Vittorio felt sorry for his friend, he really did.
"Oh!"
Vittorio turned and watched as Sharon took in the sight, her face softening.
"It's a rooftop garden."
"It is," he said, pulling her farther into the green space, satisfied with the candlelight and overwhelming smell of roses. The night was perfect, not a cloud in the sky, the city below them. In the center of the garden was a small table for two, with a pair of champagne glasses and a bottle in the chiller next to it.
"It's lovely," she breathed, coming to stand next to him. "Really, Vittorio, I've never seen anything more beautiful, thank you."
Vittorio turned to her, taking in her short red dress and fuck-me heels that he knew she wore for him and him only. The best part was the lacy underthings he knew would be under the dress, the same ones he had watched her put on two hours before in the comfort of their bedroom.
But it wasn't the same bedroom they had slept in two months ago. No, he had sold the fucking penthouse where the shootout happened and let Sharon help him pick them a new home. She had been hesitant at first, but he had pestered her enough, to the point where she had finally made up her mind. It wasn't as big as his last one, but he knew she was happy and that was all that mattered.
And now he hoped she would still be happy after tonight.
"What?" she asked, searching his eyes with hers. "What is it?"
He gripped her hands in his, ignoring the twinge of pain in his wrist as he did so. The cast was gone and he had moderate use of his hand, a constant reminder of how close he had been to losing his life and her. His body had healed but the nightmares remained for the both of them.
"I have something I want to talk to you about."
"O-okay."
Concern flooded her expression and he swore under his breath. He wasn't good at this shit. Give him a fucker to kill and he could do that. But fucking propose to a woman again? He couldn't find the right words.
"I love you," he started, figuring that was the best place to start.
"I love you too," she said, her expression softening. "Very much so."
"I know," he said, meaning it.
She showed him every day how much she loved him. Against his better judgement, he had let her decide if she wanted to return to her classes or not, which she had, but online instead of actually attending the classes. He had picked up the pieces of the fractured Anafesto family and, together, they were starting to rebuild, no one truly missing Rocco. Things were a lot quieter now without him around and Vittorio hadn't killed anyone since his death.
Maybe, just maybe, his life was turning around. That is, if he could propose to Sharon.
Clearing his throat, he knelt before her, seeing the surprise on her face as she realized what he was doing. Carefully, he reached into his pocket for the multi-carat emerald diamond that was there, holding it up for her to see.
"This is just a ring," he started out, the words just coming to him. "But it symbolizes my love for you. I never thought I would do this again, love another person to distraction that would keep me up at night worrying about how to protect them. I never thought I would have a relationship that would mean a damn, one that I could see being the last one I ever had. But then you came into my life and turned it upside fucking down until you were all I could see."
"Vittorio," she breathed, tears glistening in her eyes.
"I love you," he continued, gripping her hand tightly. "And I will love you until the day I am put in the ground. I promise to keep you safe and happy if you will let me. Marry me, Sharon."
She looked at him, and he could see the love in her eyes and feel the love he thought he would never feel again.
"Yes," she said softly, her hand trembling in his. "Yes!"
Relieved, he slipped the ring on her finger before gathering her into his arms, kissing her tears away.
"I fucking love you."
"I know," she whispered, pressing her lips to his. "I fucking love you too."
"Dirty mouth," he laughed, holding her close. "Just the way I like it."
Sharon laughed and he spun her around, unable to contain his own happiness. There had been many times in his life when he thought that he would never have happiness like this again, that his world was meant to be violent and cold. But she had changed it for him. Sharon had shown him that he could love again and find it in the most unlikely place. She had dropped in his life and no matter how hard he had fucking tried to break her, she wouldn't budge.
She was everything to him.
Chapter 22
Sharon
Sharon leaned back in the seat as the plane took off, her ring catching the sun from the window as the plane rose into the clouds. Beside her, Vittorio gripped the armrest, his eyes closed as the plane ascended. Who would have thought that her big, bad mob boss hated to fly?
"It's almost over."
"Shut the fuck up, Sharon. No it's not."
She laughed and placed her hand on top of his, her giddiness hard to contain. They were on their way to Kansas, to see her parents and give them the good news. She had purposely withheld the announcement until she could tell them in person, knowing that they would have to get over the initial shock of Vittorio himself. Her parents would never tell her to not marry him, but she wanted them to see the man she knew, the one who slept beside her at night and held her like she was made of glass.
The plane leveled out and Vittorio's hand relaxed, his eyes focusing on her.
"Tell me again why I didn't drive to Kansas?"
"Because," she said, gripping his arm lightly. "This is a heck of a lot faster to get there. All you would see is corn fields and cows. Not exactly the best road trip, I promise you."
He blew out a breath, his normally tanned face starting to gain its color back.
"Next time, we take the private jet. That way I can be fucking you on takeoff."
"Vittorio," she said, flushing as the people around them looked over their way, some in disapproval.
"What?" he asked, interlacing their fingers. "They are just fucking jealous. Ignore them."
She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.
"What are you going to tell them that you do for a living again?"
Vittorio chuckled.
"I'm going to tell them that I owe several businesses in the city. We met at a bar, right?"
Sharon thought about the lie she told her mom long ago, when she thought Vittorio was gone for good.
"Yes, and not the strip club either."
"So, you want me to lie to your mother," he said with a laugh. "Alright."
She blushed again, thinking that, well, he was right. They had met in a strip club and, at the time, she had thought she was going to die. Not once had she ever thought it would turn out like this. "And don't tell my dad that I'm about to marry into the mafia. He might need time to warm up to the fact."
"You know they could just look me up on the internet."
"If they had it," she countered.
Vittorio's eyes grew round.
"What the fuck? Where are you taking me Sharon?"
Laughing, she stroked his face.
"I'm taking you to Kansas, Vittorio."
"Shit," he said, running a hand through his hair. "No internet, no strip clubs. No wonder you were so naive."
Sharon grinned, thinking of how not naive she was now. Vittorio had showed her things in both life and in the bedroom that she never knew she would experience, taking her places that she had thought she would never see in her lifetime.
And now he was about to be her husband.
Her parents would likely think that she was too young to get married, but Sharon knew she wanted nothing more than to marry him. When she looked at her fiancée, she didn't see the head of the most powerful mafia in New York. She saw the man who had protected her more than once during their time together, the one who had tried to break her but she would never bend to. She saw the man who never once gave her pause to think she was making a mistake, the man who had taken her life and turned it upside down when she had least expected it.
Most of all, when she looked at Vittorio, she saw the man she loved, the man that would eventually give her children and she would grow old together with.
And when there was nothing left, they would have each other, for all eternity.
"What?"
Sharon sighed.
"I was just thinking about how happy I am."
He brought their joined hands up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of hers, squeezing it gently.
"I'm happy to."
"Even with me dragging you to Kansas?"
"Even so."
***
The trip took a little over three hours. Vittorio nearly raced Sharon out of the plane, causing her to laugh at his aversion to flying. She would have never imagined a man who lived such a brutal life would have been so scared to fly.