12. Luca

Chapter 12

Luca

Husband. My husband. I never thought I would say those words.

I watched Knox sleeping as the early-morning light peeked through the window. I was nervous about proposing the night before but it all went exactly as I'd hoped it would.

Part of me still didn't think I deserved somebody as good and pure as Knox.

When he brought up my past at dinner, a hint of shame passed through me. Of course he knew I had a past. Everyone did. But still, it wasn't ever comfortable to have those conversations, especially when they didn't matter anymore.

Everyone before Knox was just practice. He was the real thing. The omega I'd spent my life waiting for.

It was hard to understand if you didn't grow up in a crime family, but you grow up with a sense of a sealed destiny around your life, like there's no escaping what you were gonna be and you didn't get to decide.

I rebelled against it quite a bit in my own way. While I always had a strong sense of duty and I didn't question that I would take my father's place one day, it still didn't mean I wanted to end up like him. My father was one of those people who looked old before he was old. He carried stress in every line and curve of his body.

Even as a kid, I knew I didn't want to grow up and be like him.

But like everything else, it seemed inevitable. So I rebelled by trying to get every ounce of pleasure and enjoyment I could out of life while I still had time. That meant drugs, partying, and lots of sex. I'd had more than my share of lovers and had grown bored, eventually deciding I just wasn't relationship material.

Until Knox, the only thing that had ever shaken that resolve was watching Claude and Joe fall in love. Those two had something very special, and I'd been surprised by my feelings of envy. A nagging voice inside me made me wonder if I could have that some day. But I pushed those thoughts away, like I was very good at doing.

That was then. Now, I reached over and brushed a strand of hair off Knox's eyelids. He stirred a little in his sleep but didn't wake. He needed a lot of rest right now.

I slipped out of bed and went down for a little walk on the beach. I strolled to the spot where I'd proposed the night before and stood there, enjoying the feelings of happiness washing over me. I closed my eyes and remembered the whole event in vivid detail. I didn't want to forget any part of it, ever.

Something bumped my toe, and I opened my eyes. The waves had carried a beautiful, small conch shell right to my feet. I picked it up and drained the water out of it in awe. I'd never found one of those before.

I held it up to my ear and closed my eyes to listen to the shell that would always carry the sound of the ocean where Knox agreed to marry me. Surprised by my sentimentality, I cupped the shell in my hand and started back to the house.

We flew back to Montana the next day. Knox dozed on the plane, his skin glistening with bronze tones. The servants were in the back of the plane, toasting champagne and playing music as I stared out the window, feeling peaceful.

Once we got home, we went into full wedding-planning mode. At least, Knox did. He wanted to get married before he "got huge." I gave him an unlimited budget, and he gave me a wicked grin.

I didn't know what to expect, and I didn't care. Just as long as he became my husband as soon as possible.

In addition to the changes at home, Knox easily settled into his new job. There was a surprising amount of research involved in the work they did so he was always busy with stuff about cattle usage and land rights. At least a few days a week, he even had to drive around the state and talk to politicians and ranchers.

I didn't fully understand it, but he assured me it was safe and totally outside of my world. Because he worked at home a lot, I got to spend even more time with him. He would get caught up in his work for hours, following me to the kitchen sometimes with a journal and random facts always on hand. "Luca, they didn't even allow cattle ranching in the Lower Falls Valley until the 1800s!"

Whether it was news to me or not, I'd nod and act surprised. My life was perfect. Knox even brought a ring back from one of his trips and slid it onto my finger. "We're both engaged, so I want you to have one, too."

I found myself wondering how far in love one could actually fall, if it ever stopped. Knox was beginning to show and looked gorgeous. With every passing month, my excitement grew. I couldn't wait to meet our little baby.

Finally, the day of our wedding arrived. It was small and intimate, exactly as we wanted. Knox had hired exquisite decorators, a fantastic band, flown all of our families and some close friends in, and for my wedding present he bought me a horse. He bought himself one, too, so my horse wouldn't be lonely.

He had somehow flown in a bunch of the sand from the beach I proposed on, and we stood in the sand to make our vows to each other. Claude was my best man, and after the ceremony, he brought someone up to me and Knox. "Knox, this is Joe."

Joe smiled and shook Knox's hand. I saw Knox reflexively look down and check for Joe's missing finger. Joe held up his hand and laughed.

"This is why I didn't want you to invite any feds." I shrugged. "So Joe could be here. Well, that, and they make my family nervous."

We danced and ate and had one of the best nights of our lives, and then a driver took us to my airport where I flew Knox on a surprise honeymoon to Italy.

We stayed in one of my family's houses in Sardinia, right near the beach. The Virgin Islands felt like a lifetime ago, even though it had only been six months. In the evenings we liked to walk through the town, holding hands, to eat at one of the little trattorias.

One night we were sharing a gelato after dinner and Knox nudged my elbow with such force my gelato fell from my spoon.

"Hey! I was gonna eat that."

He pointed, and I looked in the direction of his finger.

"It's Trey Benton!"

"Who?" I peered at the man sitting one table over. He was reading a newspaper and slowly stirring a cappuccino.

"You know, Last Cowboy Standing ?"

"Ooohhh…"

Since he took his new job, or maybe it had something to do with being pregnant, Knox had gotten really into murder mysteries, especially if they took place in the Wild West. I'd agreed to let him read one to me on our honeymoon, and Last Cowboy Standing was what he chose. I was really getting into it, too.

I raised my eyebrows. "Should we ask him what happens in our book?"

Knox whipped me with his napkin. "Shut up. I want to get his autograph, though. Will you…" He looked at me with an irresistible expression of pleading.

"Run home and get the book for you?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Fine. But you owe me later."

"Ooo, I like the sound of that trade."

I trotted off in the direction of our house. It wasn't far, but my belly was full and I soon found myself walking, enjoying the cool night air. When I returned, Knox was sitting at Trey's table, engrossed in conversation.

Knox saw me and beckoned me over. "This is my husband, Luca."

I held out my hand. "Very nice to meet you, Mr. Benton."

Trey had cool, gray eyes that looked into me with an unsettling focus. "Luca Francesco?"

I tried not to seem taken aback. "Yeah, did Knox tell you?"

Knox was patting the seat next to his, so I sat down. I slid the book over to him. He made the motion of using a pen, and I shook my head. Knox sighed.

I turned back to Trey. "Do you have a pen, Mr. Benton?"

"I do. And please, call me Trey." He fished around in his leather satchel and pulled out several pens.

Knox slid our book toward him. "Would you mind signing this for us?"

Trey looked pleased and a little embarrassed. "Of course not." He signed the book and handed it to Knox, smiling. I liked Trey. He was very smooth and impeccably dressed, but he seemed kind and sincere.

Knox turned to me. "Trey is here researching a book."

"Oh really? What about?"

Trey paused and then winked at me. "Murder."

I felt slightly uneasy for some reason. "How did you say you knew my last name?"

Trey laughed and gestured all around us. "Because we're in Sardinia. And I'm a writer. I know who the Francescos are. I also know that…" He thumbed through his newspaper and opened an article. "'Luca Francesco, son of Leonardo Francesco, grandson of Alessandro Francesco, was married on?—"

"Okay, okay, I get it."

Knox reached out for the newspaper. "What is this?"

Trey handed him the paper, although it was in Italian, so Knox wouldn't be able to read it.

I shifted in my seat. "It's our wedding announcement, Knox. It's just standard."

Knox peered at the letters. "Did you do this?"

"No, I would have told you. It's gossip columny stuff. They always publish stuff like that about my family." I took his hand. "About our family."

Knox shrugged and closed the newspaper, sliding it back to Trey. Trey folded it and gave me a knowing look. In that one look I knew that he knew things about my family most people didn't, stuff you could find out with a little digging, but you'd have to know where to look.

I turned my chair to face him. "What is your next book about, Trey Benton?" It was too weird calling him Trey.

Trey looked at me with kindness. "Nothing for you to worry about, Luca. I find your family fascinating, that's all." He turned to Knox. "Congratulations on joining one of Italy's oldest and most important families. And on the baby."

Knox grinned. There was definitely no hiding the pregnancy anymore.

I turned to Knox. "We should go. Trey…Benton, why don't you join us for dinner tomorrow?"

"Thank you, Luca Francesco. I would love to, but unfortunately, I'm flying out tomorrow morning."

Knox and Trey stood up and the three of us shook hands.

"Thank you for signing my book. It was such a treat to meet you." Knox was beaming.

Trey reached into his bag and pulled out another book. He flipped it open and signed inside the cover. "Here. This one isn't out yet. It's an advance copy."

Knox took it and looked for a moment like he might faint. I put my arm around his back.

"Thanks, Mr. Benton. Trey. That was really nice of you."

We walked back home and Knox couldn't stop giggling. "I can't believe we met Trey Benton." He hugged his books to his chest.

"Come on, omega. Let's go up to bed. I think you still owe me a favor."