Chapter 22
Strange things are happening.
Looking around, I can”t help but think that this is all a dream.I see Emanuele”s eyebrow shoot straight up to his hairline, expressing his effort to find answers to the one fucking question that keeps ringing in both our minds.
What is happening?
I sweep my eyes around the white and gold kitchen, finding nothing that seems out of place. But everything in front of me feels out of place.
They seem… I nod, unsure what to make of the situation, but they seem okay. Happy. Eating and having a look on their faces like we just interrupted the best moment of their lives.
My eyes dart from Eva, dressed in her father’s color, to Vittoria, in a crimson coat with furs for a collar, then to the most shocking person I could expect them hanging out with: Nina in a white chiffon dress. What alarms me, though, is Jake—who is still wearing his school uniform—eating a cake with frosting all over his face and mouth and playing with Nina”s bump.
I will lose my fucking mind, but I can start by dropping my gun.
“Eva?” I take a step closer as a domestic staff in a gray dress and white apron sashays into the kitchen and brings a tray with more food and drinks.
“Welcome,” she smiles at Emanuele and me, placing the tray on the kitchen island. “Family friends.”
“Move the gun away from my daughter, Fabio,” Emanuele warns and goes over to them.
I thought I had already, but it seems like my body didn’t answer my mind’s order the first time around. So, I swallow and drop my gun. I shove it in the pocket of my holster, swinging my eyes around in a quick sweep to be sure no one else aside from them is in here.
“Someone is under the kitchen island,” Vittoria chuckles. “And you should check the cabinet, too,” she snorts and takes a forkful of cake to her mouth.
Jake lifts his eyes from his cake and smiles at me, mashed cake plastered on his teeth. “Dad,” he says, climbing onto the kitchen island, and Vittoria helps him down from it.
His little legs sprint to me and he wraps his arms around my legs.
I am still a little too stunned. It takes me some seconds to process the fact that he is hugging me. If the women would just explain instead of keeping us in the dark, this would be easier.
I scoot, going down to Jake’s level.
I lift him in my arms, the cream-colored icing from the cake smearing on the dark green of my shirt. He drops his head on my shoulder and I feel his heartbeat against my chest. He is nervous.
“It’s okay, Buddy,” I try for a pet name and wrap my arms around his small frame.
“I was scared,” he mutters into my shoulder, and I breathe, holding him tighter to me.
“I was, too,” I admit only for his ears.
“Can someone tell us what is going on now?” Emanuele snaps. His patience is a funny swing. He can go from acting as though he has all the time in the world to acting likehe only has seconds left to live.
“Salvatore is in prison,” Nina answers plainly. “Thanks to them,” she points at Eva and Vittoria. “And of course, me,” she shrugs, feeling smug about the last part. “Mostly me,” she adds.
“Slow down,” Vittoria clips. “I still want to kill you.”
“Give it a rest already,” Eva sucks her teeth.
“Pick a side, you traitor,” Vittoria fires at Eva.
“Ladies,” Emanuele chips, his voice losing every hint of tease, looking at Jake. “What happened?”
“We stepped in and saved your asses,” Vittoria declares, and then, as she meets his eyes, she melts. “We decided to take matters into our hands,” she turns her eyes away from Emanuele. “My stomach hurts,” she mumbles and I am fucking sure that part is a lie to make him lose the sharpness in his gaze.
“By yourselves?” Emanuele directs his anger at Eva.
“I have a headache, papà,” Eva slurps her juice. “And I feel…” she fans herself with one hand. Totally lost, Emanuele drives his eyes to Nina.
“Don’t look at me,” Nina places a hand on her bump.
Emanuele scowls at all three of them and says something under his breath.
“I will tell you all about it on our way home,” Vittoria stands and goes to him, slipping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest, the same way I ache for Eva to do to me.
To come back from a stressed-out day and have the woman you love run into your arms like you are the only fucking person in the world.
“Emanuele,” Nina clears her throat. “I am sorry for what I did,” she drags in a shallow breath. “And I am sorry, Vittoria,” she rolls her eyes. “But we are even now,” she manages a small smile. “We have Salvatore out of our lives, and here goes the happy ever after for some,” she drawls, her accent messing with the intonations of every word.
“I will take Jake home,” I announce, the happy-ever-after reference drilling a hole in my heart as I stare at Vittoria in Emanuele’s arms, and Eva not in mine.
“I will come with you, that way I can talk about our wonder women escapade,” she smiles and corners the kitchen island to come over to me and Jake.
“I think you should go home with your father. I will drop him off and come back to you,” I say through the fog in my throat. I want her to come with us—I want her with me—but there is something I need time to process.
“Jake?” Eva places a hand on the small of Jake’s back and he turns his head to her, then giddily goes to her, betraying me. “Settled then,” she hurls him to her chest, exerting obvious energy to keep him to herself.
“I will get back as soon as I drop him home,” I say and Emanuele nods. I turn to leave, but I halt. “Jake,” I take him back from Eva’s arms, saving her from passing out because of his weight. “I want you to meet someone,” I say, taking him to Emanuele.
I am not expecting anything other than a hello, but Emanuele beckons with his fingers for me to give Jake to him, and I do.
“You could fool me into thinking you cloned yourself,” Emanuele chuckles as he sits Jake on the marble countertop of the kitchen island. “Hey, little man,” he lowers his big self, placing both hands on either side of Jake’s thighs.
“Hello, big man,” Jake puffs his chest a little, hiding his intimidation of Emanuele’s size.
Emanuele chuckles and nods. “Your father’s son indeed,” he strokes Jake’s chin softly. “Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you,” Jake smiles at him. “You look like Santa Claus,” Jake murmurs that part, and Emanuele bursts into laughter.
Vittoria joins in her usual delicate laugh and ruffles Jake’s hair. “He has Fabio’s charm; he is bound to get the women spinning.”
“He’s got my humor,” I am a dreamer, I know.
Eva laughs softly and comes to stand beside me. “Fabio can be funny,” she defends me. “He makes me laugh,” she shrugs.
“That’s it,” Emanuele lifts Jake from the kitchen island and passes him back to me. “I will see you around, little man.” He does a shocking act of pressing a kiss on his head and Jake stares at him with adoration.
This boy’s affection is easily bought.
First, it was Eva, the daughter, and now the father.
“Bye, Vittoria,” Jake blows a kiss at Vittoria as I take him out. “Bye, Nina,” he blows another at Nina.
Now, Vittoria and Nina. Where does that leave me? He has never blown me a kiss or stared at me like he did at Emanuele. But then again, I have never done what Emanuele did with him.
I see where I am lacking and areas I want to work on. His being kidnapped showed me what I need to do.
There is no need to keep my distance. He is my son.
There is no need to hide him. He is accepted, more than I could ever have imagined he would be. He is not a problem. He is not considered an obstacle as I had thought.
“Bye, Jake,” Nina and Vittoria chime as I step out of the kitchen with the two most important people in the world with me.
My son and the woman I am now hoping can be mine.
I walk with Eva beside me out in the compound.
I step out of the gate to the car, tipping my head at some of our men and signaling them that there is no cause for alarm. I stop in front of the car and tilt to Eva as she halts beside me with electrifying eyes shocking senses into me.
What was wrong with me, pushing her away constantly?
“Thank you,” I stretch my luck and plant a kiss on her forehead, keeping my lips on her forehead a little longer.
“Dad,” Jake grumbles.
“Yes,” I peel my lips away from Eva’s forehead and stare at the jealous boy in my arms. I can’t say if he is jealous because Eva is letting me kiss her forehead or because I am kissing her forehead instead of his.
“You can kiss my forehead, too,” Eva steps closer and taps her index finger on her forehead.
Jake happily stretches forward and kisses her on the forehead, refusing to take his lips off her head. She chuckles, and then it turns into laughter the longer he keeps his lips on it.
I find myself smiling as I stare at Eva tickling Jake’s belly to get his lips off her forehead. He laughs unrestrainedly, clasping her head in his small hands to hold onto his position of smothering her with his icing-coated kiss.
I want this.
I want this forever. I want this to be my happy ever after.
But am I worthy of it?