CHAPTER FORTY

ARIES

I've worked tirelessly for the last week, to try to get home to my family, which has Dalia on edge to say the least. We haven't talked much. A few texts here and there, but that's it. I know she's starting to think I'm losing interest in her, which is fucking impossible. I finally pull up to the house with my three best men in tow, they will travel with me most of the time now, just to be safe. The rest of the time, they will be watching the house.

Walking up to the door, I knock, because I don't have a key, and there's no fucking answer. Ares will still be at school, but I was hoping to see my girl. Fuck, I've missed her.

As I grow irritated, I walk around to the back of the house and motion for the guard to open the gate for me, and walk through. I find Dalia on her knees, planting flowers, in tiny jean shorts and a cute little tank top, her hair up in a bun, and her face covered in dirt. I stand and take her in for a minute, before announcing my presence because, fuck, I'm just so happy to have my eyes on her, and not be looking at her on my phone screen or a video.

"Do you just get hotter every fucking day?"

She stares at me, blinking quickly like she's imagining my presence, and she gasps before covering her mouth. Then the tears start as she jumps up, "Aries!"

I take her in my arms and hold her, while she sobs endlessly.

"You're here. You're really here," she says excitedly, and I shut her up the best way I know how, I kiss her until we are both panting.

Then I smack her ass, "Go get ready, I'm taking you out. Holly is picking up Ares from school."

She raises a brow at me in question, "You don't even know Holly."

I laugh, "I don't, but Dom does."

"Dom?"

I chuckle, "I'm going to answer all your questions, just be a good girl now and do as you're told."

She takes my hand and pulls me to the back door, "You're coming with me. I'm not letting you out of my sight. So you can sit in the bathroom while I shower."

Fuck. This is going to be a serious test. I'm not sure if I can handle seeing her wet and naked without fucking her, after three weeks.

I walk into the bathroom with Dalia and watch her as she strips naked, while being a beautiful fucking temptress, and making a show out of it.

"I thought you wouldn't be here until the weekend," she questions me as she washes her hair.

"Oh, did you? Nice surprise then?"

She giggles, "Something is up with you, Mr. Lombardi."

I shrug my shoulders as I lean against the bathroom counter, watching her through the glass, "I just came to visit my girl, because I missed her."

As she steps out of the shower, continuing to tempt me with that delicious body, she says, "I still think you're up to something, Aries. In fact, I know it, but I'm still happy to see you."

As she goes searching for clothes, she asks, "So you're friendly with Dom now?"

I smirk at her, "He's alright, if you like dickheads."

Dalia gets dressed and giggles happily, "I think there's a bromance developing."

I glare at her, "I don't think so."

She pulls a black tank top over her head and smiles a mischievous grin, "Just don't leave me for my brother."

"When I'm spanking your ass later, please remember that you deserve it."

I drove slower than a ninety-year-old grandma on the way to our destination, because I was waiting for a text from Domenic saying that he and Giada were gone. Dalia watches me suspiciously as I step out of the car, and walk around to her side and open the door for her. I take her hand and help her out, and we walk through the gate to the massive front yard of the house. The entire lot is sixty-seven acres, and there isn't another house for twenty miles. She spots the lanterns that line the circular driveway all the way to the porch, and the rose petals laid out in a large heart in the grass. I squeeze her hand and take her to the heart and turn, facing her, and drop onto bended knees, as the nerves build inside me like a damn pressure cooker, "Dalia." I start and she stares at me with wide eyes, "The night I met you in that little bar changed my entire existence. People are right about you. There's this thing you do where you radiate sunshine in the darkest places, a place where light shouldn't even be able to exist. But then, that's you, you defy all logic and reason. I'm not a good man, but I think I'm a better man with you by my side. The first time we were married, it was because I blackmailed you with idle threats. I'm not proud of it but I don't regret it, because through that I got you. You are beautiful inside and out. And an absolute fucking queen. I don't want to live a single moment without you being my wife. Will you marry me?"

Tears roll down her cheeks, and she gasps, "Aries, nothing has changed."

"Everything has changed, baby. Things are going to be very different if you say yes. I'm not the greatest catch considering I'm jobless, but I'm pretty good in bed."

I grin at her and she looks at me like I've officially gone insane, "You don't have a job?"

Shaking my head, I say, "For the last three weeks I've been working with Domenic, because he's taking over things I couldn't just walk away from."

Now she really looks at me like I'm crazy, "You left the mafia? You can't leave the mafia, Aries. Nobody does that."

Grabbing her waist, I pull her down to the ground with me, "That was never the life I wanted, but this is. You and Ares are everything I want. Please say yes."

"You did this for me?" she asks with utter disbelief.

"No, baby, I did this for us."

She giggles in my arms, "Yes, I'll marry you, but we should probably get out of here before the owners of this place call the cops. After all, we are loitering in their front yard."

Rolling her onto the ground, I climb on top of her, "I think we should fuck right here, give the new owners a show. I heard the owner is a kinky perv."

Dalia stares at me, realization dawning on her face, "You bought this house, didn't you?"

I nod, "Of course I did."

"Why?"

"Because I can," she giggles as she slaps at my chest, "And because I wanted Ares to have all the space he'll ever need. He's going to have the best treehouse in the world. It'll top all treehouses. The king of treehouses."

My future wife arches an eyebrow, "Aries? Are you high, because you seem kind of high right now?"

I chuckle loudly, "I'd pass a drug test, baby, but am I high? Yeah, I'm fucking high on you, now get rid of those shorts, and let me taste that pretty pussy I've missed so much."

She shimmies out of her shorts and giggles, "The new owner really is a kinky perv."

I wink at her, "You have no idea, Wife, but you're about to find out."