Page 71 of Breathtaking

He moves in behind me and pulls me back against his chest. Offering me his strength.

“Yes, Papa,” I murmur, hating him in this moment and wondering where my mother would stand if she was still here. Would I tell her the truth? “He’s not a good man, you know... He’s violent and cruel.”

I’m not sure why I bother telling him that.

I don’t feel better, having said it.

Just empty.

“The world is violent and cruel, Lennon. Learn to live with it and avoid upsetting him. That’s the best advice I can give you.”

Maddox wraps a strong arm around my chest when my knees threaten to buckle.

“I’ll expect you home before the end of next week.” He ends the call, and I sag against Maddox until he lifts me from my feet and carries me into the room.

He sits on the edge of the bed and holds me in his lap. “You will never have to learn to live in a cruel world, Lennon. No one will ever be cruel to you again. I promise.”

I close my eyes and rest my cheek against his chest, needing a minute.

“Promise me our child will always be loved. Promise he’ll always come first. No matter what,” I demand with more conviction than I knew I was capable of.

Maddox lifts my face to his and shows me the storm brewing behind his eyes.

One I’m all too familiar with.

One it would be so easy to get lost in.

“He will always be loved...” His gravelly voice is strained and intense. “You both will,” he adds softly and sets me on the bed. “Come on. We don’t want to miss the appointment.”

I watch his back as Maddox disappears through the door, and I sit in shock.

Not by his words but by the realization that, not for the first time, I think I’ve fallen in love with Maddox Beneventi.

* * *

Maria moves inside the restaurant ahead of us as Maddox and I step inside il leone for what is essentially a rehearsal dinner without the rehearsal. We couldn’t risk anyone getting wind of the wedding early, so there was no walk-through. No rehearsing. Just Maddox’s aunts confirming everything for us while we were at my doctor’s appointment, being cleared for another four weeks. Our little man is still measuring small, but he’s strong and healthy.

And as of tomorrow, he’ll be safe.

Tomorrow.

It’s hard to believe it’s nearly here.

It’s even harder to believe this is really happening.

Maddox’s hand on my back as we step into the marble entrance is a constant reminder that itisall real. And when he stops just inside the door and stares at me for a beat too long, I worry he’s going to change his mind.

But that’s not this man’s way.

His loud, chaotic family’s voices drift toward us from the tables set up at the back of the room, and I take a chance and reach out with shaking fingers, brushing his hair off his handsome face. “You ready for this, Beneventi?”

“I’ve been ready for this for years,tesoro.”

Well that’s a new one.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever been anyone’s treasure before,” I admit softly.

He slips something out of his pocket and holds it up in front of me. A beautiful pale-blue diamond ring glints in the light. “I proposed to you once, Lennon. And you broke my fucking heart and asked me to walk away. Don’t ask again—because you won’t like my answer this time. I shouldn’t have agreed then. I should have fought harder for us. But I’m fighting now. And I’ll fight every day, if that’s what it takes. Marry me,principessa.”

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