But it’s probably good she’s going to college instead.
I tell the girls to go get dressed; we’re going out to dinner. Gem seems into the idea and disappears to her floor. Kira kisses me again, this time lingering longer than usual.
“By the way, how’d your meeting go?”
“It went exactly as planned.”
“Jeffers is a real freak, huh?”
“Now, now, we don’t shame people in this family. Freak or not, he’s smart enough to be amenable to a reasonable deal.”
“Sounds like my kind of cop.”
“Since when did you know anything about law enforcement?”
“Since I married the Don.”
I laugh lightly and kiss her. I can’t remember ever feeling like this before in my life. I finally have control of the Corsetti Famiglia, and nobody can say that I don’t belong. I have a good Italian wife. I’ve ascended to the role of Don. I rooted out traitors and saved the family’s future by fixing my father’s mistakes.
Now it’s my time to rule.
“I actually have one more favor to ask.” Kira smiles sweetly, and I get the feeling it’ll be a big one. “Gem might need a place to stay, and since she’ll be in the city?—”
“You want to know if she can keep living with us.”
“I know it’s asking a lot. I mean, you didn’t expect to have a college kid under your roof, right? But it would mean so much, and I promise she’ll keep to herself.”
“Kira, of course your sister can live here as long as she wants to. That third floor is hers until the day she doesn’t want it anymore.”
She lets out a sigh of relief, her cheeks flushed and happy. “Thank you. Thank you so, so much.”
“But be prepared for her to want to stay on campus. And don’t look at me like that. You don’t have to worry about money anymore, you know that, right? I can afford her tuition.”
“Stellan—”
“That’s part of the deal. I take care of you both.” I kiss my wife deeply. “Besides, how’s Gem going to cure cancer or make limitless clean energy if I don’t subsidize her?”
“Fair point.” She gets on her toes. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” And I mean it. Simple as that. “Now, squeeze that beautiful ass of yours into that new dress I got you, the blue one.”
“Oh, the blue one, huh? We’re going to that kind of place?”
“Yes, we absolutely are.”
“Sounds good to me.” Her hand lingers on my chest. “The blue one will be fun to strip off later, too.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
EPILOGUE: KIRA
Six Months Later
I heavea bag onto Gem’s mattress and frown at her dorm room. It’s an extremely nice double in a historic building, but it’s nowhere near as nice as the entire floor she’d get at Stellan’s house. Still, I don’t say anything, because I’ve already tried. Gem comes into the room a minute later and tosses her suitcase on the floor with a happy sigh. Then she glares at me.
“We went over this already,” she says accusingly.
“What?! I didn’t say anything!”
