Chapter Twenty Four - Sweet Freedom

"Alright, now leave them on that wire rack to cool down." Madelyn instructs once I've taken the cupcakes out of the oven. "You made the icing yeah?"

"Yes, and it's amazing!" I smirk smugly which makes her chuckle.

I'm in the kitchen cooking some pasta and cupcakes for dinner tonight. Madelyn and Marissa have been popping in from time to time to check on me but so far it's been smooth sailing. I even boasted to Roman, who's out with Romeo, over text that I've made the perfect pasta and cupcakes. My cheeks are starting to hurt from how wide my smile is at the thought of everything turning out perfectly. It seems too good to be true.

"Marissa!" Santino calls before I hear Serafina wail loudly.

"Good lord!" She huffs before handing me the spoon. "Looks great but cook for two more minutes and then it'll be ready."

"Love you!" I hug her tightly before she leaves to comfort Sera.

"Aunt Maddie, uncle Aless is being mean to me!" Ren whines as he runs into the kitchen.

"Oh sweetheart, what happened?" She crouches down and runs a hand through his hair. Poor kid looks like he's almost about to cry as he explains what happened. "Come on, I'll talk to him. El –"

"I'll be fine! Nothing can go wrong now!" I smile widely with a shooing gesture.

She laughs softly at my excitement before disappearing to give Alessandro an earful about teasing his nephew. I hum to myself as I cook the pasta before taking it off the heat. I put it all in a dish before leaving it on the table and turning to the cupcakes. Unable to resist I bite into it while it's still in the process of cooling down.

Only to taste sourness.

Instantly I spit it all out into the bin before chasing it with water to get rid of the disgusting taste. My tongue is overloaded with salt and I whip around to the box I had assumed was sugar. Tasting a little I curse up a storm when I realize I mistook salt for sugar. I groan as disappointment courses through me. I had been so excited only for it to crash and burn. Hell, I wish they had burned instead! At least that would've been less embarrassing.

"Cazzo! Cazzo! Cazzo!" [Fuck!] I mutter to myself as I hide them away while hoping everyone will forget about them. "Ugh what a waste! Good job Elena!"

Roman walks in just seconds after I've covered them with foil and moved to the sink. He wraps his arms around my waist from behind and kisses my neck tenderly. I smile and feel all the stress and worry fade away just from being in his comforting embrace. Turning around in his hold I wrap my arms around his neck and press my lips to his. He kisses me back equally as eagerly and my toes curl from pleasure.

"How's my chef doing?" He pulls away with a teasing smile.

"Uh...good. I was just going to taste the pasta." I smile as I nervously tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

I walk over to the dish and the small serving I had set aside for me to taste. Grabbing a fork, I twirl the pasta around it before blowing on it to cool it down. It smells heavenly too and I hope to everything that is holy in the world that at least the pasta is tasty.

"I thought you said you were making pasta and cupcakes. Where are they?"

"Forget about that, look at my pasta! How perfect is this?!" I exclaim as I take a bite. "Holy shit it tastes so good too! Rome, try some."

When I don't hear anything but silence I turn around with a frown on my lips. My eyes widen when I see him standing by the fridge and holding the tin foil I had put over the cupcakes on the counter to hide them for the meantime. His eyes stare at me with a knowing look as mine narrow in response. Why must he be so curious?! I seethe mentally before groaning at my dumb thought. He's an FBI agent, it's literally built into him.

"They don't look too bad. A little browner yes but why not taste them?" He asks with an arched brow.

"I baked them for too long and used salt instead of sugar." I mutter almost inaudibly but he still manages to hear me and bursts into loud laughter. "Rome! It's not funny!"

"No – no it's not." His shoulders shake as he bites his lip to stifle his laughter which makes my glare intensify. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm proud that you tried though."

"I don't get it!" I growl as I cross my arms in frustration. "I followed the stupid recipes! I even had help from Maddie and Marissa!"

"Hey..." His voice is a low, soothing murmur as he steps up to me and rubs my arms in a comforting manner. "You're learning and you're bound to make mistakes. One step at a time, okay?"

"Fine...but one day I'll cook you such a good meal you'll want seconds!" I rant with crossed arms.

"With that mean salad of yours I hope?" His eyes twinkle with amusement.

I can't help the smile the blooms across my lips before punching his arm. "You did say it was amazing."

"Meh I've had bet – ow! I'm kidding Lena!" He throws his head back and laughs as if the second punch didn't even hurt him.

The doorbell's ring echoes throughout the house and I bite my lip when I realize what I had done before I started cooking. Roman stares at me curiously and I sigh heavily before explaining. "That's probably the takeout I ordered in case things went horribly wrong tonight...which they kind of did!"

"Well, that food can act as sides to your tasty pasta." He chuckles as he rubs the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip.

I beam up at him before pecking his cheek. Making my way out of the kitchen I tell everyone dinner is ready before grabbing the takeout food. Paying the delivery man, I thank him before turning to my family who already have a knowing look in their eyes. They smile as we walk into the dining room and I serve the pasta and takeaway food.

I blush when everyone compliments the pasta and how it tastes. A flicker of satisfaction and pride courses through me and I grin at Roman when he squeezes my hand under the table. We chat about random topics throughout dinner and where to go for our next road trip together. So far we've only gone to Florence and I certainly want to travel a bit more to show Roman my country.

But then time comes for dessert...which I regret boasting about. I should've kept it a surprise, I think to myself as I grab a cupcake from the wire rack. But then an idea pops into my mind and I smirk evilly. Taking the icing out of the fridge I pipe it onto the cupcake, albeit messily, before putting it on a plate.

"Alright! Who wants to taste first?!" I smile as I bring it into the sitting room where everyone sits.

Just like I predicted Romeo nearly falls out of his chair when he puts his hand up and yells, "I do!"

Madelyn and Marissa stare at me with confusion shining bright in their eyes on why I only came out with one cupcake. But that quickly changes to a look of realization when Romeo takes a huge bite and seconds later spits it back onto the plate.

"What did you do?! Dump a bucket of salt in here?!" He runs into the kitchen for some water while everyone bursts out laughing.

I grin cheekily before explaining what happened. It causes everyone to laugh harder while Maddie shakes her head at me before saying, "Such a long way to go, El."

"This is where I used to live." I state with a soft voice full of nostalgia.

I sneaked out with Roman after we had all retired to bed early this evening. Somehow my feet took me back here to the place where I grew up as a child. Everything is still the same but...rougher and drearier. Nobody looks happy and sounds of violence disturb what should have been the quiet.

"Zoe used to live in a similar state back in New York before Hunter made her move in with him." He replies in a low murmur as his arms wrap around me from behind and his chin rests atop my head.

"Really?" My eyes widen in surprise as I feel him nod.

"Her parents kicked her out and didn't support her. She used to work two jobs to pay for college and rent. But that meant she couldn't stay in a nice neighborhood." He explains and I glance at him to see a faraway look in his eyes. "I was there the day she moved in with Hunter. I called the cops on two men who were trying to kill each other but some residents thought she did it and threatened her. Hunter couldn't stand the thought of her getting hurt."

"Wow...I'm glad she got out of there unharmed." I sigh in relief as I turn in his arms.

"I'm glad you did too." He smiles handsomely but there's a flicker of seriousness in his eyes.

He takes my hand and with one last look at my troubled past we make our way back into the city. The sun is setting and the skies are painted in gorgeous deep colors to signify the end of another day. We wander aimlessly around the city with our hands intertwined, not really having a plan.

"Oh!" I breathe in awe as I stop by a window of a jewelry store. Roman steps over to me when he feels a tug on his hand. I stare at the beautiful necklace on display and wish I had my credit card on me instead of some change. It has a stunning gold chain with intricately designed charms in the center.

"Come, let's take a look." He nods to the entrance and I shake my head vehemently.

"No, I don't have that much money on me!" I laugh but my eyes widen when he pulls me inside regardless.

I try it on much to Roman's insistence and fall more in love with the piece. He comments that it looks pretty on me and I smile at him before turning back to the mirror to take it off. But then I see him paying the salesperson and I whirl around with narrowed eyes.

"Rome! I told you –" He wanders back to me before his lips come crashing down on mine in a sweet kiss.

"Remember what I told you on your birthday?" I think back to his words and sigh when I remember him saying that whatever I ask for I'll have. "You're mine to spoil Lena. Don't deny me of that pleasure."

"Fine." I smile with a shake of my head as he puts the necklace back on. "Wait until I find that opportunity, I'll spoil you rotten!"

"I don't doubt it." He winks before we thank the lady and leave the store.

We grab some ice cream next before picking up souvenirs for everybody back home. I then take him to a park I used to visit often where we pop into a museum to admire some artwork. As we stroll through the gardens we visit the temple situated in the center before making our way onto a terrace that offers a stunning view of Rome. I also convince Roman to take a boat ride with me on a little lake in the park and we get on. He rows slowly out into the water and I sigh in peace as I look around at the scenery.

"I like this." I state with a relaxed smile. "Not having to watch our backs anymore. It feels nice, just you and I."

"I like this too. It's great to not be thinking about work all the time." He grins boyishly as he stops rowing and lets the boat float in the middle of the water instead.

We chat some more about random topics and eat the snacks we had bought while the sun fully sets. Roman rows us back after and I intertwine his hand in mine once we're on the ground. We make our way out of the gardens and back into the streets that are full of life. I smile at a performer dancing to music and doing some tricks as the crowd makes sounds of encouragement.

As we wander around the city during the night we can't help but taste some of the street food. I laugh when Roman hums happily as he takes a bite of his deconstructed pizza pocket with braised chicken. He smile sheepishly when I swipe some sauce off the corner of his lip before biting down on my thumb. I squeal before swatting his arm playfully as he bursts out laughing.

"Alright, let's grab a cab and head back. My feet are starting to hurt." I chuckle after a while as I look around for a taxi.

But a surprised yelp escapes me when Roman sweeps me off my feet and holds me bridal style. I shake my head in amusement when he refuses to put me down before relaxing in his hold. I wind my arms around his neck and rest my head against his chest as we find a driver. We get in and he speeds off towards my house with Roman and I cuddled up together in the back seat.

He's very jovial and chatty which makes me laugh. I translate his words for Roman throughout the ride until we finally reach the gates outside my house. Paying him for the fare we bid goodbye with a wave before going inside. The house is quiet as everyone sleeps while we make our way upstairs. I change after Roman before slipping into bed beside him. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me close like always. I rest my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat as he kisses the inside of my wrist.

"I love you." He states suddenly and I look up at him with a bright smile. "You have a wildfire heart and all I feel is sweet peace when I'm with you."

"Ti amo Rome." I sigh contently as I peck his lips. "You're the calm to my crazy, the magic my wild spirit has always been missing and I'm so glad I found you."

"Ti amo." He grins before arching a brow. "Was that right?"

"Yes!" I laugh as a kiss him sweetly. "That was perfect!"

He nuzzles his nose into the crook of my neck before wishing me sweet dreams. I settle down in his comforting embrace and it's not long before my breathing evens. But I can still feel him peppering soft kisses every now and again to any inch of bare skin he can find, as if unable to get enough. And so, I let myself fall into the dark abyss waiting to pull me into the land of dreams while feeling his love surround me completely.

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- R.W. ♡