The last chapter before the epilogue 😭😭😭

I hope you all enjoy, don't forget to vote and comment ❤️

~ Daniela's POV ~

Walking through the hallways, Carson stopped to check in the torture room to see if Grey and Fox were done with their task. Of course they were since they didn't need to be told twice to kill someone.

After we left the torture room, Carson and I made our way through the hallway in the basement, heading upstairs. "So you and Fox were-"

"We're absolutely not talking about that Carson." When I quickly cut him off he let out a sigh, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Let it go Dani."

"No."

"It's been months. You're both miserable and he's sorry, just-"

"He hasn't said sorry." When I cut him off again I stopped in my tracks turning to face him, my actions causing his arm to drop to his side. "He's not sorry Carson, he's never said it. Even when I had a go at him at the hospital in the elevator, he didn't say a word to me."

"Give him a chance to do it properly then, maybe not in an elevator. Dani he came to the hospital to make sure you were okay and today he left to check on you. He does care, he's just not the best at apologising."

I knew he might have cared about me once and maybe a small part believes he does still care a little bit now. But the bigger, smarter part of me didn't have any hope.

"He has to do more than just apologise to me Carson and even then, I won't ever forgive him."

Although I said it as stubbornly as humanly possible and with a glare, Carson held my stare for a moment before he eventually cracked a smile. "Okay so we both know that's a lie."

"Carson-"

"You've let go of this place, right?" When he cut me off, I took a moment before I eventually let out a sigh nodding my head. "I guess."

"So move on from everything bad. Just let it go, don't hold onto it. Life is too short and too important to spend being mad at someone. He was hurting Dani, it's not an excuse but for both your sakes, maybe it's time to move on." I knew he had a point, even though it irritated me to know he was right, I couldn't exactly deny it. "I'll think about it, okay?"

When he nodded his head, I started walking down the hallway again only to be stopped when he pulled me into his arms. "I want a hug."

"I don't care, let's go." So maybe I was never the best at hiding when I was annoyed with someone.

"Don't be mad at me." The fact that he was clearly so amused by it just annoyed me even more, causing me to glare at him. "I'm not."

"No?"

"No." When I spoke with finality in my tone, he smirked at me before he pulled me up against him, wrapping his arms around me. For a moment we just stood there embracing in the deserted hallway in the basement, before he eventually let me go.

"Wasn't that nice?" I could still hear the amusement in his tone as we continued walking, the rest of our walk being in silence after I shot him a glare.

By the time we finally got upstairs and outside, both Grey and Fox were waiting for us by the car. They also looked like they'd changed their shirts and cleaned up a little since they were no longer covered in blood like my boyfriend was.

"It's about time." As soon as he saw us Grey pushed himself off the car where he was leaning against it, putting his phone in his pocket. "Sorry, I tried to be faster but Dani just kept wanting to hug me. I told her it wasn't the time but you know what she's like when she's all emotional."

"That's a lie!" When I quickly denied it like he probably expected, he let out a laugh just as Grey tossed him a clean shirt."It's okay to admit it."

"You want me to kick you in the balls? Because I will." When I gave him a threatening glare, his smile soon faltered as he awkwardly cleared his throat. "No, sorry."

Flashing him one last glare, I got in the car along with Grey and Fox in the back while Carson first changed his shirt and then got in the drivers seat. Just like the first drive here, we spent most of the time in silence driving back to the hotel in Shelton to pick up our stuff and then we made our way to the airfield with the intention of going home.

Or so I thought anyway, that was until Fox pretty much suggested we were parting ways.

"Are you good from here bro?" As we stopped outside the two private jets that were apparently waiting for us, Fox directed his words towards Carson. "Yeah, we'll see you in a few days."

"Wait, what?" When I spoke up, the three of them turned to look at me. "I don't understand what's going on."

"You don't need to, it's none of your business." When Carson flashed me a smile, I narrowed my eyes at him which he chose to ignore while he said goodbye to Grey and Fox. Once they were done with their goodbyes, Grey gave me a quick hug before I turned to face Fox for the first time since we hugged in the basement.

"Thank you...for what you did." When I forced out those words he seemed surprised that I even acknowledged it before he eventually nodded his head without a word.

I guess that's all I was going to get, I'm not sure what else I expected.

For a moment we just stood there before Fox eventually stepped away from me, heading towards the jet without another glance in the direction. Watching him walk away, I replayed that conversation with Carson in my head, thinking about his request for me to let it go.

But he hasn't apologised.

Shifting my eyes away from Fox who was getting on one of the jets, I turned to look at Carson and Grey while I started following in the same direction as Fox. "Can you give us a minute? I just need to talk to him before you kidnap me."

Without waiting to hear their response, I followed behind Fox climbing the stairs up into the private jet while passing the confused air hostess as I entered.

"Ma'am are you-"

"I'll only be a second." Flashing her a smile I pushed past her, heading into main area of the jet where Fox was busy putting his bag down when he turned to face me.

"I'm giving you one chance Fox, just one." I didn't have to tell him that I was here to force him to apologise to me, the tone behind my words was enough to do that.

I honestly don't know why I did it. Part of me was still so angry and wanted to stay angry with him. But the other part was telling me to listen to Carson and let it go - if not for our future and just living in peace then for the fact I knew deep down he was my friend before all this happened.

When he hugged me it was like someone was dangling that friendship in front of me, testing me to see if I would break and try and get through to him so that we could be friends again.

And that's exactly what I did.

"Now?" When he rose an eyebrow at me, I nodded my head giving him a firm glare in an attempt to show him my determination. Without a word, he nodded his head before he turned to open his bag causing me to frown.

"What are you doing? Just apologise Fox."

"I will, once I give you this." Taking out a leather case from his bag, he turned to face me closing the gap between us so that he could give it to me. "What's this?"

"A gift. Open it." After I held his stare for a moment, I eventually let out a sigh as I unlocked the case feeling his eyes on me the entire time that I opened it. "I was going to wait until you and Carson got back to New York to give it to you."

"Oh my..." As soon as my eyes landed on the rose and the small vase nestled in the case, my breath was taken away instantly.

"It's an Eternity Rose, a real one dipped in gold so that it lasts forever." Shifting my eyes away from the rose, I looked at him to find him already watching me. "So that you know I'll be sorry for the rest of my life for what I said to you Dani."

"You said a lot." When he heard my clipped tone, he nodded his head stepping closer to me. "I know and what I said was so screwed up Dani, but I swear to you I didn't mean it. The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. I was just so angry at the world and I took it out on you."

Taking the box out of my hands he placed it on the table next to us so that he could take my hands in his. "I'm so sorry Dani."

"Just saying sorry isn't enough." When I shook my head attempting to pull away from him, he tightened his grip on my hands instead. "I know Dani. I know I have to make it up to you, I know that."

"Then why did it take you so long to apologise? Why only now when I'm pushing you to do it?"

"Because..." When his sentence trailed off he averted his gaze off to the side where we standing. "Because I don't deserve your forgiveness. You deserve to be left alone, to not have to deal with me anymore after what I said to you - after how I treated you. But I'm freaking selfish so I'm going to ask for it anyway, just not today, not yet."

Looking into his eyes I could see the guilt swimming in them, along with the genuine care and concern as if he really did mean it.

"I can't forgive you yet. I never did anything to you and you just made me out to be the villain in this entire story."

And I lost one of my best friends on the same day I lost mama and Poppy.

"I know...damn...I know Dani. As soon as I said it I knew I messed up, but I couldn't take it back and at the time I didn't want to. There's so much you don't know about my relationship with Mama, that day I felt like I'd just lost my parents all over again. Like going through it once wasn't enough, the universe had to put me through it all again. But, it wasn't your fault and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to apologise to you."

I knew he'd been through a lot. At one of those dinners we had with Mama, she mentioned that she took Fox in when his parents died when he was a teenager so I knew they were close. But did that mean it was okay for him to say all that to me?

"So you don't blame me? You wouldn't have taken me back to Ayden?" As soon as I asked that question he shook his head, letting go of my hands instead bringing his hands to my face, cupping my cheeks in his palms as he looked me in the eye. "No of course not Dani."

"I thought you hated me Fox." Very quickly I could feel my composure slipping as the anger began to simmer down, instead being replaced with the sad empty feeling that I'd been stuck with for the last two months.

"I could never hate my Little One." Those words left his mouth barely above a whisper while a soft smile tugged at his lips. "I know I screwed up but I promise Dani, I'll make it up to you. I'll never hurt you again, I swear."

Instead of giving him an answer, mostly because I was sure I could forgive him just yet, I just wrapped my arms around his waist pulling him into a hug.

I guess that was my way of telling him that I didn't hate him. Even if I'd been so adamant over the last two months that I would hate him for the rest of my life.

"I think I should go. Carson is kidnapping me." My words caused him to chuckle as I pulled away from him, sending him a small smile. "You don't happen to know where he's taking me, do you?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you. But trust me - you'll love it. Remember, the last time you were kidnapped you fell in love."

"Don't make it sound so cliche, you know it didn't happen that way." Fox nodded his head with a smile as I closed the leather case of the Eternity Rose, holding the box in my hands. "I'll see you soon then."

Nodding his head, he took a step towards me to press a kiss to my forehead. "See you in a few days Little One."

<<<<<<< >>>>>>> <<<<<<<

"LA?"

"Yep." Flashing me a grin, he held my hand as he helped me down the stairs from the jet and down onto the tarmac where there was a car already waiting for us.

If I'm not mistaken it was one of his cars from his garage at home.

"Why are we here?" When I asked him that particular question, my eyes scanning the scenery around us and the night sky, Carson shook his head as he opened the car door for me. "I'm not telling you anything so stop asking."

Surprisingly after the number of times I'd pestered him during hour three our flight to Los Angeles, he still didn't seem annoyed in the slightest. It actually seemed like he was enjoying my cluelessness. The entire time while we ate dinner on the jet and while we watched a movie I kept asking him what was going on and he just smiled every time.

Letting out a huff I got into the car, waiting for him to get into the drivers seat next to me while our bags were loaded into the trunk.

"How many days are we staying here? I didn't pack for this Carson, I barely even brought enough underwear." When he heard the frustration in my tone a laugh escaped his lips as he turned the engine on. "Don't worry about anything my beautiful. Just sit back and relax, we'll be home soon."

Was it just me whose heart skipped a beat when he said that?

The last time we came here I remember I was still getting used to the idea of being in his life permanently and having to get used to his rich lifestyle. I felt anything but at home and now, just hearing him call his house our home caused butterflies to erupt in my tummy.

The drive from the airport didn't take too long, it was somewhere around an hour before we pulled up to the familiar gated house. Unlike the first time we came here, the guard seemed like he was expecting Carson this time when he nodded in his direction and opened the gate without a word.

I think I was the only one who wasn't expecting us to be in LA tonight, everyone from Carson, Fox and Grey to the pilot in our surprise jet and the guard here at the gate knew were coming here.

I was the only one still in the dark.

"Can you tell me what's going on now?" As we pulled up in the driveway where there were two more guards standing, Carson turned to look at me with a smile.

"Nothing is going on, I just wanted to do something nice for you baby. Now let's go upstairs and go to bed because it's late as hell."

As soon as he mentioned how late it was an involuntary yawn escaped my lips causing him to smile as he reached out to pinch my cheek. "You're so cute Dani."

"Stop." Swatting his hand away, I picked up my purse that was between my feet on the floor before I opened my door, getting out of the car. Within an instant Carson was next to me as we walked inside leaving one of his guards to bring in our bags.

Just like the first time the house took my breath away, I don't think it would ever just feel like a normal house to me. It still feels like a hotel. After waiting for the guard to take our bags upstairs, we finally made our way up to his room, or our room I guess, with the intention of getting ready for bed.

"Can I borrow one of your shirts?" The way that the question left my mouth in absentminded tone while I unpacked my essentials from my purse caused Carson to let out a laugh from where he was by his nightstand. "Why do you even ask anymore?"

"It's polite." When I shrugged my shoulders he shook his head in amusement as he walked over to the door leading to the walk in closet. "Come with me, I want to show you something."

Stretching his hand out in my direction, he waited for me cross the room and take his hand before he led me into the walk in closet.

"I had this done in Miami too, even though I still haven't shown you that house yet. We'll go there next." As he spoke he turned on the light in the walk in closet, leaving me to figure out for myself what he was talking about.

For a moment I just stood there looking around until it finally clicked.

"You gave me half your closet?" A smile stretched across my lips as I looked at the half of the closet that was now filled with women's clothes, shoes and accessories instead of all of his clothes like before.

"Is it enough? You can have more space if you want, I can move some more of my suits into the closet in the guest room if-"

"Baby no, this is perfect. Thank you." As I spoke I turned to face him, getting up on my tip toes so that I could press a kiss to his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too Trouble."

<<<<<<< >>>>>>> <<<<<<<

The next day after we slept in until almost midday, Carson spent the entire day dragging me around Los Angeles starting with brunch and then a spa visit where he bought me a full package even though I pretty much started arguing with him in the spa.

All he had to say to that was 'Dani people come here to relax not listen to you shout and cough all over the place.' Then he left me with the judgey and apparently germaphobic masseuse until he came back a few hours later to pick me up when I was done with my massage.

During my massage, every time I coughed that silly bitch flinched as if I was going to give her a germ that would kill her. One time she even let out a squeak jumping away from the bed when I sneezed while she was massaging my shoulders.

She was worse than Carson and his obsession with me not coughing in his car.

After that lovely experience, Carson took me on a shopping trip to Rodeo Drive where he ended up buying way more than either of us needed. Honestly we spent most of our time bickering in designer shops which he seemed to enjoy much more than I did. It was funny though, because in the end we always ended up laughing about something, nothing ever really turned into a proper argument.

After he spent too many thousands of dollars on clothes, shoes and everything else he took me home to shower and change into fancy clothes before we went out for a romantic candlelit dinner. I think it was our first date night in a very long time which meant I cherished every moment of it.

For the entire dinner we stayed away from any 'bad topics' including anything to do with the kidnapping and our trip to Washington State and also nothing to do with work or the mafia. We just talked about us, our plans and our future together.

"What about names? We know we're waiting until we're married but we haven't discussed names yet."

"Aren't you supposed to wait until you know if the baby is a girl or a boy?" When he rose an eyebrow at me, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his cluelessness. "Carson, planning ahead is always important."

"So you already know the names you want?" Nodding my head as I took a bite of my dessert, I savoured the flavour of the chocolate cake before I eventually spoke. "I have a few names in mind. I was thinking if we ever have a girl we could call her Poppy, if that's okay with you."

Ever since I thought of the idea, I'd been nervous to ever suggest it to him incase it upset him or if he hated the idea of being reminded of his sister day in day out for the rest of his life. That meant those few seconds that I waited for his reaction were absolute hell.

"Okay." When he nodded head, he barely met my eyes as he took another bite of his food causing a silence to fall around us. "I'm not sure about a boys name, I guess I haven't planned that far ahead."

"Anything that goes well with Salvestro as a middle name." As he took his final bite of his food, he muttered those words to me putting his fork down on his plate. "Oh yeah, I forgot about your tradition. Does that mean all our sons would have the same middle name?"

"How many did you want?" When he flashed me a grin, a sense of relief washed over me when I realised he wasn't upset with me after I brought up Poppy. "Well if we want three or four children, there's a possibility we might have multiple boys."

Of course he was still amused, nodding his head with that stupid grin. "Sure, maybe that's the reason. Or maybe, you're thinking about how many times we can try for these multiple sons that you've conjured up in your imagination."

Only he would so bluntly assume I'm thinking of sex.

"No I don't think so. Actually, I'm not that interested in having sex with you anymore."

"No?" Somehow he was amused at this, raising an eyebrow at me as he leaned closer to me. "Nope. It's almost been two whole months since we last had sex and I'd say I'm doing just fine. Actually, I'd say I'm doing pretty great with my toy collection."

Of course I hadn't used the toys alone once since he caught me that day, but it was fun suggesting to him that I had been using them. When I flashed him a confident smile, he held my stare for a moment before he eventually nodded his head.

"Okay."

Without another word he called the waiter who had been serving us, asking for the bill to be brought to us as quickly as possible. The entire time we waited, he just leaned back lazily in his seat, watching me with the same amused smile on his face.

Within a minute or two he'd paid the bill for our dinner before he wordless stood up, leading me out of the restaurant and out to the car.

As Carson drove through the streets of Los Angeles, I leaned back into the luxury leather seat watching the scenery pass by through the window. Neither of us said a word, not until he finally pulled up to the house and we got out of the car, heading inside.

"Come with me." Putting his keys down as we entered the house, he took my hand before I could even begin to question him. At first I thought he was going to take me upstairs if our conversation earlier was anything to go on, but then we ended up at the doors that led to his backyard - otherwise known as the beach.

Slipping off my shoes in the doorway, I stepped off the tiled floor in his house onto the cool sand on the beach. "Why are we out here?"

"Let's go for a walk." Taking my hand in his, he guided us down the beach in the same direction as the first time we ever walked out here. Just like the last time, it was so peaceful out here at night with the only sound being the waves splashing against the shore every now and then.

"So..." When I broke the silence around us with that famous word, he turned to look at me with a smile. "Yes Dani?"

"You haven't said much to me since we were in the restaurant."

"That's because I've been thinking about what you said." Oh. What could he possibly be thinking about? "Well?"

When he heard my prompt, he let out a sigh slowly coming to a stop on the beach. "I owe you an apology Dani."

"For what?"

"For waiting two whole months to do anything with you again."

How was it possible that this man was my boyfriend? Honestly at one point in my life I thought men like him didn't exist.

"Carson you don't have to apologise, after what you went through how could I expect you to feel up for that? You weren't in the right frame of mind and that's okay." Still he shook his head, keeping hold of my hand as we stood there on the beach. "You're my girlfriend, I should have tried at least."

"I'm not with you for the sex Carson. I mean, it's definitely the best I've ever had but I'm not with you just for the sex. I don't mind that we had a break, I just hope the next time we do it is perfect." My words caused him chuckle as he nodded, pulling me into him.

"Credimi tesoro, sarà di nuovo come la nostra prima volta. Perfezzione." (Trust me sweetheart, it will be like our first time all over again. Perfection.)

It's funny how I hated it and loved it when he did that. I hated the fact I couldn't understand him, but I loved hearing him speak Italian. It just did things to me, unspeakable things.

"What does that mean?" Instead of answering me like a normal human being, he shook his head flashing me a grin. "You'll find out soon enough my beautiful."

With that he tugged on my hand as we continued our walk down the beach in silence. We walked for a little while before Carson suggested we turn back, heading back towards the house.

"We should come here more often. It's much more peaceful than New York, especially without all the armed guards." When I broke the silence that had fallen around us in the last few minutes, Carson nodded his head in agreement. "We will, I told you once that I wanted to bring you here with our children."

"That's still a long time away." When I flashed him a smile, he gave me one in return as he came to a stop a moment or two before we would finally reached the house. For a moment we just stood there in silence looking out at the vast ocean ahead of us, feeling the light, cool breeze whip around us.

"It might be a while, but I can't wait until we have our family Carson. Spending every day together, raising our children in our home and going on vacations with them. Arguing about who's going to take them to school and pick them up, or who's going to make their dinner and put them to bed. Bickering at night when one of us has to get up if they have a nightmare or if they wake up too early in the morning and then kissing and making up when we finally have a minute alone."

The entire time I spoke, there was a soft smile on my lips while I kept my eyes on the sparkling ocean in the distance, only turning to look at him when I finished. The moment I turned my head, my eyes met his when I found him already in wordlessly watching me, his gaze so intense that I forced myself to look away when it became too much for me.

If only I knew what was going on inside his head.

"Maybe that's thinking a little too far into the future then." When I let out a nervous laugh, suddenly feeling embarrassed for talking so much about a future that I'd conjured up in my mind, he still remained silent next to me while I stared out at the ocean. I could see him moving in the corner of my eye next to me although he still remained silent causing me to let out a sigh.

"Shall we go inside, I'm sorry if I ruined our..." Just as I turned to face him peeling my eyes away from the serene ocean in the distance, my sentence trailed off when I saw he was no longer standing next to me. Instead he was kneeling.

"I was going to say something like that, but somehow you did it better than I ever could." When he flashed me a nervous smile, I just continued to stand there in shock giving him the opportunity to carry on speaking.

"Do you remember that day a couple of months ago when Mama taught you how to make the beef lasagna and I said something to you in Italian in the hallway before dinner?"

Despite the confusion I felt from his random mention of that day, I managed to nod my head in response to his question. "When I asked you what you said and you told me I had to wait and find out one day."

"I told you I would bring you back here, the exact same spot I asked you to be my girlfriend but this time I would ask you to be my wife for the rest of eternity, after I told you how much I love you." As he spoke he looked up at me with adoration shining in those beautiful brown eyes, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small black box.

"Yes!" When I suddenly exclaimed the word, a smile stretched across his face as he chuckled. "Wait until I've finished my beautiful."

Nodding my head, I placed a hand over my mouth waiting for him to finish speaking.

"Daniela O'Brien meeting you was the best damn thing that ever happened to me. For years I felt lost, like something was missing from my life but I just couldn't figure it out. Being kidnapped was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through and yet, it gave me the one thing that makes my entire life worth living - you."

The entire time he spoke I did my best to control my emotions and the inevitable tears that were sure to make an appearance.

"Your craziness and the chaos you brought into my life is just one of the reasons I love you. Your heart is so freaking pure, you're my light in the dark life I live. You're the kindness that I needed and the beauty that mesmerises me every damn day. You gave me hope that I could have something I never even dreamed of, you made me into a better man. Even in the last two months you kept me sane and you kept me safe. If I didn't have you I would have gone off the deep end, but you made sure I was okay. You're my everything Dani, you're all that I have left."

I didn't miss the sadness that flashed in his eyes when he no doubt referred to the loss of his mother and his sister, but before he could dwell on it for too long he continued speaking.

"Everything you said just now about having a family, that's all I want, as long as it's with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to wake up to you every single morning and go to sleep next to you every night. I want to be the one to remind you how incredibly beautiful you are every single day, I want to be the only one who gets to experience every inch of you and the one who puts that beautiful bright smile onto your face every minute of every day."

As he spoke he finally opened the little black box in his hand, revealing the most beautiful, simple and elegant diamond ring nestled inside.

"From the moment I laid eyes on you at that event a few months before we were kidnapped, I knew you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. You took my breath away in that black dress, even though you weren't even trying. You don't even know how special you are Dani, but I do and I'm not wasting another minute without asking you to be my wife, to make you mine for the rest of eternity. So, Daniela O'Brien, will you marry me?"

At that point the question was just a formality since I'd already said yes, but I still took the opportunity to say it again, this time through the silent tears that were trailing down my cheeks.

"Yes, yes, a million times, yes."

Within seconds he was standing in front of me, taking the ring out of the box before he carefully slipped it onto my finger where it sat perfectly. Through the tears that were blurring my vision I stood up on my tip toes, pressing my lips to his in a soft kiss.

I don't think I could ever truly describe how absolutely perfect that moment was. I had everything I ever wanted right then in my arms, someone who was now promised to me for the rest of eternity. "I love you Carson."

"I love you too my future Mrs Agnello." Flashing me a heart stopping smile, he pressed his lips to mine again, allowing me to savour that moment and live in it for a little while longer before we pulled away for air.

"Jump baby."

"Are you sure you won't fall?" When I rose an eyebrow at him referring to the last time we were here and I was worried he would fall, he let out a laugh nodding his head.

"As long as I have you I'll never fall."

Aw.

Spurred on by his words, I crashed my lips to his again as I jumped up into his arms. Keeping my legs wrapped around his waist, I was busy kissing him until he reached the door to his house where I finally broke the kiss, allowing him to see where he was going, taking me up to our room.

<<<<<<< >>>>>>> <<<<<<<

It was only seven months ago when he asked me to be his girlfriend and yet it felt like we'd been through a lifetime of ups and downs, laughter and grief - building memories that would last us a lifetime.

But of all the memories I cherished the most, that night when he asked me to be his would always be one of my favourite. We were here, away from the world in our little paradise.

"Is it always going to be like this?" When I asked him that question I opened my eyes, watching as he came in closer to me on the bed. "Like what?"

"So...blissfully perfect." Those words left my mouth in a breathless whisper as I held contact with his beautiful brown eyes. "I can't speak for what fate has in store for us Dani, but I can promise you that for the rest of my life, I will do everything in my power to keep that beautiful smile on your face because I love you, to the moon and back."

"Forever?" My question caused him to smile as he brought his mouth within inches of mine. "Forever and a million times over."

After he kissed me again, we lay there for another few minutes both of us lost in our own thoughts.

"You like it?" When I heard his voice above me, I lifted my eyes away from the ring on my finger and towards him to find him already watching me. "I love it baby."

After pressing a kiss to his cheek, I rested my head on his chest again while he continued to run his hand through my hair. "I have something to show you."

"Hm?"

"Sit up." Gesturing for me to sit up, Carson followed suit while I held the bedsheets to my bare chest. Leaning back against the headboard, unlike me he made no effort to cover himself which I was totally grateful for, until he caught me staring.

"It's nice, right?" Of course he gave me that annoyingly kissable smirk when I blushed. "Just show me whatever you wanted to show me, I need to take a shower."

"Okay okay." Raising his hands in mock surrender he still continued to smirk, causing me to narrow my eyes at him. "Hurry up Carson."

"Damn you're so impatient." When he muttered those words he leaned towards me to press a kiss to my cheek before he took my hand in his, guiding it to his chest.

At first I was confused what he was getting at until my eyes landed on a tattoo that I didn't recognise.

Carson had one above his heart that was dedicated to his mother, one that said 'Because of her I will not fall' in Latin. That one was written in an infinity symbol. The last time I saw him without a shirt the space around that particular tattoo was empty, but now there was another tattoo there. Somehow I missed it while we made love, probably because I was too engrossed in the activities.

This one was a sentence written along the stem of a rose, this time in English.

'My world, my strength, my family - Daniela Agnello.'

I know I probably should have made some kind of joke at the fact he was so sure I would agree to marry him that he got my future name tattooed on his body already, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I felt my eyes fill with tears the longer I stared at it.

"You're my everything Dani. I can't wait to make you my wife." As he spoke he pulled me into his arms placing a kiss on my forehead while I hugged him, still unable to bring myself to say anything.

I don't know why it hit me so hard all of a sudden. I guess hearing him tell me he loved me and that I was his world was one thing, but for him to get it tattooed on to his skin and right next to his tattoo for his mother, that just showed me how much he loved me.

"I can't believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you Carson." When I whispered those words to him, breaking the silence around us he nodded his head.

"It's going to be one hell of a journey."

"I can't wait." Turning my head to look at him, I flashed him a smile as he leaned in to press a kiss to my lips. "Me either."

<<<<<<< >>>>>>> <<<<<<<<

"Ready?"

Nodding my head I held Carson's hand in mine as we walked through the front door of the mafia mansion ready for my first day of work in a very long time.

Even though it was a freaking Sunday, but apparently according to my fiancé, if you've already missed two weeks of work you don't get Sunday off too.

Unfortunately we didn't end up staying too long in LA since Carson was needed back at the mafia mansion, so we were only there for another two days after he proposed and then we came back last night. He did promise me a longer honeymoon though.

I guess I couldn't be too upset that we only had three days in LA since Carson had already missed so much work to take care of me while I was sick. Even before I went into the hospital he was with me, so for over two weeks he'd been away from his regular work schedule.

I also hadn't been back at work for two weeks which meant I was expecting a huge pile of work on my desk. I guess that's how I'm supposed to spend my Sunday.

"I just don't understand why we couldn't stay in bed, we were having so much fun." When I muttered those words next to him he let out a laugh as we walked through the hallway. "I'd gladly spend an entire day in bed with you, but Fox said this was important."

"Well when you see him let him know that he now has to apologise for ruining our morning, so now I'm expecting another gold rose to add to my collection." Of course he only laughed that, clearly not sharing the same disdain I was feeling. "Tell him yourself, he's downstairs."

"I'm only going with you to see my sister and Aviana."

That was another thing. Before I got on with my work we were going downstairs to the basement to say hello to everyone since we'd been gone for a few days.

Only a moment later we reached the door to the chill out room in the basement where Carson opened the door allowing me to enter the dark room first.

"I thought you said they were in here?" Turning around to face Carson again, I saw him nod his head as he reached out to flick the light switch on.

"Surprise!"

The sound of six voices behind me caused me to jump, instantly spinning around to see everyone standing there with a huge banner on the wall that said:

'Congratulashuns on your engagement'

"Who made that?" When I rose an eyebrow at the six of them, Aviana pointed towards Fox who flashed me a proud smile. "I did, I used Sara's glitter and stickers and everything."

"Bro you spelled congratulations wrong." When Carson spoke from his place that was now next to me, all of them turned to look at the banner behind them. "No I didn't, c-o-n-g-r-a-t-u-l-a-s-h-u-n-s, see, congratulations."

When Fox spelled out the word for us, I couldn't help but laugh as I stepped further into the room deciding to ignore that error for now.

"You threw us a surprise party?" As I put my purse down on the couch, I couldn't stop the smile that stretched across my face as I looked at all the party food that had been laid out. They even had a chocolate fountain and a slushy machine even though there was only eight of us including Sara and Noah, but still it was so cute.

"Actually it was mostly Carson's idea but yes we all helped." Flashing me a smile Aviana rushed over to where I was standing with only one intention which was to see the ring Carson picked out for me. "Oh my gosh, it's so beautiful! Oh Dani you're going to make the most beautiful bride."

The entire time she was busy gushing over the wedding and my dress and all the possibilities Aviana pulled me into a tight hug, a very tight hug.

"Please don't kill my sister." When I heard the sound of my sister's voice, I tried my best to pull out of Avi's arms which she eventually allowed, begrudgingly of course. "I wasn't going to kill her, I was just hugging her."

"In a death grip." When Eleanor muttered those words, Aviana flashed her a glare. "She's my best friend, if I want to kill her with a hug then I'll do it."

"Do you know how stupid that sounds Aviana?" Somehow this whole thing suddenly turned into a glaring contest between my sister and Aviana. While the two of them started bickering I found myself turning to face Carson instead.

"This was your idea?" My words came out barely above a whisper, mostly drowned out by the bickering friends next to us. It's funny that they argue so much and yet, they act like friends most of the time. "It was."

"Why?"

"Because, we don't have much family left, but you still deserve someone to make a fuss over your engagement."

This was coming from the man who's known as a cold hearted mafia man to the rest of the world.

Someone remind me how I managed to secure this man for the rest of eternity?

"I love you Carson." As I whispered the words to him I leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek when someone spoke up next to me. "That's enough please, my children have already suffered enough."

Turning my head to look at Grey, I couldn't help but smile when I saw him holding both Sara and Noah in his arms. Honestly I could melt at how quickly he took Noah to be his own.

"Excuse me, but he was my nephew first before he became your son." When I shot him a glare, he only shrugged his shoulders. "And yet he loves me more."

"That's not true, is it Noah? You love aunty Dani more." When I spoke to my nephew who was busy staring at the chocolate fountain in awe, he turned his head towards us, looking between Grey and I.

"He's said we go beach."

As soon as Noah confirmed that he apparently loved Grey more, a triumphant smile appeared on his lips while Carson chuckled next to me. I on the other hand definitely wasn't amused.

So he stole my nephew away from me by promising him a trip to the beach? Two can play at that game bitch.

"Just you wait and see." Flashing Grey a cold glare, I stomped away from him heading over to Eleanor and Aviana to speak to them. Once we'd spoken for quite a while about my wedding plans, they congratulated me on my engagement with another round of hugs. After that I received a hug from Noah, Sara and Grey who took the chance to remind again that Noah loved him more.

He's such a bitch.

Once I was finally free after all the congratulatory hugs, I made my way over to the chocolate fountain ready to eat until my heart was content. That particular item of food had captured my attention from the minute the lights came on. "Jealousy is not a good look on you."

"I'm not jealous." When I huffed out my response to his comment which was no doubt about Noah and Grey, Fox chuckled next to me as he watched me attempt to prepare a skewer with marshmallows and strawberries on. "Haven't you ever done this before?"

When I heard his question, I felt a pang in my chest as I glanced over at the chocolate fountain, something I'd never used before. It's no secret that I never had any friends in high school or college so I was never invited to any parties. Once I met Ayden this kind of luxury went out the window.

It didn't really matter though, using a chocolate fountain was something a parent would teach their child at a young age if they ever went to a party together.

That was a luxury I also never had since we were too poor to waste time at parties where we would inevitably need to buy a gift for some child which my parents couldn't afford. Not that I was ever invited.

"Um...I..." When my sentence awkwardly trailed off as I averted my gaze back to the items on the skewer, Fox stepped closer to me lowering the volume of his voice. "You're doing it wrong."

"No I'm not."

Of course I had no clue what I was doing, but something inside me refused to let my pride take another hit, especially around Fox since we were still in the process of making up. When I turned to look at him, he shook his head taking the skewer from me.

"Don't put too much on it or you'll have chocolate dripping all down your pretty dress." Nodding towards the white dress I was wearing, he took two of the strawberries off, popping them into his mouth before he pushed the three marshmallows back to the top of the skewer. "Here, now you can put it in the fountain."

Holding the skewer in my hand, I eyed it for a second before I stepped closer to the fountain. "Here."

Taking the paper plate Fox handed to me, I carefully held the skewer out letting the liquid chocolate cover the marshmallows on the skewer before I eventually pulled it back again.

"Fox?" When he heard my voice he turned his attention away from the array of food in front of us, raising an eyebrow at me. "Um...do I eat them off the pointy end or do I turn the skewer to the side?"

To anyone else it would probably have been comical to see a twenty one year old woman so unsure of how to eat a marshmallow off a stick, but he didn't show any amusement. Instead he took the paper plate with the skewer on from my hand. Holding the plate up so that the chocolate didn't drip onto my dress, he used his free hand to move some hair away from my face before he picked up the skewer, holding it to my lips.

Once I took the first marshmallow off the end of the skewer, he put it back down on the plate leaving me to chew on the sweet while he used his free hand to grab a handful of m&ms, putting the entire lot into his mouth in one go.

"Is it nice?" As he chewed on the handful of chocolates he turned to look at me causing me to smile when he spoke his mouth full. "You shouldn't talk with your mouth full Fox."

"We're all friends here Little One." When he shrugged his shoulders, he continued to chew his food as he picked up the skewer helping me to eat the second marshmallow.

"I bet I can make you talk with your mouth full." He said those words as he finally swallowed the chocolates causing me to shake my head. "No?"

When I shook my head again still chewing on the unfortunately large marshmallow, he flashed me a smirk as he stepped closer to me. "How was the post proposal sex? Was it just like your first time in LA?"

"Fox!" When I suddenly shouted his name swatting his shoulder he burst out into laughter causing me to frown when I realised his plan worked perfectly. "Always so predictable."

"I'm an engaged woman now, you have to treat me with more respect." When I pouted my lips at him, he shook his head as he lifted the skewer again allowing me to eat the third and final marshmallow. "Oh please, if you think that's going to stop me from teasing you then you're sorely mistaken."

As he spoke he put the plate down and picked up a napkin, dabbing gently at my lips to clean up the chocolate.

"Trust me Little One, even on your twentieth wedding anniversary I'll still be here asking you how the sex was. Who knows, maybe after twenty years with me you'll be a little more open about what happens in the marital bed? Or the marital shower, or the marital kitchen or the-"

"Stop." When I cut him off I turned away from him as a blush coated my cheeks causing him to laugh. Without another word he surprised me by pulling me into his arms in a tight hug.

"Congratulations Dani." When he whispered those words to me, I couldn't help but smile as I hugged him back. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry." When the hug didn't end, he whispered those words to me causing me to shake my head as I finally pulled away from him. "Don't, it's okay."

"No it's not Dani, I hurt you and-"

"And I still haven't totally forgiven you, but...you're my family Fox. I don't want to hate you forever." When I nervously said those words to him, he nodded his head leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead. "Then I'll just take this chance and keep doing my best to make it up to you."

Giving him me one last smile he stepped away heading over to Aviana who was now holding Sara in her arms laughing about something or another with my sister.

Remember when I said they acted like friends most of the time?

Just as my eyes shifted away from Fox, Avi and my sister, my eyes met Carson's who seemed like he'd already been watching me for a while.

So he saw Fox help me with the chocolate fountain?

When I held his stare, his lips tugged up into a smile before he eventually left Grey and Noah, coming over to where I was standing. Breaking from his stare, I turned around to face the food laid out on the table when I felt him come up behind me wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I love you." Even after all this time those three words caused butterflies in my stomach as he kissed my shoulder pulling me in tight against him. "I love you too, forever."

"Forever."

Finally when I turned around to look at him, I put a strawberry in his mouth causing him to smile as he tucked some hair behind my ear. "Get some food and then come and mingle with your guests, it's rude to leave them alone Dani."

"They're not exactly guests, or my guests...I didn't even throw this party and I've never..."

"Hosted a party before?" When he completed the sentence for me, I gave him a feeble nod causing him to smile. "Don't worry my darling, we have a life time of parties to throw. First my birthday party in two months and then yours a month later, then our wedding reception, then a baby shower and then a party for our new born, maybe a birthday party for the baby before another baby shower-"

"Carson stop." When I finally cut him off unable to control my laughter at his words, he flashed me a smile leaning in to kiss my cheek.

"I told you, it's going to be one hell of a journey. This is just the beginning my baby."

And it was exactly that...

One hell of a journey.

What did you guys think? 😍

Would you have forgiven Fox? Especially after the chocolate fountain 😍

Also prepare for a time skip in the epilogue and in the bonus chapters, it's a good one 👀

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment ❤️✨