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Author: Timi’s pen
last update Last Updated: 2025-05-12 22:35:29

The first day back at college felt surreal.

Amara stood on the curb outside the new house — their house — her bag slung over one shoulder, nervously twisting the strap between her fingers.

“You’re sure about this?” Rafael asked for what had to be the fifth time, standing beside her like a dark, immovable wall of protectiveness.

“I’m sure,” she said softly, smiling up at him. “You already asked four times inside.”

His mouth tightened. He reached out and smoothed a wrinkle in her jacket, his fingers lingering longer than necessary, like he wasn’t ready to let her go — even for a few hours.

Then a sleek black car rolled up to the curb, the engine purring.

Amara blinked. “Uh…”

The driver got out immediately, opening the back door with professional precision.

“Your ride,” Rafael said gruffly.

“You got me a driver?” she asked, half-laughing, half-exasperated.

“And security,” he added, dead serious.

Amara’s mouth fell open.

“You can’t just— I’m going to a college campus, not a war zone!”

Raf
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  • Love Among Thorns    48

    The soft thuds and muffled cursing from the nursery were already suspicious by the time Amara padded down the hallway.She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, hiding a smile.Inside, Rafael and Dominic stood over a half-assembled crib, tools scattered like a battlefield around them.“That piece doesn’t fit there, boss,” Dominic said, squinting at the instruction manual like it was written in ancient code.Rafael growled under his breath. “The hell it doesn’t. Give me the screwdriver.”“You’re gonna break it.”“I’m not gonna—” Craaaack.They both froze.Amara cleared her throat loudly.Two guilty heads snapped up, looking utterly caught.“Having fun?” she asked sweetly.Rafael scowled, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. “This thing is engineered to test me,” he muttered.Dominic tossed the manual onto the floor. “Boss, we kill people for a living. Why is this harder than a hit?”Amara laughed — a real, bright sound she hadn’t heard from herself enough lately — and walked car

  • Love Among Thorns    47

    Five months laterAmara stood in the garden behind their house, her hand absentmindedly resting on her rounded belly.The baby kicked — a firm, fluttery nudge — and she laughed under her breath, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Every little movement still felt like a miracle.The house Rafael had bought for them was thriving now, filled with life — the garden had bloomed under her care, bursting with herbs, flowers, and tiny vegetables. Every morning, Rafael insisted on inspecting it like it was a fortress wall that needed guarding, muttering about “keeping his girl and his heir well-fed.”Amara smiled, feeling warmth rise in her chest.Footsteps crunched over the gravel behind her, and she didn’t even have to turn to know it was him.“You’re supposed to be resting, corazón,” Rafael’s voice rumbled gently.Amara grinned without looking back. “I’m not running marathons, Rafa. I’m watering tomatoes.”He chuckled, the sound low and adoring. A moment later, his arms wrapped caref

  • Love Among Thorns    46

    The sun was just beginning to dip low in the sky when Rafael pulled the car to a stop.Amara blinked at the scene before them — her breath catching.A narrow, winding path led into a dense grove of old trees, the leaves whispering secrets as the wind passed through them. Beyond that, she could just make out the soft glitter of water — a private lake, hidden away from the world.“Rafael…” she breathed. “Where are we?”He smiled that rare, devastating smile — the one he only seemed to reserve for her now.“A little place I found a few months ago,” he said. “Bought it. Fixed it up. For us.”Us.The word curled around her heart like sunlight.Without waiting for her to say anything else, Rafael rounded the car and opened her door, taking her hand and guiding her carefully down the path.As they walked, Amara noticed tiny details — lanterns hanging from the trees, throwing soft golden light. A small wooden dock stretching out into the water. A little boathouse tucked into the trees, rustic

  • Love Among Thorns    45

    The world outside their little sanctuary faded away — no more mafia wars, no more shadows lurking at the edges.Just Rafael and Amara.Two broken souls stitched together by love.The room was filled with the scent of her perfume, the rumpled silk of the bedsheets, and the steady sound of Rafael’s heart beating under her cheek.He hadn’t let her go.Not for a second.One of his arms was wrapped around her back, keeping her pressed to his chest. His other hand stroked lazy patterns along her spine, back and forth, soothing and slow.Amara let out a little sigh of pure contentment, snuggling closer.“I don’t want this night to end,” she whispered into the space between them.Rafael tightened his hold slightly, pressing a kiss into her hair.“It doesn’t have to,” he murmured.“Not ever. Every night… every morning… every lifetime. You’re mine.”She smiled against his skin, feeling his words settle into her bones like a promise.A heavy, warm silence stretched between them, thick with exhau

  • Love Among Thorns    44

    The garden had transformed while they shared their stolen first look.Guests waited in small rows of white chairs, the soft murmuring of voices hushed as the music began to play — a slow, tender melody that floated on the breeze like a secret between old friends.Amara stood just inside the garden archway, arm tucked through Mrs. Holloway’s — who had insisted, with tears in her eyes, on giving her away “for good luck.”Rafael was already waiting at the altar.He looked… not nervous, exactly.No — Rafael Moretti was not a man easily shaken.But there was something wild in his eyes, something feral and raw, like he was barely holding himself together.As Amara stepped into the sunlight, every sound seemed to fall away.He only saw her.The delicate ivory dress.The tiny, determined smile trembling on her lips.The way her free hand instinctively rested over her stomach — their future tucked safely inside her.Rafael felt something inside him snap and melt all at once.His hands clenched

  • Love Among Thorns    43

    Rafael woke to the sound of rain tapping softly against the windows.For one beautiful, disoriented moment, he forgot everything except the feel of her.Amara was curled against him, breathing slow and even, one hand resting protectively over the slight curve of her belly — their child sleeping safely within her.Rafael propped himself up on one elbow, just looking at her.His chest ached, almost painfully.He hadn’t known it was possible to love someone like this — so fierce, so endless, so all-consuming.He brushed a few strands of hair from her forehead, fingers trembling a little.“Mine,” he thought fiercely.“Mine to protect. Mine to love. Mine forever.”He wanted to wake her with a kiss.He wanted to keep her tucked in this bed, safe, away from the world.But today wasn’t about hiding.Today was about standing in front of everyone — enemies and allies alike — and claiming her for all the world to see.Today, Amara was going to become his wife.—The house exploded into chaos aro

  • Love Among Thorns    42

    The next few days passed in a blur of preparations.Amara juggled her final school assignments, wedding planning, and pregnancy hormones — sometimes crying over commercials, sometimes laughing until she hiccupped — while Rafael hovered over her like a brooding, overprotective storm cloud.It was… chaos.Wonderful, beautiful chaos.Especially when it came to the flowers.“I don’t understand,” Rafael growled, standing in the middle of the florist’s showroom, scowling at an innocent bouquet of pale pink roses. “They’re all the same. They’re all just… flowers.”Amara tried — she tried — not to laugh.But when he turned to her with that confused, frustrated frown, she lost the battle entirely.“They’re not just flowers,” she said, giggling. “They’re the symbol of romance! You have to pick something meaningful.”Rafael crossed his arms, glowering.“I bought you a damn house,” he muttered. “Isn’t that meaningful enough?”That only made her laugh harder — and even Mrs. Holloway, standing disc

  • Love Among Thorns    41

    Amara was exhausted by the time she slipped through the front door that afternoon, her bag slung over one shoulder, her mind still buzzing with lectures and assignments.But the moment she stepped inside, all of it faded away.Because Rafael was there.Waiting for her.He was leaning against the staircase, arms crossed, shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, eyes locked on her like she was the only thing in the world worth looking at.“Welcome home, bella,” he murmured.She smiled instantly, her heart doing that ridiculous flutter it always did with him.She dropped her bag, kicked off her shoes, and practically melted into his chest.“Rough day?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her, warm and solid.“A little,” she admitted. “Just a lot of people. A lot of noise.”He kissed her hair.“I was thinking,” Rafael said slowly, almost like he was nervous — which immediately caught her attention — “maybe we could do something… nice.Something just for you.”She pulled back to look at him, bro

  • Love Among Thorns    40

    Rafael stared at the wedding planning notebook Amara had spread out on the kitchen table like it was a live grenade.“Flowers,” he said flatly, reading the heading.He glanced at the dozens of pictures of delicate bouquets Amara had printed out.Tiny blue blossoms. Cascading white roses. Wispy green vines.He grimaced like he’d just been handed a weapon he didn’t know how to use.“What’s wrong with flowers from the grocery store?” he muttered under his breath.Amara let out a soft laugh, her eyes sparkling.She was perched across from him, legs tucked beneath her, looking so excited and happy he could practically feel it warming the room.“It’s our wedding, Rafa,” she said, reaching over and squeezing his hand. “It should be… special.”He grunted but flipped to the next page.And instantly regretted it.Now there were colors to choose. Themes. Arrangement styles.He was a man who made life-and-death decisions daily without blinking — but this?This was warfare on a whole new battlefie

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