Page 103 of Assassin's Obsession

"Yes."

"Will you protect Bianca from Salvatore De Luca?"

"If it becomes necessary, yes." There's no hesitation in Angelo's words and I like that he doesn't try to tell me it will never be necessary.

Bianca is bananas for the guy and he seems equally, intensely smitten, but that doesn't mean I don't want an exit strategy for her just in case.

Chapter 28

ANGELO

Cookie and Mars come skating into the living room, and I'm not ashamed to admit I'm grateful for the interruption of theheartfeltdiscussion.

Communication might be important to a healthy relationship, but talking this much is giving me a headache.

The little girl stops abruptly in front of me. "I'm hungry. When's dinner?"

Surprised she has no hesitation about talking to me, I answer, "The housekeeper will have dinner on the table at 6:30."

That's the time they usually eat and I'm not about to mess with Mira's schedule for Cookie.

"Cool! What are we having?"

"Diamond Marie!" Mira admonishes. "Is that any way to behave as a guest in someone's home?"

"Sorry, Mr. Caruso. I shouldn't have asked what we're eating." She wiggles her brows at me where her mother can't see. "But if you wanted to tell me…"

Mira laughs and so does Candi.

I find my own lips trying to tilt upward. "It's Sunday. That means fava bean soup to start, stuffed manicotti andarrostofor the main course. Though I don't know if it's beef or pork."

"You have three dinners on Sunday?"

"Three courses to a single dinner. It's tradition." Nonna always insisted on a full Sunday dinner together, no matter what else nonno and I got up to during the rest of the week.

My new housekeeper is old school like nonna was and prepares the same, whether I'm here to eat it, or not.

"We didn't intend to descend on you for dinner," Mira says still looking at me like I'm the bug on the pin she's trying to figure out.

But maybe one that she doesn't want to squish under her shoe anymore.

Progress.

"You are family. You cannot be an intrusion." That is something nonna used to say and that I genuinely believed I never would, much less the words about to come out of my mouth. "My home is your home. I hope one day, you will make it your home full-time. "

"We get to live here?" Cookie's, black and pink braids fly around her head as she turns it side to side, looking at everything in the living room.

Candi spends three hours every few weeks box-braiding her sister's hair. I don't know where she learned how to do it, but she uses different colored yarn extensions each time and Cookie likes it.

There is always at least a week, but often longer in between taking out her braids and re-braiding her hair when Cookie wears her curls free.

My woman might use cheap, discount shit on her own hair, but she gets the stuff for Cookie's hair from a salon. Not an expensive one, but not a discount store either.

"No one said anything about us living here," Mira frowns at me.

Am I leveraging Cookie's enthusiasm for new experiences and her obvious enjoyment of our home to get my way? Yes.

Do I regret doing so? Not at all.

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