you come sit, Baby Girl? They'll be here soon. Dinner's covered, so you just need to come and relax. They'll love you."
Pressing a kiss to the top of Rebel's head, I stood and made my way to the couch to sit next to him. He wrapped his arm around me, rubbing the tension in my shoulder with his massive hand. "I can't believe you're making me do this,” I said as I groaned into his side. “You realize we've known each other for less than a week, right? It is way too soon to be doing the meet the family thing."
"You'd be a mess whether I introduced you today or in six months. Besides, we'll be married by then. I think it'd be weird for you to meet my family at our wedding."
"Enzo!" I shrieked, turning to punch him in the arm. He chuckled, clutching it like the dramatic baby men tended to be when it served their purpose. "We will not be married in six months. Who said I even believe in marriage?"
He stilled, pursing his lips as if the thought hadn't occurred to him. I didn't not agree with marriage, but that was one of those conversations couples needed to have before they threw out the discussions about fucking marriage. We'd never talked about kids or anything of a serious nature, and I supposed I shouldn't be surprised. Given that Bellandi men tended to make those decisions for their women.
I'd castrate him.
"My mother wants grandchildren," he murmured. "She'll make that very clear tonight, I'm sure."
"Do you not want kids?" I asked, waiting on the edge of my seat for his answer. While I didn't want kids right at that moment, the impossibility of them in the future might be a deal breaker for me.
The fact that it might have been a deal breaker felt significant, as if I was hoping for a future to our relationship despite his lack of desire to sleep with me. I needed to get my shit together, but I didn’t know how to do that when I didn’t actually want to.
"Eventually," he said, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. "I'd like to have you to myself for a while first though, and I don't like the idea of bringing a baby into the world while we're fighting a war on the streets. Everything is too uncertain and dangerous right now." He paused, studying me intently before he sighed. "If I'd been a better man, I would have stayed away from you and not pursued a relationship. Claiming you as mine only put a bigger target on your back."
"Yes well, you're obviously a very bad man," I scolded, rolling my eyes at his ridiculous self-criticism. I knew the Bellandis weren't exactly on the up-and-up and that most would be classified as criminals by most. But being best friends with Ivory and getting to know them, I wouldn't say they were terrible humans either.
It was an odd juxtaposition. Criminal, but not evil.
Even if they did ally with men I suspected were the outright devil.
"Just tell my mother we'll have kids when we're ready. Better yet, let me tell her that. She's used to me dismissing her nosiness." I huffed a laugh, leaning into his chest and drawing in a deep breath of him. With the scent of him filling my lungs, tension faded from my body until I relaxed. Surrounded by him was my favorite place to be lately. Although I knew it was the most dangerous for my heart.
Enzo had worked his way in slowly like a disease, claiming every nook of the beating muscle in my chest for himself until I couldn’t deny my feelings for him anymore. I couldn’t resist the need to explore what grew between us no matter how hard I tried. He was probably the biggest risk I’d ever take, but I knew without a doubt I would regret not taking the leap with him for the rest of my life. I just had to hope it was worth it.
As I allowed myself to really feel the comfort coming from him to me, Rebel's presence settled in at our feet. A silent sentry standing guard and keeping my anxiety at a distance while I stroked her with my foot. "I wonder about her sometimes," Enzo murmured, reaching down a hand to scratch behind her ears. "She draws you out of your head when you get caught up in a behavior."
Glancing down to her, I watched those