Izzy won’t look at me. Instead, she leans against Lance’s chest and puts her hand on her belly. She’s not going to let her son join either.
They all have their own responsibilities to their own family, not just the Four Families.
Jenny squeezes my hand.
Wait. I have responsibilities. “Guys, I have a dog now. And a girlfriend. I can’t die.”
I always assumed my death would be violent and alone. But what would happen to Jenny and Kingston?
The rest of the people stare at me with furrowed brows and side glances. “Nonna’s letting you keep the dog?” Waverly asks.
“Nonna faked her own death, more or less. She doesn’t get to have him back.” Saying those words feels like a crime, but I’m not returning my dog. Or losing Jenny.
My girlfriend laughs. “I’ll be fine, object permanence and all.”
She jokes when she doesn’t want to talk about real emotions, and I’m not surprised she says that. But what does catch me off guard is the way her eyes get all glassy as she rests her head on my chest. This person is pure chaos, a total gremlin—and oh my God, I think I’m in love with her.
Yeah. No… I’m definitely in love with her.
I’m supposed to be the next leader. The one who holds the families together. But now? The choice has never been easier. “I can’t.”
Each member of the family handles it differently. A mix of understanding, pride and fear. Our paths have always been planned—four generations, four families—and now it will be gone.
Eyes fall on Donny, who is picking at the carpet. With me backing out, it could all fall on him. I sealed his fate, and he has every right to hate me. His mouth opens and shuts. He exhales, and we wait for his words.
“I’ll get you all out,” Alana says, her face stony and serious. “After all, that’s what I've been paid to do.” She pulls a bunch of envelopes from her purse and hands them to me, Dimitri, Izzy, and Waverly. We have a lot of "e" sounding names. Just noticed that.
Waverly flips the envelope in her hands. “What are these?”
Alana answers, “Before your grandmothers died, they wrote you letters. Nonna said to give them to you when you were ready. And I think, since Joey figured out his life... you're ready.”
“When did Joey do that?”
“Fourteen seconds ago.”
Can she read my mind? Elephant dancing with a hamster on a yacht. Nope. No laughing. Okay, she can’t read minds. Or she thinks that’s stupid. One or the other.
“My grandma’s not dead,” I state.
“Yeah, I’m aware but you can still open it.”
Alana looks over at Dimitri. “Who’s Svetlana?”
Dimitri squishes his face. “She was my fiancée. Betrayed our entire family and was killed.”
“Babushka did not like her. And now I see why.”
Izzy looks away from her letter. “Wait, you’ve read the letters?”
“Of course I did. I’m a nosy bitch.”
Jenny snuggles in my arms as I read mine.
My dearest Nico,
By now you have figured out that Jenny is, in fact, the love of your life. I’ve worked very hard to make sure that this happened, so don’t fuck it up. She’s everything you need—the chaos, the adventure, the joy!
It’s time to give up the fear, to understand, and to commit your loyalty to her 100%. She’s good people.
