Page 119 of Possessive Mafia Vows

“Look at what she’s already survived.” Emily aims this at Kyle. “Only a female would be strong enough to fall off a cliff and keep hanging on. And besides, this family is still male-heavy. We could do with some more women on our side.”

“She and Holly will be like sisters,” I add, swallowing a mouthful of vanilla latte and furrowing my brow. “Did you add brown sugar to this coffee?”

“Aye.” Kyle tries and fails to suppress a smile. “Not quite sweet enough for you,leoin?” He whispers his nickname for me; it’s for our ears only.

I smile. “Can you get me some more? Please? My body is craving sugar.”

“You see!” Emily squeals. “Definitely a girl. She’s already building up to the chocolate cravings she’ll never be able to satisfy when she gets older.”

“Girls play football too, you know,” Kyle tosses over his shoulder as he sets off to find some more sachets of demerara sugar.

With Kyle out of the way, Emily’s eyes slide straight back to the two guys playing cards. A faint blush creeps into her cheeks.

“Why don’t you go over there and speak to them?” The baby starts wriggling inside me and I shift in my seat to get more comfortable. “You see, even she agrees with me.” I smile.

Emily’s eyes grow wide. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

For a strong, intelligent young woman with four big brothers looking out for her, she doesn’t have half the confidence when it comes to dating that I had when I was her age.

Or perhaps the four big brothers are the reason why she holds back. I can picture them sitting her down before her sweet-sixteen party and warning her not to speak to any boys, andabsolutely notto get close enough to kiss one.

I smile to myself. One day, she’ll rebel, and I can’t wait to see how her brothers handle it when she does.

“Can I?” She seeks out Kyle, realizes that he has his back turned to us, and stands up.

“Sure. Go for it. I’ll cover for you.”

I watch her join the two lads tentatively, shoulders hunched as though trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. If she only knew. Other heads turn as she walks past, and she’s totally oblivious. The good-looking lad half-stands and gestures for Emily to take the seat beside him; once seated, he offers her a soda from the stash on the table. Emily doesn’t even look my way.

She reminds me of Victoria when we were at high school together. Victoria never saw what other people saw when she looked in the mirror; she was always waiting for the next ball to roll down the alley and knock her down. So, she found it easier to set her goals too low. If only sixteen-year-old Victoria could’ve seen where she would end up.

“Where did Emily go?” Kyle has a handful of sachets.

“She’s playing cards with some friends.”

In response, Emily’s laughter reaches us from the other side of the lounge, and I glance across to find her rosy-cheeked, her grin so wide I can see her back teeth.

“Do you know them?”

I place a hand on Kyle’s thigh, luring him away from the potential threat of two young lads playing a card game with his sister. “Leave her be. They’re not doing any harm.”

Kyle plants a kiss on my lips. “You do realize that if this baby is a girl, I’m never letting her out of my sight.”

“You do realize that if you never let her out of your sight, you’ll have a rebellion on your hands when she’s a teenager.”

He chuckles. “Bring it on.”

Through the window, the private jet catches my eye as it touches down on the tarmac. “They’re here.”

He squeezes my hand. “Are you nervous?”

“About us all being together in one house or about marrying you?”

“Both?” He winces, afraid of the answer.

“I’m fucking terrified.” I raise his hand to my lips and kiss his knuckles. “But I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

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