Page 37 of Mafia Don's Secret Baby

Chapter Thirteen

Lilianna Genovese

“I need to go shopping today.”

I considered the same three outfits that I’d been using for Callum over the past few weeks. My wardrobe options were equally limited.

Matteo glanced up from a paper on his desk with raised brows. “I’m not your jailkeeper, Lili. You can go wherever you want.”

“I know, but I can’t have guards following two steps behind me the whole way. It scares Callum, and I’d rather this be a smooth trip.” I felt myself rambling, and I bit my tongue. I didn’t need to feel uncertain about such a basic request, but it felt like there were a dozen more important things I could be doing with my time.

He nodded slowly, glancing down at the boy. “May I ask where exactly you’re going in such a hurry?”

“He doesn’t have any clothes here. We are both running really short on options. We were only meant to be here for a long weekend, and I packed accordingly.”

“My day today is full,” he remarked, tugging his lip between two white teeth as if pondering all the things on his schedule. “But all of it can wait.”

“I thought you had canceled most of your meetings?”

He nodded and clicked his pen a few times. “My schedule tends to fill up quickly with important matters. There’s always someone who needs my attention.” He stood and brushed a hand down the front of his shirt, flattening out all the wrinkles that had built up there. “I’ll go with you.”

* * *

The first few shops had almost no selection for toddler clothing, but I managed to buy some essentials for myself. Undergarments and loungewear, specifically. Matteo had gone to great lengths to observe the undergarments, going as far as inspecting them closely before paying for them himself.

“We’ll have to try these on later,” he said with a smirk. Mischief filled his tone as he spoke the words.

“We?”

His smirk deepened as he planted a hand on my lower back, his fingers moving dangerously low. I shuddered at the contact.

“Yes, we.”

I felt my cheeks redden and my heart quicken at the thought of parading myself in front of him in these garments.

“Later,” I stuttered, trying and failing to hide my flush.

“So,” he drawled as we walked into a children’s clothing store. “How is normalcy feeling today?”

Mothers holding young infants and fathers on their cellphones strolled through the store, and I knew we’d have much more luck in here.

Callum led us toward the back of the store, holding my hand as we walked.

“It’s feeling… the same as before.” I wouldn’t lie to him. “Being with Callum makes it feel a little more tolerable. I love boring days with him. But every other day when Sophie has him… I don’t know how to feel. If it’s normal, it means we’re not being attacked. It means we’re safe.”

“That’s true,” he said.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what it will be like returning to Italy. I’ve talked to Aunt Beatrice, and she’s excited about her garden and the blooming flowers of the season. She talks about her job as a saleswoman at a boutique. It all just feels so…”

I couldn’t decide on the best word to use.

“Mundane?” Matteo proposed.

I nodded. “Exactly.”

Callum grabbed a handful of shirts from a rack and tugged them downward. The rack rattled as the shirts released. “Dino shirts,” he said, shaking them in front of him.

I grabbed the shirts from him and selected the right size before handing it back. He ran deeper into the store excitedly.

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