Page 99 of Not Mine to Keep

“On that note, I’m going.” He mock-saluted me. “I’ll be in touch if I learn anything new.”

“Or if you accidentally shoot the Wall Street guy and need help burying a body?”

He stopped in the doorway and looked back at me. “If I need a shovel and help digging, I’ll call Constantine. Just go be with your wife.” And with that, he left.

My wife.Could I really go be with her, knowing our marriage already had an expiration date?

I grabbed my phone, needing to at least put eyes on Little Miss Tennessee Whiskey. But when I opened the security app, I about fell out of my chair at who was with her. Had Javier been already at my house, he would’ve given me the heads-up about the guests.

Without wasting time, I called my mom, and she had the nerve to look up at my kitchen security camera while sending me to voicemail.Oh, hell no.Since Izzy was in the room with my wife, too, I tried her next. Straight to voicemail.

At least Calliope answered. But it was a nervous “Heyyy.”

“I can see them there. But why are they there?” I cut straight to it.

“Your sister wants to talk to you. One second,” she said in a distant tone, and that had me even more worried.

Izzy popped on a moment later, disappearing from the view of the camera. “Shit, you need to get here now. Mom basically kidnapped me with a crate of wine, took my phone, and brought me here,” she said in a muffled voice, sounding as though she had her hand cupped over her mouth while talking. “She wants Callie’s input about the birthday party plans.”

“Fuck. I’m on my way.” Already on my feet, I snatched the keys to my Lamborghini and started for the door.

“It gets worse,” Izzy shared on my way out the door. “Mom had too much wine, and she slipped and mentioned why you’re hell-bent on being single forever.” That pause killed me almost as much as her next words. “She told her about Nicole.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Alessandro

“Please, just don’t. Don’t say anything.” I handed Mom her purse and opened the front door. “You knew not to come, and you—”

“I’m sorry. You’re keeping her from me. From us. And I want to get to know my daughter-in-law,” Mom said, looking toward Izzy for an assist. “She can’t even tell her aunt, the woman who raised her, what’s going on, so I thought she could use family around her with you doing your best to keep away.”

Izzy must’ve told Mom all that, dammit. “She’snotmy wife. Not really,” I shot out like a knee-jerk reaction, but I wanted the words to curl up and die. I hated them. Hated that truth. “In a few weeks, we’re getting our marriage annulled, and she’s going back to her life, and I’m going back to mine.” Maybe I was angry and pissed, but more than that, I was scared that what I’d said would actually come true. I knew in my gut losing Calliope would kill me, and I wanted to save my family that pain.

Mom looked over my shoulder, and I twisted to the side to see Calliope there. Shit, had she heard me?

Not that it was a secret. That’d been the plan all along. But ...

Facing my mother, I pleaded, “Please, just go.”

Izzy reached for Mom’s arm, encouraging her along. The sad look in Mom’s eyes was going to destroy me.

They needed to leave before I snapped, but the guilt had me whispering, “I’m sorry.”

Mom peeked in the direction where I knew Calliope was probably still standing, not too far behind me, gave her a little nod goodbye, shot me a dagger or two, then left with Izzy.

I shut the door and set my palms to it, bowing my head as I tried to corral my thoughts and calm down.

“I had no clue they were coming over to talk about the party.” Calliope’s apologetic tone had me forcing myself around.

There was flour on her cheek because of course, Mom would have her cooking with her, too. She lowered her eyes to the marble floors as I ate up the space between us.

I wasn’t sure where Frankie, Leo, or the others were, but this wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have in earshot of anyone. “Can we talk in private?”

Without looking at me, she nodded, then we started for the back stairs to get to the bedroom. I quietly let her lead the way, my mind racing.

Once in the bedroom, I flicked on the overhead lights and locked the door. I pushed my hands into my suit pants pockets so I wouldn’t reach for her and hold her against me with no plans to ever let go.

She went to the dresser and studied her reflection, and like a lost puppy, I followed her over. She swiped at the flour on her cheek before meeting my eyes in the mirror.

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