Page 115 of Beautiful Disaster

Mason coughs to hide his emotions and steps back.

“Smells so good in here,” Tink gushes.

“Well, gentlemen, tonight we’re having the ultimate comfort food. I’ve made my mother’s famous marinara with meatballs. Even the pasta is homemade. There’s also garlic bread and a salad.”

“Ugh, we’re going to miss your cooking, Mason,” Aleks says, and everyone nods in agreement. While we’ve gotten pretty good at cooking, Mason has made us a ton of meals over the past few months. He’s taught me a lot, too.

Dinner is lively. We talk about everything under the sun except for our pasts. We don’t even acknowledge it anymore. It’s better to look forward or talk about happy stuff.

It’s pretty late when my brothers get ready to leave. Tink and Foxy head to the truck, but Aleks and Julien hang back to talk to me. Julien pulls me into a hug. “Take care of yourself, Jinx. I’m so glad you’ve finally found your happiness. You deserve it. Stay in touch, please.”

“I will,” I sniff, holding him back. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for my brothers and me. You’re… a special person. A good soul, Julien.”

“So are you.” He smiles, pats my back, and walks away, leaving me alone with Aleks.

“I’m going to miss you the most,” I tell him.

He sobs again and pulls me against him, holding me so tight. “I’m going to fucking miss you. You’re my closest and best friend. Never forget that. And like Julien said, I’m so glad you found your person and found love. You deserve it, no matter what you think.”

I nod against him. “I’m starting to believe that.”

“Good.”

“Send pics often. Text a lot. I want to know everything that’s going on and how your new house is coming along.”

“I will.”

We pull away with a fuck ton of tears. It doesn’t matter that I’ll see them again. Nothing will be the same again.

“I love you, Aleks.”

He covers his mouth as he cries again and nods. “I love you, too.”

He gets into the truck, and I watch them drive away, doing everything possible not to sob, but failing miserably. Mason stands behind me, takes my hand, and kisses my ring finger. “It’s not too late to change your mind,” he whispers.

I turn around in his arms and look up at him. “Nope, we’re doing this. While I’m going to fucking miss them, I’m ready to start my new life with you, my Dom, my husband, my best friend.”

He wipes away the tears with his thumbs and pulls me up for a kiss. “You’ve changed my life, Jinx, in the best way possible. Fate threw us together and broke your phone in the process, but I’ve never regretted a moment of it, even when things looked dire.”

I rub his chest, not looking at him. “Do you miss it? The restaurant?”

“I do. All the time.” Mason won’t let me look away, so he lifts my face to meet his eyes. “As I said, I don’t have a moment of regret, because I would’ve missed you a lot more. You’re such a special person, my pet. Precious isn’t just an endearment. It’s what you are. Who you are. No matter how hard you fought it.”

I wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his chest. “I’m going to miss it here so much.”

“We’ll be back.”

“I know.”

“As often as you like.”

I smile and hold him tighter. “I know.”

“Remind me why we’re flying again?”

Mason chuckles and holds my clammy hand as we touch down in Florence.

“Get used to it, my love. We’re going to have to fly back and forth often.”