Lodged (Kinsmen Billionaires #2)

38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Ruin MacAllister

L ast night was epic. Being with Gio is out of this world: his kisses, his touch, the weight of his body on top of mine. Our breathing entangled into one. After the third round, my back was starting to hurt, so we moved to his bed and continued talking and making love. It was something we both needed to satiate our bodies and souls.

I woke up half an hour ago and found Gio’s side of the bed cold. For a moment, I panicked and thought everything had been just a dream, but then the smell of bacon and eggs drew me out of the bedroom.

After getting dressed, I find a very sexy man making breakfast, his bare back on full display, with a pair of gray sweatpants hung low on his waist.

“Good morning,” I say as I hug him from behind.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he replies, turning to give me a toe-curling morning kiss. “Ready to eat?”

“I’m starving,” I say with a grateful smile when I see all the ingredients for my special pumpkin-spiced cocoa on the counter. I get to work on the cocoa while Gio plates our food. It feels like no time has passed since those days I spent at his place before the holidays.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed how good you look in my shirt. I’m just making a herculean effort to let you eat before I can have you for dessert.” My core immediately throbs, and I have to press my legs together to find some relief.

We sit down to eat, and I try to act demure, resisting the urge to gobble up the food so Gio can make good on his promise. Just then, his phone pings with a notification. He frowns at first, but once he sees who the message is from, he smiles and passes the phone to me.

Rain : Morning, lovebirds. Mama is making stew for dinner tonight. You two better show up on time and without any visible hickeys.

I crack up and look at Gio to see what he wants to do.

“If Mama MacAllister is making a special Sunday dinner, we better go.” He shrugs like it’s the most natural thing in the world to have dinner with my family, and I love him a little bit more for it. I send a quick text back to Rain, letting her know we’ll be there. After taking a sip of my cocoa, I look Gio in the eyes.

“I’m trying really hard here to not be jealous about the fact that you text my sister, but I don’t even own a phone anymore.” Gio stops mid-chew and swallows the bite of food in his mouth.

“Ruin, I never had any non-sisterly thoughts toward Rain. The only reason I have her phone number, and River’s and Miles’ too, is because I’ve been in contact with them ever since your accident. She told me about the accident and about the doctor’s instructions not to tell you about your past. Trust me, sweetheart. I wanted to tell you who I was from the very first moment I saw you at the diner, but knowing what the doctor had recommended, I decided to follow the rules and pray like hell that you would fall in love with me again.”

I know he’s being sincere. I see it in his crystal blue eyes. I stand up from my chair and sit on his lap.

“I know, Gio. I know you love me as much as I love you. And you’re right about following the doctor’s orders. I think I’d have done the same if the roles were reversed.”

He releases a deep breath, and I kiss him on the cheek. I grab a piece of bacon from his plate and take a bite.

“Hey, I gave you your own bacon,” he says, fake indignation in his tone.

“Oh, yeah? And what are you going to do about it?” I say with a smirk as Gio gets up from the chair with me in tow and walks back to his room. He tries to take the bacon from my hand, and I giggle. We make good use of our time before dinner with the family.

“Mama, they’re here!” Miles shouts when Gio and I step inside the house.

I smile at Miles and whisper to Gio, “I’m going to go change real quick. I’ll be right back.”

He kisses me and goes to say hi to Miles and the rest of my family.

When I walk inside my room, Rain is waiting for me with a shit-eating grin on her face and petting Cobalt, who’s wiggling his tail at me. I go and pet him a bit before I speak to my sister.

“What?” I ask, trying to play innocent, but my sister is not having it.

“What do you mean, what? How was it?” she asks, bursting with excitement. I chuckle at her eagerness.

“It was a perfect night.” I say simply before grabbing a clean dress and underwear.

“That’s it? I need details.” She pouts, and I throw my head back in laughter.

“Yes, Rain. That’s it. I’m not going to share any private details.” She huffs in frustration, and I roll my eyes at her.

“Okay, fine. But at least tell me—was it better in the van or at his place?” I shake my head. I can’t believe Rain, but then again, it’s Rain—there have never been secrets between us.

“If you must know, nothing happened in the van. But last night sure made up for the lost time.” Rain kicks her feet in the air, and I laugh all the way to the bathroom.

“Hi, Mama.” I hug her as soon as I enter the kitchen. “This smells delicious, thank you for inviting Gio over.”

She hugs me back and says, “Oh dear, I’m so happy you remembered him. I’ve been praying for that to happen. He truly loves you.” I smile at her. I know he does.

I help Mama set the table and bring the food in. Once everything is ready, I go to the living room to let everyone know dinner is served. From what Gio has shared, I know he talks to my siblings, but what I see when I walk into the room is four friends chatting as if they’ve known each other forever. Warm, fuzzy feelings wash over me as I watch Gio so at ease with my family. It feels like he belongs here with me.

“River, why don’t you bless the food?” Mama says, and he nods.

“Thank you, good Lord, for this food that Mama has cooked for us. We thank you for giving Ruin her memories back and for letting her find love in Gio. Amen.” I squeeze Gio’s leg under the table, and he winks at me. I can tell this means the world to him, going from having only his siblings in his life and both living far away to having my entire family loving him and supporting him.

“Thank you,” I mouth to River, who gives me a curt nod.

Dinner starts quietly, with everyone enjoying the delicious stew and warm, buttery cornbread, until Miles breaks the silence.

“Hey, Granny, I was wondering which one of us is next to find love.” We all chuckle, but I can tell he is asking genuinely.

“You don’t need to worry about that. You’re not next in line.” Miles whines, faking annoyance, but I see how Granny looks at Rain. Maybe she’s next?

“Okay, okay. I want to hear from Ruin,” Mama says, and everyone settles down. “What do you remember, dear?” I give her a warm smile as I straighten my shoulders and wipe my mouth with my napkin.

“I think everything is back. I mean, I remember everything about Gio.” Miles and Merlin snicker, and River smacks their heads with the napkin. Mama gives them her no-nonsense look, and River murmurs an apology. I look at Gio, and he’s smiling at the situation.

“It’s funny we’ve been dating for a couple of months, but everything came rushing back to me last night as I was singing a song I sang to him while we were at his beach house.” River opens his eyes wide, half shocked, half terrified to know my dirty secrets. I laugh but cover my mouth. “Anyway, I remember being in Raleigh and coming home to see you all.” I place my hand on Gio’s leg, and his hand immediately covers mine. “I remember Daddy’s accident now,” I say as I swallow the lump in my throat.

Gio gives me a gentle squeeze, and I breathe in his scent, immediately calming down.

“And now that you have your memories back, what do you want to do?” River asks, and I take a deep breath.

“I honestly don’t know yet. I know studying and living in Raleigh was a big dream of mine, but now…” I trail off as I look into Gio’s eyes and get lost in the vastness of his love.

“There’s no rush for you, sweetheart. You don’t need to figure out your life after less than twenty-four hours of getting your memories back,” Gio says, giving a pointed look to River. I cover my mouth with my napkin to keep River from seeing the grin on my face. I don’t think anyone has ever spoken to River like that.

“What I would suggest—if you’re okay with it, of course—is to start easing you back into your life.”

I frown at Gio’s words, and he smiles.

“Well, for starters, I think we need to get you a phone ASAP. That way you won’t be jealous of your sister texting me.” The table explodes in laughter, and I smack Gio’s arm with the back of my hand. I can feel the heat rising through my neck.

“Aww, Ruru. Were you jealous this morning? I’m sorry, but your boyfriend is right. If you had a phone, I’d have texted you instead. As nice as Gio is, he’s not my type.” Rain shrugs, and I smile, joining in the lightness of the moment.

“I’m sorry, Ruin. I was the one who said it was best not to let you have a phone. I guess I took it to heart to shield you from your memories,” River says, not meeting my gaze. An uncomfortable silence falls on the table, and I know I need to help my brother stop blaming himself for everything once and for all.

“River, I know you did it because you thought it was what was best for me. But I’m an adult, remember? If I had really wanted a phone or to go back to Raleigh, I’d have done it. But I decided to follow the doctor’s suggestion, as well, so please don’t blame yourself for this. As much as I understand you shielding me from Gio and everything that he means to me, I’m thankful he came back for me. Honestly, I don’t think I could have forgiven you if I had lost him.” I wait for him to lift his gaze, and when he does, I smile. His smile is crooked, but it’s there.

“Gio, perhaps you have a sibling you can introduce to our Rain?” Granny blurts out of the blue, and everyone cracks up, effectively breaking the heavy moment. Rain groans, and Gio laughs so hard I think his eyes are watering.

“Sadly Granny, my only brother is happily married. But maybe there’s a friend of his who’s still single. I’ll make sure to ask.”

Granny nods as she continues eating, and Gio wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. It looks like Rain wants to protest, but she thinks better of it and goes back to eating as well.

“Wait, what about a sister? Maybe you have a sister you can introduce me to?” Miles asks in a hopeful tone, and Gio turns serious. I know how much he loves Isa.

“Well, it just so happens my sister met the love of her life this summer. So she, too, is off of the market.” Miles shakes his head in defeat, and I go rigid. I hate that I've missed so much.

“She did? Who is he?” I ask, anxious to know everything I’ve missed. Gio smiles brightly before saying, “She went to spend the summer in Italy with Gabo, Karina’s brother, and well, I guess they clicked.”

“Aww, I’m so happy for them. Hopefully, we’ll get to visit them soon.”

Gio nods as he places a kiss on my head. “Yes, he treats her like a princess. They went through a lot this summer, but I think things are looking up for them now. I need to fill you in on everything that went down. We need to talk to them—my entire family, really. I haven’t had a chance to share the good news yet. I can’t wait for them to meet you as my girlfriend.” I grin from ear to ear at his words.

After coffee and apple pie, we all sit in the living room to chat, and laughter carries us into the night. When Granny gets up and hugs us goodnight, Gio stands up, too, and I immediately miss him. I don’t want to go to bed without him.

“Ready to go, sweetheart?” Gio extends his hand to me, and I grab it happily.

“You’re leaving, dear?” Mama asks in a surprised tone, but when she sees the happiness pouring out of me, her gaze softens, and she comes over to hug us.

“I’m happy you found your way back to each other. But please don’t be strangers. This is your home, too.” I love that my mom included Gio in this hug and her blessing. I’m sure he feels a little lighter about asking me—without asking me—to move in with him.

“I’m going to go pack a few things and get Cobalt. I won’t take long,” I tell Gio as I head to my room to pack as much as I can.