“We dine al fresco every night, Valentina,” Aidy says. “We’re Californians now. You might want to considers joining us one of these days . . .”
“Cara mia, you give me a grandchild and you’ll never see the end of me,” my mother says, laughing as she heads in. “I’ll pack my bags before you can say Pacific Coast Highway.”
My mother heads inside, and I watch Aidy bounce Maeve on her lap, listening to the baby cooing and giggling as Aidy makes all kinds of silly faces and blows raspberries on her belly.
Mom was right. Aidy is a natural with kids. But I already knew that.
“Why are you staring?” Aidy asks me, her attention still focused on the baby.
“What? Can’t I watch you?” I defend my actions. “Just feels like I’m getting a little sneak peek at what’s next, is all.”
“Patience, my love,” she says. “First you need to marry me, then we’ll talk babies.”
“I’d marry you tomorrow if you let me. You know that.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to rush it. You only get to plan one wedding. I want to enjoy it,” she says, grinning. She’s been focused on her business the past year, growing it from nothing to something that’s flourishing wildly. She’s hired on at least a dozen new artists in the last year, and she’s fielding applications for more.
I’m not sure how she does it.
She’s pretty much Wonder Woman.
And nine months from now, she’ll be Adelaide Grace Amato.
THE END
Scroll ahead for your FREE copy of VEGAS BABY (included for a limited time only and a $3.99 value)!
I’ve also included a preview of RECKLESS, a follow up to HEARTLESS. RECKLESS will focus on Ace’s brother, Dante Amato, and will release in early September 2016!
Please use your Table of Contents to navigate to the preview.
Italian Glossary - Contains Spoilers!
*Don’t read until you’ve read the entire book! Contains spoilers!*
Italian Phrases Used in this Book (in the order they were used):
Madre – mother
Molto bene – very good
Fratello maggiore – older brother
Zia – aunt
Figlio di puttana – son of a bitch
Pigliainculo – spineless coward
Non meritavi di lei – you didn’t deserve her
E che hai fatto? – and you did?
Non importa ora – it doesn’t matter now
No perso un fratello – I lost a brother
Un migliore amico – a best friend
Mi hai tradito – you betrayed me
Non dispiace per amarla – I’m not sorry for loving her
Dio mio – my god
Testa di cazzo, traditore – go fuck yourself, traitor
Cara mia – my darling
Prego – you are welcome
Al fresco – in the open air
Acknowledgements for Heartless
Where do I begin? Cue word vomit.
Ashley C. – this book is officially dedicated to you. Your love of words and stories and your penchant for all the little details is appreciated more than you could possibly know. Thank you for staying up late and getting into the nitty gritty with me. Morgan T., thank you for reading at the last minute. You are way too sweet!
To all my readers, ARC reviewers, and bloggers, loyal and new, thank you for reading my words and giving my books a place on your shelves – virtual or real. I’m honored to be there, and I hope you’ll always save a place for me. <3
Sosie, your patience is a godsend. This story had been planned for a long time and had a gazillion incarnations, and I think I bounced each and everyone one of them off you. I know it’ll forever be “Ace” to you, and that’s a-okay because I pretty much feel the same.
Louisa, you’ve outdone yourself once again! Just when I think you couldn’t possibly be any more talented than you already are, you pull off something like this. I tell you this all the time, but you truly are a brilliantly talented genius. And thanks to Franggy Yanez for being really, really ridiculously good-looking. His photos inspired many-a-scene in this book . . .
Wendy, thank you for your meticulous eye and proofreading prowess.
To my husband, thank you for answering my sport questions and for coming up with “Smack Talk” all on your own. You might be more creative than you give yourself credit for. ;-)
Bonus Content
VEGAS BABY
PREVIEW of RECKLESS (Coming September 2016)
VEGAS BABY
Winter Renshaw
COPYRIGHT 2016 WINTER RENSHAW
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
COVER DESIGN: Louisa Maggio, LM Creations
EDITING: Valorie Clifton
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.