CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE – ROSE

I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. As I stood there holding his hands, my eyes watered while my gaze studied his intently. He was looking at me with his icy blue eyes, but the comfort that radiated from them was nothing less than sensual.

Lately, he’d been talking a great deal about family. He had mentioned “our family” on more than one occasion, but never once had he said anything about love. He talked about wanting to keep us safe and making sure we could all live the life we wanted, but never once had he expressed any interest in being anything more than a protector and a pleasure-giver.

I knew my desire for him was white-hot, but was it possible for a man like him to love me? Was it possible for me to accept his past and pull him into my future? I felt his hands drop mine before his palm raised to cup my cheek, and suddenly, the thoughts of Christmas day faded from my head. The only thing that remained was his hardened gaze, his soft touch, and the words that still lingered in my ears.

He pulled me into his arms, and I melded into his body. My hands ran up his stomach, grazing the bruised strength underneath his clothing as he pulled me into his chest. The beating of his heart was a sound I’d become obsessed with. A sound that I found both comforting, erotic, and frightening. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head while the waves crashed endlessly against the sandy beach of his island, and that was when I heard his voice.

“I know you must think I’m a monster, Rose, but I want to change. I have been changing because of you.”

I gripped onto his shirt with my hands and pulled myself closer into his body.

“Having a family is the only thing I’ve ever wanted, and your family is perfect,” he said. “All I wish is to be a part of it.”

I craned my neck back to respond, but the shouts of joy coming from beside the Christmas tree ripped us from our reverie. I giggled and shook my head. Camillo took my hand, and he led me back into the living room where Cassie and the boys were sitting cross-legged beside the tree.

Ana came running up to Camillo, her arms held out wide for him. He picked her up and swung her around.

“Merry Christmas, my princess,” he said.

“Can we open presents now?” Kevin asked.

“Yeah, uncle, can we?” Junior asked.

“Of course,” Camillo said. “You boys can go first.”

One by one, they unwrapped gifts. Portable game consoles and new games for their new Play Stations, clothes they could wear and jackets for the winter in the Poconos and all their favorite treats. Cassie’s smile was broad, and my eyes were filled with tears. This was the type of Christmas I’d always wanted to give Kevin, but never had the money to.

Ana was tearing into her presents, peeling the paper back and giggling at the shredding sounds. She unwrapped new toys that sang and a tablet installed with all the latest learning games. She pulled out beautiful dresses I knew Camillo had made and tailored just for her, and there was even a fuzzy blanket with a massive unicorn head at the corner of it she could cuddle with.

She was already dragging it everywhere with her while Cassie grabbed one of her presents.

“The hell’s this?” she asked as she opened the envelope.

“Probably should’ve opened the big one first,” Camillo said.

“It’s just a bunch of jumbled up letters and numbers,” she said. “Thanks?”

“Open the big present beside your knee, Cassie,” he said.

She ripped it open, and her eyes widened when she saw the Keurig. I couldn’t help but throw my head back and laugh while her fingertips scanned the packaging. It was like Camillo had given her the holy grail of presents. He’d revived her mornings with the coffee machine of her dreams. She reached for a smaller gift and unwrapped it, pulling the massive coffee mug, tailored only for her from the packaging.

The cursive on the coffee mug was in all the colors of the rainbow, and it read “Coffee… because it’s too early for wine.”

She threw her head back in laughter while the boys tried to get their new handheld game consoles going.

“The jumbled letters and numbers are the username and password to the website on the back of the card,” Camillo said. “It’s a site that specializes in nothing but k-cups for your machine. It’s a premade account with a thousand dollars loaded onto it.”

“A thousand dollars?” Cassie exclaimed. “What?”

I looked at Camillo with widened eyes, and a smirk crossed his face.

“Enjoy the next three years of coffee on me,” he said.

I couldn’t believe my ears.

“Camillo,” I said, whispering. “What in the world?”

“I believe it’s your turn,” he said, smiling.

He handed me a small gift, and I unwrapped it carefully. It was in a beautiful velvet box, complete with sparkling edges. I held my breath as I opened it, revealing two beautiful pearl earrings that sparkled in the Christmas morning sun streaming through the windows.

I felt tears crest my eyes, and my gaze panned up toward him.

He handed me gift after gift. A matching pearl necklace and lingerie that made me blush. New outfits to take home with me and makeup he somehow knew I adored but could never afford. There was a perfume fragrance that entranced me, and a pair of high heels that were absolutely astounding, and somehow, all of it was just perfect for me.

And then, there was a manila envelope he handed to me.

“This was a last-minute adjustment in plans. There’s a combination gift for you and Cassie behind the tree, but I want you to open this first.”

I nodded at Camillo before I plucked the envelope from his fingertips.

I opened it up and pulled out a bunch of official documents with words I didn’t understand and percentages that made no sense. I scanned the lines like I understood what I was looking at, but I could feel the grin crawling across Camillo’s face.

He knew I had no idea what I was looking at until I got to the letter he wrote at the back.

Rose,

In this envelope are the documents to two different investment bank accounts. You are the primary name on both of them, but the secondary names are different. One is for Kevin, and the other is for Ana. Both of them have five hundred thousand dollars in them, and they are designated as educational accounts. Schooling children is expensive, and I want them to have the best start possible. By the time they reach college age, there should be around one million dollars for each of them to use for whatever purpose is necessary.

I don’t want you to have to worry about their future when you’re always so preoccupied with their present.

Love,

Camillo

Tears stung my eyes, and I brought my hand to my mouth. I gasped, my chest hiccupping with tears. One million dollars. For each of the kids?

I held the documents close to my chest while my eyes sobbed tears of joy and relief.

“Oh, my gosh. Camillo. You shouldn’t have—”

“Save your words, my little songbird,” he said. “Cassie. Get the present from behind the tree.”

I dragged my eyes over to her as she pushed a massive box along the plush carpet of the living room. She grunted and groaned, her lips muttering curses underneath her breath as she pushed it to my feet. I looked up at Camillo with a quizzical look, wondering what in the world he’d done now.

“Just in case you want me gone,” he said quietly as he nodded toward the gift.

I held my breath while Cassie and I opened the present. The wrapping paper revealed a box, and Cassie immediately took to working the tape off. She ripped it from every direction while the two of us flipped open the lid, and the moment my eyes settled on what was inside, I shrieked with shock.

Inside was nothing but wads and wads of cash. Like the wad he’d pressed into my hand the night he came barreling back into my life.

Cassie was so stunned that no sounds were coming from her throat.

“What the hell is this?” I asked as I cried.

“I wanted you guys to be all right,” Camillo said. “I wanted you guys to be okay if things went south.”

“What does that mean?” Kevin asked.

“Nothing, sweetheart,” I said breathlessly. “Absolutely nothing.”

“Lining the bottom of the box are gift cards to various places. Restaurants in town and furniture stores. You can replenish the house you have now or buy a new one. You can invest the money and never have to work again, or you can use it to put toward your retirement and keep on working. I don’t care what you do with the four million dollars, but—”

“Four million dollars?” Cassie exclaimed.

“In cash, yes,” he said matter-of-factly. “There’s more in gift cards at the bottom.”

I felt dizzy as my eyes took in the sight.

Immediately, I took Camillo’s hands within mine and pulled him from the couch. I looked at Cassie and told her to watch the boys and not to worry about the mess. She was still staring intensely at the box, her head nodding to indicate she heard me.

Then I tugged Camillo upstairs into my room before I slammed the door behind me.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked as he sat on the bed.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You did absolutely nothing wrong.”

Tears were dripping down my cheeks while his eyes connected heavily with mine.

“Thank you,” I said. “So much.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For the best Christmas our family has ever had.”

I saw his ears perk up at my statement, and his gaze grew firm.

“I have a present for you now,” I said.

“You do?” he asked.

“I do.”

“Where can I find this present?” he asked.

I sauntered over to him and straddled his lap, my arms threading around his neck before my forehead rested against his.

“On the tip of my lips,” I said.

His eyes studied mine while I nuzzled my nose with his. He tried to kiss me, but all I did was lean back, teasing him while his hands grasped the small of my back.

“How can I enjoy this gift if I cannot reach your lips?” he asked darkly.

“Because the gift isn’t a kiss,” I said.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s an invitation, Camillo. To join our family.”

My eyes found his, and for the first time, I watched his icy blue stare melt into something akin to warmth. A sparkle in his eye I’d never seen before twinkled, and soon, I felt my body being lifted into the air. He spun me around, and I laughed. His face buried into the crook of my neck while I held him closely.

Then I felt my back hit the door, and his lips were upon mine like a madman.

He pressed kiss after kiss against my lips, and he planted his hands against the door while my legs wrapped around his waist. My hands cupped his cheeks, and our lips drank in the other’s taste.

Our bodies slid to the floor, him kneeling before me while I clung to his him. My back sank to the floor, the plush carpet coming into contact with the backs of my legs as he pressed me into the carpet. I could feel his cock growing against me, slowly and steadily, while his hands explored my skin.

Then, as if I weighed nothing, he picked me up into his arms and carried me into his bathroom.