Chapter 9 – THE FAMILY HEIRLOOM

Adrian burst out laughing.

It was a deep, chest-rattling sound I had never heard from him before. He scooped Leo up and spun him around the kitchen.

“You’re the smartest guy in this house, buddy!” Adrian cheered.

Joseph chuckled, finishing his pancakes with his new wooden fork.

Later that afternoon, Adrian and I went up to Leo’s playroom.

Sure enough, buried beneath a pile of plastic dinosaurs, was the heavy gold pocket watch.

Adrian picked it up, feeling the weight of it in his palm.

“Forty years of secrets,” he murmured. “All safely hidden in a toy box.”

He looked at me.

“I’m officially retiring, Ellie.”

I blinked. “Retiring? From the syndicate?”

He nodded.

“The Whitmore money is returning to the legitimate family businesses. I don’t need to run the underworld anymore. I want to build things. Like my dad.”

He clicked the watch open.

But this time, he didn’t look at the micro-film.

He looked at the intricate gold face of the clock.

“My grandfather bought this watch when he came to America. He promised it would always belong to the Carusos.”

He closed the casing and handed it to me.

“I want you to hold onto it.”

My breath caught.

“Adrian… this is a family heirloom. I can’t take this.”

He stepped closer.

His hand reached out, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“You’re the one who stood by my father when everyone else told him he was a burden. You’re the one who looked past the mob boss and saw a man trying to keep his family together.”

His dark eyes searched mine.

“You’re already family, Ellie. If you want to be.”

My heart hammered against my ribs.

I looked down at the gold watch in my hand.

Then I looked up at the man who had risked his life to save me from a bomb just twelve hours ago.

“I want to be,” I whispered.

Adrian smiled.

He leaned in, his lips meeting mine in a slow, tender kiss.

It felt like coming home.

When we finally pulled apart, the sound of a cane tapping against the hardwood floor made us turn.

Joseph was standing in the doorway, a massive grin on his face.

“Well, it’s about time,” the old man laughed.

My cheeks flushed.

Joseph walked into the room and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket.

“Since we’re handing out family heirlooms today,” Joseph said, his eyes twinkling.

He opened the box.

Inside rested a stunning, vintage diamond ring.

“This was your mother’s, Adrian. I think she’d want Ellie to have it.”

Tears instantly blurred my vision.

Adrian took the ring.

He didn’t kneel. He didn’t make a grand, theatrical speech like he would have for Celeste.

He just looked at me, completely vulnerable and completely sure.

“Ellie Bennett. Will you marry me?”

I threw my arms around his neck, laughing and crying at the same time.

“Yes. Yes, absolutely.”

Adrian slid the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly.

But as we celebrated in the playroom, Mrs. Higgins, the elderly head housekeeper, knocked frantically on the door frame.

“Mr. Caruso!” she gasped, out of breath.

“What is it, Mrs. Higgins?” Adrian asked, his protective instincts instantly returning.

“There’s a woman at the front gates. Security won’t let her in, but she’s screaming your name.”

Adrian frowned. “Who is it?”

Mrs. Higgins looked at me, her face pale.

“She says… she says she’s Eleanor Bennett’s sister. Ellie’s aunt.”

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