I have no words so I bring him down to me and kiss him with all the love and hope I have in my body.
Epilogue
“If you don't untie me right this minute, the second I get free I'm going to kick your balls in so hard you choke on them.” I warn.
The fucker just laughs as he rolls the covers over my naked body. No, he can't. "Dominic, let me get dressed at least! Oh my god, I hate you even more. You cannot carry me out of the house naked.”
"If I don't, then you'll try to get away." He says it as if I'm an idiot. And I know I'm not getting out of this. That doesn't stop me from struggling when he slings me over his shoulder. "We talked about this, Regina. If you had been a good girl and agreed to come quietly, then you could have walked out of here dressed on your own, but no—"
"It's our baby's birthday!" I yell at him for what feels like the hundredth time as he carries me out of our bedroom.
"I'm not a baby!" Eva yells at me as she watches from the open door of her bedroom. "I got you the gag for a reason, daddy. Mom, for the thousandth time, I'm turning nineteen, not nine. You and daddy need time to yourselves. It's your twenty-fifth wedding anniversary for fuck's sake."
"Language, brat, and you helped him. No allowance for six months."
"Daddy!" Eva pouts at Dominic.
Dominic shakes his head, as he kisses her forehead, as if I'm not even here, over his damn shoulder, getting dizzy from the blood rushing to my head. "You're getting your allowance. Be a good girl, your aunt Chloe will check on you. If she tells me you aren't, then it's no allowance."
Eva frowns as she considers her aunt, then smiles at me and waves before slamming the door back into her room. "That little girl has plans." I groan as I smack Dominic hard on his ass as we thump down the stairs.
"Of course she does. This was her idea. I wouldn't expect anything less than a raging party. Mary will be here but we both know she’s as likely to help Eva as stop her.” Mary had become a grandmother to the girls, a huge help in the first years after we brought Carmen and Elisabetta home. Then she was a part of our family we and the girls couldn’t do without. “I have Vincent keeping an eye on not just her but all the girls while we're gone."
"Her idea, what part?"
"Bye, have fun, Mom. I love you." Elisabetta bends down to kiss my cheek, her phone recording the whole damn thing. She better enjoy it now because when I get back, she's losing that damn phone. "Carmen says she loves you and has fun. She had to get to class, I'm running late, as usual. Bye daddy, you're so big and strong. Giulia and Giana didn't think you could carry mom down the stairs, but I knew you wouldn't have a problem. Say hi, for the girls Mom." She gasps, "Mom, that was not nice. It's a good thing you're taking her daddy, she definitely needs a time out."
"Please be good, I'm trusting you can take care of the girls. Whatever Eva has planned, I will find out and all of you will pay for it, whether or not you are there." Dominic pulls our oldest in every way, born three minutes before Carmen and two years before Giulia who was followed by Giana then Eva, into a not so gentle hug.
As Dominic lets her go, I'm pleased to see her frown then take off up the stairs at speed. "I think you scared her enough now. Can I please—ouch, damn it Dominic."
He tosses me not so gently into the back of the car.
"Good morning, Mrs. Sabatini." Everett nods at me from the front seat.
I mutter, good morning, as I wrap the blankets tighter around me. It isn't easy to do with the damn silk tie tight around my wrists. Dominic leans over and buckles my seatbelt around me, copping a feel with a wicked glint in his eye. And I hate that I'm wet from it. God, he can be such an asshole sometimes.
"Please untie me now." It annoys me to no end that I'm pleading with him as he gets in beside me.
Shaking his head, he doesn't even look at me as he pulls out his phone. "Chloe, yeah, we're in the car on the way to the airport right now. I scared them, but I'm not sure if it's enough to make them behave themselves. Keep an eye on yours too. Elisabetta didn't like it when I mentioned you were going to be checking in on them. I'm turning off their debit and credit cards today, but they have cash stashed around the house." Dominic chuckles. "You are evil. Turning off their phones? I don't know about that. Ah, Regina likes the idea. Then again she's pissed at everyone right now so who knows how long that will last? All right, thank you. We owe you. Yeah, yeah, dinner from the club delivered for the next few weeks. Already arranged, just call it in. See you in two weeks."
"I hate you." I sigh as we turn into the small commuter airport and the plane comes into view.
"I love you too, dear wife." Dominic laughs as he gets out of the car.
He slings me over his shoulder again to get me up the stairs and I consider biting his ass, hard. I decide against it because he'll think it's sexy and I'm mad at him and he's not getting any sex for the next two weeks.
"Hello, Mr. Sabatini, Mrs. Sabatini. Refreshments are in the bedroom as requested, sir. If you need anything, let me know." Colin, the cheerful flight attendant waves as Dominic slams the door behind us.
I land on the bed with a thump. I'm barely on the bed before Dominic is on me, I turn my head, refusing to give him my mouth. "I hate you, get off me."
Damn it, he captures my mouth, demanding everything. I don't stand a chance. I never do with him. I give up and into him giving everything he demands, all of me is his, has always been and always will be.
A very long time later, I wake up to Dominic sliding a ring on my right ring finger. It’s beautiful, large round diamonds are separated by platinum leaves all the way around the band. The diamonds are huge, at least a carat each. A gorgeous representation of the engagement ring he gave me all those years ago that had been his grandmothers. I catch his hand, pressing it flat against my heart. "I didn't need a ring. I just need you."
His smile is so wicked, I melt against him all over again. "The ring isn't for you, it's to make sure everyone who sees you know you're mine now and forever. Twenty-five years, Mrs. Sabatini, any regrets?"
How does he get more beautiful as every year goes by? I wonder as I run my hand over his cheek. Dominic is still one percent body fat, with muscles on muscles below his silk suits. He isn’t even completely silver yet with a fair amount of inky black among his silver hair. Twenty-five years and there are still moments when all the air leaves my lungs in a whoosh at the sight of him. "One." I sigh into his mouth. His eyes go wide, I giggle. "It's only twenty-five years. I wish it were longer. Thank you for the best twenty-five years of my life."