Page 38 of Mistletoe in the Mafia

Her eyes immediately brighten. “Oh yeah. The real reason I wanted to meet up with you was to tell you that I’m pregnant, Dom.”

I hear the happiness clear as day in her voice. And I’m so glad because if there’s anyone who deserves to be happy, it’s her. Camila’s been through a lot, from losing her parents in a fire at a young age to fighting and clawing her way to the top of an organization that barely respected her.

She’s strong as fuck and I admire her for it. Like me, she currently has a seat at the most coveted table in the Cosa Nostra. Not many people have the balls to do what she does.

“Congratulations, cousin,” I tell her. “You’ll be an amazing mother. Give me a call if Lukas does anything wrong, I’ll take care of him immediately.”

“‘Lukas’ and ‘wrong’ don’t go together in the same sentence,” she says, defending her husband.

The two of them are disgustingly in love. The brooding, silent Russian practically worships the ground she walks on. Camila starts telling me about all the plans for the baby. She wants a girl but she’s almost sure the baby will be a boy just to fuck with her.

I listen to her attentively as she speaks, glad to still be able to have moments like this with her.

“I’ve been thinking, Dominic. Why don’t you just come out?”

I arch an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware I was gay or in need of coming out.”

“Funny,” Camila deadpans. “I meant why don’t you just reveal your identity? It’s time to come out of the shadows. It’s been years, Dominic. You shouldn’t have to hide anymore.”

My jaw tightens. “I haven’t been hiding. I’ve been lying in wait.”

Camila offers me a sympathetic look that makes it clear she doesn’t believe me. She shouldn’t—even I don’t believe that bullshit.

“If you reveal yourself, he might come for you, and then you can end it all once and for all. You don’t have to keep living in torment, Dom,” she says softly, placing a hand on mine.

I don’t jerk away from her hold. I lean into it, in fact, before exhaling a soft breath.

“What if I deserve that torment?”

“You don’t,” she quickly says, her expression pained.

I count three breaths before looking into her eyes. “What would coming out entail, exactly?”

“Nothing much,” Camila assures me. “You could simply show up physically to table meetings. And maybe I could see you more frequently instead of meeting in crowded places like this.”

The reason we don’t meet up often is because she’s a pretty high-profile woman in the Cosa Nostra, which means eyes are always on her. And my identity is meant to be a secret. No one is supposed to know our connection to each other.

“Fine. I’ll consider it,” I inform her.

She beams. “You’d better. I hate that you keep having to go through life like a ghost. Reclaim your identity, Dominic. You’re a real person, not a shadow.”

I don’t mention to her that the shadows are a part of me. The only reason I’m going to do as she suggests because I really do think it’s time to draw that bastard out of hiding.

Soon enough, Camila has to leave. We both get to our feet and she gives me a hug once again. When we pull apart, she stares at me hesitantly for a second.

“Just spit it out,” I prompt when she doesn’t speak.

“It’s about her,” she says tentatively. “You realize it’s going to hurt, don’t you, Dominic?”

I let out a harsh exhale. “Actually, cousin, I’m counting on it.”

CHAPTER 10

Madelyn

Joshua looks completely unsurprised to see me when I walk into his office after our morning debrief.

“It seems my mornings aren’t complete without you showing up in here. How can I help you?”

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