Coming Home (Morelli Family 6)

So many nights since then I’ve had no clue if she ever did. I tried to move on. I carved out a life of my own—not as much fun as I expected it to be, but I still wanted it.

Only I couldn’t find another Mia. I couldn’t find anyone who held my interest. After living life as a Morelli, the real world was pretty fucking boring.

I couldn’t stay away. I became fixated on Mia, on how she used to make me feel. No one else could make me feel like she did. I wanted them to, but it wasn’t working. No one else could accept me for all that I am, because no one else could know all that I am. All that I have been. All that I’ve done. Some random-ass girl I pick up at a bar doesn’t know what I’m capable of. They can’t weather the nature I was born with.

Mia always could. The good, the bad, the ugly. Even when she didn’t much like me, she could still ride me out.

Mia never gives up on you, no matter what. She has an endless reserve of spirit. It’s the only way she could’ve made it through almost five years with the Morellis and still remain soft.

I feel a little relieved, thinking about it. It’s comforting. Mia’s comforting. Right now she’s pissed off and difficult, but that’ll subside. I may not be Mateo, but I’ve got the same blood running through my veins. I can handle Mia. I can make her mine again.

God, I can’t wait to get home.

Everything will get better once we get there. Once Mia sees that I’m not overshadowed here, not eclipsed by fucking Mateo. Once Mia sees that I’m the king of her new fucking castle.

I’m grinning just thinking about it. This is what it should’ve been like with her. I was too young before, not hard enough. I thought we could live under Mateo’s rule. I thought love was enough. I thought she loved me enough to resist Mateo. Everything’s going to be different now. Now there’s no one else to resist—all I have to do is keep her away from him. She’s mine again, and she’ll just have to fucking adjust.

—

Mia’s asleep. She’s so fucking cute when she sleeps. She looks so innocent. It’s bizarre to think of her as innocent now, but she’s always felt that way. Even the morning after brutal hate sex, she still managed to exude a sweetness I wish they could bottle and sell.

I hate knowing she’s been with Mateo for so long though. I hate that she’s been with him at all, but knowing he must’ve gotten bored with normal, I can only imagine the kind of dirty shit she’s done by now. He was never supposed to have her. I never should’ve let that happen. Even after all that shit the first time, he only sampled her. I should’ve never let her go after that. The asshole even warned me, and I wouldn’t listen.

I finally turn onto our road and peace washes over me. Maybe I had to sell my own soul to get back my birthright, but I have to believe it’ll end up being worth it. She can fill up the hole inside me, and I’ll be able to give Mia everything she wants, all the shit Mateo could always beat me with. He won’t have the advantage like he used to. Mia will see that she can have me and still have everything she likes.

Eventually. Not yet. She doesn’t fucking deserve it yet.

Chapter Ten

Mia

“Wake up.”

I try to swat away the hand lightly shaking my shoulder, but my hand is stuck. I don’t immediately remember why. Then my eyes open and I see myself cuffed to the door of Vince’s stupid car. I remember where I’m at, what’s going on.

The car has stopped. That’s the first thing I realize. Also, it’s hot. Like, a lot hotter than I remember it being.

“Why is it hot?” I ask, still half-asleep and confused.

“Warm spell,” he explains.

“Where are we?”

“Home.” There’s pleasure in his voice when he says this. I’ve never known where Vince lived for obvious reasons, but Mateo showed me those pictures of Vince at an apartment complex all those years ago, flashed me a copy of his lease. For some reason, that’s where I expected Vince to be taking me. A flawed supposition, I realize, since why would he take me back to a place Mateo could easily check? But nothing else occurred to me.

Now I’m sitting in his car, staring up at an enormous Mediterranean-style villa—seriously, huge. It’s smaller than Mateo’s mansion back in Chicago and a completely different style, but holy shit. This is clearly still a multi-million dollar estate. There’s no way Mateo gave him this much money to start a new life. No way.