46. Three
Three
Kayleigh
“N o,” my stubborn husband tries to tell me.
“She is going to be fine,” I say, rolling my eyes. If I thought he was over-the-top protective with me, it is nowhere as bad as he is with Makenna.
“I’m not having her where she can get hurt.”
“How the hell is she going to be hurt when she is with the De Luca children? You know damn well the De Luca men are as crazy as you. Plus, do you think anyone is stupid enough to try anything with Emilia being the mother or aunt of the children?”
“I’m not risking it.”
“No, you need to let her be a little girl and have friends her age.”
“She plays with her cousins.”
“Erik,” I say, approaching him and softening my voice. “Little girls need friends. You don’t want to deny her something she needs.”
“Don’t do it.”
“Do what?” I ask, batting my eyelashes at him.
“You know I can’t deny her anything she needs.”
“Good. Then she will be going. She is excited to wear the pretty blue dress her daddy bought for her,” I say innocently as I walk away.
“What pretty blue dress?”
“The dress you bought her for the Mafia ball.”
“I never bought her a dress for the ball because she isn’t going.”
“Well, her mommy bought it for her on behalf of her daddy.”
“Kayleigh,” he growls as he steps toward me.
“Yes?”
“Why did you buy our daughter a dress to wear to the Mafia ball that she isn’t going to?”
“Because I know her daddy is overprotective, but I also know he will cave because she will be at our side the whole time, until she goes off with the nanny and guards with the other Mafia children. Doesn’t every little girl deserve to get dressed up and feel like a princess at the ball?”
“You are lucky we don’t have time for me to punish you. Don’t think I will forget about this.”
“I’m counting on it.” I smirk, walking out of the bedroom in our hotel suite to find Makenna coloring with her nanny.
“Princess,” Erik calls her.
“Hi, Daddy. Do you like my picture?” she asks, running up to him. He bends down to look at the picture she is holding out to him.
“I love it.”
“Can we hang it in your office?”
“Of course we can. We will get a frame for it.”
“Yay!”
“Guess what?”
“What?”
“It is time to for you and Mommy to get ready for the ball.”
“I get to wear a pretty dress.”
“Yes, you do, and you will be the prettiest girl there.”
“What about Mommy?”
“She will be the prettiest woman.”
“Oh, ok.”
I walk over and extend my hand toward Makenna. She grabs it and waves to Erik and her nanny as I lead her into my room. After having her take a bath, she sits at the vanity and talks to the hairdresser as her hair is blow dried and styled into a high ponytail with curls. I have them put a tiny bit of blush and lip gloss on her, making her feel like a big girl.
I’m already getting punished, what more can he do?
Two hours later, we walk into the room where Erik is waiting for us.
“Wow, you both look beautiful,” he says, first bending down and handing Makenna a dozen white roses. She puts her nose in the bouquet and smells it.
“They smell so good. Thank you, Daddy.” He kisses her cheek.
“You’re welcome, princess.” He stands up and hands a dozen red roses to me and pecks my lips.
“You look breathtaking, seamrag bhea.”
“Thank you, and you look very sexy,” I whisper in his ear. He growls when I lean up and kiss his cheek, rubbing myself on him.
“You are in for a long night.”
“Good.” I smirk walking toward our daughter adding an extra swing to my hips. The nanny puts the flowers in water while Erik helps us into our coats.
At the Mafia Ball
“Aunt Lia!” Makenna yells the moment she sees Emilia. She gives Makenna a huge smile as she walks over to us with Alessia. Wow, she looks so grown up.
“How was she able to walk out of the house in that dress?” Erik asks.
“Because he hasn’t seen it yet. I put him charge of wrangling the six Satan spawns,” Emilia says, and Erik chuckles.
“He is going to lose his damn mind.”
“No doubt, but she is seventeen and allowed to dress like the mature woman she is,” Emilia says.
“When Makenna is that age, no way in hell is she coming to this dressed so grown up. No doubt horny little fuckers will be sniffing after her.”
“Alessia will be fine; she can hold her own. She is Mafia royalty,” I tell him, and Alessia gives him a smile.
“Any little fucker bothers you, come find me. Actually, where are my nephews?” Erik asks as he scans the room. He spots them and motions for them to come over. They do, and when they are standing with us he says, “You are to keep any horny little fuckers away from Alessia.”
“Erik, that isn’t necessary,” Alessia tells him.
“It is definitely necessary. You are one of my nieces, and that means you get my over-the-top Viking protection as Kayleigh calls it.” We all shake our heads, but the boys follow Alessia as she goes to talk with her cousins Serenity and Dante.
“I love you.” I look up at him as he wraps one of his arms around my waist.
“I love you more, seamrag bhea.” He pecks my lips before guiding me onto the dance floor. I wrap my arms around his neck and melt into his possessive hold on me.
We don’t say much, but there is no need to when his eyes mirror me everything I’m feeling. I’m so lucky he is the one who saved me all those years ago and I fell in love with him.
After a few dances, Erik goes off to talk business and I go to the bathroom. I quickly do my business, but when I step out, I hear raised voices and one of them sounds like Alessia. What the fuck is going on here?
“Why would I ever be interested in a child like you?” an angry male voice says.
Oh shit. I recognize the guy’s voice.
“If only your actions said the same thing your words do. I’m not doing this back-and-forth with you. Choose what you want. You either want me or you don’t.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. Your mama may be special to a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean you are. You’re not even a De Luca—just some poor bastard Mateo adopted.”
Oh no he fucking didn’t.
SLAP!
Oh fuck.
The door slams open and Alessia keeps her head down as she storms out, wiping her cheeks. I follow her at a distance, but before she can get back to the ballroom, I grab her hand.
“What?”
“Come on, you look like you could use a minute.”
She nods and we go sit in one of the other rooms. “What happened?”
“You didn’t hear?”
“No, I just saw you your wiping your cheeks and looking hurt,” I lie. I’m sure she will clam up if she knows I know. Right now, she needs a friend.
“Men are assholes.”
“That they are, especially when they haven’t grown up.”
“Yeah, and the mixed signals don’t help either.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I need to wrap my head around it.”
“Don’t lose who you are. You have your life ahead of you, don’t let a boy who doesn’t deserve you take away from the amazing things I know you can do. He either needs to step up and be the man you need, or he can get out of your way. You are too amazing to be with someone who doesn’t see the value in you.”