THE MAFIA BOSS NEVER EXPECTED A FIVE-YEAR-OLD TO SAY THIS TO HIM

Damon walked up the lawn to meet her. The six months of separation vanished in an instant as he reached out and pulled her flush against his chest.

Josie wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder, breathing in his familiar, intoxicating scent of cedarwood and rain.

"You're late," she whispered against his skin, half-laughing, half-sobbing.

"I had to make sure the world was completely safe for you before I came," Damon murmured, taking her face in his large hands. He looked down into her amber-brown eyes with a reverence that made her tremble. "No more hideouts. No more guards with guns. No more shadows, Josie. It's over."

He leaned down and kissed her—a deep, slow, romantic kiss that tasted of freedom, promise, and a future unbound by fear. The ocean breeze blew around them, carrying the cheerful laughter of the two boys who were already wrestling on the soft grass nearby.

When Damon finally pulled back, he didn't let her go. He kept one arm wrapped securely around her waist, reaching into his suit jacket pocket with his free hand.

He pulled out a small, velvet-lined mahogany box.

Josie gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

Damon looked at her, his usual intimidating presence entirely humbled by love. He didn't just want a mistress or a companion; he wanted a wife, a mother, a lifelong partner.

"Josie Callahan," Damon said, his deep voice thick with emotion. "You came into my dark, cold life when I was a broken man, raising a broken boy. You didn't just save Curtis—you saved Theo, and you saved me. You taught me how to love again. You gave my son a mother, and you gave me a home."

He opened the velvet box. Inside rested a breathtaking ring—a brilliant emerald-cut diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller stones, glittering brilliantly in the Italian sunlight.

"I don't offer you a mafia empire," Damon said softly, searching her eyes. "I offer you a clean name, an absolute devotion, and a lifetime of love. Will you marry me, Josie? Will you make our family whole?"

Josie didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second. "Yes!" she cried, tears spilling freely down her cheeks. "Yes, Damon! A thousand times yes!"

Damon slipped the ring onto her finger, his hand slightly trembling, before lifting her into the air and spinning her around. The boys cheered loudly, running over to encircle their legs.

Eli looked up at the towering man who was about to officially become his father. He tugged on Damon's pant leg.

Damon stopped spinning Josie, lowering her feet to the ground, and looked down at the five-year-old. He knelt on the grass so he was eye-to-eye with the little boy who had changed his destiny.

"Eli," Damon said gently. "Is it okay with you if I marry your mommy? I promise I will protect her and you for the rest of my life."

Eli tilted his head, looking at Damon with those wise, cheerful amber eyes. He reached out his tiny hand and patted Damon's cheek softly.