“Sweet girl?”
My smile spreads wider still at his supernatural-like ability to catch my emotions. “If we have a girl,” I say to the garment before turning to face him. “Can we call her Ashlee? After my mother?” His perfectly masculine face softens on me. I amble towards him, saying, “And…” When I reach him, he cups both my cheeks in a way that suggests he wants to cradle every part of me. Hold me. Study me. I crane my neck to hold his attention. “You should name him if he’s a boy.”
He drags his thumb across my lower lip, playing with the soft flesh. “If you give me a girl, we will name her Ashlee, and if you give me a boy, he will be Luca.”
After his father.
I like it. “And if I give you two girls?”
“You won’t.” He watches his finger explore my lip. “Butcher’s very rarely have girls, little deer. Kelly is the first for three generations.”
“You Butcher Boys are powerful swimmers.”
A hint of a smile tugs at his lips. “Indeed.”
8th Month
Our men take Aurora’s luggage down the marble steps to the three waiting cars. The entire house is bustling with the move, and Aurora busies herself to combat the emotion she surely feels.
That I feel, too.
This stunning woman has been my twin pillar since I was born. But this is not my decision to make. I consider her my oldest, most precious friend, but her affections lay with other women and mine with only one—Fawn.
Aurora married me all those years ago to cement her place in theCosa Nostra, the only way allowed—by being my wife. For my little deer, we broke our vows. We risked her position in the Family; the divorce went through a week ago.
And she is no longer beholden to me, to the District, but her heart still beats true for theCosa Nostra. She wanted it more than even I. She wanted it like her father did, with a single-minded sense of place and purpose.
Which is why, the Godfather, our Don in Sicily, Alceu, has rightly acknowledged her loyalty and abilities. “Were she born with a cock,se, you may be dead, my boy,” he had said to me on the phone several weeks ago.
He’s probably right.
We may have been rivals, in lieu of joining our houses. Wemay not have fallen into the same roles or developed the same respect…
We will never know.
But alas, Alceu has given her a place at his side—his right side. A woman. It is unheard of, but for Aurora—for my ex-wife—exceptions are made, rules are bent, and men who defy this new world will find death fast.
She’s just as ruthless as me.
More so, perhaps.
A woman does ruthless deeds in a very different way to a man; I am certain she will impress the Family in Sicily. She is taking her sisters with her, where they will be under her guidance and protection.
And from afar, I will always be her ally.
Her friend.
I smooth my tie down my shirt as she approaches me, her dark hair perfectly straight down her back, her skin a warm olive glow that radiates not only beauty but power. “You’re not going to miss me, are you, Clay?”
A smile hits my lips. “Missing you will not change your mind. It is a brilliant waste of my time, but yes, I still will.”
She places her palm on my cheek. “We both have what we want now, Clay.”
“Alceu is not long for this world, should you need my support when he go?—"
“Clay.” She waves her hand at me, dismissive, and my smile widens further as she is the only person I truly see as my equal in all things. “I am going to rule over Sicily—my country.”
“Yes,” I agree because she will. I have no doubt she’ll slice her way through the made-men in the Family for her place at the head when the time comes. “But should you need me.”
