Frankie – he’s honest like that. And I’m very grateful for him in my life. “Ready?” Nico asks, straightening his tie and then flicking a piece of lint off of Christian’s dark suit. “As we’ll ever be!” Lucy says, giving him a pretty smile as she wraps her arm around Nico’s, ready to be escorted i
“That’s what you get,” Nico says, laughing and following us into a living room at a more leisurely pace with Lucy on his arm. “For speaking to children! Something which I make it my policy to never do.”“Is it that you won’t speak to them?” Frankie chimes in, wry, his voice low so only we can hear,
Like I absolutely do not belong here.Christian takes a deep breath, clearly seething and not missing the message either, but he just steps back and tightens his arms around my shoulders.The room is silent and awkward for a long minute before Tony strides through the door. He skitters to a stop, th
“Seriously, Cristian?” the Don says, glaring at his son from across his desk, leaning back in his chair even though his whole body is tense. “You married the fucking stripper?”“Everyone is aware, yes?” Christian says, his eyes hard on his father, “that she’s also a student, and that dancing was her
Christian’s eyes snap back to his father’s now, and both men smirk at each other.“But,” his father says, continuing the thought for his son. “I’ve made it quite clear that I’m not going fucking anywhere.”“How’d you do it, dad,” Christian replies, a little playful, smirking at his father. “Deal wit
“So!” Giana says, sweeping through the kitchen and snatching an already-open bottle of wine off the counter. She’s still grinning wickedly as she holds it up towards Lucy and I, standing on the other side of the kitchen island. “Do you drink, sister-in-law? Or are you boring as well as slutty?”My m
I blink at her, not really understanding why a courthouse wedding would be bullshit, but I nod.“Well, then I guess you’re family now, little Iris,” she says, raising her glass towards me. “Welcome. Anytime you want to take your little niece and nephew for a weekend, just let me know.”I laugh a lit
“Daddy!” Ricky shouts, dashing out from beneath the kitchen table and darting for his dad, who immediately picks him up and wraps him in a big hug. Bella follows, jumping with her arms up, clearly begging to be picked up too. Lorenzo laughs, dipping down and scooping her up in his other arm.I watch
A small smile creeps on Leo’s lips. “Yeah, okay,” he says, relaxing back against our chair. “Our secret.” I grin at my baby, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, because my boy can’t resist a secret.“What’s all this?”I turn to see Christian standing at the open door, peering into the dining
The danger. It’s…it’s far too poignant.My heart breaking, I open a private browsing tab on the web browser and quickly search for Craigslist in both this city and Athens, Greece. As I do my memory goes back to a conversation I had with Frankie, when he told me that this is the best way he knows for
I stand frozen, staring down at the letter as it sits on the little hall desk, my breath coming in fluttery little gasps.The words are very simple.There are vineyards in Greece as well. I’ll take you there.I read it again and again as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing with a mix of h
“You don’t know anything about my life,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, turning my eyes back down to the dishes. “I had no choice.”“You think you’re the only one who suffered?” Lucy whispers. “You think I wanted to be in this position? We were friends once, Iris. We were good to each other. Bu
“Mommyyyy,” Leo says, looking anxiously towards the kitchen door, shifting from foot to floor. “Hurry up! Aunt Bianca says we have to go!”I laugh, glancing down at my little boy, who looks so adorable in the private school uniform he wears to Kindergarten – crisp white shirt, navy blazer, his dark
But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her
My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing
“Yes,” he answers, a growl in his voice. “That should suit just fine.”I laugh at the irony in this and shake my head, looking away. “So now you want me to come back, to pretend as if nothing ever happened? You expect me to just accept this, the way things are now?”Christian opens his mouth to resp
Disappointment floods my chest, a sense of disbelief washing over me. “You think I would trust you again after everything? After how you treated me? You expect me to just come back and forget?”His eyes narrow, disappointment etched into his features. “You were faithless. I thought you’d be loyal. I