Page 15 of Days Of Valentino

Without another word to the man who’s gonna be my family soon enough, I walk down the hall, stopping at the nurse’s station, where I’m directed to Tilly’s room. As I push through the door, my heart fucking stops and my eyes burn. I’m not a fuckingcrier. But right now, seeing myfiancée laid out in a hospital bed, all kinds of wires and shit connected to her body and her face sickly pale…

Fuck, it’s the worst kind of pain I could ever imagine.

“Antonio.” Tilly’s voice breaks me from my inner turmoil.

“Matilda, you scared the fuck out of me.” I school my features, trying my hardest not to show just how stressed I am. “Don’t ever do that again.” I lean down and kiss her forehead.

“Yeah, I’ll do my best not to get shot next time,” Tilly says, her words dripping with sarcasm.

“It’s not funny. I’m so sorry. I should have been there.”

“This isn’t your fault, Antonio. And I’m okay,” she says.

“I’m going to give you two a minute. I’ll be just outside the door, baby.” Livvy glances my way and I see the tears she’s holding back as she leaves the room.

“Are you okay?” Tilly asks me.

“Pretty sure I should be asking you that. How are you?”

“They have me doped up pretty good. I feel… nothing.” She smiles and then it fades. “But if I were in your shoes, I’d be a mess. If I had to get that call, Antonio… well, I just can’t imagine.”

“I’m going to and the fucking asshole who set this all in motion, Tilly.”

“I know,” she says. “You know, if anything happens to me, I want you to be okay. My only thought was that you wouldn’t be okay. I need you to be okay, Antonio.” She’s rambling. And I know it’s probably the drugs.

“Matilda Valentino, there isn’t a world I would ever be okay in without you. Don’t ask me for the impossible,” I tell her.

Tilly smiles. “You love me. Like a lot, huh,” she says.

“I love you a whole fucking lot.” I lean in and press my lips to hers.

“Mmm, I love you too. So much. I think I love you more than chocolate, Antonio, and I really love chocolate.” Tilly pauses to look at me for a second. “Do you love chocolate too?” Before I can answer her, she adds, “We should have a chocolate wedding cake. And chocolate food.”

“We can have whatever you want at the wedding,” I tell her.

“I want to marry you at our wedding.”

“I fucking hope so.” I chuckle.

“Are you going to marry me at our wedding, Antonio?”Yup, definitely the drugs.

“I’m counting down the hours until I get to call you my wife, Matilda.”

“Oh, good. Antonio?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re really hot.”

“Thanks?” I grin as Matilda’s eyes close.

I sit here, holding her hand and watching her sleep. Thanking God for not taking her from me.

Livvy walks back into the room and pulls a chair up to the opposite side of the bed. “How long has she been asleep?” she asks.

“Not long. How are you holding up?”

“My daughter was shot in the chest over fucking politics… As you can imagine, I’ve been better,” she deadpans.

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