Page 275 of Anti-Heroes in Love Duet
“I never had a dad, not really. I loved my mama,” she whispered brokenly. “I love her today and always. But she’s gone, and I love you too. I want to be your daughter. You both saved me. I don’t feel safe anywhere but here at home with you.”
I moved the tray of food off my lap and fitted my arms beneath her pits to draw her up between Dante and me, her thighs straddling each of our laps.
“I always wanted to be a mother all my life,” I told her softly, tracing the line of her nose and her soft cheek, the curve of her eyebrow and the corner of her jaw. Every inch of her was as dear to me as every inch of Dante was. “It was my biggest dream in life to have a family. It might not be possible for Dante and me to make a baby together, but do you know what? That doesn’t matter because even though I never ever would have wished what happened to Bambi and Jacopo to happen, my dreams came true when you came into our home. You just made them real by giving me this.” I shook the papers in my other hand. “How many people do you know whose dreams really come true?”
She pursed her lips adorably. “Zioalways says his dreams came true when he met you.”
My gaze shot up to Dante who was smiling at us both like he couldn’t believe his luck.
“Yeah, okay,” I allowed, swallowing the emotions clogged in my throat. “Both yourzioand I had our dreams come true, and you are a massive part of that. I hope you never doubt how much we love you.”
“Siamo con te,” Dante told her, leaning forward to kiss the top of her head. “anche quando non lo siamo.”
We are with you, even when we are not.
“That’s like what you always tell Elena,” she murmured, eyes wide.
“Yeah, because I love you two most of all,” he whispered. “But don’t tellnonnoTore.”
She laughed in a way that said she was totally going to tell Tore.
Dante smiled at me over her head and leaned in to kiss me softly. “Happy Birthday,” he repeated. “And happily ever after. Let’s enjoy the peace while it lasts.”
I laughed, and Rora laughed with me because she loved our mirth tangled together like a song. Then Dante joined in, and my heart almost burst in my chest with joy.
There was no ice left in me.
No walls.
Because I had a mafioso to protect my heart better than I ever could.
I was thirty-three when it happened.
Older than I’d thought I would be as a girl before everything happened.
Now, my age didn’t matter.
Miracles existed outside of time, and that’s what this was.
A miracle.
I took a test.
Then two more from different brands.
But that wasn’t enough.
I’d learned a long time ago that hope was a fickle bitch.
So, I made an appointment with Monica just to confirm.
If I was going to tell Dante, it had to be true. Feeding him a false dream would be worse than swallowing it down myself.
For once, I wanted to give the man who had gifted me his world something worthy of his love.
When she confirmed it was true, I almost panicked because I wanted to give him the news like the gift it was.
Like a treasure.
