Devious Love: Bonus Chapter

Dominic and Mia's journey to their happy ending wasn't easy. They earned it - through heartbreak, their mistakes and wrong decisions.

Now they have their little family, and Dom never stops reminding Mia that she and their boys will always be his priority. The events of this chapter happen 3 years after epilogue.

I hope you'll enjoy this little Valentine’s Day special.

Happy reading 🩷!

DOMINIC

“Noah, do you have a minute?” I knock on Noah’s door before stepping in, even though it’s half-open. I loved my privacy when I was a kid, and I know my son loves it too.

“Yeah.”

I step inside, and he looks up from his phone. His blond hair is a mess, probably because he’s been running his hand through it again and again. He does that all the time when he’s nervous or frustrated, and games always make him a little edgy. One more reason we limit his screen time. He’s only seven, he should be outside playing, not sitting in his room all day. 

“What are you up to?” I ask.

“I was looking for something, but…I don’t think I know what I’m doing.” He tosses his phone on the blanket, pouting.

“Do you need my help with whatever you’re trying to do?” I step into the room, and push the door closed. 

He sighs. “What are you supposed to give a girl for Valentine’s Day?”

My heart swells as I sit on the edge of his bed. Moments like this are gold. I swear I live for them. Building that trust so your kids know they can come to you for help, for advice. So they know you love them, that you care, that you’d do absolutely anything for them. Because they’re your family, your pride. And that never changes. 

“How about a gift?” I smile. “Chocolates? A book? I know Iris loves reading.”

Noah’s cheeks turn pink. “H-how do you know it’s Iris?”

Honestly, it was a guess, but now I know for sure.

“Call it intuition.” I shrug. “Is it Iris?”

He rubs the back of his neck, avoiding looking me in the eye when he finally nods. 

“Iris is your friend. You’ve known her forever, and you know she loves reading. So I’d say a book would be a good start.” I wink at him. 

“Okay.” He gives me a small smile. “Thank you so much, Dad.” Eyes narrowed, he tilts his head. “Is that how you won Mom over?”

A burst of laughter escapes me. “I won your mom over by changing my life completely. I’m a very different person now from the guy I was when we first got together. And trust me, you wouldn’t be impressed if you knew even a little about me at sixteen…or even twenty. I was a nightmare, and I’m really glad that’s not who I am anymore.”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “You’re great, and Mom is happy, and you make her smile all the time.” His hazel eyes the same color as mine lock onto me.

Warmth spreads through my veins, turning me into a total softie. I reach over and ruffle his hair. “I love you, little bandit.”

“I love you too, Dad.”

I stand and head to the door.

“Dad?” 

I halt in my tracks, and look over my shoulder. 

“Why did you come to my room? Didn’t you want something?”

“Damn,” I chuckle. “You’re totally right! Erm, you’re going to your grandparents tomorrow—”

“Yeah, I remember. All because you’re planning something special for Mom.” Noah winks at me.

Great. My kid is making fun of me.

“I am, and I really appreciate you not spilling the beans to her.”

“She tried to bribe Ty and me, just so you know.” 

I blink. “She did?” What the hell? I need to talk to Tyler, he’s the one most likely to blab everything.

“It’s Mom we’re talking about.” Noah throws his head back and giggles. Then, seeing the look on my face, he turns serious. “Ty and I didn’t tell her anything. He’s actually really excited and keeps saying maybe there’ll be another baby. He loves hanging out with Iris and Daisy, so he wants a sister.”

What on earth happened to my kids that they’re talking about us having another child? I can’t say the thought hasn’t crossed my mind. Having one more kid would be amazing, but I’m not going to push it, and right now Mia isn’t ready. 

“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that. Baby number three isn’t happening. At least not anytime soon,” I mutter, wondering why I’m even talking about this with him. “Just make sure you pack your swim shorts. Your grandparents have a surprise in the backyard.”

“Like what? A hot tub?” Noah’s eyes go wide, his pupils blown.

I snort. “Who knows?” I open the door of his room and step outside. 

I love this little family more than I love anything in the world. They are everything.

***

The next morning, I’m in the bathroom finishing up washing my face when the door cracks open and my wife sneaks inside. She’s wearing black leggings and a white T-shirt, her hair pulled into a high ponytail. She smiles brightly as she stops behind me and catches my gaze in the mirror. “Good morning.”

“Hey.”

“What are our plans for tonight?”

“No clue.” I start brushing my teeth. 

Mia rounds me and props her hip against the vanity. “You know I hate surprises.”

“Who said anything about surprises? I told you I have no plans.” I rinse my mouth and glance at her. “Just a quiet evening at home without the kids. That’s all.”

She worries her bottom lip, then narrows her blue eyes at me. 

Trying to figure me out, babe? Not happening. She’s never been great at reading me when I want to keep a secret, and damn right, I want to keep this one. The whole house to ourselves. Her favorite food. Her favorite movie. And that little gift I bought her. She’s going to love this surprise, even if she doesn’t think so yet.

“You better at least have my favorite snacks ready, Dominic Watson, or I swear your Valentine’s Day gift will be blue balls.” With that, she spins around and walks out.

“I am your favorite snack!” I shout after her.

All I hear back sounds suspiciously like “blah blah blah.” I married the most demanding woman in the world, and somehow it only makes me love her more. She’s one of a kind, and she’s mine.

My Little Mayhem.

***

“Any plans for the special occasion?” Matt claps a hand on my back, and I almost choke on my coffee. What’s wrong with these Ashtons? Can’t I keep at least one thing to myself?

“No plans.” I stare at my best friend. “You?”

“Well, this year it’s Luna’s turn to plan Valentine’s Day, so I have no idea what she’s got in mind. Especially since you were the first one to ask our parents to babysit your kids, which means ours are staying home. With us.”

“Am I supposed to feel bad about that?” I smirk and take another sip of my coffee. “Because I honestly don’t think I did anything wrong.”

“You didn’t.” Matt laughs, grabbing a cookie from the jar on my table. “First come, first served—and you won.”

“Did you try asking them anyway? Dad always says the more the merrier.”

“Dom, you have two kids. If I brought mine, that’d make five. Do you really think our parents would be happy handling that many kids at once?”

“You never know until you ask.” Miles’ voice booms from the doorway as my other best friend walks in. “What if they would’ve said yes?”

A red flush creeps up Matt’s neck, and I break into laughter. He’s just like his sister. That look means only one thing. He did ask, and they said no.

“What’d they say?” I ask.

Matt rolls his eyes. “They promised to take Amber, Adam, and Ariana next weekend.”

“Well, that’s rough. Still don’t feel sorry for you.” I shrug with a smirk, then stand and walk toward Miles. “Everything okay?”

“Totally.” He wipes his hands on a paper towel and smiles. “We can close the shop and go home to our wives. Valentine’s Day and all.”

“Did you and Chiara plan something special?” I grab my leather jacket from the hanger. “Something naughty?”

“Are you planning something naughty for Mia?”

Throwing the question back? Smart move, especially with Matt standing right here. The man always overreacts whenever anything sex-related involving Mia comes up.

“We are not talking about my sister and anything naughty in the same sentence.” Matt gets to his feet too.

“Man, your sister has two kids. How do you think that happened without sex?” Miles lets out a booming laugh as he pulls on his jacket.

Matt just flips him off.

We all head out of the shop.

I glance at Miles. “Are Chiara’s parents taking your kids tonight?”

“Considering my kids are their only grandkids? They’re always happy to have them.” Miles nudges me with his shoulder. “Stefan loves spending time with his grandma and grandpa. Unlike Gigi. She somehow prefers my mom. Maybe because she’s only two?”

“Who knows why kids latch onto some people more than others? Mine adore their grandparents too. Though Ariana definitely favors Dad and Bianca over Mom and Allan. Sometimes I think it’s because she doesn’t see them as often. Only when they visit, or when we fly to Italy.”

Before I can step outside, Matt smacks my shoulder.

“What was that for?”

“I’m taking my family to Italy in April. You better pick another time to visit.”

I stare at him, completely blank for a second. 

Then Miles bursts out laughing. “Man, never change. You crack me the hell up.”

Shaking my head, I push the door open and step out of the shop, my best friends right behind me.

I have no idea what I did to deserve these two, but they’re the kind of friends everyone wishes they had.

***

Walking into the house, I’m met with total silence. It’s so weird I actually freeze by the front door for a second. This isn’t what I’m used to. Usually, the place is full of noise: music, the TV, laughter, people talking over each other. You step inside and instantly know it’s alive. Full of love. Full of chaos in the best way.

Even on my worst days, the moment I’m home, I feel a hundred percent better. Because my family is here. They are my anchor, my strength. My heart lives in this house, and it’s overflowing with love for my kids and my wife.

Speaking of which…where’s Mia? Did she stay at our parents’?

I pull out my phone and quickly dial her number. The ringing starts somewhere inside the house. I walk farther in, following the sound, and finally spot her phone on the coffee table in the living room. Awesome. She probably forgot it when she went to drop the kids off at our parents’.

I set my phone down next to hers and head into the kitchen. Maybe it’s for the best that she isn’t home yet. At least I have time to finish setting everything up for the surprise.

An hour later, I’m sitting in the living room watching season one of Game of Thrones for the thousandth time. Since Mia still isn’t home, I decide to just go with the flow. Everything’s ready so whenever she walks through that door, I’ll make sure she has an amazing night.

The front door slams shut, and her voice echoes through the house. “Ugh. I fucking hate today.”

I turn my head, and a second later my eyes land on Mia. The look on her face as if she's totally lost and overwhelmed makes my stomach tighten. 

“Come here, babe,” I say softly, opening my arms for her. 

She sniffs loudly as she plops herself on the couch. I haul her to my chest, and tighten my grip around her.

“What happened?”

“Do you want the short version, or can I add details?” 

“More details would be great.” I chuckle. “I’m listening.”

She wraps her arms around my torso and hides her face against my chest. “After you left, I started working. The boys were playing in the backyard, running around and playing hide-and-seek. Then Ty suddenly ran inside the living room and threw up right in the doorway while I was in the middle of a call. I ended the meeting quickly and rushed to calm him down and clean everything up. I got him to sleep, thankfully Noah helped me convince him.” She lets out a breath. “I was worried sick and couldn’t focus on anything. And guess what? When Ty woke up, he was totally fine.”

“Well, I’m really glad our boy is okay. But if he’s fine, what else made you so upset?”

“When I stopped at the store with the boys before taking them to our parents, some woman decided to cut in line in front of me. I was not in the mood for that…” She trails off, like she’s choosing her next words carefully. “I probably wasn’t very nice, but in my defense, I recognized her. She had this huge crush on you back in high school and followed you everywhere.”

“You were jealous?” I ask in disbelief. “Because of high school?”

“No, you idiot.” She pushes me back so she can sit up straighter, crossing her arms over her chest. “She asked if Dominic Watson was my husband, and then she was like, ‘Oh, tell him Claire says hi. He should remember me.’”

“Claire?” I try to place the name, then give up. “I have no idea who that is.”

“I’m not surprised. She’s not your type.”

Leaning in, I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her onto my lap. “And why exactly isn’t she my type?”

Her face lights up with a smile. “Because I’m your only type.”

“Is my type big-boobed brunettes with an attitude?” I slide my hands under her hoodie, feeling her stomach tense.

“Your type is your wife. With or without an attitude.” Mia lowers her head so our eyes meet. “I suggest you remember that.”

“You’re making it impossible to forget.” I snicker. “What else happened? You were crying.”

“Let’s just say I was emotionally exhausted from everything going on, so I got really snappy. But then things started getting better. The boys were amazing. They kept trying to cheer me up.” Her smile softens, her gaze warm. “I took them to our parents’, and when I left, I wanted to call you…” She takes a breath. “But I lost my phone.”

“You didn’t lose your phone.”

“But I did. Dom, I looked everywhere in the car. I even went back to our parents’ house and dug through all the stuff the kids took with them.” She chews her bottom lip. “I lost my phone, and you just gave it to me for Christmas. I’m such a loser.”

“Years go by, and you’re still exactly the same, Little Mayhem,” I murmur, cupping the back of her neck.

“What are you talking about?” She places her hands on my chest, putting a little distance between us.

“Your phone’s here. You left it on the table.”

Her eyes widen as she stares at me, then glances over her shoulder at the table. When she looks back, a beautiful smile spreads across her face.

“Wanna know something?” I ask.

“What?”

“Even if you’d lost it, I would’ve bought you a new one. Because I want you to have everything. Literally anything you want.”

“Are you going all soft on me, Dom?”

“Depends on what you want, Little Mayhem.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “I can be soft for you…only for you.”

“And our kids.”

I nod, smiling.

Suddenly her expression shifts, turning more serious. She cups my cheeks, her eyes searching my face.

“Sometimes I read books or watch movies and wonder if maybe I gave in too easily. Maybe I should’ve made you work harder to earn my forgiveness.”

Brows knitted together, I hold her gaze. My heart pounds in my chest, because that’s something I think about too, worrying I’m not doing enough to show her she’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted.

“And what’s the verdict?” I ask quietly.

“The girls in the romance novels I read definitely would’ve made their men work harder.” She tilts her head, her black hair falling like a curtain. “Maybe I should’ve too. But…at that moment I could only think about how much time we’d already lost. All those years went by, and I wanted only you. And you wanted only me. We could’ve kept wasting time, worrying about all the what-ifs, about all the will-they-won’t-they, but I didn’t want that. I wanted to give us a real chance. To let you prove you meant it. That you really wanted to be with me, and were willing to put in the work.”

I swallow hard, my palms suddenly clammy. “Are you happy with your decision? Or do you…regret it?”

She shakes her head. “I could never regret you. Every day you prove I was right.” Her eyes fill with tears as she bites her bottom lip. “You’re an amazing dad to our boys. Noah and Ty love you. They both want to be like you because you’re their role model. And you’re an incredible husband. You’re loving, caring, and you always put me first. You don’t mind my chaos, or how much I work. You help with the kids, and—”

Before she can finish, I crush my lips to hers.

She lets out a soft sound as I kiss her, deep and desperate, until my lungs burn. Finally, I pull back, pressing my forehead to hers as we both catch our breath.

“Do you know that our kids talk about us having another baby?” 

She gawks at me. “Wh-what?” 

“Ty wants a sister. Noah doesn’t seem against it either.” 

“But…why?” 

“Maybe because we are awesome parents,” I say with a wink. “Boys spend a lot of time with Iris and with Daisy now. Plus their cousins, and Chiara and Miles’ kids. Is it really that surprising?”

Eyes narrowed, she smacks her lips together. “Dominic, are you trying to convince me to have another baby?”

“Is it working?”

Her lips tremble as she tries to fight a smile. “I promise to think about it.”

“Good. Then it’s time for your gift.” I lift her off my lap and set her on the couch. “Or gifts.”

“So…my gift isn’t you and sex?” She looks so damn adorable, I honestly want to laugh. 

“Me and sex are always yours. I gave myself to you a long time ago when we decided to be together, so I’m nonrefundable,” I murmur, reaching for the box on the coffee table. I hold it out to her. “Here. This is for you.”

Worrying her bottom lip, she takes the box from me. She slowly opens the box, and when her eyes land on what’s inside her mouth falls open.

“Dom…” Mia murmurs as she takes earrings from the box. “You shouldn’t have… It’s too expensive.”

“Our kids didn’t think so. They fully supported me.” I tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek with my fingertips. “Want to try them on?”

“Yes…” She whispers, putting the box on the coffee table. “But not now.”

I arch an eyebrow. “I gave you Tiffany earrings and you don’t want to try them?”

“I want a delicious dinner with my husband, who I love very much. I want us to watch a movie while we cuddle on the couch. And then I want us to go to our bedroom and have mind-blowing sex while you help me fulfill a few fantasies…using the new toy I bought for tonight.” She kisses me briefly, then leans back. “Think we can do that? We have the whole house to ourselves for two days, and I want to enjoy every minute.”

“Anything you want, Little Mayhem.” I stand and hold out my hand to her. She takes it, letting me pull her to her feet. 

We head to the kitchen, holding hands. 

Mia leans into me, pressing her nose against my shoulder. “My gift definitely isn’t that expensive…but we’re going to the gun range tomorrow at eleven. I know you’ve wanted to go for a while, so I figured why not now?”

“You’re the most incredible wife in the world.” I kiss the top of her head.

“I’m your wife. How could I be anything less?” She snuggles closer. “Dom, are you serious about another kid?”

I look down and meet her gaze. “With you? I’m ready for anything. Even if you decided you wanted to be an astronaut and fly into space. I’d volunteer to go with you and the kids.”

“With our kids…” she trails off.

I move to the cupboard for plates, waiting quietly for her to continue.

“Well…nobody says I’d get pregnant right away. So I think we can start trying. Once I’m off the pill, that's it.”

I turn to face her and put the plates I just took on the counter. “Are you sure?”

“Dom, when I say something, I mean it.” She shrugs. “Why else would I—”

I don’t let her finish. I step into her, wrap my arms around her waist and pull her against my chest. Our mouths move together as I devour her kissable lips. 

Deciding to fight for her when she came back from Italy and refusing to give up even when it seemed like the logical thing to do were the best decisions I’ve ever made. I saw what my life could be without her: shallow and empty. I didn’t want that. I knew I could make her happy, and if I hadn’t believed that, I would’ve walked away, because her happiness was always what mattered most.

Now I’m determined to make sure she knows how much I love her every single day.

Mia is my other half, my soulmate, my perfect wife--and I’m the luckiest man in the world to have her.

***

Thank you so much for reading!

With love,

Ana