Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“The quiet is nice, but I actually like your place better. There’s a certain… security about having neighbors.”
“Yeah, this is nice for a vacation, but I wouldn’t be into country living in my everyday life. I like being close to stores. And family.”
“I met Sofia,” she told me. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you that. She came over with groceries. I really like her.”
“She really liked you too. She was texting me when I was at my meeting.”
“She didn’t love that you called her Smush, though,” she said, her brows raising.
“Yeah, I should have mentioned that,” I admitted. “She fucking hates that nickname. But we’re all just so used to calling her it. Didn’t start really being a problem to her until she was like twelve or so.”
“Does she know?” Claire asked.
“Know what?”
“About me? About… this?” she asked, waving around the safe house.
“She knows something is going down,” I said. “Especially now, since she’s moved to a safe house, too, with Elisa and our mom.”
“Because of me?” she asked, sounding choked.
“Because of Warren,” I corrected. “Everything is his fault, not yours.”
“How is the man? Your guard outside?” she asked, eyes going round and haunted. “He was… he wasn’t moving. I couldn’t help him…”
“He’s… alive,” I told her, torn between whether to give her the whole truth, or if I should sugarcoat it. “He’s not out of the woods yet, but he made it through the night,” I added. Because, at the end of the day, if this was going to go how I wanted it to with Claire—the way that meant she and Judah moved back into my house after this and… never left—then I needed to be honest with her.
The life of a mafia wife wasn’t easy. It involved sometimes being frustratingly in the dark. And, other times, being privy to uncomfortable or upsetting details.
Like men who were shot.
Like ones who might not make it.
Once I set up my phone while Judah ate his breakfast, I got an update straight from Lettie, telling me that while things were still touch-and-go, that she was hopeful, that my man was a fighter.
I said a prayer for him. And his ma, since he had one who really fucking loved him. Then checked in with Luca, who assured me that my family was safe, and that he was doing everything he could to track down Warren.
Who was on the lam ever since the attack at my house, something that likely had everyone on edge.
I should have been more anxious than I was about it as well. But my concern was trying to keep things calm and comfortable at the safe house.
I wasn’t too worried about Judah. He really was an easy-going kid. But his mom, well, I knew she was struggling more than she let on. Or if she wasn’t yet, that she would be eventually. Once she settled in.
There was no way all this trauma wasn’t going to catch up to her eventually. Days, weeks, months. Eventually, it would start to bleed in.
Luckily, though, I would be there for her when it happened. Picking up the slack with Judah. Allowing her to take all the time she needed to recover mentally.
“I hope he pulls through,” Claire said, dragging me back to the present.
“I have all the faith in Lettie. She’s the best at what she does.”
“So… what now?” Claire asked.
“Now… we settle in,” I said. “Find ways to fill the days. And nights,” I added with a grin that had her cheeks looking a little pink.
“Relo,” Judah said, coming into the room, talking to me.
Aurelio was not the kind of name a two-year-old could say easily. So… Relo it was.
“What’s up, bud?”
“Noodles.”
“Noodles? Already?” I asked. “Where are you putting all this food?” I wondered, then watched as he yanked up his shirt, and pointed at his belly. “In there?” I asked, getting down, and knocking on his stomach. “You know what? It does sound empty,” I said. “Guess I need to make some noodles.”
“I can make the noodles. I know you said you had errands to run today.”
“If you want… we can all go. After noodles,” I said, grabbing a pot, rinsing it off, then filling it before putting it on the burner.
“Really?” she asked, cautiously hopeful.
And it suddenly occurred to me just how much Claire, and Judah, had been missing. The only difference being that Judah had no idea what he was missing out on.
When was the last time Claire had been to a store? Been able to browse aisles and pick out new things?
Had Judah ever been anywhere aside from Warren’s house, mine, and that brief stint to the library?
“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “We shouldn’t make a regular thing of this, for the time being. But there’s no reason we can’t all go to a store today.”
Though I would be sure to pick a store further away from the house. Just to be safe.