Mafia Queen

Chapter Six

Luca

"Luca, what have you done?" Charlotte looked back at me wide eyed, her eyes glowing with the lights from the circus.

"You said no presents, so..." I shrugged, playing innocent.

She arched an eyebrow at me. "I said no extravagant surprises."

"And I said I would take that into consideration. I considered it and decided to stick with my plan." I chuckled, snaking my arm around her. "Now relax, would you? Look at all the people who want to celebrate with you."

Just as the words were out of my mouth, we were bombarded by friends.

"Happy birthday, Char!" Jenni grinned, giving her a tight squeeze. "Isn't this amazing?"

"It better be amazing. We've all been working around the clock to make it happen." Angelo chuckled as Julia clung to his arm tightly. It still made her uneasy to be around all my men. "Happy birthday, Char." Angelo kissed Charlotte on the cheek.

"You look ravishing, principessa. Not a day over twenty-one." Axel hugged Charlotte a few seconds too many and then pulled away, winking at her. I stepped between the two of them, turning her attention elsewhere, and Axel backed away, taking the hint.

"Wait until you see the acrobats. They're phenomenal." Marco beamed. "In fact, I might invite the one in the purple home with me to teach me some of her tricks."

"How long have you all known about this?" Charlotte bit her lip, smiling in disbelief.

"Luca's been making plans for months." Gabe wrapped an arm around Lily and pulled her close. "Although I have to say, I never imagined he could pull something like this off. Nice job, man." He slapped my back and pulled me in for a hug.

"Thanks guys. I couldn't have done any of it without your help." The smile on Charlotte's face completely distracted me. I knew she would love it, but I had no idea how happy it would make me. We'd been married three years now, and it was still absolutely unreal how much I wanted to please her. Her happiness and the happiness of our children were infinitely more important than mine. I knew in that moment I would do just about anything in the world to see that smile.

"We're going to go find our seats. We'll see you guys in a few minutes." Angelo said, leading the group of our friends away.

"Popcorn, ma'am?" A clown popped up, handing Charlotte a bucket.

"Oh!" She let out a sharp laugh. "Sure, thank you."

She turned slowly to me, popping a few pieces into her mouth. I knew I was whipped when even that was seductive to me.

"You are in so much trouble." She chuckled, shaking her head.

I threaded my fingers through her hair, pulling her close and pressing my lips possessively to hers. "I'll gladly submit to your punishment tonight."

"How did I get so lucky to find you?" She smiled, nestling into my shoulder.

"Funny, I ask myself that same thing about you every day." I winked, taking her hand in mine. "Now let's go sit down so you can enjoy the show."

Charlotte

I should stop being surprised by these extravagant gestures of Luca's.

He had me fooled this year. I really thought he was going to go along with having a quiet night. Instead, I was sitting front row at a circus with my name up in lights.

Charlotte's Circus.

That's what Luca had called this shindig of his. I was in still in awe at how he managed all of this. It was another glaring reminder of what a master liar he was though, and thoughts of the lipstick stained shirt I found last night were sneaking into my mind.