Page 65 of Under His Watch

“Are you listening to yourself? Where’d my super-serious and gloomy cousin go?” She smiled as she teased, so I wasn’t bothered. “You’ve saved your Cinderella girl and are over the moon to treat her so well. It’s quite the one-eighty you’ve done there.”

I shrugged, not in any mood to deny it. “Who knows, maybe you’ll be next.”

She deadpanned at me. “Yeah, right.”

“Why not? Maybe love is just in the air.”

“Love?” She smiled, a sweet and slow one. “You love her?”

I shot her a look that implied that she was being stupid. “Of course.”

“But if she knew that, she wouldn’t be in there”—she jerked her thumb toward the kitchen—“wondering how much she matters.”

“We haven’t shared those words yet, but yes, I love her.” So fucking much I could burst. I pointed at her. “Nice try, changing the subject. You very well could be next to settle down.”

She shook her head, letting her long, brown hair fall over her shoulder. “No man would ever want me.”

It wasn’t low self-confidence that she was arguing with, but realistic high confidence. “No man would ever want the challenge of putting up with me.”

I sighed. My cousin knew her worth. She never flaunted it, but she was aware that she was gorgeous, a bombshell of a woman men lusted after. More than that, she was intelligent and sharp.

“I’m too rare, Romeo. A Mafia princess, remember?”

Her wording would make her seem full of herself, but I knew her better than that. She simply didn’t suffer fools.

“For one thing, I’m not afraid to be assertive. And no man will enjoy that for long.”

She always had to be assertive, and my father raised her the same as he had me—instilling a deep sense of confidence and will, making sure we were both smart and capable to survive in this world prone to danger and drama, full of lies and deceit.

Seeing my father finally enter the room, I stood to start this meeting. Franco would be around sooner or later, and then, I could spend the rest of the night showing my girl how I loved her. Tessa would hear the words from me soon, but I wanted it to be the perfect moment.

“Don’t worry, Eva,” I said as I stood.

“Does it look like I’m worried?”

She didn’t look bothered at all, but beneath that cool mask, I bet she was feeling the effects of slight envy as my father and I settled with our women.

“Someone is bound to show up in your life and make you change your mind about being single.”

I gave my father a chance to stop in the kitchen to kiss Nina before our meeting. As I headed to the patio, I ran into Franco as he arrived. We were always busy, going from one thing to another, but he slowed to walk with me to the table outside.

“I found some more info about your lawyer,” he said after we greeted each other.

“My lawyer?” The family had an extensive web of legal support, but none of us had a specific representative.

“Hines. The slimy bastard who is supposed to marry your girl?” He looked at me, almost amused that I couldn’t read his mind and immediately know what he was talking about.

“Good or bad info?”

He shrugged as we continued outside. “Just intel. He’s got his hands in so many pies it’s getting messy. Both Reaper and Stefan lean on him, and I think going after him would turn over a lot of stones we haven’t considered.”

“I don’t want to prolong a crusade against him,” I said. “But I do intend to meet with him. I don’t want anything—anyone—to stand in my way with Tess.”

“Don’t blame you.” He took a seat and frowned. “You’re not thinking he’s got some kind of signed document with her parents that she’d marry him, do you?”

I thought back to the whiny, judgmental woman in the hospital, the woman who called herself Tess’s mother. “No. I doubt they’ve put anything formal into play. If they have, I’ll eliminate it.”

He nodded. “Just let me know how I can help.”

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