I hesitate, but the decision is made for me as Daniel’s hand pulls me forward, locked around mine. I follow him, my breath coming fast and sharp in my chest, an ache rising in my muscles as I push, push. As we go, it gets quieter. We run through a small set of woods, across the soft green grass of
When we finally reach the black sedan, Kent and Daniel climb into the back seat on either side of me, sandwiching me in the middle. Pressed between them, I fold my hands between my knees and try my best to breathe evenly.“Go,” Kent says firmly to Carlos, who obediently peels out. Kent continues to
Next to me, I feel Kent slump in his seat. I turn to look at him then and see him looking out the window then, more pensive than I had expected. I stare at him, at his stark profile against the light of the window. He doesn’t move or say anything, so I suppose he lets me look my fillHe hangs his he
The closer they get to the stable, the more Fay seems to cheer up, as if she’s leaving the memories of last night behind. Kent can’t help the smile from his face when he sees it. He was worried for her last night – truly worried that some real damage had been done.Fay was delicate. He knew it intim
Last night, in the car, seeing Fay shake like that – the shock, the trauma in every muscle – it was one of the worst feelings of his life. He frowns, thinking of it now, of his extreme reaction to Fay’s physical danger. He’s a mafia boss, for heaven’s sake, Kent tells himself. It’s not like he ha
They stand like that for a moment, his hands on her waist, she leaning back against him – just an instant, really, before she pushes away and loops her horse’s reins over his head, using them as a lead. Fay smiles innocently at Kent, silently thanking him for the lift, and the two head back towards
I just shrug and shake my head as I climb out of the door, letting him know that I have no idea. I see that Kent has left chaos in his wake on the way to his office, people standing in the hallway staring after him with worried expressions. As I walk slowly into the house, I see Daniel come down th
I picked at my dinner that night, the food not tasting quite as good once I realized what was going on in the basement. This world is so confusing to me. On one hand, there’s so much beauty to it – the two days spent at the stables were some of the happiest moments of my life. But everything that h
My dad greets him with such genuine joy and excitement that it makes my heart swell with joy. They talk for a few minutes about Dominic’s day before dad gives him a little nudge back towards the gate where Kent and I are waiting. Dominic gives dad a kiss before running ahead again. My dad waves to
“Papa!” Dominic shouts, startling me out of my reverie as he drops my hand and darts down the road. I look up, a huge smile breaking out on my face again as I see Kent on the sidewalk just ahead. His back is to us as he speaks companionably with the butcher, a heavy bag of his purchases already hung
As I walk down the street towards the little Italian kindergarten, the whispers start around me, as they always do. I listen to all of them, a big German Shepherd padding quietly at my heels. “Is that her?” “Yes, that’s the one – I heard she was her husband’s mistress before he married her – tha
Both Kent and I laugh, but Don Bianci – across the baptismal font from us – snaps his eyes up, perhaps not liking the joke as much as we do. But I just ignore it, because dad’s right, frankly – and it’s too happy a day to care. After the final blessing everyone applauds Dominic – he likes that, bl
“Well, it didn’t seem to affect your first very badly,” Ivan says with a shrug, peering around Kent to where Daniel is laughing with an arm around Jerome’s shoulders. “So…maybe keep it up.” I smirk, squeezing Ivan’s hand once more before standing and moving to Kent’s side, tucking myself against h
“Hey, gorgeous,” Ivan says, his mouth turned up in a smirk as I cross the churchyard, beaming at him. “Look who’s talking,” I say, laughing and reaching for him when I come close enough. Ivan wraps me in a hug, dropping a kiss to my cheek as I hold Dominic a bit to the side so he doesn’t get squis
He laughs, smiling at me genuinely. “Do I make you nervous?” he asks, blunt. I laugh, unable to help it. “Has no one bothered to tell you, in all these years, that you’re a little terrifying, Don Bianci?” He grins and shakes his head at me. “Well, considering what you accomplished, young lady, I
Two months later, we’re all gathered together again. And it is only with frustration that I see Gio and Janeen standing so close together that their arms nearly brush, even though they’re still not together. I roll my eyes, dismissing the problem for a moment as I move my eyes down to Dominic and
It's an incredible night. Kent didn’t lie, not at all, about the food either. I’m shocked by the mountains of dishes that continue to follow each other, one after another, long into the night. After a few hours of it I just mournfully watch the waiters go by because I couldn’t eat another bite if I