guns and roses

trouble in paradise

i wake to a certain dark haired girl sleeping in my arms.
her breaths are even, her chest rising and falling calmly.

her dark eyelashes are spread across her cheeks.
just a few weeks ago we were arguing over stupid petty things.

i wouldn't lie and say this girl hadn't
made it difficult at first. she did.

i never expected valentina to be a obedient housewife. to be honest the men in my mafia that kept their women on tight leashes made me angry. they deserved better than that in my mind. my mama had taught me better. i knew better, and valentina was not one to be "kept"

valentina stirred in her sleep and her eyes slowly opened
"mmm good morning pretty boy"

a soft chuckle makes its way out of my lips.
"good morning princess" i say. as valentina stretches in the bed, my grip on her loosens
"would you like to swim today?" i ask her, halfway hopeful she would say yes.
"i'd love to" she responds. "i love swimming...but, can we eat first? im absolutely famished" she sends a wink my way.

god this girl is going to be the death of me. i watch as valentina slowly walks out of the room and into the kitchen, i had my men stock the fridge prior to our arrival so it was filled to the brim with all her favorite foods.

i follow her to the kitchen and watch her open up the fridge, pulling out bacon, eggs, some random fruit, butter and milk.

"what are you cooking for me v?" i ask softly
"pancakes" she smiles widely. shes never cooked for me.

i sit and wonder, her birthday is coming up in the next few days and i have no clue what to get her. she doesn't really have any friends to talk to about it and i am NOT texting her father. i still can't fucking stand that man.

"sweetheart...what do you want for your birthday?"

she stops what she's doing and looks up at me.

"alex. you bought me an island. i don't need anything for my birthday that's too much already"

a soft laugh makes its way past my lips.
"tesoro if i want to buy you a gift i will"

"tesoro? what does that mean?" she asks with a light tone

"it means sweetheart. it's italian"

she hums in satisfaction. she pulls her lips into her teeth, probably thinking about what she wants.
"i'd honestly just like to spend time with you" she says matter of factly

"what about dinner? i can cook for you or we can go out?"

she smiles and shakes her head "why don't you cook for me. i love your cooking and also here's your breakfast"

valentina hands me a plate that has pancakes, bacon, eggs, and some fruit salad on it.

as i sit down to eat my phone starts to ring
valentina glares at me, i pick up the phone. its christian

"christian. why are you calling me on my honeymoon that im trying to spend with my wife"

"boss. it's about vincenzo"
my body stiffens.
"what about him"

he pauses and takes a breath.
"he's in new york." the four words cause my grip on my phone to tighten.
"he sent you a package"
my breath becomes uneven

"open it."

valentina looks at me with an unsure expression on her face. she's confused

christian snaps me out of my thoughts with a small cough.
"boss...it's valencia...it's his head"
valencia is my cousin. he was known to fuck around with the wrong people. but if vincenzo killed him he did something wrong.