Markie's brows rose in shock. She opened her mouth, and then immediately clamped it shut again. She was obviously torn, which was much better than outright rejection.
"I'm sorry about everything," I hurried to say. "I know I fucked up and I don't deserve you, but I had to protect my family. Now that I know we might have limited time together, I want... I need you to be with me as much as you can."
She continued to watch me.
"Besides, I gotta get you to the doctor in the morning, and Nonna said I have to feed you," I reminded her.
A smile ghosted her lips, not quite traveling to her eyes. "I am kinda hungry."
She hadn't forgiven me, but her mercy was enough. Relieved, I pulled her hand to my lips and brushed a kiss against her knuckles. "Thank you."
Bones climbed in and we drove to Ariana's place, stopping long enough for Markie to pick up her things and call her sister (who was still at work). Markie hid the apartment key, and we went to my condo. Bones turned on the television and put on a game while I started warming up Mamma's leftovers. Markie roamed around the space, looking at the family photos I had on the wall.
"This is all family?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"Yep."
"Wow. Therearea lot of you."
"That's nothing. Those are just my parents, siblings, and Uncle Mike's family. There will be a lot more there tomorrow."
"You're so lucky, Angel. I've always wanted a big family."
I chuckled and started slicing bread. "I don't know that I'd say lucky, but it's never boring for sure."
She wandered over and sat at the bar, eying the pans on the stove. "The food smells great. Can I help you with anything?"
"Sure." I set the sliced bread on a platter and slid it over to her before dumping the now warm mushroom bruschetta from a saucepan into a glass bowl. I stuck a big spoon in it and handed it to Markie. "Spread some mushrooms on the bread, please."
She did the first one, and then took a bite out of it. "Ohmigod, this is fantastic."
She held the rest of the slice out to me and I ate it from her hand. It felt strangely intimate and made me want to set her on the counter and fuck her in my kitchen. My pants grew uncomfortably tight at the thought.
"I want one," Bones said, shattering my fantasy with the reminder that his ass was in the living room.
Markie slathered another slice with mushrooms and took it to him. I flipped him off as soon as she turned her back to me. Bones laughed, shaking his head.
After dinner, Markie and I headed to my room. As soon as I closed the door behind us, emotions from the day crashed into me. Fear. Desperation. Helplessness. All things I wasn't used to feeling. They made me needy in a way I loathed, but couldn't deny. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her into me. Once she was tucked safely against my chest, I held on, willing her cancer away. Willing her to be okay. I leaned over until my lips found the pulse in her neck, and stayed there, not happy, but somewhat content. As long as her heart was beating, there was still time.
"You okay?" she asked.
I brushed her hair back. "No."
She nodded. "Your family's great, Angel."
"I know."
"Would you really have betrayed them for me?"
I stood up straight and squeezed her closer. "Yes. I wouldn't have handed you over to them."
Pulling away, she stared up at me, her eyes watery. "Why not?"
"They're dangerous.We'redangerous," I amended. "We have to be. People want to destroy what my family has built. There's been kidnapping attempts and most of us have been shot at. We have powerful enemies, so we must protect each other. Family is valued above everything. I couldn't let them see you as a threat."
"Is that why I didn't meet your father?"
I nodded. "He has a lot riding on his shoulders, and sometimes he reacts before he knows the full story. I knew you'd be safe with Mamma and Nonna. Not even he would mess with them."
