knew how much life I was missing out on before you. I thought I’d had it all at one point. Thought I was living my best possible life. But I was an ignorant mudak.” Asshole.
Laughter bubbled out of me as the first tear fell.
“The last thing I ever thought would happen to me did. I fell in love with my wife. I didn’t realize how long I’d been going through the motions of life instead of really living it. I was watching countless opportunities to find happiness pass me by every single day, and I didn’t even know it. Not until I met you. And my eyes weren’t just opened that day. When you blew into my world, you pried my eyes open with goddamn pliers.”
More laughter.
“But I needed that. And I think on some level, you knew it, even if you didn’t realize it in the moment. My dad once told me that the right person shouldn’t expect you to change for them. But you should want to improve for them.”
We both smiled because we both knew how much he had improved as a person over the last few months. How much I had, too.
“You deserve only the best in life, legs. And even though I’m far from that, I hope that you’ll agree to stay my wife. Because I need to stay your husband. I don’t even know where my life would go anymore without you in it. Hell, it wouldn’t go anywhere. I’d be lost in my black and white existence, searching for my blue light.”
I sniffed. Damn hormones.
“You’ve become everything I not only want in life, but everything I need. Let me keep improving for you, and I promise I’ll make you and our child the happiest you could ever be. Will you, Alexia “Lexi” “Legs” Kozlov, stay married to me?”
“God, yes,” I blurted out. “But it’s Alexia Rossetti.”
I lunged for his mouth, nearly tipping us right into the water.
His instant chuckle soon turned into a guttural groan, which soon turned into the most carefully balanced sex we’d ever had.
Afterwards, he placed his mouth against my temple as we fought to catch our breaths. “I now pronounce us true husband and wife.”
“Are you absolutely sure?” Dad asked me.
I nodded solemnly. “One hundred percent. Raphael Esposito started the fire at the Brooklyn Armor House.”
He was the shadowy figure I’d seen staring at us from the alley across the street, right before I’d run inside the building after Lexi. He was the one who threw the Molotov cocktail through the window and set the whole place ablaze. Once I’d had time to reflect on what I’d seen outside the context of gripping panic and fear, I’d immediately recognized him.
Dad blew out a heavy breath as he fell into his chair.
We were the only two in his den present for this meeting. I’d wanted to share this information with him before we took it to everyone else, knowing how heated their reactions—especially Cris’s—were bound to be.
“Why would he do that?” Dad pondered. “He and Dimitri were supposed to be working together. Why take out the guy who helped him escape prison?”
I propped my ankle on my knee. “My guess is Dimitri knew too much and Raphael turned on him. He’d gotten what he needed and had no further use for him. Dimitri no doubt knew about Raphael’s plans, and Raphael didn’t want the man spilling his guts to anyone.”
“Which means that Raphael does have a plan. And it’s big. If he’s willing to kill his allies to protect his secrets, then he’s got something major in the works.”
I shot Dad a look. “Would you expect anything less from him? I don’t think it’s any coincidence that he waited to make his move against Dimitri until he thought there was an opportunity to take one or more of us out with him.”
Dad pursed his lips. “You’re saying he’s still coming for us.”
“He could have put a bullet between Dimitri’s eyes anytime. Yet he chooses to burn down my distillery, knowing that I would come for Lexi.” I shook my head. “He’s not through with us.”
Dad swiped a hand down his face. “Hell, I don’t think he’s even begun.”
“I don’t want you to worry about this,” I said in a low voice, taking note of his tired appearance. “I’ll handle the situation.”
His eyes darted to mine. Realization had them crinkling in the corners. “You think I’ve become weak, Niccolò?”
Never.
“Not at all. I’m just saying that I’m finally going to be here