Page 111 of End It All

"Here," York said. "Paolo said we should pick these up."

I took them and thanked him. How the hell had they even known? I opened the boxes. There were two golden rings inside, each had a line of diamonds that went in opposite directions from each other. It was simple, but as I held them, it felt like they were insanely heavy.

Or it’s the fact that I’m doing something batshit insane.

"Repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed..."

Oh God, I'm really going to die. Is this happening? It can't be happening!

It still felt like something out of a movie. But every time I looked at Quincy, he was so happy. That stupid grin on his face hadn't gone away yet.

I think this is about more than getting out of the yakuza for him.

The stupid fluttering started up all over again. As I slipped the ring onto his finger and repeated the words, I shifted from foot to foot. He did the same, sliding the ring onto my finger as he gazed into my eyes. It sure felt real, but I didn’t want to run.

"I now pronounce you both, Mr. Vitale. You may kiss your husband."

Quincy wasted no time planting the biggest, tongue deep kiss on me. I shoved him away eventually, the laughter that filled up the penthouse making my face red. I glared at him.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

"Again. Divorce. Death and divorce," I muttered.

"Oh"—he leaned down until he could whisper in my ear—"you would definitely have to kill me to get rid of me now."

A shiver ran down my spine at the growl that encapsulated the words. I probably should have been running for the hills already. But instead, I was warm all over.

We thanked the priest, and I cleared my throat when he was gone. "Hey, so, I'm not actually a Vitale. Is that going to work?" I asked.

Benito walked over to the table, pulled out a folder, and passed it to me. "Yes, you are."

I stared at him before I carefully opened it and looked inside. There was a birth certificate, social security card, a license, and even a shiny new bank account and credit card. There, in black and white, was my new name. Blake Vitale.

I was a Vitale.

"My mother's going to kill me." I laughed, but it felt like I was on the verge of tears.

"No, she's not," Benito said. "I called her today and asked if it would be all right." He gave my shoulder a squeeze. "She was glad, said she was relieved that you would have someoneto protect you." When I glanced up at him, he gave me a small smile. "And that's what we do best. Protect each other."

I swallowed hard. "Thank you. I don't even know what to say."

"You've already said enough, don't make it gay!" Gin called. "Now, someone pour me a drink and please tell me there's something to snack on. I'm starving!"

"Sorry, he has no manners," Ash said, a glare on his face as he stared at his fiancé.

"Yeah, he was asking questions about Quincy's dick," I said, wiping the lone tear that had escaped. "Oh, and York? Paolo was supposed to sell some coke and I never got my cut."

Both of my brothers stared at me like I'd lost my mind. Quincy burst out laughing so hard, he doubled over, a wheezing sound escaping him when he couldn't take in air. Even Enzo snickered. I patted Quincy on the back as Benito walked closer and held out his hand.

"Yeah, you're definitely a Vitale," he said. "Welcome to the family."

It wastwo days before we were allowed to go back to Quincy's place. Harlow wanted to make sure that the agreement was solidified before he let us out of his sight. I was grateful to him. And the jealousy, not that I would admit to Quincy I ever was jealous, had faded a lot. It didn’t seem to matter, especially now that I wore the same ring as Quincy.

"Home sweet home," Quincy said.

I glanced around at the growing mess. "Yeah."

He followed my gaze. "Just give me a little time, okay? I'm really trying."