Chapter 10 - Happily Ever After At Beluchi's
The Family We ChoseTwo weeks later, the rain was gone, replaced by the crisp, golden sunlight of a perfect New York autumn afternoon.
Beluchi’s restaurant was closed to the public for a private event. The entire main dining room was filled with white roses, twinkling fairy lights, and the soft strains of a jazz violin playing in the corner.
At table four—the exact same booth where a little girl in a red coat had marched in with a bald stuffed rabbit—sat a very different group of people.
Lily sat proudly in the center of the booth, wearing a brand-new pink dress, feeding whipped cream to Mr. Buttons while Dominic watched with a soft, adoring smile that the underworld would never have believed he was capable of.
I stood near the window, wearing a navy dress that fit me better than ever, watching the man who had protected us from the shadows step into the light.
Dominic slid out of the booth, walked over to me, and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest.
"Penny for your thoughts, Dr. Elena," he murmured into my hair, his lips curving into a gentle smile.
I turned in his arms, wrapping my hands around his neck, looking up into those striking grey eyes that no longer held shadows or vengeance—only warmth and home.
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"I was just thinking," I whispered, smiling against his lips, "that blind dates arranged by Grace are dangerous business."
"The best kind," Dominic replied softly, before pressing his lips to mine in a long, lingering kiss that sealed our past, our present, and our forever.
