I tap my fingers on the glass table in Vince’s living room. Everyone is here. Callie and her husband Damian, Aubriella and her husband Vince. All of their children are with their grandparents, which is good, given the colorful language that flows from the two Citrione men. Being around both of them is intimidating to say the least. Vince has a streak of grey in his hair, but he carries himself with the poise and grace of a man who doesn’t back down from anything. The possessive way he guards Aubriella is cute, never situating himself in a position within the room where he can’t see her, never failing to touch her or speak softly to her when they are within arm’s length.

I can see that Damian is Vince’s brother from his eyes alone. Apparently, all the Citrione men have the distinctive dark eyes that carry so much weight they could knock a woman to her knees with a glance. But the two men are marked by subtle differences. Where Vince wears his power openly, proudly, and without apology, Damian carries a quieter sort of force about him. He isn’t shy about taking appreciative looks at Callie, either. I never knew Vince, except from what Callie told me about him, but I knew Damian. I used to work for him, technically at least. In practice, he was more like the mysterious owner everyone knew was part of the mafia. Now he’s a family man. It’s hard to believe, but looking at these hard men who have softened, at least slightly, gives me hope for what my future could be like with Leo.

Just thinking about him brings my mind to Roman, and thinking of Roman twists my heart. I’ve replayed the image of that car driving away with my baby inside at least a hundred times already, and I’ve relived the guilt of knowing that I couldn’t protect him. I can’t stop thinking of all the things I could have done differently to keep them from taking him. Why did I drive us out of the cornfield the same way we came in? Why didn’t I try yelling for the man chasing Roman to stop or I’d shoot Carlo? The questions swirl in my mind, threatening to drive me crazy with grief.

The only thing keeping me from absolutely losing it is Leo. He’s out there, right now, and he’s trying to save our son. A stranger could look into Leo’s dark, intense eyes and know in an instant that he’s a man who could move a mountain to get what he wants, and he wants nothing more than to save our son. I just hope he can do it.

“Can’t we do anything?” I ask, wincing as I bite my fingernail off too close to the skin.

“I called in a favor from Benny,” says Damian. “He’s got every available man heading to those two addresses, and I called my sniffer, Franklin. If there’s any more information on this guy who has Roman, Franklin will find it. He’s the best there is.”

I nod, still feeling like it’s not enough. Seeing Vince and Damian still here with me irritates me, but I know they both likely wish they could be out there looking, too, and they would if Leo hadn’t asked them to stay with me.

Callie sits beside me on the couch, squeezing my thigh and giving me a serious look. “He’s going to be okay, Jules. We’re going to—”

She trails off when my phone rings. It sits on the armrest of the couch and everyone is standing close enough to see who’s calling.

Leo.

I grab the phone, picking up immediately. “Is he okay?”

“I’ve got him. He’s safe, Julia.”

All the tension I’ve been holding melts out of me. I sink into the couch, clutching the phone tight, but letting my head fall back as I sigh. Tears well in my eyes. Roman is okay. He’s okay. I make a silent promise to myself that I’ll never let a day go by where I don’t tell Roman how much I love him or kiss his little forehead. I’ll never take him for granted. I’ll cherish every moment with him from now on. “Thank you, Leo. Thank you so much.”

The others in the room share a collective moment of relief, squeezing shoulders and hugging quietly.

“If you hadn’t got that plate number, I never would have found him in time. Anyone could have taken him. You saved him. Do you understand me?”

More tears come. How does he know I needed to hear that so badly? How does he know exactly what to say?

“I still think I should have—”

“No,” says Leo. “You were perfect. I might not have been able to save both of you. Getting yourself out of the mess was the best thing you could have done to save Roman.”

“I love you,” I say quietly into the phone.

I notice Callie nudging Damian from the corner of my eye. I blush, seeing Vince and Aubriella grinning at each other, too. “Can I get some privacy?” I snap.

They shuffle from the room, smirking.

“I love you too,” says Leo.

Vince insisted that we all stay with him for Thanksgiving. Considering Roman and I were kidnapped two days ago, I’d say we’re recovering nicely. Callie’s daughter Victoria is only a year older than Roman, and the two of them seem to be getting along well. Aubriella’s daughter is six and her son is seven, but the two of them are doing a good job of interacting with the little ones. They’re building a fort out of couch cushions in Vince’s living room while my mom helps Aubriella with the cooking. Seeing her face when we brought her here yesterday was great. She didn’t seem interested at all in the decorations or the mansion-like house Vince lives in. Instead, she was speechless as she watched the three Citrione men and made sure she milked every bit of help they were willing to give her, even though she has been doing really well with her chemo treatments lately and recovered a lot of her strength. I couldn’t help smiling. For their part, the Citrione men have been so gracious and kind to my mother than I’ve already started to feel like Vince and Damian are part of our extended family.

I grin a little when I realize if I ever marry Leo, they will be my extended family.

I move past Callie, who’s leaning on Damian’s shoulder while they watch Aubriella and my mom debate the best way to cook a turkey. Leo moves toward me, wrapping me in his long, powerful arms and bathing me in his scent. I breathe him in closing my eyes and sighing. Every time I’m in his arms and I feel his touch, I keep thinking it can’t get any better, that I can’t grow to care about this man any more than I already do, but I’m surprised every time.

Do I want to marry him? I haven’t had much time to think that one over, but it doesn’t take me long to decide. Yes. I want him in my life and I want him in Roman’s life, for better or worse. I hope he’ll change for us and find a way to leave the violence behind, but I can’t help remembering what my mom said about compromise. I care enough about him to compromise. I don’t know how I’ll do it or how I would live with the idea of him still living the life he lives, but if I have to, I’ll find a way. I get the sense that Leo is a man like my father though, and he will do everything he can to push the compromise as far toward my end of desires as he can.

“Upside down is really the only way,” says my mom. “It lets all the juices cook into the breast.”

Aubriella sighs. “But then the top of the turkey won’t get as golden.”

My mom shakes her head. “Just flip it and toss it under the broiler for a few minutes when it’s almost done.”

I tune them out, smiling a little. After so long on my own with just Roman and my mom to take care of, it feels wonderful to be surrounded by everyone here. It feels like I have a real family again.

The food is delicious. My mom has always been a good cook, and the addition of Aubriella’s touches to the meal make it even better.

“So,” asks Vince as he jabs a piece of turkey with his fork. “You going to come back to the Citriones now, Leo?”

Leo finishes chewing and purses his lips, shaking his head. “I don’t think so. I’m going to make my own way.”

“Fair enough. Couldn’t get Damian to work for me either, but I guess stubbornness runs in the bloodline.”

“Muscles, too,” murmurs my mom.

I smirk, but no one else seems to hear her.

“I think you might have the lion’s share of that stubbornness, honey,” says Aubriella to Vince.

Callie grins. “I might disagree there,” she says, nudging Damian.

I laugh, looking at Leo. “I find that hard to believe, too.”

The kids eat at a smaller table beside ours. Roman brings his plate to me a few times to get me to help him cut his food up, but he’s otherwise doing great with the Citrione kids. I’m thrilled to see it, because his only real interaction with another kid was always just with Amelia, and the two of them never seemed to hit it off.

Aubriella taps the top of the golden brown turkey breast with her fork and nods grudgingly. “I’ll give it to you, Mrs. Connors. The broiler was a nice touch.”

My mom smiles. “And I’ll give it to you, this is definitely the juiciest turkey I’ve ever had.”

Leo squeezes my leg beneath the table and gives me a mischievous quirk of his eyebrow. “Well, I’m stuffed. I was going to go grab some wood from out back to get the fire going.”

I wipe my mouth and set my napkin on the table. “I’ll go,” I say.

I blush when Callie smirks at Aubriella, but try to ignore them. Maybe the wood is really heavy. He might need my help.

Leo stands, looking absolutely amazing in the gray dress shirt he wears. His sleeves are rolled halfway up his forearms and I can’t stop watching the way the muscles flex when he uses his hands, making his tattoos dance. Leo decided that he and I were sharing a bedroom, which gave me a thrill of excitement at first. When I tried to protest, he said I was his girl, and he almost lost me once and wouldn’t risk it again. How was I supposed to say no to that? When night drew nearer though, all I wanted to do was sleep and cuddle Roman, who snuck into our bed because he was scared. He didn’t seem confused at all to see Leo sleeping beside me, and I have to say I might have enjoyed cuddling with my two men more than I would have enjoyed a night of sex.

But…

I’ve had plenty of time to fantasize about having his hands on me again, and I’ve spent a lot of time remembering how he felt inside me, and I’m tired of waiting. I need some kind of sign that this is real. Permanent.

We excuse ourselves and step outside, heading behind the house to find a pile of dry wood that Vince must have split. There’s an axe jammed in a stump of wood and a few unsplit logs beside it. Leo moves to grab some of the split wood and I clear my throat.

“What?” he asks.

“Maybe you should split some of that wood, too. I don’t know if there’s enough to keep the fire going all day yet.”

He looks at the massive pile of wood and frowns. “We could keep the fire going all winter with this.”

I shrug. “You should split some wood.” I feel a tingle of excitement rush through me. I want to see him doing something physical, something powerful. The idea of him bringing the axe down with his strong body has me practically thrumming with anticipation.

Leo finally figures out what’s going on and gives me a cocky smirk. He moves to the axe, ripping it free, the muscles in his forearms standing out as he does. He hefts the axe in both hands and turns to give me one last knowing look before throwing his body into the task, bringing the axe down on a chunk of wood like it owes him money. I’m surprised by how much it turns me on to see him exerting himself. He sets up the logs and splits them in one single blow every time, bringing the axe down so hard that the logs jump from the tree stump, adding to the small pile forming.

His slacks pull tight around his firm ass each time he bends to pick up more wood, and the white shirt he wears stretches over his broad, muscular back. It’s cold outside, but I feel my core heating. I just wish we had more time. If we spend much longer out here, it’s going to be too awkward to show my face inside because they will assume we were having sex. I honestly just wanted to steal a few kisses, but getting to watch him chop wood was an unexpected treat. I guess I had a lumberjack fetish and never realized it until now.

He finally stops, skillfully twirling the axe and slamming it back in the tree stump where he found it. “Think that’s enough wood?”

I grin. “Yes. I think you have plenty of wood.” My eyes wander below his waist and he smirks at me. “I should grab some kerosene from the shed incase Vince doesn’t have any inside.”

I follow him to the shed. It’s a little rustic compared to Vince’s relatively modern estate. The shed looks like something Vince might have built himself, and he doesn’t seem to be the world’s most skilled carpenter. Leo finds the kerosene and when we’re about to leave, a gust of wind slams the shed door closed. Leo pushes on the door, but it doesn’t budge.

“Shit,” he says. “It’s stuck.”

“Ha ha,” I say sarcastically, moving to try the door. I wince when I push and nothing happens. It doesn’t take long to find the problem. Vince didn’t build the doorframe to be perfectly symmetrical, and the wind must have slammed the door hard enough to wedge it awkwardly in the wood. “Can’t you just ram it with your shoulder?”

Leo looks at the heavy door and gives it a valiant effort. Each slam of his shoulder doing nothing to dislodge the door. I watch, hugging my arms to myself as I realize how cold it is. Leo notices me shivering and stops ramming the door, moving to search the shed.

“There has to be a blanket in here somewhere…” A few seconds later he pulls a old gray blanket free from a wooden chest. “It looks like a moving blanket, but it’ll do the trick. He wraps it around my shoulders, making sure I clutch it tightly closed.

“What about you?” I ask. “Aren’t you cold?”

He waves me off. “I just got done chopping a few forest’s worth of wood. I’ll be fine. Besides, they will probably come looking for us soon.”

I look helplessly around the shed. “He seriously didn’t build any windows in this place?”

Leo smirks, taking the place in. “I get the feeling that Vince probably couldn’t have added a window without knocking this whole place down on top of his head.”

I laugh, teeth chattering. “So what do we do?”

“Well,” says Leo. “They say the best way to warm a human body in cold weather is skin-to-skin contact.”

“What if someone comes to rescue us and they get an eye-full of my ass?”

“It’ll be their lucky day.” He starts unbuttoning his shirt before I can object, dragging my eyes down his chiseled body.

I lick my lips. “I don’t know, what about Roman?”

“There are three experienced mom’s in there, a former mobster, and a mob boss to kick anyone’s ass who tries something. I think he’ll be okay.”

He’s pulling my shirt over my head now as I stand motionless, torn between arousal and reluctance. I slowly put my hands on his bare back, relishing in his warmth and smooth skin. Why should I be reluctant anymore? If any man has had to jump through more hoops or show more persistence than Leo to prove he’s trustworthy, I’d be surprised. He has earned my trust, and I’ve earned the right to enjoy him. To enjoy my man, the father of my son.

“Shouldn’t we at least call for help?” I ask, but my voice is so soft now even I can hear how bad I want this.

“Go ahead, but I’m fucking you one way or another. If you call for help, you’re just going to be inviting an audience.”

He undoes his pants and rips mine down, stripping me completely naked in seconds. When he crushes his body against mine, practically tackling me to the ground while kissing me, I can’t help but agree that skin-to-skin contact is definitely conducts more heat than a blanket could. The cold floor on my back is not quite as nice, but he pauses to lay the blanket flat and then wrap it over our bodies.

He captures my mouth with a long, passionate kiss, circling my lips with the tip of his tongue before plunging it inside. His hand slides under my thigh, squeezing my ass and then spreading my legs wider for him. I’m ready for this. I’m ready to be his, to give myself over to him without reservation. When I think back to the time I’ve spent with Leo, even as far back as those first minutes we spent together in my office four years ago, I was always conflicted.

He kisses his way down my jaw, following the long line of my neck and giving me chills with his warm hands, soothing the cold from my skin.

Being with him now, I feel no conflict. Of course, I’m a little worried about the inevitability of everyone coming to look for us and finding us fucking like animals in a tool shed in the middle of November, but that might as well be background noise. The realization settles in on me with a slow force that makes my head spin. I’m committed to him. Whether he ends up sticking around or not or whether he feels the same way, I’m ready to do everything in my power to make this work, and I want it to work so badly. I think back to all the times I’ve seen him interact with Roman and how good they are together and I know I’m making the right choice. I also selfishly love the way he makes me feel, like I’m someone worthy of worship, like his greatest desire in life is to keep me safe and happy.

His mouth quickly demands my full attention as it nears my waiting heat, wiping the never-ending torrent of thought clear and focusing my world on his two, perfect lips and the anticipation of waiting for his next kiss.