Page 89 of Blood on Ice

“What about everyone else?” Vito asked.

“Val is taking care of them with Devil and Angelo for backup.”

“I could have done that.”

Dom raised his brows. “You’re injured, you don’t have to do anything but heal. There’s plenty of stuff you do that Val could do and vice versa. You’re a good team.”

“Really?” Vito looked stunned.

Dom ran a hand over his hair. “I know I’m hard on you, but that’s because I know what this life is like and what it takes to survive. Jesus, if you’d ever met my father….”

“I’ve heard plenty about him.” Vito’s tone let me know none of it was good.

Dom nodded. “I don’t think he ever said anything nice to me my entire life.”

“Then you’ve already done a lot better than he did,” Vito said.

“Maybe I have. I love you, Vito, just like I love your brother. You are a part of this family, and you matter. We’ve got your back. You don’t have to do anything on your own.”

“So I’ve proven myself by doing exactly what I wasn’t supposed to do?”

Dom rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t say that exactly, but you’ve shown me a lot. I’ve learned from you and from Val, so that’s good.”

Vito held out his arms for a hug and his father embraced him. Tears stung my eyes as I watched the two of them. I wasn’t sure they’d ever hugged like that before.

When Dom pulled back, he turned away and brushed at his eyes.

“I need to catch Lucien up on the last of the men Val tracked down.”

“No one gave you any trouble?”

“They didn’t have a fucking chance after Val found out what happened to you. Did you think he was going to let any of them have time to get off a shot?”

Vito smiled. “No fucking way.”

“He might’ve been almost as fast as Zeke was with Benito.”

He rushed to my face, and I was sure my cheeks were turning red. “You heard about that?”

“I always get a very detailed report on what happens in an incident like this. Good job by the way. I think we’ll make a true Marchesi out of you.”

“Are you going to start coming to more games?”

Dom looked away for a moment, then he turned and faced me fully, even letting me see the scarred side of his face.

“I can’t promise to be there all the time, but I’d like to come see you play again.”

“I asked Zeke to marry me,” Vito said.

Dom’s eyes widened. “I guess when you know what you want you really don’t hesitate.”

“It was really because?—”

Vito held up a hand, stopping me. “It was because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and if now is the best time for us to get engaged, then it is.”

Dom gave me a questioning look.

“I told my coach I had a family emergency, and a fiancé counts as family.”

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