Raiden (The Kent Brothers #2) - A.M. Hargrove Page 0,98
when we returned home.
One day, we rented Vespas and toured the scenic countryside, visiting quaint villages along the way. It was wonderful and made me want to move here.
“I’d love to live here. It’s so peaceful.”
“Funny you should say that.” He handed me an envelope. I opened it and it was the deed to the villa we were renting.
“What is this?”
“Another gift.”
I gaped, first at him, then at the deed. Was he insane? “No, I can’t accept this. It’s too much, Raiden. You’ve already given me far too much. This is out of line.”
“Scottie, your eyes light up every time we go to another village and you haven’t even been to Florence. There’s tons to explore, I figured owning this place would be fabulous. We would rent it whenever we weren’t in residence. Look at it as a money-making adventure.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes, and you could learn how to manage properties.”
“That’s a different way to think about it.” I held out my hand. “It’s a deal.”
“I plan to turn you into a real estate mogul.”
I popped out my hip, resting a hand on one side. “Do you have an ulterior motive in this plan of yours?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He played innocent.
“Raiden Kent, I’m an investigator and I know a big fib when I see one. You’re trying to get me out of my line of work.”
He held up his hands. “Guilty. You caught me. Here’s the thing, though. It didn’t start out that way. When I thought about buying this place, the idea took hold and I saw the potential in rental income. I checked out the rental stats and saw what they were getting. This place brings in much more than it’s worth annually, so that’s why I wanted to grab it. It wasn’t even on the market, so I paid a hefty price. I’m not concerned, because the rental income will be much more lucrative.”
“That’s interesting, Raiden, but I still want to hear that ulterior motive of yours.”
“About that. I know how much you love law enforcement and love working with WI. I would never ask you to give that up. I thought if you found something you enjoyed as much that you might at least try it. That’s it. I couldn’t bear it if something were to happen to you on the job. That’s the only reason, I swear.”
Was I being unfair to him? I adored my job, but part of the reason I’d continued to do it was to catch the O’Brien brothers. Now they were both behind bars, was it still important? I enjoyed the investigative aspects of it. Maybe I could do it part-time.
“How about this? I try your offer here and also work with you at Kent, while still maintaining my relationship with WI, but not as a field operative. Can you live with that?”
His smile told me everything, and then his embrace encased me as he hugged me tightly. “This means everything to me, Scottie. You don’t know how much. Thank you.”
His body trembled as he held me, and if I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought he was crying. Not Raiden, though. He was too powerful for that. He released me and I swore his eyes appeared misty.
“Raiden, you’re my today, tomorrow, and future. I want nothing to ruin that. Marriage is about compromise. I love you enough to know how much you hated the danger I faced. The primary reason I did it was to see O’Brien put away. I can finally rest about that now.”
Three days later we flew home to tell the family we were now husband and wife. They asked us tons of questions, and we gave them gifts, mainly fun trinkets we’d bought from the trip. Then we sat them down and planned a trip to Italy.
Isla’s eyes sparkled. “Can we bring Olivia, because if not, we understand.”
“This is a family trip and Olivia is family,” I said.
“I’ve never been to Italy. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes,” I said.
“Yes!”
Acer and Raiden watched the two of us while Dana joined in on the conversation. “Does this include the in-laws?”
“Heck yes! You’re family too!”
Everyone started chatting at once until Raiden’s voice boomed out. “Stop. We only need to pick a date. The house has six bedrooms and can accommodate everyone. We also would like Brax and Reynolds to join us and make this a true family event.”