Page 60 of The Nanny and the Don
“No, you’re not, and you know it. In all seriousness, I miss you, Dev. It’s so dark and dreary in that house without your light. I can’t go back to living the way I was before. I know I was a jerk. I never should have treated you like collateral or bait when you’re the only thing I didn’t want to lose. I know I don’t deserve you, but I would be honored to have you as my wife and companion until the day I cease to exist,” he said, getting down on one knee and picking his pants up from the floor.
“Steel,” I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands as he opened the box and revealed a gorgeous pear cut diamond ring.
“Just tell me what I gotta do, baby. I’m not sleeping. The house is so cold, and I think Miguel is going to quit soon. He’s furious that you’re gone. He and Sicily both think I did something to chase you away. I fired Simon and Gerry after I pistol whipped and held them at gunpoint for letting you leave. All of a sudden, it’s so cold and dank in that big fucking castle I’ve been hiding out in for the past ten years. I need you back, Devlan. I know I was wrong. Blame it on me. Punish me if you have to. I just need my sunshine back.”
“Can you accept that I’m not your property and I’m free to come and go as I please? Can you love and trust me even though I don’t belong to you?”
“I understand that you don’t belong to me, Devlan, but I belong to you.”
“Can I have some time to think? This is too much.”
Standing to his full height, he took a deep breath. “I love you, Devlan. As hard as it is, I’ll accept whatever you decide.” Walking over, he pressed the ring into my hand before dropping his forehead to mine. “I’m trying to remember your eyes just in case this is the last time I see them,” he said, taking a shuddered breath before blinking back the moisture in his eyes.
I knew the lump in my throat meant that tears were inevitable, so I pushed past him and made a dash for my bedroom. Once I was inside, I slammed the door behind me and dove on the bed. As I cried into my pillow, I heard a soft knock on my door.
“Goodbye, princess. You don’t have to worry about me imposing on your life again,” he said through the door.
I screamed into my pillow as I felt his presence fading. I knew that he would keep his word and not come back. That shattered me.
Nineteen
Steel
It had been eight days. I only knew that because this was the eighth time that I had heard my alarm go off. I lost track of the number of times I’d turned Miguel away with food or made Sicily get out of my room trying to drag me out of bed so that she could clean my room. I didn’t want to be bothered. I was trying to get Devlan out of my system, but she was rooted so deep that I couldn’t shake her.
With King and Evie gone, my house felt like a dungeon. Before, I relished the emptiness and quiet. Now the silence was deafening. I missed the chaos of having Devlan and the kids around. It was too peaceful here.
I probably needed to turn on some music or something because the silence seemed to be so loud. I allowed a smile to creep through as I thought about that little song Devlan was always humming. I never could quite think of what it was. All of a sudden, the words seemed to come to mind. It was as if my princess was right here singing it. My brow snapped together as I slowly sat up in bed.
“You sick? Why are you in bed at two in the afternoon, Mr. Workaholic?”
“Y-you . . . came back,” I stammered as I threw my legs over the side of the bed and rushed over to hug her. My eyes misted with tears as I held her to me. It was such a relief to have Devlan back in my arms.
“I figured if we were going to get married, it didn’t make sense for us to live in different places. Plus, I had to come.”
“Married? You’re going to marry me?”
My chest felt tight as I waited for her to verify what I hoped to be true.
Waving her ring-adorned hand, she nodded. “Yes, Mr. Gray. I love you, and I don’t want to go back to the life I lived before I met you.”
“I promise, I’m never going to stop trying to make you happy, Devlan. Anything you want, baby. Just keep being my sunshine. You’re not a prisoner here, and you never will be. I love you, Devlan.”
“I love you too, baby. I got you,” she said, cupping my cheeks and kissing my lips. “Now, I’ma need you to go take a shower and get changed for me. You smell like you skipped a few showers. That’s not like you. I’m used to you being on point.”
“I was depressed. I haven’t done much of anything.”
“Well get it together. I want to show you something.”
“You wanna wrap those long legs around me? Because we can get this started in the shower,” I asked as I stripped my shirt over my head.
She laughed. I didn’t. “Not so fast. I have to show you something else first. I can do that later.”
“Just checking. Don’t go nowhere, Devlan. As a matter of fact, come in the bathroom with me.”
“I can’t. I have to keep an eye on your surprise.”
“You didn’t say anything about a surprise. I don’t know if I like surprises.”
