Page 51 of The Don
“Do you want to go back?”
She shakes her head and steps away. Well, she tries to, but I refuse to let her get away from me so easily ever again. “I’ve worked up an appetite now. That was such a long walk.”
“It was ten minutes, maybe less. We can still see the building from here.”
“I’m pregnant. It was so long,” she says, smiling. “I bet this city has the best seafood restaurants.”
She looks so hopeful and excited; how can I tell her that I’m not hungry, or that the restaurants, like the beaches, are off-season as well?
“Let us discover this together, no?”
She shrugs and looks over my shoulder. “Us and our friends.” She waves at my men, and then her face lights up. “Manuele.”
“What?”
“I don’t remember him from the plane.”
“No…” I say in slow confusion.
“So, he’s from here, right?”
“Ah, yes. Yes.” I call Lorenzo to us. We walk along the shore while someone locates Manuele to tell us where to eat because Shae wants seafood, and I’ll make sure she gets it.
* * *
We send Manuele to the restaurant to arrange our lunch. By the time we arrive, Shae is becoming grumpier by the moment, and I find that adorable. Almost adorable enough to slow my steps on the way to the restaurant, but she threatens me fiercely.
Adorable and harmless, but I still comply. Anything to make her happy.
She leans into my side as we walk up to a reserved rooftop dining area. All along the perimeter of the structure are hanging plants. The muted green is calming, but I imagine in the spring and summer, this place would be bursting full of life and colors. Like the beach, it would have been nice to see it in summer, but with Shae here, there’s more than enough sunshine.
“Seriously?” she gasps with a wide smile and bright eyes.
I press a kiss to the side of her head, inhaling the scent of whatever she used on her hair. Inhaling her.
“How did you even—?”
“I have rarely gotten to appreciate all this power that I’ve been accumulating over the years.”
She nods, confused.
“But now, I can spoil you, so none of it has to go to waste.”
“I—” She shakes her head, and I cannot help but marvel at her innocence.
I’ve spent years wielding my power in ways that solidified my position, but nothing ever made me this happy. Every moment with her is joyful.
“It’s so beautiful.”
I pull her into my arms and press my mouth to her ear. “Nothing will ever be more beautiful than you.”
“I want to make memories with you.”
It’s my turn to be speechless. I thought hearing her gasp that she loves me into my ear was all I needed.
“This is the kind of stuff I want to tell our baby about in the future. Days like this.”
“You mean you don’t want to tell our child how we met?”