Theirs to Protect (Mafia Menage Trilogy 3)

Something shattered inside me. I reached for her. “Babygirl…”

“No!” She caught my hand, restraining me with a featherlight hold. “I want an answer. Do you love us, Marco?”

“Of course I love you.” The words burned in my throat, and my eyes stung. “I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love anything. I love our family; I love our lives in Boston. I love the man I can be when I’m with you. But sometimes…” I choked on the admission, but I forced it out. “Sometimes I feel like I’m just pretending to be that man. Like that’s who I would’ve been in another life, but I’m too fucked up for it to be real. I’ve hurt people. I’ve done terrible things. I’m scared that I’ll end up hurting you, too.”

Ashlyn’s dainty hands cupped my cheeks, holding my face with aching gentleness as she peered into my eyes. Her warm tears fell on me, splashing against the wetness on my own cheeks.

“Would you ever hurt Joseph?” she asked.

I fell into the glittering facets of her sapphire gaze. “Never,” I swore.

“Would you ever hurt me?”

“I’d die before I hurt you.” The truth left my lips, immediate and absolute.

Her smile lit up my world. “I know. Now, do you believe it too?”

I brushed her hair back from her cheek in a reverent caress. “Ashlyn…”

“Yes or no?” Joseph prompted, his voice deep and stern. “Do you believe you won’t hurt us?”

I met his blazing blue stare. “I want to believe it.” My voice was tight with longing. “More than anything. I want to be that man.”

“You are,” he swore. “The life we’re building for ourselves in Boston—that’s where you belong. With us. We’re family now.”

My eyes burned. “You’ve always been my family, Joseph. I would never hurt you.” The words resonated in my soul, and I finally allowed myself to trust in the good in me. “I’ll stop holding myself back. I love you both. I’m sorry.”

“That’s enough apologies.” Ashlyn’s melodic voice hitched on a final, soft sob as we released the last of our volatile emotions. “I wish we could be at home right now. I’d bake you peanut butter cookies, and we could watch unicorn kitten videos all day, every day while you heal up.”

“I don’t know,” Joseph said, uneasy. “How many days did the doctor say it’ll take you to heal? I love unicorn kittens as much as the next man, but all day, every day is a bit much for me.”

“Maybe just one video a day, then,” I compromised, grinning like a fool at the two people I loved more than anything else in the world. “The doctor says I should be okay to fly home in a couple days. Then bed rest for a few weeks.” I brushed away the last of Ashlyn’s tears. “I’m sorry we never got to take you to Pompeii, princess. We’ll come back for a visit this summer.”

Her eyes lit up with the innocent excitement I found so entrancing. “Really? Oh, that would be amazing!” She squeezed my hand and leaned against Joseph. “But I’m ready to go home now. I want to be in our bed. With both of you.”

Joseph kissed the back of her hand and winked. “If that’s where you want us, then that’s where we’ll be.”

“I don’t know,” I mused. “I liked the new suspension hook in the gym. We should consider repurposing other rooms in the house.”

“Sure, maybe we should remodel the media room,” Ashlyn said drily. “All those video game controllers and big screens really aren’t sexy.”

I hooked my arm around her waist, capturing my naughty girl. “Are you saying we spend too much time playing video games and not enough time playing with you, princess?” My lips twisted in a crooked grin. “Joseph, I think our greedy girl has been feeling neglected.”

He wrapped his arm around her from the other side, caging her between us. “Is that true, angel? Are you feeling neglected?” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Do you know how many orgasms you had last night? If you can give me the correct number, you’ll get a reward.”

“That’s not fair,” she said breathlessly. “You know I don’t know the answer.”

“That’s too bad,” he mused. “I guess I’ll just get to torment you instead.”

She giggled and flushed the most adorable shade of pink. Our wicked games delighted her. She truly was made for us. We all fit together perfectly. Our family.

Epilogue

Ashlyn

Three Months Later

The July sun over Italy was almost unbearably hot, but nothing could ruin this perfect day. A light breeze stirred the humid air, and I couldn’t resist doing a happy little twirl to release some of my buzzing excitable energy.

“Happy, princess?” Marco’s voice was rich with amusement.

“I’m back in Sorrento!” I squeaked, stretching my arms as though I could embrace the enormity of my joy.