My hands rose then settled on her dainty shoulders. She glanced up at me and I peered down at her. God, I wondered if there would ever be a time I wasn’t physically moved by her beauty. “Then let me take care of it.” She closed her eyes in that way she did when she didn’t want to deal with something, but I wasn’t having it. My hands moved to lightly collar her neck and my thumbs glanced her throat. She reluctantly opened her eyes and I told her, “I need you to do something for me now, okay?” My young wife looked up at me intently, knowing I had never once asked for a favor. Her nod was all I needed. “Stay happy and healthy, and look after our baby. Can you do that for me?”

Her lips straightened, then lifted and her sweet smile was all I ever needed. It kept me warm in the cold. “Okay, honey.”

Fuck me. I loved it when she called me that.

“Good. Now kiss me,” I demanded.

Tori stood on her tiptoes, her arms circled my neck and when she pulled me down so our faces were level, she looked me in the eyes a moment before she leant in and pressed her warm, soft lips to mine. And when my chest expanded with raw, tender emotion, it was almost hard to believe that I’d hated her at some point.

Somewhere along the lines, this woman, young and naïve as she was, became the very air I breathed.

I cupped her cheek and pecked at her pursed lips until she laughed softly into my mouth.

Did she even understand I would do anything for her? Could she ever possibly know what she meant to me?

My heart had been damaged for so long, and Vittoria had slowly mended it with honey sweet lips, light teasing and wide smiles that were so bright they put the sun to shame. Every time she kissed me with a tender heart, whenever she climbed into my lap just to be close to me, when she moaned my name as I fucked her and spent myself in her tight, pink pussy, another piece fell back into place.

I didn’t realize how close I was to falling apart until she embraced me and held me together with unconditional love.

She pulled away from my teasing lips long enough to let out a breathy, “I love you.” Like I didn’t know.

She wore her affection so openly that a blind man could have seen it.

“I know,” was the given response. But when I added, “I love you too,” I think I must have shocked the shit out of her because she blinked and shook her head as if she hadn’t heard me right.

I gave her a moment to process.

“What did you just say?” It came out as a whisper.