Page 60 of Under His Control

I always would.

22

EVA

For the first time in my life, I had a routine. Liam and I developed one with Olivia, and I wasn’t sure how I could claim that I was living before they came here.

Two months ago, I felt like I needed a job. I told Franco that I wanted a purpose.

Never in a million years could I have anticipated finding my purpose in the little toddler who seemed to grow quicker than I could blink.

And I wouldn’t change it for the world. Olivia tapped something in me. Something maternal and deep, like I didn’thaveto hide as much as I had been. That it was okay not to be so defensive all the time. It didn’t need to be my default. Because getting to know Olivia and watching after her when Liam was working, it felt wrong to help raise her and teach her to always be on guard.

I understood why Uncle Dante raised me the way he did. He didn’t know better. He was a struggling single parent, doing the best he could with Romeo since my aunt passed away when he was a baby.

Uncle Dante had done his best with what he knew at the time. Raising a strong generation was a must, but by the time hesoftened his parenting methods when Romeo and I were teens, it was too late to change the course for me. Romeo grew up to be too serious. And I grew up to be icy and defensive, closing my heart to anyone.

So it wasn’t a shocker that Oliva and Liam could thaw me out. They had my heart, and I wondered if I was being too giddy and ignorant to trust that it could last. It seemed too peaceful, too easy, to become something like a second mom to Olivia. And that niggling worry of something bound to fall apart kept me slightly less engaged at lunch one afternoon.

“Your house was finished two weeks ago,” Uncle Dante reminded me.

I nodded and glanced at Liam. “It was. But it might not be the best place for Olivia.” Too many stairs. Too many floors. As a single woman, it suited me fine. But it wasn’t the homiest place for a family.

Liam’s slow and sexy smile melted my heart. He had to be thinking the same thing, that wewerea little family unit.

I wasn’t sure how anyone could assume otherwise. I stayed in his guest suite. We slept together every night, woke up together in the morning except if he had to handle something for Franco. I liked watching Olivia, and no one questioned that I would. We were already acting like a family within a bigger one.

“Are you trying to kick me out or something?” I teased my uncle.

Romeo and Tessa had finally moved back to the house they were slowly renovating, but when we had late nights, they still stayed in their wing here.

“Never,” Uncle Dante promised. “But I understand the need for space.”

Liam chuckled. “Like there’s not enough of that here.”

“With the baby stuff. Livy’s older,” Uncle Dante said with a smile for her as she batted her spoon on her plate and fisted the food she was eating, “but it all adds up.”

Nina nodded. “It already seems like so much more space is lost with the bassinet and changing table and crib and…” She blew out a breath, exaggerating her run-on. “Letting Olivia have her own room would be smart. And while she can have a room here, wouldn’t it be helpful to let her acclimate toherroom, permanently?”

I sighed, both hating this topic and appreciating her insight. I knew what she meant. Olivia slept on her own in her crib, but it was still so close to where Liam and I slept. Moving Olivia into herownroom was a big step, and it would be wise to do so where she’d call home—if this mansion wouldn’t stay her place.

“Having privacy would be nice,” Liam quipped dryly.

Tessa groaned from across the table. “I walked inonetime…”

Romeo shook his head. “No. I did too. I thought you took Eva and Nina with you to the yoga studio and went to talk with him.” He cleared his throat and looked anywhere but at me and Liam. “Again. I suggest youlockthe door next time…”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Next time? You presume to enter without waiting for a reply again?”

Franco held his hands up. “Okay, okay. I think we’ve all made our points here. Some spacing out wouldn’t be bad with you all shacking up and getting busy. All I suggest is that we plan security in line with who’s living where.”

“What about you?” Liam asked. He wasn’t teasing or mean, but intrigued as he looked at Franco. “How come the family’s highest-ranking capo is still a bachelor?”

I kicked his leg under the table, hoping to warn him to shut up.

Franco smirked and looked off to the side. Romeo hissed, leaning forward to rub his shin.

Whoops.I kicked the wrong leg. “What the hell, Eva?”

---