Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
We collected my mother from her apartment on the fifth floor of our townhouse. I’d built it for her two years before when my father passed. Knowing she was aging, and eventually the stairs would be too much, I had an elevator installed, which was a blessing for Sophia, who often didn’t have the stamina for the stairs, as well.
Our home was in Central Park West, so we only had to cross the street to step out of the concrete jungle and into the lush, green, peaceful atmosphere of the park. My mother and I settled on a bench to watch Sophia as she played on the jungle gym.
“How did the interview go, Niccolo?” she inquired.
I wasn’t sure how to answer, but honesty seemed the best policy, especially when it came to my mother. Nobody in the family could ever get away with lying to Mamma Allegra. “I hired her. But she won’t be Sophia’s nanny for long.”
Mother started chortling, and I glanced her way quizzically.
“Just like your father, aren’t you Niccolo?”
“I appreciate the compliment, Mamma, but would you mind sharing the joke?”
She reached over and patted my hand. “Your papà took one look at me and the next day he’d arranged a marriage with my father. Our fathers were certainly happy for the alliance, but it wouldn’t have mattered to my Lorenzo. He would have stolen me away if they hadn’t given their permission. Lucky for him, I’d been mooning after him from afar and was all too happy to let him sweep me off my feet.”
I knew my parents had an arranged marriage of sorts and they’d been deeply in love as long as I could remember, but I didn’t know the rest of the story. “You didn’t know Papà before he asked for your hand?”
She shook her head. “He worked for his family, and I only saw him when he came to our house for business. I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere around, but once I caught a glimpse of him, I hovered in the background every time he was there.” She laughed again softly, but her eyes saddened. “I miss him every day.” She pinned me with a stare. “If she is the one, don’t let her get away, Niccolo.”
“She is and I won’t,” I stated firmly. “She’ll be back to meet Sophia tomorrow. Then I’m moving her in this weekend.”
“Into her own room?” my mother asked suspiciously. Raised in a devoutly Catholic, Italian family, she wouldn’t approve of my sharing a bed with a woman, much less a room before we were married. I had no such qualms and, while I deeply respected my mother, it was my house, my rules.
“For now.” I hated to disappoint my mother, but I was determined to have Gianna permanently in my bed by the end of the next week.
We spent an hour at the park then I took my girls home, instructing my mother to rest and let me order pizza. As expected, she was appalled that we would eat pizza she hadn’t cooked. I looked pointedly at her broken arm, and she huffed but acquiesced.
While they ate and watched a movie, I returned to my office for a conference call.
“Niccolo, you’re going to have to take over the reins soon, I’m getting too old for this shit,” said my uncle, Antonio.
When my father died, Sophia was extremely sick and I was only twenty years old. I asked my father’s older brother to step in for him until I was ready to take his place. Antonio had never had any desire to lead the family business. He’d been happy running the front business, the perfectly spotless and legit shipping company. But he had understood and agreed.
Two years later, he was reminded why he never wanted to be in my father’s shoes and he’d been after me to take his place. I knew my time was running out. But now, more than ever, I needed a little more time. I couldn’t take over until Gianna was officially mine. I wanted a ring on her finger and a baby in her belly before she found out about my “real” job. I’d ease her into the life before opening her eyes to it all.
“I met someone, Antonio,” I stated quietly. There was a beat of silence.
“Serious?” he asked.
“She’s mine. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.”
Antonio chuckled. “There is so much DeLuca in you, Nic. All right, I know it won’t be long then. I’ll give you some more time.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you next Friday at the meeting with the O’Reilly's.” A snitch we had in our pocket had recently brought it to our attention that a local faction of the Irish mob had been trying to inch in on our territory. We were going to attempt a peaceful resolution first, but I knew this group, and I didn’t foresee it happening without force. If things didn’t go well, I’d have to hire security for Gianna and Sophia.