I opened my eyes, yawning and stretching with a smile on my face from having been finally able to get a good night's sleep. Which I haven't been able to do since I started living here.

I stared out the window, admiring the perfect view of the garden from where I slept.

Rolling over, my heart sunk down into my ass when I felt my lips touch something that felt terrifying close to flesh. I looked up, a stubbled chin blocking the sunlight spilling into the room.

I screamed, shoving Lorenzo off the bed. He thudded to the floor, cursing in Italian. Staggering to his feet seconds later, he looked down at me with confusion. "What are you doing in my bed?"

"Your bed? This is my bedroom." He simply glared at me. My eyes quickly scanned my surroundings and I shook my head.

Damn it.

This is his room.

Wanting to pinch myself and awake from this nightmare, I frowned. I could've sworn I went back to my own room. Nothing happened between us other than me hugging him. Surely that wouldn't have lead to me ending up in his bed.

I pointed an accusing finger at him, wanting answers. "What the hell did you do to me!?

"Oh please," he scoffed. "If I had done something to you, which I didn't, then I guarantee you'd know."

I felt naked under his gaze, despite him already having seen my lower half. And tasted it. I blushed at the memory, biting my lip and looking away.

"So you're telling me that I just voluntarily got in your bed?"

"Looks like it."

"I highly doubt that," I replied with a roll of my eyes. "You're the last person I'd ever voluntarily get into bed with."

"If I'm the last, then who's the first?" He asked, raising his brows in curiosity.

After the way his mouth made me feel, there was no one else I wanted but him. But of course, he didn't need to know that.

I said the first name that popped into my head. "Javi."

Lorenzo was on top of me so fast, my arms pinned down at my sides. I laughed, loving how much hearing his bestfriend's name leave my lips had gotten under his skin.

"Aww, did I upset the Mafia Boss?" I pretended to be sad, before continuing to laugh in his face.

He clamped his hand over my mouth, muffling my laughter. "Don't fucking play with me, Rosalie," he growled.

He removed his hand when I finally stopped laughing, thinking my torturing him had come to end. But little did he know I was far from done.

"Oh Javi," I moaned, overexaggerating the erotic sounds coming out of me. I stuck my fingers into my mouth, before grazing my clothed covered sex. "Fuck me with that big, hard c-"

Lorenzo's finger coiled around my throat, squeezing my neck like a snake would their prey.

My airways began to close and I gasped for air, struggling to get oxygen into my lungs. A string of saliva dripped down the corner of my mouth, my eyes rolling into the back of my head.

I didn't think he would let go. I thought I was going to die until he eventually released me. I inhaled, panting and laughing.

"Do that shit again and next time, I will kill you."

****

"So I imagine you two slept well?" Javier questioned, waltzing into the kitchen with a michevious smile on his face.

That's when I knew that he had been behind the whole thing. He's the one who put me in Lorenzo's bed.

I grabbed the butter knife off the counter, lunging at Javier. I slammed him into the fridge behind him, digging the blade into his neck.

He coughed, his hands raised in surrender. "Either Enzo failed to do his job, or my plan didn't work."

"Your plan didn't work."

Javier motioned to the bruise Lorenzo left on my neck from him choking me so hard. "You sure about that?"

"Vaffanculo(Fuck off)." I punched him in his balls, grabbed a piece of toast, and left to go get ready for the day.

When I came back out of the bathroom from my shower, a towel secured around my body, Lorenzo was sitting on the edge of my bed with his phone in hand.

"Your brothers have been trying to get ahold of you."

"I was in the shower. What's up?"

Lorenzo looked up at me with saddened eyes. "Mama Fierri's in the hospital."

****

Lorenzo and I burst through the hospital doors, my heart feeling as though it had stopped beating. I was racing towards the front desk, everything around me moving in slow motion.

I paused in front of the woman sitting behind the desk, the sound of a machine beeping, the clock ticking, and the distorted voice of the receptionist making my head ache and my ears ring.

"We are looking for Alina Fierri."

"Are you family members of hers?"

"Yes."

"Name?"

"Lorenzo Sinisi and Rosalie Fierri-Sinisi."

She started typing away on her computer, the anticipation only increasing my anxiety.

They didn't give us any information about what had happened to her. All they told Lorenzo was that we had to get to the hospital immediately.

On the ride over, I just kept thinking the worst. Mama Fierri isn't like a mother to me. She is my mother. She didn't have to treat me like her own. Especially after what my father did to her. But she did. And because of her, life without my mother has become less and less of a challenge.

"Enzo, I can't lose her," I said through teary eyes, my voice cracking.

He pulled me into his chest and kissed the top of my head. I was stunned by the affectionate gesture. I looked up at him, and I could see that he was struggling to keep from crying. "You're not going to lose her."

"Enzo..." I reached up to swipe the stray tear rolling down his cheek.

He folded his hand over mine, giving it a small squeeze. "I'll be fine, sweetheart. Go be with your family."

"You mean our family." I grabbed his hand, interlacing my fingers with his. The receptionist gave us the room number, and together, we headed towards Mama Fierri's room.

I broke away from him once I saw Mama Fierri. Her arm was in a dark pink cast, but other than that, she looked perfectly fine. I sighed with relief, throwing my arms around her.

Marcellius, Niccolo, and Cesare were already in the room. Marcellius looked at Lorenzo with furrowed brows, the tension so thick that I thought he was going to just straight up shoot and kill him.

But he didn't. Instead he nodded, Lorenzo nodding back in acknowledgement.

Mama Fierri smacked my arm and I looked back at her with confusion. "Ow, what was that for?"

"Why are you here worrying about me when you and your husband should be at home making me some grandbabies?"

I blushed, afraid to look at Lorenzo or either of my brothers. "We were worried about you."

She scoffed, waving me off dismissively. "Scuse, scuse(Excuses, excuses)." She motioned Lorenzo over. She first grabbed my hand, then grabbed his and placed it on top of mine. We shared a quick glance, before quickly looking away. "You two need to stop denying the obvious. You like each other. Maybe even love each other."

"I don't know about that, Mama Fierri."

"I see it, even if you two don't. And I've never been wrong once." She jerked her chin in the direction of where Marcellius, Niccolo, and Cesare stood. "Just look at your brothers for example. Marcel was too serious, Nic was too angry, Luci was too shy, and Cesare was too horny. And now look at them. My maschietti(baby boys) are husbands and fathers. My maschietti(baby boys) are men now."

"Yeah, but they married for love. Enzo and I weren't given that choice."

"Cara(dear), you don't choose love. Love chooses you. Give each other a chance, and you will see."

Lorenzo and I looked down at our hands. And I began to wonder if Mama Fierri was right.

What if there is potential for love to blossom between the two of us?

"Now don't make me wait forever you two. I'm not getting any younger." She tried sitting up and winced from the pain. All three of my brothers jumped into action, in which Mama Fierri responded by smacking their hands away from her. "Don't touch me," she barked. "I'm fine."

"But ma-"

"No 'but ma' nothing, Nic. I pushed all of your big headed ass out of my vagina, didn't I?" They all nodded, still on edge. "And after almost five stitches from every one of you, a broken arm and some back pain is nothing."

"We just don't want a repeat of last time ma," Cesare chimed in. "Or something worse to happen to you."

"Grow some balls, figlio(son). It's Nic's fault anyway for putting the pizza sauce up so high."

"I said I was sorry mama."

"Enzo, can you hand me my infradito(flip-flop) out of my purse."

Lorenzo reached into her purse from on the floor beside her bed and retrieved the flip flop. He handed it to her, and the shoe went flying, thwacking Niccolo in his face.

"Now you're forgiven."

Everyone, but Niccolo laughed. Even Lorenzo found humor in it. I was in the midst of pulling my hand away when Lorenzo grabbed and held on. I looked up at him and smiled.

Maybe being married to Lorenzo Sinisi isn't so bad after all.