“Well done, son. Well done,” his father said and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Dad.”
Aldo nodded and gave River a gentle smile then turned and walked over to the video screen to confer with the other Family heads. Nico turned back to River and flinched in surprise when she pressed her mouth to his, kissing him with passion and heat. He melted into her and returned her kiss, feeling the fires of desire igniting within him despite the injuries that still made him wince.
River eventually pulled back and looked him in the eye. “When I saw you fighting and bleeding… I thought I was going to lose you.”
“I thought there was nothing to lose with you going back to America soon and all.”
“Shut up. Don’t logic me right now,” she said with a grin. “It just made me realize that despite my best efforts not to, I’ve fallen in love with you, Nico.”
A smile touched his lips, and he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “When I saw what Emiliano had done to you, I came to the same conclusion. I love you, River. And I don’t want to lose you.”
They paused and stared at each other in silence for a couple of moments. She shook her head and looked down, seeming to be gathering her thoughts. But then she looked up at him.
“What are we going to do?” she asked. “It’s not like we can have a relationship. Not with you here and me in America.”
He gave her a roguish grin. “I’ve got an idea actually. It just kind of came to me.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh? And what is this idea?"
He shifted on his feet and grimaced at the pain. Nico looked down at his leg and frowned at the dark stain on his pants. It seemed to be growing and when he took stock of himself, he started to feel a little lightheaded. He raised his eyes to her and offered her a grin.
“Can I tell you about my idea while I’m getting patched up?” he asked. “I’d hate to bleed out before we work out the details.”
She laughed. “Sorry. Yes. Let’s go get you patched up,” she said. “But you seem pretty sure we’re going to be able to work through the details.”
“I am sure. And we will work through the details.”
“How do you know?” she asked.
“Because I love you.”
She smiled softly and took his hand. “I like hearing that.”
“Good, because I plan on saying it for a long, long time, River.”
Her fingers interlaced with his, they both turned, and Nico limped out of the warehouse with River at his side. A place he was looking forward to her being for the rest of his life.
Epilogue
One year later…
River leaned back in her chair and stared out at the Rialto Bridge. Vaporettos, gondolas, and other small watercraft cruised on the congested waterway. It was so picturesque. So scenic. And it was a view she knew she’d never tire of. It was a view she never thought she’d have. River had never expected that her life would become centered in Venice and not at her father’s law firm back in Laguna Beach. It was crazy how things changed.
She thought back to that night in the warehouse. The night she thought she was going to lose Nico. It was when she saw his blood spilling out onto the concrete floor and was faced with the prospect of his death that she knew she didn’t want to be anywhere but with him. She loved him. It had surprised her to admit it to herself but when she did, she knew it was true.
Not even the specter of watching a man get shot and then dragged away to probably be killed had dulled the shine of her love for him. After the dust had settled and they had gotten Nico patched up, he had asked her to stay. He’d asked her to move to Venice, with him, and chase her dream of being a writer. She’d been shocked that he’d asked. But the words had no sooner fallen out of his mouth than she knew it felt right and had said yes.
She wasn’t without her misgivings though. After all, Nico and his father headed a crime family. It wasn’t quite as vicious and cruel as she’d seen on TV. They weren’t Tony Soprano or anything like that. Yeah, she knew they engaged in illicit activities. They sold guns. They sold stolen art. They ran brothels. But they also did a lot of good in the city. They funded schools. Orphanages. They provided medical care for those who couldn’t afford it. They did a thousand other charitable things because they genuinely loved their community.
River had been surprised to learn how much they did for the people of Venice. Shocked, actually. She couldn’t say that it balanced out all the bad things they were engaged in, but it certainly took a lot of the sting out of it for her. To love Nico, River knew she would have to separate the two sides of the man. She’d have to keep the Boss separate from the man she loved. And for his part, he made it easy for her. He never brought that side of him home to her. It made it easy for her to at least pretend he wasn’t engaged in illicit activities and focus on the good and charitable things the Santonelli family did for the city.
Her father had been shocked when she brought Nico home and told him what she planned to do. But she’d learned that he thought she wanted to go to Georgetown and follow in his footsteps. He encouraged and pushed her to follow in his footsteps because he'd thought that was what she wanted. When she told him that she wanted, to write and live in Venice, he encouraged her to find her happiness—with the caveat that they came home frequently to visit. Which, they did.
Things with her parents were good. Great, actually. And she was very happy to have seen Nico’s relationship with his father improve by leaps and bounds. He often said they were closer than they’d ever been. And with his father growing closer to death, River was glad they’d been able to repair their relationship.
"Hey, how is the world of make-believe going in here?"