Chapter 13
Dean
Soft laughter floated through the house as I entered the back door after a long day at the garage, carrying loaded bags of groceries.
Bella, like every other time I got home, came bounding through the small kitchen and dining space to greet me with her helicopter tail and chaotic excitement.
But it was the sound of Lily’s voice and laugh that lifted my mood tenfold.
I ditched the bags on the counter and wandered into the living room, where Lily and Mom were looking through photo albums.
Lily’s golden-brown hair was swept up into a claw clip, but several strands had fallen from it, framing her features with a softness that caused my heart to surge within the milliseconds she saw me walk into the room.
She smiled easily. Her blue doe eyes took me in quickly before a subtle knowing smile crept onto her face. Her smile turned cheeky, and had something to do with the images of my childhood laid out in front of her.
“Should I be worried?” I said, pausing at the head of the coffee table.
Lily bit the corner of her bottom lip and turned the album in her lap for me to see.
“Sofia was telling me about how for a very long time you refused to go anywhere without your fire truck red rain boots.” She gave me an adoring pout, referring to the two-page spread of toddler me, mostly at the beach, in boots.
“He thought they gave him powers to fight monsters,” Mom added, smiling with pride as she wheeled her chair out from behind the coffee table.
“I’m getting more food. There are more photos to see, Lily.
” She wheeled herself towards the kitchen, but left with a warning: “Do not get grease on my couch, per favore.”
“Si.” My eyes hadn’t strayed from Lily and the way she was watching me with an adoring grin. “What?”
“The reason why you always wear combat boots makes way more sense now.” Her eyes traveled south, and she raised a brow in consideration. “It would be interesting to see you in red rain boots, though.”
“Nothing but red rain boots?” I quirked a brow, enjoying the way my words made her blush as I leaned in, bracing one hand on the back of the sofa. I planted a soft kiss on the area below the curve of her jaw. “Hi.”
She turned her head slightly, her cheek brushing mine.
“No grease on my sofa, Dean,” Mom warned, returning from the kitchen.
I reluctantly straightened with an inhale and subtle stretch of my back.
“Why’d you wanna come over? Not that I’m complaining,” I asked.
“The apartment was a little occupied.” Lily placed the photo album on the coffee table as Mom did the same with the cannoli.
I frowned, picking up one of the desserts and taking a bite. “Occupied how?”
“Seb and Kira,” Mom said, sharing a smile with Lily. They had discussed a lot during Lily’s visit.
My brow shot up. “That was fast.”
“Yep,” Lily continued. “I’m happy for them, though. Kira deserves it.”
“Yeah, she does.” Without thinking, I went to sit beside Lily. My arm was already outstretched to drape across the back of the couch.
“Dean, the grease! Go shower and change your clothes,” Mom exclaimed, clapping her hands and shooing at me as I paused, halfway to sitting down, while Lily laughed.
I pulled up and half smiled. “Mamma—”
Mom shook her head. “Doccia e cambio.”
Lily, who had been following the entire conversation with an amused look on her face, shrugged. “You do smell like a garage.”
My eyes narrowed on her, and she grinned sweetly.
“Alright, fine. I’m going.” I glanced at Mom, finding her attention was on another photo album, and then looked at Lily and tipped my head in the direction of the hallway.
It took her a second to figure out what I was trying to indicate. Her face changed from confused to wide-eyed.
“Thanks for the cannoli, Sofia. They were lovely.” She stood and collected her bag.
I backed up to wait in the hallway, hands buried in my pockets. My eyes instinctively traveled over her, drinking in the way she moved with bounce and grace in her steps. Everything she did was careful, like she didn’t want to disrupt anything, yet there was still a quiet confidence about it.
She was halfway across the living room, eyes on me with a cute and eager half smile on her lips, when she remembered something and turned on the spot. “Oh, Sofia… Thank you for the conversation earlier too.”
Mom smiled softly. “Anytime, Lily.”
As we turned into the hallway, I gently nudged her arm. “Everythin’ okay?”
Lily inhaled and offered me a content smile from over her shoulder, wrapping her left arm across her stomach to rest her hand on her side. “We were sharing some things. But I’m fine now.”
I nodded in understanding.
When we reached the bathroom door, and she mentioned she needed to get a change of clothes from my bedroom, I looped a finger through the belt loop on her pants and slowly pulled her close.
“You stayin’ all weekend?” My finger remained in that loop, pinning her in place while I got lost in her eyes waiting for an answer.
Her arms came to rest on my shoulders as she tilted her head back in consideration, grazing her teeth briefly across her pink bottom lip in a way that jolted my pulse.
“I don’t think I have a choice now.” She rose to her toes to kiss me, simultaneously threading her fingers through the back of my hair.
A deep, involuntary hum vibrated through my throat in reaction to the way she lightly curled her fingers against my scalp. It was my weak spot when it came to her. And probably the fastest way to get me on my knees.
“Dean, I promise it’s nothing. I just freaked out a little.
That’s all,” Lily said, sitting cross-legged on the end of my bed in her underwear and my gray hoodie.
The sleeves were bunched at her elbows, and the whole thing swam on her.
But it was the small mark on her arm, hidden by one of the sleeves, that concerned me.
I spotted it in the shower. And sure, it was just a mark — the smallest cut tucked under her bicep surrounded by a small bruise to match, but it also looked intentional.
When I asked about it, Lily had brushed it off as nothing then too.
I crossed my arms and rested my hip against my dresser opposite the end of the bed.
Lily sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I had a panic attack today after speaking with my dad.”
I remained where I was but uncrossed my arms and slid my hands into the pockets of my sweatpants. As tempting as it was to cross the room, I knew she still had more to say. I knew I needed her to say more before other temptations got in the way.
“This,” she continued, referring to the mark under the hoodie’s sleeve, “was something I used to do in high school, whenever I got overwhelmed. I don’t know why I did it this time, but I promise you it is nothing to worry about. It was a weird one-off thing.”
I couldn’t help that I deadpanned. It’s not that I didn’t believe her. It was more that I wondered if she believed herself.
Her lips spread into a smile before she reached back for a pillow and lobbed it at my face.
I caught it in one hand and pushed off the dresser. A smile was already teasing its way onto my lips as I walked to the end of the bed. With her still sitting, the movement caused her head to tilt back to maintain eye contact.
“Stop worrying for five seconds and come to bed,” she said softly.
I shook my head and crouched down, bracing my elbows on the edge of the mattress before I took one of her hands.
“I know you were trying to help today by talking to your dad about my involvement with Antonio, and I appreciate it. I really do, but please, and I mean this in the best trying-not-to-be-a-controlling-douchebag way, don’t do it again.
I don’t want you getting overwhelmed… Mom tried once with Antonio years ago.
Tried to tell him off for what he got me involved in— It’s easier if I do some things on my own. ”
Lily scoffed. “Dean.”
I brought the back of her hand to my lips and watched her from over her knuckles. “While seeing you get protective over me is hot and fucking adorable, I need you taking care of you.” My eyes briefly went to her side.
“Well, I can’t not talk to my dad.”
“I’m not saying that. I mean, don’t get involved with the case.”
It was her turn to deadpan.
She took her hand back and pulled her sleeves down, bristling slightly. “You know, he seems to think the same thing. And then he told me to relay a message despite not wanting me involved…”
“Lily.”
“He wants to meet with you on Tuesday at his office.” She withdrew and scooted off the bed, brushing past me.
I stood, sighing. “Did he say what for?”
“Nope.” In one swift movement, she whipped her hair up into a messy bun, pulled back the covers, and climbed into bed.
I’m a douchebag.
“Lily, I didn’t mean—”
“Speaking of your mother,” she cut in matter-of-factly, “how come you haven’t warned her about the whole deportation thing yet? Or is that another thing we shouldn’t be involved in?” She pinned me with a sharpness in her eyes as she tucked herself in.
A frown creased my brow, and I shut my eyes briefly. “That’s different.”
“Is it though?” She pulled her arms around her middle and kept her voice quiet. “What will happen if immigration shows up here to take her away. She’ll be blindsided.”
I kept my voice low too, and walked around to my side of the bed, closest to the door. “They won’t come for her if I work with your dad on this case.”
“You could still make it all legal. You could go to immigration and explain her situation. Then maybe they’d grant her that citizenship.”
“And if they didn’t?” I climbed into bed, albeit a little hesitantly.
Lily had daggers in her eyes, and though they weren’t aimed at me yet, I felt like I needed to be ready to duck for cover.
There was an unwanted edge to my voice, no thanks to the nicotine cravings.
“They could deport her on the spot, Lily. Or put her in a detention center.”
She let out a breath and glared ahead. But then it eased. “I know being deported isn’t ideal, and I’m not saying she should be, but would going back to Sicily be so bad? Her parents are still there. She wouldn’t be alone…”
“We lost contact with them. We don’t even know if they’re still in the same place. Or alive.” I rubbed my forehead. “If none of this other crap was happening, I would do it all properly. I’d take her to Sicily myself and help her apply for that citizenship again. And then we’d come back.”
“She deserves to know.”
“She deserves better than any of this,” I muttered sharply.
Silence fell between us, and I hated every second of it. One sidelong glance at Lily instantly hit me in the gut with guilt.
She was chewing her bottom lip, staring ahead with glassy eyes. How many times had I seen Mom with that same look after one of Gio’s drunken rampages?
Shit.
“Hey, look at me.” I shifted closer and took her face in my hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to patronize you.”
She shook her head and wiped her tears, but kept that eye contact. Those pretty blue doe eyes were another of my weaknesses, and seeing them this sad and torn made me feel like I kicked a puppy.
“I’m a fuckin’ prick.”
“No, no, you’re not. I get what you’re saying.
I get why you would want to keep her out of all this.
I don’t even know why I’m crying. Well, I do, obviously, with everything— I’m frustrated because I can’t do anything.
If it wasn’t for my dad, if he’d done as he promised and kept you out of all this.
” She inhaled shakily. “I could’ve punched my father in the face today and probably wouldn’t have felt bad. ”
I released her face and brushed a tear from her cheek that she missed. “I already did.”
She sniffled and frowned, wondering if she heard me right. “What?”
“The day he brought me in for questioning, when he blackmailed me.” I offered her a slightly sheepish smile.
Lily blinked a couple of times, processing as she sat back in silence. Only to start giggling, which flowed into full, breathless laughter.
The corners of my mouth twitched as I watched her, relieved she was okay but slightly confused by the sudden change. “Lily?”
There were happy tears in her eyes this time as she shook her head but continued to laugh, wrapping her arms across her middle again, like before. As her laughter died out with sighs and fading smiles, something crossed her mind, and her attention went to her arms. Her stomach.
Her amusement was quick to fade.
So did mine as I watched her.
“Shit,” she groaned, quickly kicking back the covers and jumping out of bed.
I straightened, all amusement gone as I tracked her. She was clutching her lower abdomen as she made the run to the bedroom door. My worst thought was that maybe it was her wounds. Or complications from them. “Lily, what’s wrong?”
She reached the door, throwing a grimace over her shoulder right before she left. “I think I got my period early.”