Niccolo's POV
The lunch at my parents' house is today but I needed to run a quick errand. I told Sierra I needed to sort out a few things at the warehouse and left her relaxing on the couch with Major and a carton of strawberries.
I chuckle as I'm driving on the freeway. It has been an absolute joy since I got her back. Everything has fallen into place and I will keep on making sure the rest follows suit. Every time I think back on where I used to be over a year ago, it still feels dreamlike.
Sierra told me that the baby and I are her second chance but she doesn't realize that they are mine too. She has given me the second chance at love, the second chance at being a father, the second chance at living life again, the second chance at happiness. She has given me all of it. And this all made me more determined as ever to make sure I cherish the second chance to its fullest.
I park my car, getting out onto the dirt road. I take off my sunglasses, heading inside. The lady behind the counter looks up and her face lights up.
"Mr. De Luca, what a lovely surprise. What can I do for you today?"
"Hi, Karen." I smile in greeting.
"What brings you by?"
"I want to adopt a puppy. But I need you to keep him or her for another 2 weeks. Would that be possible?" I ask her.
"Of course it will! Do you want to go choose one now?" I give her a smile and nod before we make our way to the enclosure. I spend a good 30 minutes in there, mainly playing instead of actually doing what I came here for.
I noticed a young pup, smaller than the rest, trying to get to me but kept getting shoved away. I reached over and picked her up. Once I had her against my chest, she snuggled into the crook of my neck before giving me a few licks on my cheek. However, her demeanor soon changed as she became more comfortable.
She bit onto the hem of my shirt when I sat her on my lap. She turns her body and starts pulling on it, little growls escaping her with each pull. After 3 pulls she would shake her head vigorously with her tightened grip.
"Oh, I see how it is. You act all innocent and now you want to play dirty with this feistiness. If ever there were a perfect fit..." I trail off while shaking my head amongst my chuckling.
I called Karen, handed her the naughty pooch and signed all the necessary documents before heading back home. I walked in, heading into the lounge first which was where I had left her but it was empty. I followed the connecting path into the kitchen. Also empty.
I made my way upstairs and upon entering the bedroom I saw her. She had her earphones in and was humming to a tune while flipping through a magazine, Major sitting beside her pillow.
I walked into the room, alerting Major to my presence. She had yet to notice me but when Major began shifting she leaned over and kissed the top of his head before her eyes snapped up and met mine. She gave me one of those gorgeous smiles of hers as she lay her head on top of Major's, before taking the earphones out.
"Hey babe. I didn't hear you come in." She flipped her legs over the edge and made her way over to me, placing her hands on my chest before lifting herself to kiss me on the lips.
"You ready for lunch?" I muttered into her lips in between our kisses.
"I am fucking curious about this lunch." She pulled back amused.
"Oh, it's definitely going to be fun, I'll tell you that," I replied with a chuckle.
"Well, let's go then!" She exclaimed, dragging me by the hand, provoking my laughs.
"Whoa, hold up. I need to slide through the shower first. I'm filthy." I pull her back into me as she huffs.
"You could accompany me, help me get clean," I mentioned flirtatiously as I plant a wet kiss on her shoulder.
"Uh... No." She steps away from me, her voice not as confident as it should be.
"You sure, baby?" I ask her while unbuttoning my shirt and walking closer.
I watch as she nods her head amid her humming. She takes a step back for every step I take forward, her eyes darting to my hands as they travel down my shirt then back up to each exposed section of my body.
"Go shower, Nico. We can't keep everyone waiting." She tries, her voice slightly raspy.
"Everyone is preoccupied with Elena's new man. For once, my sister is helping me instead of cockblocking. I think I need to take advantage of that." As I finish, I grab her and throw her over my shoulder, her yelp followed by giggles bringing a grin upon my lips.
We spend a good 45 minutes underneath the showerhead, 10 minutes of that I would say was actually showering. She got out before me as I rinsed off the shampoo and soap. When I got into the bedroom I could hear the hairdryer going in one of the guest bathrooms.
I proceeded to get dressed then headed downstairs as I waited for her. I sat outside having a cigarette with a cup of coffee when I heard her shuffling inside, followed by silence.
"Are you done staring, Princess?" I took one last pull of my cigarette before killing it and rising to my feet.
I turned around and noticed her as she stood leaning against the wall, a playful smirk upon her lips. She had a strand of her hair in between her fingers as she lifted her head towards me. She was dressed in a pair of tight jeans, her boots and an off the shoulders black knitted sweater.
Her hair was blow-dried into voluminous waves, her highlighted chocolate colour shining in the sun. Her face was glowing and I began feeling exultant. I was proud to have this woman by my side. She was wearing her mother's locket which brought my attention to the past, how life brought her to me. It all felt so unreal thinking that her mother delivered me. Her mother had such a huge impact on my life long before I fell in love with her daughter.
She looked fucking beautiful and I found myself feeling bashful as I considered myself lucky to have her beside me as mine. My girl, the mother of my child and soon I will make sure to change her name too.
"Now, who's staring?" She shot back with a hint of cockiness to her tone.
"Cute." I pursed my lips, a grin pulling on the corner in amusement.
"We better go before your eyes and that body gives me other ideas," I told her as I reached her, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her into me before kissing her lips.
It didn't take her long to react to my kiss but then I deepened it, her hands grabbing my neck and face. My hand drowned itself in her hair as I pulled her harder against me. Eventually, slowing down the frenzied display of affection.
"And the insatiable Niccolo is back." She rolled her eyes at me.
"The insatiable Niccolo was always here, he just needed to prioritize. The wellbeing of his girls comes before the wellbeing of his dick." My hand traveled down and grabbed her ass as I spoke.
"Girls?" She raised a brow at me.
"Call it a feeling." I shrugged my shoulders while placing my hand on her lower back and leading her inside where we headed for the garage.
We made our way to my parents' house, my hand in hers with our fingers locked together upon her lap the whole drive there. Once we arrived, I parked the car in front of their garage, exited and opened the passenger side door for her. We made our way up the front porch, my hand fitted into hers as we went. I swung the door open to hear my mother cursing my father in the office.
"Damn it, it's begun," I spoke as Aunt Ruby walked into the foyer.
"Ooo, you have no idea. The boy's already nursing a blue eye." She chuckled while popping an olive into her mouth.
"How the fuck did that happen? Did Dad just hit him the second he walked into the house?"
"Not quite. The boy's got balls. Grabbed Elena's ass on the deck." Ruby's laughter bellowed around us as she recounted the memory.
"Oh, this is going to be fun," Sierra spoke beside me excitedly just as my father opened the door to his office. I heard my mother giggling causing him to stop and look at her.
"What?" He narrows his eyes.
"Oh, nothing. I just find it cute how you think your 25-year-old daughter is still pure and innocent." She quirked her brows and laughed while walking away from him.
I watched as the words replayed in his mind. His brows then knitted together before finally raising them in realization.
"Fuck this." He retreated back into his office and returned with his gun in hand.
"Whoa!" I yelled while briskly making my way to stop him, my hands in the air in front of me.
"Let's just calm down. Killing innocents is not what we do, Dad." I emphasized.
"I'm not killing anyone! I'm merely having a chat at the table." He tried maneuvering around me.
"With a gun?"
"Precisely."
With that, he nudged past me and out onto the deck. I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head.
"Your father has no chill. I can perfectly see the resemblance now. The temper flarings, irrationality, overprotectiveness. Is that what I'm in for if we have a girl?" Sierra stood beside me with her hands on her hips, her attitude frustratingly turning me on.
"Well, I think I'll be a little toned down, but if he grabs her ass in front of me then I am not responsible for my actions." I shrug my shoulders in all honesty with my hands in the air.
"You hear that? Your daddy is fucked in the head. Prepare yourself." She patted her stomach and spoke down to it while walking away, following the path my father had taken.
"I've said this before and I'll say it again. I like her. She's going to fit right in." Aunt Ruby mumbled next to me, chuckling.
"You did well, son." She patted my back and made her way onto the deck as I followed closely behind.
Lunch was tense, to say the least. Cami sat in between Elena and the boy she brought over. I think he mentioned his name was Adrian.
My father had his gun on the table next to his plate, acting like it is common practice for him to do this. Adrian would glance over at him ever so often but tried keeping his composure as best as he could, pretending like none of it affected him.
Elena didn't look impressed and I would catch her glaring at Dad ever so often.
"So, Adrian, what do you do for a living?" My mother attempted to quieten the storm brewing.
I felt Sierra lean her back into my chest after placing her cutlery in a finalized position. My arm wrapped over her shoulder to run my fingers over the smooth and supple skin of her arm. I kissed the top of her head before listening to the ongoing conversations.
"I... Uh... I own an IT company. It used to be my father's. It's actually how I met Elena. I was contacted to come and have a look at her software, which was outdated. I spent a couple of hours there upgrading it and that's how we got to talking." He looked over at Elena and gave her a gentle smile, causing her to blush and look away slightly.
I heard my father groaning as he shifted in his seat before casually placing his hand on the gun while sitting forward. My mother rolled her eyes before looking back at Adrian.
"And how old are you, sweetheart?" She spoke gently with her hands below her chin.
"29 years old. I'll be turning 30 in 3 months."
My father spat out the drink he was trying desperately to swallow.
I noticed my mother take her one hand and place it below the table. I watched as my father jerked slightly before looking at her side while she continued giving Adrian her undivided attention.
"Ah, my son will be 30 in a month." She remarked before looking in my direction. I noticed Sierra shuffle to look up at me. Her brows were furrowed but she quickly put on a poker face before turning back around.
My father picked up his gun, pulling back the chamber to have a glance inside before placing it back down. Sierra's giggles erupted as she observed the scene unfolding before us, her eyes glued to my father.
"For fuck's sake." My mother cursed while standing.
She grabbed the gun away from Dad and began disassembling it. I watched as she released the magazine, placing it beside her and away from my father. She then pulled back and opened the slide, using the slide stop lever to keep it open. Once it was open, she looking inside the chamber to make sure there was no remaining ammunition. She then used her pinky finger to sweep the chamber, to make certain. When she was satisfied, she released the chamber and place the gun down beside my father's plate. She picked up the magazine and put it inside the back pocket of her pants. My father stared at her in disbelief before running his eyes from the top of her all the way down, clearly impressed.
"Why don't you kids make your way down to the beach?" She spoke sweetly to them.
"Actually, I wanted to take Elena out for a coffee, if that would be alright?" Adrian piped up and spoke to my mother, smugly avoiding Dad's eye contact.
"Of course, darling. You two enjoy yourselves."
With that, Adrian stood and walked over to my sister's chair. He pulled it out and placed his hand in front of her as Elena took it and rose to her feet. They began walking around the table to leave, hand in hand, making my father want to get up.
My mother noticed his movements and quickly sat herself down on his lap, shocking him slightly. Elena passed me and I couldn't help but glare at Adrian. A part of me wanted to punch the living daylights out of this shit, especially when I noticed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her off the deck. His hand moved further down and was now halfway over her ass. I straightened myself before shifting to stand only to have Sierra's hand land on my thigh. It was dangerously close to my groin area and it was prompting me to freeze in the spot.
I looked over to her, our eyes meeting. She shook her head while mouthing 'no'. I huffed in annoyance before sitting back and crossing my arms. I heard Sierra chuckling beside me before bringing her lips to my ear while I grabbed my whiskey glass.
"You're acting like a child, babe. That's reserved for me when I require a spanking." She coyly remarked, gathering a marvelous reaction from me as I choked on my drink, spitting out some of it.
Everyone turned to look at me as I gathered my composure. I gave them a thumbs-up before bowing my head in my hands, avoiding their gazes.
Sierra let out an amused and triumphant laugh as her hand traveled further up, making me shift slightly. He hand grazed over the bulge in my pants as my eyes widened, watching everyone else around the table to make sure nobody was noticing this predicament of mine.
She rubbed her hand over my imprisoned arousal; eventually, I grabbed her wrist to stop her. I shot her a warning glance as she giggled slightly.
"Payback's a bitch, ain't it babe?" She asked me while turning her body toward me. I scoffed as I fixed myself in my pants, an attempt to hide the ordeals below the table.
"On a serious note, stop it and let your sister be happy." She gave me a knowing look as her hand patted my chest.
"Aria! What the fuck!?" I heard my father cursing my mother, his voice highly annoyed.
"Dominic, you are acting ridiculous! You can't go around swinging your gun in people's faces!" She exclaimed.
"I wasn't swinging any guns around in anybody's face. It was placed on the table and stationary." He corrected her, his index finger extended.
"Oh, my mistake." My mother feigned surprise. "I must have confused your gun with your dick! Yes, that's right. You were too busy having a fucking dick swinging display in this house instead."
I watched as Aunt Ruby struggled to swallow her beer before snickering. Once the liquid remnants were gone, she burst out into a fit of laughter. Aunt Olivia covered her mouth, trying to keep her giggles at bay. Cami and Tino were sneering at the other end of the table. Uncle Marcel was bellowing in laughter alongside Aunt Ruby, and Aunt Dani was sitting back giggling in amusement. My father glared at my mother before wrapping his hand over her thigh and squeezing it, making her react with a jolt of her body.
"Keep up with the attitude and you'll see where I'm going to be swinging..." He trailed off.
"Nowhere close to me, that's for sure. You can sleep in the guest bedroom. You acted like a damn fool today!" My mother shoved him gently.
"That's fine. I don't mind sleeping in the guest bedroom." He emphasized, completely unphased.
"Oh, you will be doing it all there. It's just you and your hand tonight, Nicky." Her hand went to his thigh, I'm assuming a bit too close since my father jumped slightly.
"Jesus, Mamma, your other child is still here..." I rumbled as I shook my head in an attempt to dissipate all that I had witnessed now.
"Yeah? Point being?" My mother looked up at me.
"How the fuck do you think you came to be, Niccolo? Immaculate conception?" She deadpanned.
"For fuck's sake, I'm out. Lunch was lovely but I'm done for the day." I shot up, gathering the plates as Sierra stood from her chair. She giggled while watching me.
"Dominic, Aria, thank you for lunch. It was lovely, as always." I could hear Sierra speaking to my parents.
"You're welcome, sweetheart. Please take care of our son. And maybe give him a lesson or two on where babies come from." My mother joked causing Sierra to let out a hearty laugh. Jesus, mother.
I briskly walked onto the deck, grabbed Sierra's hand and pulled her along with me gently. I waved my hand over my head in an attempt at goodbyes as everyone chuckled in the distance. Sierra said nothing until we got back to the car. I had my hand placed on the car's door handle, ready to open it, when she placed her hand over mine to halt it.
She pushed my body against the car, placing herself in between my legs as she stood against me closely. She took both my hands and flung them around her waist before grabbing my neck with hers and pulling me down into a burning kiss. My body instantly reacted to her as my hands traveled lower and pulled her harder into my groin area. She pulled back and looked me in the eyes.
"Niccolo, I love you. Thank you for accepting me into your life. I am so grateful for you and your family because even amongst the antics, I have never felt like I belonged the way I do here. And even after everything, after every single lie and manipulation, you all still allowed me to be a part of this. To be a part of something I was never able to have."
Her demeanor changed and she bowed her head slightly. My hand naturally went beneath her chin and lifted her head back up to look at me. I caressed her cheek with the back of my fingers as I admired her face. I noticed the tears welling up in her eyes causing me to cup her face in my hands.
I laid my forehead against hers and held her teary gaze.
"You do belong. You have always belonged. You were always meant to be a part of my life and a part of me. I love you, baby." I pulled back and kissed her forehead.
"Let's go home, Princess. There are fresh strawberries in the fridge and we can watch a movie on the couch." Her lips curved into a wide grin as she nodded before giving me one last peck on the lips.
She truly has no idea of the things I feel, the thoughts I have and the plans I have made. But she will, soon.