Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 26768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
“Oh, okay. Well, thank you for the sex talk, boys. You can go back out to the hall and wait for the boogeyman to come in and grab me,” I tease them, trying to leave them with some lightness. I am sure they will be nervous until Nico comes home, but I don’t intend to ever tell Nico that I talked about this with them. In fact, I know what I want to do.
Dinner is painful. I put on my best face, acting as unbothered as I can be. My sons all look at Nico with admiration and wonderment. They missed their father as much as I missed him. One thing I always hoped to have was a husband who would love his children. Exactly the opposite of my parents. My mother and father, as well as my two brothers, were awful to me. They beat me, tormented me, teased me, and abused every part of my soul that a human could. I’ll never have to face them again after Nico killed my father and brothers the night my own blood tried to kill me. My mother took her life knowing the awful things she did, she wouldn’t be able to outrun once the matriarch of the New York Mafia, my father, was dead.
I hurt for some time, somewhere deep down, after they all died. I hated them, loathed them more, but still, they were my family and now having my own, I always wondered what it would be like if I had a family like the one Nico and I so lovingly built together. But as time went on, that emptiness left and peace followed. My children will never have to meet those evil humans and it’s one less threat to my family.
Like always, Nico requested we be the only guest tonight. He protects this business, so they are on his demand. This allows Nico to let down his guard and be a father and not Capo. I watch them laugh and I swear my heart ceases in my chest. How did I get so lucky to have this all? A relationship rooted in hate, blossomed to loving lifelines.
“Emelia, amore mia? Did you hear your son?” Nico runs his hand possessively over the back of my neck where he has had it off and on again the entire dinner.
“Sorry, sweetie, Mamma is very tired. I didn’t mean to zone out. What did you say?” I lean forward, placing my chin atop the lower part of my palm and watch Matteo smile with two missing teeth, his left middle one on the top and one on the bottom right.
“Papa said we can go with him next time to Chicago or New York!” He claps his hand, his brothers bouncing giddily in their seats.
“That would be so fun, but then I would be without my four boys, what would Mamma do?” I pose, and Nico grips my neck harder, growling low, but the boys are too hyped to hear their father’s disdain at my response.
“You would come with silly,” Luca says, smiling ear to ear.
“I would get invited on the men’s trip, I am honored,” I tease. “Finish up so we can have dessert, you boys have to get home and ready for bed.” I push my plate forward a bit so the waitress can grab the half-eaten plate of Bruciuluni. I don’t dare glance up at Nico because he is already seeing right through me.
I am Distant. Not able to engage. I assume he will say something first, but he doesn’t. Thank God. He continues focusing on our children and I keep working out all the plans I have in my head for this next week. How the hell am I going to get him in those rooms, more so how am I going to get in the rooms first to draw him in?
“Dormi bene, ragazzi miei.” Nico and I stand in the doorway of the boys’ large, shared room. We plan to get a bigger place as they get older but for now the second master is big enough for the three of them.
“Good night, my loves,” I add.
“Buona notte, Mamma and Papa,” they say in unison. Nico has been adamant that they learn Italian and usually Mrs. Nelly would do all the educating, but Nico has been doing this himself in between work. Closing the door, I take the lead and head straight to our room and into the master bathroom. Turning on the light, the exhaustion from lack of sleep has finally kicked me in the ass. I move my hair from my face with my claw clip and start removing my makeup. I’m still wearing the casual outfit I chose for dinner. The restaurant we frequent calls for a casual look. I wear dark straight-leg jeans that hug my curves perfectly and an empire waist green peplum top with a deep V-neck, showing off my generous cleavage. Nico doesn’t join me, but I hear him removing his watch and shoes in our room.