He lets out a breath, as if relieved by my answer. It’s not long before his body relaxes and he’s sleeping peacefully for once. I continue holding him, thankful I have this chance, and hoping I’ve done enough to ease his mind.
There’s so much that needs doing, so many things I need to discuss with my fellow Council members, and that doesn’t even include telling Roman about what happened between Cristian and I, and my relationship with Marcus and Keegan. Fuck. Maybe I should take a nap, too. I'm already tired and I’ve only been up a few hours.
Holding my son tightly, I let my eyes close, trusting my loves, and everyone else in our Family, to hold themselves together for a little while longer. Because as much as our world is on fire right now, some things are more important. Making sure my son is okay? Nothing else will compare. Roman and Cole are what I’m fighting for, and moments like this help me remember that.
Antonio opens the car door and gets in. The first thing I notice is the hat pulled down to cover his bandaged forehead. My anger at Cecily flares, and even though she’s dead, it’s not enough. After he’s situated in the vehicle, I head out, letting Antonio play with the radio as the blanket of silence between us remains tense.
Sighing, I give in first. “I’m sorry.”
Antonio deflates immediately, sending me a small smile. “Me, too.”
Nodding, I let the past go. We don’t need to talk about it in depth—our friendship is too strong for that. Hell, it survived me shooting him. Harsh words may have dripped like poison in our veins, but our history overcomes it just as easily as the gunshot. Thank fuck. It doesn’t feel right when we’re not in sync.
“What’s the plan today?” Antonio finally asks. I chuckle, as knowing that he came without any reservation says enough.
“I want to check in with Ely. Per Keegan’s orders, I did ask Leandro for an update, and was basically told to fuck off. He’ll let us know when he has something, and until then, don’t bother him.”
“Shit,” Antonio mutters, and I hum in agreement. “Lio is going to be pissed when he’s back fully. Leandro must be pushing it too hard. He wouldn’t expect us to step in, right?”
“If he does, then he’ll be disappointed. Let Leandro’s father deal with it.” My hands tighten on the steering wheel, anger coursing through me. It’ll be a while before I forgive Leandro—if ever.
Antonio’s fingers drum against his thighs and he shakes his head. “You know Lio won’t take that as an excuse.”
“You really think when Lio finds out Leandro knew Allesandro was being targeted, he’ll just forgive the kid?” I ask dubiously. “Hell, Lio was ready to kill Luca… I can’t imagine him just forgiving Leandro.”
Antonio shrugs. “I think it’s more likely he’ll forgive Allesandro for what happened, and not really focus on the fact it was Leandro who fucked up.”
“Are you going to be okay with that?” I glance over at him before turning my attention back to the road. “If he forgives Allesandro?”
“Yeah,” he says softly. “I’ve made my peace with that. And with Allesandro.”
“You do seem…lighter today.”
Antonio blushes as he shifts in the car seat. “Yeah…uh, I kinda get Lio’s whole Daddy thing now.”
I make a strangled noise in the back of my throat, unable to think of anything intelligent to say. Given the way he laughs, I’m glad my reaction amuses him. But fuck, I did not expect that.
“Uh…well, that’s good. I’m…uh…glad,” I stammer out. I’m not going to yuk his yum, but damn, that’s a plot twist I did not expect.
He laughs harder and I finally give in, chuckling with him as I shake my head.
Once he’s back under control, he adjusts his hat, making sure it’s secure before replying. “Yeah…I’m not sure what made Jude think of it, but…it was good. It felt right. I’m kinda excited to see what happens. I mean, I don’t plan on going down the whole diaper route—at least, I don’t think so—but to have that level of care? I get it now. He made me feel special. Like I’m worthy of more than sex, of more than, well…you know.”
My heart aches for my friend, and I reach over, patting his shoulder. “I’m glad. You deserve that. You give everything you can to others. I’m glad Jude is treasuring you like he should.”
“You totally were considering the shovel talk, weren’t you?” Antonio snorts, and I give him my best innocent expression. He’s right though. I haven’t interacted much with Jude, but I absolutely had planned on making sure he was good enough for my friend.
“Like you didn’t with Keegan.” Antonio blushes at my retort. “Yeah, Keegan snitched on you a long time ago on that one.”
He stiffens as he stares out the side mirror. “Did you tell Ely you were coming?”
“No,” I reply slowly. “You, Keegan, and Leandro are the only three I told. Why?”
“I think we’re being followed… That black car that’s speeding up? He’s been on us for the last seven minutes, always a few car lengths back, until now…”
“Fuck. Call Ely,” I command sharply. “We’re in her territory now.”
My heart hammers as the car gets closer. It makes no sense that anyone would be locked onto us. I mean…there’s still theSenator to take care of, but fuck, doesn’t he have enough shit going on?
