Page 156 of Forced Vows

And when he's there, he expects the rest of us to be too.

"Do you want tacos?"

"Do you have everything you learned about me memorized?"

"I don't forget important facts."

"Me liking tacos is one of them?"

"Yes." His tone dares me to ask why.

Yeah, no. I'm not sure I want the answer. It might be something along the theme of we're not romance. Like it's about keeping me healthy to carry his baby, or something equally infuriating.

I don't want mamo to walk in on me clobbering him anymore than I do her catching us in bed together. Just no.

"If I say I want tacos, are you going to run out and get some?"

He shakes his head slowly. "I'll order one of your uncle's men to do it."

"Can you do that? Order my uncle's men around?"

"Men in our world know who I am and if they know what's good for them, they do what I tell them."

"I just bet. I'm not one of my uncle's men though."

"No, you are most definitely not."

"We don't need to order out for tacos. There'll be leftovers from dinner in the kitchen."

"And your housekeeper doesn't mind you scrounging around in her refrigerator?"

"Nah. Does yours?"

"We have two cooks besides a housekeeper and none of them would take kindly to me messing up the kitchen."

"What do you do when you're hungry between meals?"

"Call one of the staff."

"Mamo would say that's taking on airs. No offense."

"None taken."

"Anyway, the trick is probably not to leave a mess behind after you snack. Mamo would still rap my knuckles with a wooden spoon if I did that."

Miceli's not about to show shock at mamo's methods of discipline. He was raised by a don to be a soldier. His corporal punishment would have been far worse.

"I don't want you to hurt our children," I blurt out. And when did child become plural?

"I won't."

"I mean the training. It's barbaric."

"How would you know? Fitz is too young for the type of training you're talking about."

"Yeah, if Mick tries to train Fitz at any age with some of the things mamo warned us girls about, Kara will turn mama-bear and maul him to death. I'm pretty sure."

"Ah, so your grandmother told you. I will teach our children to fight and the only time I will strike one is dummy strikes during that training."

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