Page 67 of Surprise Twins for the Mafia Prince
I sniffle, but he just sighs. “I’m telling you that you’ve done something wrong, and this is a way to make it right. Lock those fuckers away.”
My insides twist. I can feel the fragile relationship I have with my brother fracturing right down the middle. I’ve tried to hold on to it for years, knowing that I should put in effort with the only family I had left.
But that’s not the case anymore. I have Dario and the babies. I’m choosing them.
“I knew you wouldn’t be happy, and I certainly didn’t expect you to approve of my decisions, but I never expected my brother to act like I have to put myself and my kids at risk in order to atone for the sin of falling for someone he disapproves of.” I choke back a sob. “Don’t call me again.”
I hang up before he can reply, flinging the phone onto the bed beside me like it’s suddenly radioactive. I bury my face in my hands and finally let the tears come. Gut-wrenching sobs tear through my chest, and my nose runs. I feel like I’ve just lost something incredibly important, but at the same time, I know I made the right decision. It’s little comfort in the moment.
I’ve lost my parentsandmy brother. It’s tempting to trace the source of my grief to the day my father died and lay the blame on Lorenzo’s shoulders, but for reasons I can’t explain to myself, that doesn’t quite feel right anymore.
Dario is right about my father. I feel a pang of guilt for thinking anything bad about the man I loved so much, but hedidchoose to steal from the Andrettis, despite their reputation. He knew they were mafia. It doesn’t make what they did to him right, but I have to admit that he holds some of the blame.
As for my mom, she fell apart without a fight. I understand that she was devastated by the loss of my father and the subsequent destruction of our lives, but she didn’t even try to get better. For years, she suffered from depression and turned to prescription pills instead of trying to be a mother to me when I really needed her. I know she was hurting, but I can’t escape the feeling that she abandoned me.
Both of my parents abandoned me when their selfish decisions took them away from me. They might have been victims, but so was I.
When my thoughts turn to Gabriel, I hear the bedroom door open. I snap my head up to see Dario walk inside. His sharp eyes take in the sight of my tear-streaked face, and he comes forward, dropping onto his knees in front of me. He takes my hands as I sniffle, painfully aware of how wrecked I must look.
“Who do I have to kill?”
His question startles a laugh out of me, partly because I know it’s sincere. He means it. He’ll kill the person who made me cry if I want him to.
“No one. It’s just...I talked to my brother.”
Dario’s lips purse, and he nods in understanding. His hands move to my face to wipe away my tears. “He doesn’t approve of me, huh?”
I give him a watery smile, even though my tears are drying up.
“I’m afraid that’s an understatement.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I nod and tell him about the conversation with Gabriel. The only thing I leave out is what he said about turning to the FBI. I’m upset with him and ready to cut off contact, but I don’t want to put a target on his back. I’m not sure what Dario will do if he knows my brother is eventhinkingabout that.
“I expected his reaction. I knew he’d be pissed.”
I wipe under my eyes with the heel of my palm, smearing whatever mascara’s left. “But I still wish it could’ve gone differently. I felt so alone when he took off. I was stuck with our mother because I was a minor, and it was so hard to deal with that, knowing that my brother was out on his own, enjoyingfreedom, shedding the shackles of our childhood. I’ve always resented him for that. Maybe it’s not fair, but?—”
“It’s not fair that he left you behind when you needed him,” Dario interrupts. He moves to sit next to me on the bed, slinging an arm over my shoulders. “You’re entitled to your hurt and disappointment, baby. But I’m here for you now.”
I lean my head on his shoulder and let out a long sigh. I believe him. He’s not going to leave me behind like my entire family did. I’m his priority.
His thumb runs back and forth over the skin of my arm, and the warmth of his body gives me comfort. We don’t talk for several long minutes, but just being in his presence starts to heal something inside me. A long-endured pain I thought was woven into the fiber of my being. Loss and neglect and the ache of being left behind.
Dario is slowly undoing that damage simply by being here and making it clear he’s not going anywhere.
I place a hand on his leg, squeezing his thigh, and he tightens his arm around me. With his free hand, he lifts my chin until my face is angled up toward him. I’m sure I still look like I got caught in a tornado of mascara and sadness, but Dario doesn’t seem to care as he lowers his mouth to mine. His tongue slips inside my mouth in a possessive kiss that sets off fireworks behind my eyelids. My body is suddenly a live wire, and my heart races.
Dario’s tongue tangles with mine, and I slip my hand up underneath his shirt, caressing the soft skin stretched taut over hard muscle. My core pulses with need, and I let out a needymoan. I’m about to pull his shirt off when he breaks the kiss and stands. My small sound of frustration makes him laugh.
“Come on,” he says, holding out his hand. I take it without hesitation. “After a crying session like that, you need a bath.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Are you speaking from experience?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t cry. However, I do like soaking in a hot bath after an intense workout. It’s good for the muscles.”
In the bathroom, he pulls open the cabinet under the sink. When he produces a bottle of lavender bubble bath, my jaw drops. “You use bubble bath?”
