“And he’s going to push me away,” I said, already knowing the battle ahead. “He’s going to tell me to go live in the city and leave the mafia behind.”
“Isn’t that what you want?”
I swallowed, grimacing at the pain in my throat. “I did, for so long. But not anymore. I just want to be with Nick. If that means staying in the mafia, fine. If he wants to live in an igloo in Alaska, fine. I don’t care. I just want to be with him.”
“I think an igloo in Alaska might be safer,” Mom teased.
“Probably. But we both know this world. I understand his fear, but it’s irrelevant when you love each other as much as we do. We have to figure it out, and I’ll make sure we do.”
“And what will that look like?” she asked softly.
I inhaled a deep breath. “Well, we’re going to get married, and have some babies, and he’s going to try and not get himself killed as Michael continues to groom him to take over his illicit organization. You know, all the normal stuff.”
Chuckling, Mom nodded. “Seems like you’ve got it all figured out. And Ilovethe idea of grandbabies.”
“Yeah. Just have to get him on board...” I yawned and snuggled into the bed. “I want to tell you everything, but I’m so freaking tired...”
“Go to sleep, sweetheart. I’ll be here.I love you.”
Closing my eyes, I gave up the fight against sleep, comforted by her presence beside me.
The next time I opened my eyes, I looked straight into the most gorgeous pair of brown eyes I’d ever known.
“Nick,” I whispered.
“Hey, princess.” His thumb moved softly against my cheek. “How are you feeling?”
I smacked my lips together a few times, hating the dry taste in my mouth. “Thirsty.”
He reached over to the tray beside my bed and grabbed a plastic cup filled with ice chips. He slipped a few of them between my parched lips. “There you go.”
I sucked them, reveling in the cold fluid against my tongue. “Damn, that’s good.”
He set the cup back on the tray and faced me again as he resumed caressing my cheek.
We gazed at each other for a while, and I allowed myself to just appreciate how handsome he was. I imagined a little boy with his features, and maybe my dark green eyes, and my heart exploded with pure joy at the image.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“Somethingwaytoo serious for us to discuss here,” I said, grinning.
His thumb skated across my lip as he stared at me with unrestrained reverence. “Your mom and Michael know about us.”
“You think?” I teased, pushing into his soft caress. “We knew we couldn’thide it for long.”
“I shouldn’t have hid it at all. I betrayed Michael’s trust, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
Sighing, I nuzzled his hand. “Is there anything bad that youdon’tblame yourself for?” Lifting a weak hand, I squeezed his wrist. “You’re human, Nick. Sometimes, things just happen.”
“I had control over whether to tell him or not—”
“Control is a big thing for you,” I interjected. “I get it. You lost your parents when you were young, and that must’ve been terrifying. Control is a way for you to make sure you don’t experience that pain ever again.” I tightened my fingers on his wrist. “But no matter how hard you try, you’re never going to prevent everything bad that could happen.”
“I can be smarter though,” he said, his expression serious. “I can make sure people I care about aren’t in dangerous situations.”
Inhaling a deep breath, I smiled. “You’re so fucking hardheaded. I’m extremely annoyed that you’re going to make me fight you on thisagain.”
His lips twitched. “I haven’t even said anything for you to fight me on yet.”
