Becoming Mrs DeLuca novel Chapter 48

ADRIAN

It had been three months since the last time I went to my beach house.

The last time I went, I’d longed for peace and quiet after Serena’s funeral. I’d come alone without Sofia and Stefan because every look at them reminded me of the woman I wanted to forget.

Valentina’s eyes widened in awe when we pulled up in front of the splendid white bungalow on the beach. Gemma owned the house beside it, but we rarely visited this place at the same time, even if she’d been insisting on a family vacation for a while. Sofia had fallen asleep in her seat, but Stefan’s face flashed with recognition. He’d loved this place in the past. I worried even that might have changed.

The wind nipped at our clothes. November wasn’t the best time to spend time outside around here, but I wanted to show Valentina this house. I wasn’t even sure why. It would have been more impressive in spring or

summer.

Another gust of wind tore Valentina’s black cowboy hat from her head. My hand lashed out, snatching the thing out of the air.

She let out an astonished laugh. “That’s an impressive show of reflexes.”

I held the hat out to her, and she took it with a sweet smile. “Quick reflexes are required to survive if you have as many enemies as I do. But I don’t know why I caught this thing. It’s ugly.”

My wife had once more chosen an outfit I decidedly hadn’t chosen for her. Cowboy boots, black shorts with suspenders, a bright pink sweater, and an oversized coat that would have fit me as well. It was a fashion nightmare.

Worry tightened her face, and her hand stayed frozen on the

door. “How many attempts at your life have you

survived?”

I tried to remember. It was difficult to say. There had been so many. Only a couple had gotten close.

Valentina shook her head. “Never mind, if you have to think about it this long, I probably don’t want to know. Just promise to be careful, okay?”

I walked around the car and opened the back door then lifted Sofia out. Valentina and I had already fallen in a sort of routine where my children were concerned. She handled Stefan and I handled Sofia. It made our life easier, even if it turned my heart to ice that my son refused to be close to me.

“Can you take Milo’s transport crate?”

I took it from the trunk. Valentina had insisted we take the dog with us, even if I’d have preferred to let Sybil watch it. Refusing her was more difficult than it should have been.

Pressing Sofia protectively to my chest to shield her from the cold, I led Valentina toward the front door. She had trouble carrying Stefan on her hip. Even though he was a thin boy, he was tall for his age and Valentina was petite. It would have made more sense for me to carry him.

She set him down the moment we were inside and looked around in wonder. The interior, like the outside of the house, was white. The back of the house facing the beach was almost entirely made of glass windows, giving views of the dunes and ocean. The grass bowed down under the force of nature, and dark clouds hung low over the water. Even on tumultuous days like this, the white of the furniture illuminated the house without electricity.

Valentina rushed toward the windows, peering out. Her eyes drifted to the left where a swing swayed gently in the wind. The porch protected it from rain. She reached for the handle.

1 set down the dog crate then carried Sofia over to her white cradle. She was still sound asleep. “It’s too stormy now. We can go outside tomorrow.”

Valentina pouted, looking like the really young woman I tried to pretend she wasn’t. Sometimes I managed to forget, especially when she handled the kids and when we were in bed, but I wasn’t always successful.

Stefan stood beside her. She held out her hand, and he took it. I froze, feeling my heart squeeze a little tighter. With a smile, she led him toward the crate and released the dog. It creeped out slowly, looking around.

“If it pees on the white carpets, it’ll sleep outside.”

Valentina rolled her eyes as if she thought I was joking.

The dog began to sniff everything. At least, it didn’t attack my pant legs anymore.

Stefan followed the dog like he was a lost puppy.

“I’ll get our luggage,” I said before I went back out into the cold. When I returned with our two bags. Valentina stood in the open fridge. I carried the bags into our bedroom down the hall before I joined her in the kitchen. “I told my housekeeper to stock the fridge.”

“You have a housekeeper for your beach house?”

“Gemma and my parents have houses on the same beach. The housekeeper takes care of all three.”

“Hmm,” She nodded. “So… Can you cook?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Of course not.”

“Of course not,” She said quietly, looking into the fridge as if it was her demise. “I guess I’ll just have to try my luck, then.”

I watched her assemble an array of vegetables, rice, and chicken on the counter. “Do you like Asian?”

I leaned against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. “Depends.”

“Do you like it spicy?”

My mouth twitched. Valentina gave me an indignant look before her gaze darted to Stefan, who squatted in front of the window with the dog beside him.

I moved toward her, touching her hips. “Oh don’t worry, I can handle the burn.”

Valentina swallowed. I headed toward the window as she began to prepare whatever dinner she had in mind. Stefan briefly looked up when I stopped beside him and the dog before he focused on the ocean once more.

“Tomorrow we can spend the afternoon on the beach.”

He didn’t reply, but I hadn’t expected him to, so I just stared out like he did.

After dinner, we brought Stefan and Sofia, who’d woken halfway through it, to bed. They shared the room beside ours, even though there were two more bedrooms in the house.”

“Can we sit on the swing?” Valentina asked when I wrapped my arms around her.

“It’s cold.”

“You can keep me warm. Please?”

“All right.”

She grinned and grabbed our coats from the rack while I gathered a couple of thick wool blankets. The wind had settled, but it was freezing when we stepped onto the porch. Despite her coat, Valentina shivered when we huddled on the swing. I swaddled her in the blankets before I wrapped an arm around her. She curled up like a cat beside me.

In the past I’d spend many late nights on the porch alone, seeking solitude. Serena never joined me. Having Valentina beside me didn’t feel like an intrusion, though. “You’re not what I expected.”

“Not how?”

Our breath fogged up the night air, and the roar of the waves drifted up to us. “I thought I’d have to coerce you into sex, that you’d shy away from the physical side of our marriage.”

She lifted her head. “I really like sleeping with you.” The moonlight lit up her eyes. “You make me feel really good.”

I chuckled. “That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

“Do I make you feel good too?” Her tone was playful, but I caught a hint of uncertainty.

“Yeah, you do.” I pulled her closer for a kiss. Not just because of the sex either. As if to remind me, I slid my hand under the blankets and her clothes, brushing my knuckles along her side. Her resulting twitch and giggle lit up my insides.

“Did you ever-”

“No talk about the past.”

She fell silent, and we stared off toward the ocean.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt almost at peace, but in this moment, it was close.