, Lil,” he grunts.

He’s right, but I’m still not getting up. “They’re your family too, so you can deal with them. I’ve been dealing with them my whole life. I’m tagging out.”

“You can’t tag out of your family.” He chuckles.

“I just need five more minutes,” I groan, burying myself deeper under the covers. I don’t care if my family is burning my house down right now. I’m not getting out of this bed.

“I’ll get up, but only because I love you.” Travis kisses my forehead. “And you’re fucking grouchy when you’re tired,” he adds before pushing up from the mattress.

When I wake up again, it’s to the noise of my brother’s voice yelling out a rapid string of curse words in Italian. I shoot out of bed. This can’t be good. I know Travis can hold his own against my family, but my brother has a trigger-happy finger that he’s quick to pull.

I run downstairs and through the house, following the noise. I find everyone in the games room. By everyone, I mean Travis, my brother and his girlfriend, two of my cousins, Josie, and my Zio Romeo. At my abrupt entrance, they all turn to look at me.

“What the hell are you all yelling about?” I ask, my eyes bouncing from face to face.

Alessandro is standing by the pool table with a cue in his hands.

Travis is on the opposite side. He quickly throws his cue down and storms towards me while ripping the t-shirt he was wearing over his head before trying to tug it over mine.

I shove him away from me and step back. “What are you doing?”

“Putting clothes on you, since you forgot to do that yourself,” Travis says, coming at me with that damn shirt again.

I look down at myself. I’m wearing a pair of sleep shorts and a cami, sans a bra. Sure, I could have put a few more layers on,but no one here is checking me out. Well, no one besides Travis anyway.

“Why are you yelling in my house?” I step around Travis to glare at Alessandro.

“I wasn’t yelling. I was talking passionately,” my brother replies.

“He lost ten grand to your boyfriend.” Cassidy laughs. “Again.”

I turn to Travis. “Stop betting against my brother. You know he can’t beat you,” I tell him.

Alessandro scoffs from behind me. I spin back around with my hands on my hips and tilt my head at him. “Yell in my house again like that and I’m going to have Papa rip your damn tongue out of your head.”

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