Fighting for her doesn’t seem like the best option for either of us, even if it’s what my heart is telling me to do.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Romeo hurtling down the slide, and I dart forward, catching him in time. “Nice job, little dude.” I scoop him up into my arms.
“I wanna go on the swing.” He wriggles in my arms, and I set him down on the ground. His small warm hand curls around mine. “Can you push me?”
“Sure thing, buddy. Let’s go.”
I take turns pushing Elisa and Romeo on the swings while Frank watches Rowan mount the climbing frame.
“Tough day?” Ben asks, materializing at my side, wearing a slight smirk.
“The toughest,” I joke.
“Leo will watch the kids with Frank,” he adds. “I want to have a word with you in private.”
“Okay.”
We don’t speak as we walk back toward the house, and I’m wondering what Ben needs to talk to me about. My eyes drift in Serena’s direction as the girls make their way toward the playground, and I’m pleased to find her gaze already locked on mine. Her reddish-brown hair is tucked up in a cream wool hat, granting me an unencumbered view of her stunning face. Her delicate features are almost too perfect, save for the smattering of freckles dusting her rosy-red cheeks and the slight upturn of her cute button nose. Her wide, expressive hazel eyes look more green than brown today, and warmth sinks into my bones as her lips curve into a barely discernible smile.
Ben walks to his wife. Wrapping his arms around Sierra, he tilts her back a little as he kisses her passionately.
“Ah, young love. It warms my heart,” Natalia says, beaming at her brother and her new sister-in-law.
Serena looks wistful, so fucking sad as she watches her sister with her husband, and I have an almost overwhelming urge to reel her into my arms and comfort her. It’s not an unusual sentiment around her, but it doesn’t stop surprising me.
“You two are so sweet together,” Serena says when Ben finally lets go of his wife.
“I hate having to work on the weekend,” Ben says before brushing his lips against Sierra’s one final time. “So, I’m going to take every advantage to love on my wife any chance I get.”
“Whipped,” I murmur behind an exaggerated cough, ducking down when Ben swings his arm in my direction.
“You say that now.” He grabs me into a headlock, dragging me away from the women. “But wait until it’s your turn. Love changes everything you ever thought you knew about yourself.” He lets me go, and I straighten up. “When you find your person, you’ll understand.”
I don’t admit I think I may have already found her.
Or that I’m unsure if I will ever have with Serena what Ben has with Sierra.
3
ALESSO
“Have you given much thought to your future?” Ben inquires when we enter his home office.
I drop into the seat in front of his desk as he moves to his liquor cabinet to fix us some drinks. “In what way?” I ask, a little confused. When Ben literally plucked me off the streets and explained who he was and the kind of life he could offer me, I always knew it came with limitations. Because I’m not of Italian American descent, I can’t progress any higher thansoldato, and I have made my peace with that. I’m luckier than most because Ben took me under his wing from that day forward, and I have access to opportunities mostsoldatidon’t. Like getting to run personal jobs for the boss and protecting his new wife.
“If there were no restrictions on your progression withinla famiglia, what would you aspire to do?” He gives me a scotch and sits down in his leather chair, nursing a glass of bourbon in his hand.
“I don’t know,” I truthfully reply, frowning a little as I wonder where he is going with this. “I’ve never thought about it. I am happy to go where you need me to go and do what you need me to do.”
“Loyalty is at the core of everythingCosa Nostrastands for.” He swirls the liquid in his glass as I sip my whisky. “And you are one of my most loyal men.”
I shrug, leaning back in my chair. “It’s easy to be loyal when you’re the boss. And I’m not saying that to blow smoke up your ass. You saved me when no one else gave a shit about me. More than that, you gave me a purpose in life, and I appreciate all the opportunities you have given me.”
“And that is one of the reasons why you would make the perfectconsigliere.” His earnest blue eyes drill into mine, and I can tell he means every word he just said.
But I don’t understand.
I blink repeatedly, sitting up straighter. “What?” I splutter.
