32. Declan

DECLAN

A week passesand Bree and I are happier than ever. There's only one problem—I want more.

I want all of her, all the time. I can't get enough, and I need us to have a do-over. I don't want our wedding memories to be of her being forced. I want a wedding story we can tell our grandchildren.

But Bree seems to not want to get married again. I ask her every day, and every single day she tells me she doesn't need it, that all she needs is me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gray asks as I stand next to him at the courthouse.

I take a deep breath in. "Yeah, I think I do." I walk up to the clerk. "I'd like to file for divorce."

"Sorry to hear that, that'll be three-hundred dollars."

I slide her the money.

"This seems extreme," Gray complains.

"Maybe it is, but it"s the only way I can get her to marry me again."

"Are you sure she's not going to be mad?"

"She's going to be livid." I chuckle.

But instead of livid, when I throw the papers down on the bed, Bree looks up at me with her hazel eyes swimming with tears.

"Declan…" Her voice breaks. "Why are you doing this? What have I done?"

"No, no, mo chroí." I hurry to the bed and draw her into my arms. My heart. My one true love. "You didn't do a thing. I just... I want to do this for real, Bree. I want you to choose me, and for you to know that I choose you back. I'll always choose you."

"I did choose you," she sobs. "It took me a little while, but I did."

When she calms down, she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not signing these."

"Listen." I take her hands in mine. "I want us to do this right. I want your friends there. Whatever family you have that won't try to kill me."

She barks out a laugh at that, and I smile.

"Besides, we can have a longer engagement," I offer. "Get to know each other."

She scoffs. "We already know each other inside and out."

"There's always more to learn."

It takes over an hour of talking and insisting that there's nothing she's done wrong before Bree signs the papers with a shaking hand.

We file for an uncontested divorce, and it goes through in a week.

Bree's moping around the house, though, looking down at her ring, and I grimace.

I hate that ring. It doesn't fit her at all. She likes sapphires and rubies, not diamonds. I know her better now. And this time I actually care if she likes the ring.

I wake up early one day and grab Lara. We drive to Paige's, who has gone back to her place this past week, and get her to come with us. She is grumpy because she doesn't like to be up early, but Lara is excited.

We drive to the jeweler.

"I cannot wait for the wedding," Lara gushes, and Paige glares at me.

"Why do we have to do this so early?"

"Because Bree wakes up early." I drag her out to the car.

The jewelry shop has just opened when we walk in. By the wide eyes and almost salivating mouths, I can tell they took one look at my expensive clothes and know they're going to get a huge commission.

They start out by showing me the biggest diamonds, but I wait, letting Paige and Lara browse around.

Lara's the one that finds it—a diamond inlaid with sapphires and rubies, and it's dainty and beautiful with a white-gold band.

"It's perfect," Paige breathes.

"I know," Lara says, and I snort, walking over to the cashier.

"I'll take it."

"Very well, sir. That will be twenty thousand dollars."

"Do you accept Visa or Mastercard?"

"Either is fine." She swipes the card and gets the ring in a beautiful box that I put in my pocket before we leave.

As soon as we get home, I go up to my father's office.

"I want us to go out to Natalia's for dinner tomorrow," I tell him. "All of us."

"You might have trouble pinning down Gray."

"I won't." I shrug. "I've already told him."

My father looks up at me, eyes sparkling. "First the divorce, and now this? What's your plan, boyo?"

"I'm going to do this the right way. The way she's always deserved."

He smiles. "Then I'll be there with bells on."

Bree isn't dressedby six o'clock, and I'm in an Armani suit, standing over her as she lounges on the bed.

"I don"t think I feel up to going," she grumbles, and I grab her by the ankle, yanking her to the end of the bed.

She squeals and giggles, her hazel eyes brighter as she looks up at me.

"You"re going," I order, and she sits up before going to the bathroom.

When she comes out, she is wearing a blue dress and has her hair curled, makeup on.

I smile. "That's more like it."

"What, you don't like me barefaced and messy-haired?"

"I like you every way. But tonight, I'm glad you look so beautiful."

She looks at me. "Declan, what are you up to?"

I shrug. "I can"t take my beautiful girlfriend out on the town?"

"Girlfriend," she mutters, and she's a little dimmed as we go out to the car. Gray, Lara, and Da have already left, and Paige will be meeting us there.

We arrive for our reservation right on time, and I'm antsy as they seat us.

Paige's a little late, and I glare at her, but she just shrugs, giving me a sheepish smile.

"Now," Da says. "What's everyone ordering?"

I can't wait.

"Champagne for the table," I say, and I discreetly hand the server the ring to put in her champagne glass.

When everyone has a glass poured, I smile and clink my fork on my glass.

"A toast," I suggest, and Bree looks up at me, surprised. "To Bree becoming a Burke, once and for all."

We all clink our glasses, and I watch her face as she starts to drink, her eyes widening when she realizes what's going on.

"Declan," she breathes. "You bastard."

My father and Gray both crack up, and I get down on one knee.

"Bree Murphy," I say quietly. "Will you marry me? Will you make me the happiest man on Earth?"

She huffs out a breath. "I already married you. And you divorced me."

"Will you marry me again? Forever this time?" I ask patiently, knowing that she's prideful but that her attitude is just a front.

"Of course I will," she mutters, throwing her arms around me, and Paige is recording and Lara's crying and it's a beautiful moment.

I'm glad I got to share it with my family.

The morning after our engagement,we're in a Catholic church and going through the religious motions of getting married.

Kael is finally back from out of town, and he and Cillian stand next to me as my best men.

Kael whistles as we wait for Bree to come down the aisle. "I can't believe you're doing this twice."

"I keep telling you, it'll happen to you."

Kael snorts. "Fat chance.

"I didn"t think it would happen to me, either, but here we are."

"We're not the same, my friend." Kael smiles as he shakes his head.

It seems to take forever for the ceremony to finish, and I'm impatient for her to be declared my wife again. To be able to kiss my bride.

When the priest finally does proclaim us husband and wife and gives me permission, I grab her around the waist, kissing her so deeply that Gray whoops and hollers from the crowd.

She grins against my mouth.

"Where are we going for the honeymoon?"

"You won't know until we get there."

Bree pouts. "I don't like surprises."

"You do now," I tell her with a chuckle, and we head to the reception, accepting money and gifts from everyone.

Bree chose not to invite anyone from the Murphy side of the family. She did try reaching out to her brother, but never heard back from him.

Her father, of course, was never even a possibility. She told me more than once that she wouldn't want him here even if things were on better terms with our families.

Some of her aunts and cousins from her mother's side are here, though, and they are as nice as supportive as can be.

Bree seems anxious as we get into the limo to go to the airport, and I frown, cupping her face in my hands.

She sighs. "I know it seems stupid," she starts. "But I had this dream, back when we were fighting. We were on a beach and… You slipped away from me. Told me I'd never be a Burke. And now I…"

I smile. "Well, too late now, since you just married me and I'm never letting you go ever again. Besides, don't worry. We're not going to a beach."

Her eyes widen. "We're not?"

I shake my head. "The opposite, actually. I'm taking you to the mountains."

"Oh, thank god," she blurts out, and I laugh.

"Do you really think that if we went to the beach, I'd leave you?"

"I don't know!" she exclaims. "It just scared me, that's all."

I kiss her, smiling against her lips. "It'll take more than a little sand to make me stop loving you, Bree Burke."

The mountains aresnow-topped and beautiful, and Bree's all bundled up in a parka and long johns, looking cute as a button.

"Maybe we should have chosen the beach," I comment. "You're wearing too many clothes."

She grins, darting inside toward the bedroom. "Guess you'll have to get me out of them."

I laugh as I peel layer upon layer of clothes off her.

"Jesus, you're wearing the whole closet."

She snorts out a laugh. "Consider me a very well-wrapped present."

"Best present ever."

The heat is on full blast when I finally get both of us out of our clothes, and I move down her body, pressing my face into her sex and inhaling with a moan.

"Don't tease," she whines, and I latch around her clit immediately, pumping two fingers in and out of her until her thighs are trembling.

I take my time after her first orgasm, making her come twice more before I cover her with my body.

My erection presses against her thigh, and she reaches down, taking me in hand.

She pumps her fist slowly, and I grit my teeth.

"This is going to be over too soon if you keep doing that," I breathe.

She grins, spreading her thighs, and I spear into her, fucking her rough and fast.

We have all the time in the world to make love, but it"s been a day since I've been inside her, and I missed being surrounded by her heat.

She arches her back, crying out my name against my mouth, and I roll my hips into hers, looking into her hazel eyes. There's such love and lust in them I could get lost.

When it's over and she's panting against me, wrapped around me with her head on my chest like a little puzzle piece, I kiss her forehead.

"Declan?"

I hum, still breathing hard.

"Have you ever thought about having kids?"

My eyes widen. "Why?"

"I'm not pregnant or anything," she blurts out, and I relax. "But we haven't been using protection, and... it could happen."

"If it happens, it happens."

She frowns. "That's a pretty breezy way to handle it."

"So?" I shrug. "I'd love to have a little you running around."

"What if it's a little you?"

"Oh, god," I groan, and she smacks my chest.

I laugh and catch her hand in mine, kissing her knuckles "I'm just kidding, a ghra mo chroi. Whatever happens with us and our future kids, I'll be happy."

"That's all I want," she murmurs. "For us to be happy."

"And we will be. With one kid or five."

"Five?" She blanches.

"The Irish have big families."

"Five," she mutters, and puts her head back on my chest.

I smile, wondering what she'd look like all full and swollen with my baby. The thought makes me happy and also, a little aroused.

What better way to show she's mine than to get her pregnant?

"I've decided we should try for number one." I slip my hand down her body to trail my fingers through her wetness.

She gasps. "What, we're going to name them all numbers?"

I laugh against her mouth before pressing back into her.

A month has goneby since we came back from our honeymoon and life is perfect. Or so I thought.

Bree walks up to me, her hazel eyes worried and wet.

"Declan?"

"What's wrong, baby?" My voice comes out all gruff from sleep.

I've just started to get dressed.

"Number one is coming."

"Number what now?"

"Number one," she whispers, and she holds up a stick with two pink lines on it.

I'm frozen, just staring at it for a long moment, and her brows draw together as she looks up at me.

When my body finally catches up to my brain, I whoop, grabbing her around the waist and twirling her around.

She yelps, giggling, and I finally sit her down on her feet.

"I guess we have an announcement for dinner," I say, and she takes my hand.

"Can you wait until dinner?"

"Probably not." I want to scream it from the rooftops now.

She bounces away from me. "I'm happy it's family dinner day. Paige is here, so I'm going to tell her and Lara. You tell Patrick and Gray."

Her smile is huge as she blows me a kiss before running out of the door.

I look after her, thinking about how this all started, about how much I'd hated the idea of being married. Especially to a Murphy.

I'd thought she was like her father. Monstrous. Evil.

But Bree Murphy, now Burke, changed my life. Every day she makes me believe I'm a man who deserves love, makes me understand that I can have people that love me in my life other than my family.

My whole life, I thought I'd never be more than a gangster. I thought I'd die hard, just like my father probably will, his father before us did.

She taught me that I can be happy. Really happy, not just content, inside and outside of a war.

There's only one woman who has captured my heart, who owns me, body and soul.

And now she is making my life even richer by giving me a piece of us together. Our baby.

And I'll never forget that. I'll never let her go.

Thank you for reading Vengeful Vows! If you like Age Gap, Arranged Marriage, Surprise pregnancy Mafia book, you would love Mafia Boss's Surprise Baby.

Read on for a preview…