PART 11:

The majority of his operations were still illegal, still dangerous. But now there was a plan, a timeline, a future where Christian Lombardo was just a businessman, not a crime lord. Christian Lombardo, restaurant mogul, I said smiling. Who would have thought? Christian Lombardo, man in love, he corrected, turning me in his arms.

That’s the only title that matters to me now. I looked up at him. This beautiful, dangerous man who’d somehow become my whole world. He’d kept every promise he’d made that New Year’s Eve. He protected me, cherished me, loved me with an intensity that still took my breath away. He’d also started seeing a therapist, something I’d gently suggested after a particularly violent nightmare where he’d almost hurt me by accident, thinking I was a threat.

He was trying, really trying, not just to go legitimate, but to be better, healthier, more whole for me, but also for himself. I love you, I said, reaching up to touch his face, feeling the familiar scratch of his 5:00 shadow. Even on the hard days, even when things get scary, I love you, Christian. Even though I come with baggage, he asked, that familiar vulnerability creeping into his voice.

He still sometimes couldn’t believe I’d chosen him, chosen this complicated life. Especially because you come with baggage, I said. Because you’re real. Because you’re honest about your flaws. because you’re working to be better. That’s more than most men can say. He kissed me and I tasted the promise in it, the commitment.

The future we were building together, one difficult day at a time. Speaking of the future, Christian said when we finally broke apart. I have something for you. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small velvet box, and my heart stopped. Christian, let me finish before you panic,” he said, a nervous smile playing at his lips.

I’d never seen Christian Lombardo nervous before. It was endearing and terrifying at the same time. I know we haven’t been together that long. I know we’re still figuring things out, but Olivia, I also know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to make this official, legal, permanent.

He opened the box, revealing a stunning ring, a diamond surrounded by smaller stones that caught the light and threw rainbows across the office. This was my grandmother’s ring, the only piece of jewelry my mother kept when she left Italy. She gave it to me before she died and made me promise to only give it to someone I loved with my whole heart.

His voice shook slightly. I’ve carried it with me for 15 years, never finding anyone worthy of wearing it. Until you. Tears were already streaming down my face. Christian, marry me, Olivia. Not now. Not until we finish transitioning the business. Not until I can offer you a life that’s truly clean.

But someday, when I’ve proven I can be the man you deserve. When I’ve built something we can both be proud of. marry me and make me the luckiest son of a  who ever lived. I looked at the ring, at this family heirloom he was offering me, at the future he was proposing. It wasn’t a fairy tale. There would still be hard days, dangerous days.

Days when I’d question if I’d made the right choice. But there would also be days like this where Christian looked at me like I was his entire world. where his love felt like the most solid thing I’d ever known. “Yes,” I whispered. “Yes, Christian, I’ll marry you.” His smile was brilliant as he slid the ring onto my finger.

It fit perfectly like it had been waiting for me all along. Then he was kissing me, and I was crying, and we were both laughing, giddy with the enormity of what we just promised each other. I’m going to make you so happy. Christian vowed against my lips. I’m going to give you everything. A clean life, a safe life, a life where you never have to be afraid or look over your shoulder.

I just need you, I said. The rest is just details. We stood there in the office where I’d spent two years invisible, where Christian had watched me and wanted me and fought against his feelings. the place where everything had changed that New Year’s Eve when he’d found me in the snow and realized he couldn’t lose me.

Do you ever think about that night? I asked. New Year’s Eve every day, Christian said. It was the night I almost lost you and the night I finally got brave enough to keep you. The best and worst night of my life all at once. If I hadn’t stayed late that night, if you hadn’t come looking for me, don’t. He pressed a finger to my lips.

Don’t think about the whatifs. We found each other, Olivia. However it happened. Whatever path brought us here, we found each other. That’s all that matters. He was right. The specifics didn’t matter. What mattered was that Christian Lombardo, a man who could have had anyone who commanded empires and inspired fear, had chosen me.

👉 [Tap here for the Next Part ] 👈