Page 12 of Ciao Bella

“I’m only beautiful to you,” he smiled. “And that’s all I care about.”

“It did take you a while to ask me to marry you,” she laughed. “A few months, if I remember correctly.”

“That was because every time I tried to ask you, one of these assholes was walking in and interrupting. Then Pigsty got hurt while fighting off your attacker. We were racing to finish a few cases for the Army. It was just chaos.”

“You mean it was business as usual,” smiled Mary. “I know, babe. I didn’t even think I could get pregnant. Lena decided to do blood work on me because I was feeling so run down and tired. When she told me I was pregnant, I nearly fainted. When she said there were three, I wasn’t sure whether to shoot you or marry you. I’m glad I chose the latter.”

“Me too,” he laughed. “The boys were a bit of a challenge, but Georgie. Damn, that girl really made our hearts ache.”

“Yes, but she and Carl loved one another, and they always knew they’d end up together. I hate that she had to go through what she did and didn’t feel as though she could tell us about it.”

“Well,” he frowned, “she handled the whole situation with Carl wrong. I’m glad they found one another again and that he really loved her. Otherwise, it could have been truly tragic.”

“We’ve all been so fortunate, so lucky,” said Mary. “I thought for sure the first time I met your mother, she was going to tell me how wrong I was for you.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered to me,” he frowned.

“It would have mattered to me, Angel. She’s your mother, and she was important in your life. In our life. I wanted her to like me. Turns out she did,” laughed Mary. “She wanted me to know that she believed I was the perfect woman for you.”

“Because you are perfect for me. You’ve always been perfect for me.”

“I’ve always wondered why our wives believed that they weren’t the right women for us,” said Whiskey.

“Because you approach us in a way that says you know more than we do. You came at me in that library at Georgetown like you were going to hurt me,” said Kat.

“No, I didn’t!”

“Yes, you did. You’re three times my size, Whiskey. I was a young woman alone, already terrified of my uncle and his men.”

“You thought he was your father at the time,” said Whiskey.

“Yes. I did. One of many things I was wrong about as it related to him. Thank goodness you were there for me.” She shook her head, remembering that moment. “I was so scared walking into the bar at the Steel Patriots club. But there you were ready to save me.”

“You saved yourself,” he said, kissing her. “I just had to keep you alive and safe. To do that, you had to marry me.”

“Yes, it was such a horrible task,” she said, holding her hand to her forehead with a giggle.

“It was a task. I was a lot older than you. I wasn’t sure how our life would turn out. Having Juliette was like the cherry on top of our life’s wedding cake.”

“She’s been a handful,” smiled Kat.

“I think they’re all handfuls at some point in time,” said Mary, smiling at her friend.

“That’s true. I think we’re very lucky that Callan got to her in time. Or maybe it was her that got to Callan. I’m not sure,” laughed Kat. “But think about how all of that went down. You guys needed Callan for a case about tattoos and knew that he had opened a shop in New Orleans. You go down to speak with him and realize that he’s about to lose his shop, and boom! There you were. Poor Juliette was in love with him the moment she saw him. She just didn’t know how to tell him. Turns out, he was the one that knew exactly how to handle that situation. Tell me that’s not magic.”

“I’m not saying a word,” said Jean. “Not a word.”

“Afraid Mama can hear you up here?” smirked Miller. Jean turned and stared at his older brother, then relaxed in the seat.

“Yep.”

CHAPTER NINE

“I knew you were the woman for me,” said Tailor, looking at Lena. There was an air of nostalgia but also of sadness and something else that Lena couldn’t put her finger on. “I knew it the minute Ajei walked up to me and asked if I was a giant. Damn, that little girl stole my heart. Then I saw you, and I knew I was lost forever. I thought she was your daughter.”

“I know,” smiled Lena. “Everyone thought she was my daughter. Even people who knew that my mother had given birth were wondering if it were possible for her to be mine somehow. It was all so ridiculous. But thanks to Nathan, he kept her safe and brought us all together.”

“Perhaps another plan,” smirked Trak. They all looked his way, that knowing grin on his face. “Haven’t you thought of it? My grandfather, prominent man in the Navajo nation, saves Ajei, watches out for her and Lena, befriends and loves Lauren’s grandmother, and then somehow, miraculously, he’s one of the ghosts at Belle Fleur. That is a magic on a whole different level.”