Page 62 of The Forbidden Secret

It was too good to be true. The ability to get out of New York City—to get away from my father. It was the one thing I had been trying to accomplish for years, and to have the opportunity at my fingertips felt surreal.

But things were different now.

Sodifferent.

I looked over at Zeke and knew that if I took him away from here, he would lose everything he had worked to build. If I moved anywhere else, he wouldn’t have a crime syndicate to back him, and he wouldn’t have the fear that his name evoked.

Beyond that, I had family here. Aria was free of my father, and Beatrice could have an aunt. I had been too scared to tell her the truth before, but it was a support system I’d never had. I had never allowed myself to hope for a support system with my father in the picture.

I could run the way I always had in the past. I could hide and keep every bit of myself concealed from the outside world.

Or I couldlive.

I could stop letting my father dictate every decision I made.

“I think I would rather stay,” I admitted. “New York is my home, and you plan to have my father handled soon, correct?”

“That is the goal, yes.” He exhaled. “Your sister would have my head if I let you and little Beatrice out of my protection with Alonzo still on the streets. I insist I keep you under guard, at least until the threat is entirely neutralized. I am extending the same to Aria.”

“I can accept that.”

“Now, for the elephant in the room,” Giovanni said. “You killed a business partner of mine, and it will cause some backlash, especially now that I am supporting you. But I believe I will be able to weave the narrative well enough to keep me from backlash. Moreover, Clide Newton was becoming progressively more erratic and unpredictable. While his death isn’t ideal, it is for the best. I have no punishment planned for either you orZeke. Given what you experienced, I would like to consider us even.”

It was something I had not considered. With Giovanni’s connections to Newton, the appropriate response would be blood-for-blood. It was the way of the Italian mob.

Giovanni’s forgiveness shocked me.

Zeke stared at me with an intensity I chose to ignore as Giovanni offered a few more words and some information regarding where I would be staying and what else he could do to help me. I was only half paying attention as I thanked him again and ended the call.

The second it ended, Zeke spoke. “Why aren’t you leaving?”

I really only had one answer. There were a lot of things I could have said. There were a million small thoughts that had gone into the decision. But we both knew the primary reason.

“You.”

His lips were on mine in an instant, and the contact scorched through me as he leaned over me. He took care not to jostle any part of my body as he gently pulled the oxygen tubes from my nose. He deepened the kiss, wrapping a hand around the back of my neck and drawing my head forward just an inch.

I sent my tongue flicking across his lip ring, and he groaned as he pulled away, his jaw ticking.

“When you’re healed, I will show you what I want to do with you.” He positioned the oxygen back below my nose and hooked the tubes over my ears. “It gives us something to look forward to as we settle down with our daughter.”

The reminder had the smile on my face spreading.

Finally, I would have my daughter.

And despite never allowing myself to dream for more, I had somehow gotten it.

I finally had afamily.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Evelina Bianchi

I knocked once on Aria’s front door, taking in the stunning home in Morris Park. The house, despite being owned by a renowned crime lord’s nephew, fit in with the rest of the uppity houses. Nothing set it apart.

But I saw traces of my sister everywhere. From the landscaping with her favorite flowers to a “welcome” sign at the door, the houselookedlike Aria’s.

The door opened, and Aria smiled at us, gesturing us inside.

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