Now she is mine: heart, mind, body, soul.
Mirabella
He enters me and it hurts, but not in a painful way. In a burst of light — of love — a reckless rush of desire pulls me closer.
I wrap my arms around his neck. I draw him to me. “Oh, Matteo,” I whisper in his ear as he rocks against me, slowly filling me up inch by inch. His cock is big and thick, and my hole is small and tight, but somehow it works. We work. He fills me up in a way I never knew I needed.
I wrap my body around him as tight as I can.
“Oh baby, don't cry,” he says.
“They're happy tears,” I say, repeating the words from earlier. Tears slide down my cheek as he fills me up and takes me to a place I always wanted to go.
I can't help but think I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Me, a girl who works at a pizzeria with an overbearing brother and a past that's broken in a hundred different ways.
I told Matteo all about it and he wasn't scared. He didn't run.
Instead, he drew me close.
He fills me up. He loves me and I love him. This stranger and this soulmate all wrapped up in one.
“Oh God,” I whimper as he takes me. His cock isn't forceful. It's loving. It's moving deep inside of me in a way that fills me to my core, that has me gasping and panting and wanting so much more.
He gives it. He gives and gives, and I am selfishly taking everything he offers.
“Oh, Mirabella,” he groans. “You feel so good.”
His words surprise me, and I realize what's happening isn't selfish at all— because right now we're both getting something, giving and taking, and that's what love is. I'm learning all about it in a 24-hour whirlwind.
I laugh and Matteo looks at me, surprised. “What's funny?” he asks.
“This. Us. Everything. It's insane. It's beautiful.”
“And it's ours,” he says. “This is ours. I came for a piece of pizza and instead, you gave me a piece of your heart.”
“No,” I say. “Not a piece of it. You have all of it. All of me.”
Epilogue 1
Mirabella
One year later…
His Nonna’s diamond ring glitters on my ring finger. We've been married one whole year. And we have a baby on the way.
Our life is delicious.
Matteo loves to joke and say that he came to Sugar and Slice for a midday meal and left with a wife. It's practically what happened, and I wouldn't change it for the world.
He walks into the living room, where I am rocking sweatpants and a massive baby bump. “Hey baby,” he says, giving me a kiss. “You hungry? I can call and get you a pizza.”
“I’m starving, actually,” I say. “But Tony said he'd be bringing a pizza over.”
“Sounds great,” Matteo says with a smile as he hands me a Diet Coke on ice. It's my number one favorite pregnancy craving. Well, that and pepperoni pizza.
“Who were you talking to in the kitchen?” I ask.
“Oh, it was Josh. He was giving me a hard time — saying my CrossFit times are sucking lately and that I’m putting on pregnancy weight.”
I laugh. My husband is as ripped and chiseled as ever. But I’m glad he has a friend like Josh who can tease him. “He should be careful with his words… I have a feeling he might be a daddy any day himself.”
A few minutes later, Tony buzzes himself up and soon enough my brother, husband and I are sitting in the penthouse that is now my home. I've made it cozier. It's a gorgeous place, but I wasn’t one for all the leather and concrete. I prefer to have a few feminine touches around the place — scented candles, soft throws and pillows stitched with sentimental sayings like You had me at hello and You have a pizza my heart. Well, that last one was a custom wedding gift from my brother who, despite his over-protective and annoying former self, has finally changed his tune.
Maybe it's because he's seeing someone. Who that is, I’m not sure yet. He won't tell me, but I have a feeling that love is in the air for him. He literally came into the penthouse whistling.
“Why are you in such a good mood?” I ask, knowing full well that he's keeping a secret.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He laughs, handing the pizza box to my hubby.
Matteo opens it and places a slice on a plate for me. He gives it to me along with a kiss on my forehead. I rest the plate on my nine-month-pregnant belly, the perfect tabletop, and I take a sip of my Coke. Refreshing. Delicious. God, pregnancy is weird.
“So, what's the deal? You guys told me to be here for an important conversation… I admit to being slightly nervous.”
Tony and Matteo exchange a grin.
“Look, I know you guys have been talking behind my back and I'm not taking offense to it. I'd rather you guys get along any day than deal with my brother and husband in a fight. I just want to know what it's about.”
“It is good news,” Matteo says. “Tony and I have come to an agreement.”
“An agreement? Sounds ominous.”
“No, it's a good one,” Tony promises.
“Okay… So, spill the beans.”
“We're going into business together,” Matteo says.
My eyes widen and I take a massive bite of pizza as I swallow the news. “You're going into business together?” I finally manage to get out. “You, you two. Men who are as opposite as they come are going into business together?”
“We're not that opposite,” Tony says, “I mean sure, Matteo is a self-made millionaire and I’m still working on making my fortune, but we both love you. We have that in common.”
“And we're both Italian,” Matteo adds with a smile. “And we both like Italian food.”
“Okay, so what's the business?” I’m unable to resist asking the question.
Matteo clasps his hands together, excited. “We're going to franchise Sugar and Slice and bring it under the Angelina's umbrella.”
“We're going to open up a bunch more pizzerias,” Tony adds. “What do you think?”
My heart swells with happiness. "I think that is amazing,” I say honestly. “I think it would be the sweetest thing to have Mom and Dad's pizza shop all around the country.”
Matteo laughs. “We were thinking to start with the tri-state area, but sure, the whole country could work.”
“I like that you're thinking big,” Tony says, grabbing a slice of pizza and folding it in half, then eating half of it in one fell swoop.
“Go big or go home,” I say.
We finish the pizza, me peppering them with questions about the plans, when they're going to move forward, and what that means for us as a family, especially with the little one on the way.
“Don't worry about a thing,” Mateo says. “Family first.”
Tony nods in agreement. “Always family first.”
The baby gives a big kick, rolling over in my belly, moving the plate with her. “She has a lot on her mind,” I say.