Giulio’s hands pull me in closer. “Mrs. Giannotti, you’re playing a very dangerous game kissing my neck like that. The twins will be back any second.”
“Oh?” I smirk. He’s left to witness my hand glide down his chest, past the dark leather Tom Ford belt with a thin golden T-shaped buckle, and resting on his crotch. I give his already semi-hard cock a tight squeeze. “What is it you said about a dangerous game, Mister?”
“Don’t tempt me more than I already am,” he murmurs softly. “If we were alone alone, I would bend you over this table and take you from behind with that beautiful dress of yours bunched up to the sides. How’s that for participating in your dangerous game, Mrs. Giannotti?”
Hot…damn!
I arch a suggestive brow.
He mirrors the action and licks his lower lip.
Holy hell!
I’m all flustered and in need of him even more when Giulio kisses my lips with the same passionate urgency I’ve been craving all evening. The tip of his tongue gently slides against my lips and I part them. His tongue finds mine, softly devouring me into sweet ecstasy. Giulio takes me over the edge as I alternate between slowly stroking his length through his slacks and fast palm rubs.
“That feels so good.” He breathes against my lips. “Fuck, baby.”
My smile widens. “It’s my birthday, I can get away with it.”
Giulio is about to respond when the twins come running up the outdoor steps. We separate in a flash. My hand moves instantly to my wine glass while he groans in a mere whisper to me, “Dio mio, you tease. I’ll get you back. You just wait until later. Just wait, baby.”
Haha!
I can’t stop laughing inside at the way Giulio is looking at me—so hot and bothered.
Oh darling, I feel exactly the same…
I clear my throat and face the twins. “That was quick! But you didn’t need to buy me anything.”
Giulio leans forward, discreetly adjusting himself under the table, and winks at me. “You know that was never going to happen.”
He walks towards Oscar, blocking my view of something they exchange. They step apart beaming. My heart seizes as the twins sit back down meanwhile Giulio helps me out of my chair.
What’s going on?
We stand in front of the outdoor table, hand in hand, and get caught in each other’s warm eyes. “Valencia…we were both fighting against an invisible enemy. Up until a few weeks ago, I thought it would be impossible to ever be with you again. The thought destroyed me.”
“The only way we can get through this is together.”
“And I am with you, Lencia. I want this for us. I want this for Oscar and Slonne. I want this for Addilyn. After everything we’ve been through, we deserve that silver lining. We deserve more than ever to find our baby and we will.”
There’s a pang in my chest at his words, our reality, and most importantly the rebirth of us. Emotions begin to hit me. Somewhere along the way, I began living again. I brought myself back up. I survived. This is my life. I deserved to live it right. I am worth it.
Giulio casts a glance towards the twins and turns to me with a sharp breath. “I met you at a very delicate time in my life. You came into my life and saved me. You’ve continued to save me ever since. For that, I’ll forever be grateful. You’re important to me. I love you more than life itself. With all my heart, I love everything about you.”
“I love you too.”
“Then let’s do this the right way, all over again. Valencia, I had the honor of falling in love with you twice over. Not many husbands can say that. Not many children can witness their parents fall back in love again and that is something purely special. I want to find Addilyn. I want this life with you, Oscar and Slonne. I cannot do it without you all. So…”
Giulio grins, dropping down on one knee.
Oh. My. God.
My hands tremble as he reaches inside one of his suit pockets. A teal box. He opens it and I understand perfectly what it is.
My Platinum diamond wedding ring.
It’s altered because now attached to the original ring is another thin band of emeralds. The color of hope and rejuvenation. It signifies the second time we’ve fallen in love. Our two stories. We are stronger. Wiser. More compassionate.
“Valencia Marie Giannotti, you’re the one for me. Will you be my wife again and together annul our separation?”
“Yes. YES!”
Giulio slips on my wedding ring and pulls open the second box, revealing his wedding band altered with a matching rim of emeralds among the brushed titanium. I slide it on him and the twins cheer loudly as we press our lips together.
Yes. Always yes.
Eagerly tugging his lapels, I show him just how much I mean it. It doesn’t matter how many times we kiss. Every time feels like the first. That fiery devotion. That pooled longing. That warmth in my heart delivered straight to him. Only to him. Always to him.
“I love you, Lencia.”
“I love you too, Giulio.”
Oscar and Slonne rush to us and we come together in a group hug.
We did it!
Our lips haven’t detached once since shutting Slonne’s bedroom door. We stumble into our bedroom as Giulio’s hands rush through my new hairdo, setting off a moan caught in my throat. It’s therapeutic the way one single kiss from this man has enough depth to pull me under.
“God, I will never get enough of you,” he whispers softly, slowly pulling off my dress and I grin as it hits the floor. Apart from my panties, I’m bare against his tuxedo. “Never.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we’re married then.”
“You see, I missed the sarcasm and those snarky replies too.”
“Wait until I’m in my dirty thirties.”
“Baby,” he whispers, “every day is a blessing with you.”
“You’re my blessing. You make me feel alive again. I used to feel as if I was constantly fighting
