Page 146 of Charity's Redemption

My father gave me a look of suspicion, but I closed my eyes and gave the slightest head shake, hoping he’d leave it be.

He cleared his throat. “This is a nice home.”

“Arturo designed it for his family.”

“Who’s that?” my mother asked.

“Their father and Max’s uncle.”

“And where is he?”

I smiled as I glanced at my father, then back to her. “Prison, for murdering his wife and her lover.”

“Charity Faith Gibbons,” my mother said, her eyes wide with shock, then lowered her voice. “Who have you surrounded yourself with?”

Nico stood in the doorway with a glass in his hand, leaning against the frame. “People I love and who love me back without expecting anything in return.”

I walked towards Nico, leaving my parents in their seats, grabbed his shirt collar, then drank him down like I’d thirst for centuries.

He gazed down at me with lust-filled eyes and heavy lids as I broke away. “What was that for?”

“Because I love you.”

I smoothed my hand down his tie, looked back to my stricken mother, then walked around him inside.

If she thought she could come into my home and insult me, questioning my decisions about the family who invited me into their arms and love me, she was sorely mistaken. I’d make her see that by the end of the night.

I shuffled back into the kitchen, where Luca and a catering chef stood while Luca gave instructions on how he’d like things done.

“I am so mad at you right now, Luca Moreno.”

He glanced away from the stove at the dish the chef stirred and tossed his hands in the air. “What did I do now?”

“You invited that horrid woman into this house.” I turned on Vito, who stood in the doorway, and aimed my finger at him. “And I’m mad at you for letting her in.”

“Don’t drag me into this. I’m only doing my job.”

I glared because he had a point.

Luca marched towards me, grabbed me above the elbow, and pulled me into the dining room. “Play nice with your parents, Charity,” he growled. “After this is over, you never have to see her again if you don’t want to.”

I spun on him. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not related to her.”

He ran a hand over his five o’clock shadow and braced his fist on his hip. “So long as you’re in our lives, she’s also part of ours.”

The tension in my shoulders drained down to my feet and seeped out into the floor. I wasn’t in this alone. They were there for me every step of the way to navigate this hateful woman.

I lowered my gaze and grabbed his hand, kissing his palm. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Sticking beside me.”

I stalked out of the dining room, brushing past Max nearly spilling his water bottle as he took a sip. “Where is she going in such a hurry?”

The sun shifted positions behind the large maple trees, shading the seating area my parents hadn’t moved from.

“I didn’t say anything, Steven.”

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