Time Alone

Eddie was woken from another restless sleep by the sound of her phone buzzing. Rolling over, she looked to her nightstand. The caller ID read “Parker,” and she groaned. Why was he still bothering?

Without another thought, she threw her phone at the door.

“Still hate me, then?” Eddie sat bolt upright at Luca’s voice.

“Luke.” She smiled.

“Why are you throwing your phone?”

“Parker was—”

“What?”

“Don’t worry, Luciano,” she said softly. “I’m all yours.”

“Even after—”

“I love you, Luca, and nothing will change that. If you are happy, then I am happy.”

“So, you are okay with your boyfriend being in the mob?”

“Makes you even sexier.” Eddie pulled Luca down on top of her.

Eddie’s phone started buzzing again in Luca’s hand, and he glared at it before he answered.

“What?”

~“I want to talk to Eddison!” ~Eddie could hear Parker’s voice through the phone.

“No! You talk to me!” Luca yelled back.

“Eddie is mine. I want her back.”

“She is no one’s property. Call her again, and you’ll regret it.” Luca hung up forcefully, throwing the phone down beside Eddie.

“So, classes are going to suck,” Eddie groaned.

“I’ll have someone go with you to your classes.”

“You’ll what?”

“Have someone go wi—”

“I heard you, Luke. I didn’t understand. Do you mean a bodyguard?”

“Well…”

“No, Luca. That is too much. I’m from the streets, I can do things myself.”

“But—”

“Nope.”

“Fine.”

“Good boy.”

“Love birds, did you make up yet?” Marc called from the kitchen.

“We need to find your brother a girlfriend,” Eddie joked. “Maybe then he will leave us alone.”

“Ma has been trying for years.”

Luca wrapped an arm around Eddie’s waist as the two walked out into the kitchen. She was okay with the Mafia, she loved him, what more could he ask for?

“Food?” Marc asked, and Luca sighed.

~God, I’d like some time alone with Eddie.~

***

“My babies are early!” Maria Moretti cheered as her three favorite people walked into her house.

Marc was carrying his luggage and the bags of Christmas presents Eddison had insisted on, and Luca was carrying his and Eddison’s luggage.

Maria kissed and hugged all three of them before pulling her youngest son aside.

“Yes, Ma?”

“Separate bedrooms,” Maria said, her accent thick.

“But—” Luca was cut off as his mother slapped him upside the head.

“Separate bedrooms. Eddie is a good girl. You don’t make me grandchildren ‘til you marry her.”

“Ma…,” Luca groaned, blocking his ears.

“You understand?”

“Yes, Ma, I understand.” Luca trudged out of the kitchen as the doorbell rang.

“Marcello, get the door!” Maria shouted through the house.

“Ma, I’m up here!”

“MARCELLO!”

“Fine, I’m coming!”

Marcello pounded down the stairs angrily, stopping in front of the door. He swung it open to find Sienna.

“Marc!” Sienna greeted him with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.

“Sia,” he said with a smile.

“Are you going to let me in?”

“Uh, yeah, of course.” Marc stepped out of the way, allowing Sienna to enter the house.

“How was Boston?”

“It was fine. Stayed with Luca and Eddie, and then we drove down this morning.”

“They are here?”

“Yep,” Marc said, popping the “p.” Marcello didn’t often get nervous around girls, but with Sienna, he was never really sure where he stood. “So, I was going to call you…”

Sienna smirked. “Of course you were.” It didn’t help that she seemed to like to tease him.

“I was, really. I wanted to ask you out. Maybe tomorrow.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I already have plans.”

“Oh…”

“Tomorrow is Christmas Day, Marc.”

“Right, yeah.” Marc’s face heated, and he was thankful as his brother and Eddie entered the room.

“Sienna!” The girls hugged and moved to another room to talk as Luca stared at his brother.

“Are you blushing?”

“No.” Marc swatted at him.

“You are!”

“Am not I’m just—”

“Yeah?”

“She makes me so frazzled!”

“That’s her job.”

“I think I like her.”

“I know you do.”

“How much do you think she knows?” Marc asked, glimpsing at the two gossip girls.

“She is close with our family, so I’d say everything…”

“Damn…”

“Is it such a bad thing?” Luca offered. “At least she is prepared for your extracurricular activities.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have someone. It isn’t safe for Sienna, for anyone.”

“You can’t do that. Don’t deny yourself love because of the unknown.”

“Who knew you were so deep?” Marc teased his brother.

“It is all her,” Luca said, pointing to the girl in the lounge. “I love her.”

“You’re lucky she loves you back.”

“I’m lucky she lets me love her.”

Marc looked at the girls and then back at his brother. His little brother was lucky to have found his person, his soulmate.

Marc wasn’t sure about Sienna. But he knew he liked her. She was beautiful and smart. Witty and kind. She could keep up, and that was important.

The two brothers joined their girls in the living room. Luca with Eddie, Marc with Sienna. Luca moved Eddie onto his lap, and she cuddled into his chest.

“I love you,” she whispered to him.

“I love you too.”

^ONE AND A HALF YEARS LATER^

“I can’t believe we graduate tomorrow,” Eddie said, curling up on Luca’s chest.

“I can’t believe I originally thought you were a guy.”

“Were you disappointed?”

“To have an incredibly sexy roommate? Hell, no! To find out she wanted nothing to do with me? Yes!”

“You were just such a player.” Eddie hit his chest.

“I never played you.” Luca pressed a kiss into her hair.

“I know. You weren’t clever enough to play me.”

Eddie laughed, and Luca found himself laughing with her.

“Do you think things will change when we move to New York?” Luca asked after a while.

“Not that much.”

“I’ll miss Boston. Maybe we could move back here when we have kids.”

“Kids?” Eddie’s eyes went wide.

“Well yeah. I want everything with you, Eddison. House, love, marriage, kids. I want it all.”

“You think about that stuff?”

“Every day.”

“How many kids are we going to have?”

“As many as you want to pop out.” Luca winked.

“That’s gross.”

“But accurate.”

“You aren’t talking like a doctor.”

“That’s ‘cause I’m not. I’ve got to get through medical school first, smarty pants.”

“Lucky you’ve got such a successful girlfriend to help you through and pay the bills.”

“I’m a pretty lucky guy.” Luca peppered Eddie’s face with kisses.

“I’m lucky your brother gave me a job. Not many other engineering graduates can say they scored a spot at a top five company.”

“Sparrow Industries is lucky to have you, and so am I. When we graduate tomorrow, I don’t want to graduate with my best friend and girlfriend…”

Luca sat up, still holding onto Eddie. “I want to graduate with my fiancé.”

Luca reached over to the nightstand, grabbing a small red box out of the top drawer.

“Eddison Jenkins, will you marry me?”

Tears formed in the corners of Eddie’s eyes as she nodded her head. Unable to form words, she grinned as Luca slipped the ring on her finger.

—End of Book One—