Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“You know I love her like a daughter.”
They talked to each other like I wasn’t in the room. I watched them together, loving the fact that Constantine was always good to his mother. That he was a man in every way, but still a mama’s boy at heart.
Constantine pulled away and gently rubbed her back. “Congratulations.”
“Congratulations to you,” she said. “Now it’s time we celebrate.”
“Will you stay here in Taormina?” Sofia asked hopefully.
“Definitely,” Constantine said. “It’s a great place to grow up. A small village with a tight-knit community close to family. Can’t think of a better place.”
Sofia beamed, an internal light glowing from her skin. “I hope it’s a girl. Already have two grandsons.”
“Me too,” Constantine said. “Hard to imagine raising a son.”
“Yes, they’re a handful.” She sliced her fork through her lasagna. “The two of you almost gave me heart attacks on a daily basis. All the girls you would sneak into the house and late nights out on the boat, that Virgin Mary statue you two knocked over . . . I don’t miss those days.”
Constantine chuckled. “Sorry about that.”
“Beatrice was easy. Always a nice girl. Doesn’t make the best decisions, but still a breeze compared to you two.”
“If that’s the case, then why am I your favorite?” Constantine teased.
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t have a favorite.”
“Right, right.” He grinned before he took a drink of his wine.
I noticed the way they talked about Edric indirectly. He was part of the conversation but never mentioned by name. It seemed like the loss was still devastating, even after all this time.
“If you have a daughter, she’ll be magnificent,” Sofia said. “Beautiful like Aurelia and tall like the two of you. She’ll be a model in Milan by the time she’s eighteen.”
“I’m sure that’s true—except the model part,” Constantine said. “She’ll be too smart to stand still for pictures. She’ll be doing something more worthwhile with her time. Running a business or being an athlete or traveling the world.”
I liked that Constantine wanted more for a daughter we didn’t even know that we were having. That he wanted the same for her that he’d want for a son.
“And if it’s not a girl, just keep going until you get one,” Sofia said.
Constantine gave a quiet chuckle. “That’s hard to picture, honestly. I like having siblings, but it’s hard to imagine having more than one. I selfishly just want to love one kid and give them all of me.”
Sofia smiled. “You already sound like a father, honey.”
He gave a slight nod. “The second I knew, my whole world shifted. I became a parent without a kid. My perspective on everything was altered dramatically. I became a different person even though my life hasn’t changed at all yet. Strangest thing . . .”
The second we were home, he buried me in the corner of the couch, just my bottoms off because he was in too much of a rush to remove my top and bra. I was still sore from last night, but I didn’t dare interrupt him. That was like taking food away from a starving bear.
He bent me like a pretzel in the corner of the couch and nailed me hard, like he’d wanted to fuck me the last few hours, and now he finally could. He didn’t even undress himself, just tugged his bottoms down far enough to get his cock out. He left his shirt on and gave me the hardest quickie, made me come fast like he’d kissed my sex for the last twenty minutes. Then he released inside me with a satisfied moan, like he’d finally scratched the itch that had been gnawing at him all night.
He left me there when he was done and walked over to the bar cart to make himself a drink.
Medusa stayed in her dog bed until we were finished, able to pick up on the mood before anything physical had even happened yet. But when she knew it was over, she pranced over to Constantine, able to put some weight on her leg.
“Sorry, baby girl.” He took a drink before he kneeled down and gave her a rubdown. Now that she was feeling better, she turned her body and rubbed her flank against him, being playful when she got his attention.
A part of me felt bad about how much her life had changed since I’d come around. She used to be the only woman in his life, but now she came second . . . and soon she would be third.
After she got her fill of Constantine, she came over to me on the couch, walked up the ramp, and sat beside me.
I pulled my panties back on and left the jeans on the floor.
Constantine looked out the window and admired the city lights before he came to the couch. He handed me a glass of water that I didn’t ask for, then sat beside me. “Want to get married next Saturday?”