Page 24 of Choices

"He had you pegged for a lawyer even as a kid?"

"He groomed me to become a lawyer so I could join his law firm. I hated the fucker so I joined the competition the minute I could. He still hasn't talked to me." He laughs ruefully.

"Why do you hate him?"

"I'm the product of his long-term affair with a woman half his age. He strung her along for decades, always promising to leave his wife, but never did. She was so obsessed with him and heartbroken she barely knew I existed. He couldn't have kids with his wife, so he moved me in with him and began grooming me as his heir."

I reach out and place my hand on his arm.

"That's terrible, Matty. I'm so sorry. Did she finally get better? Move on?"

"Nope.Committed suicide."

"Fuck." I curse lowly but still garner dirty looks from a grandmother sitting close enough to hear.

I squeeze his arm to get his full attention. His green eyes find mine. "I'm so, so sorry."

Matty lays his other hand across mine and gives me a look of thanks. It's surprisingly somber for such a normally light-hearted man.

My heart aches for him.

Just then coach swaps out kids and Jack comes running over to me for his water bottle. His gait never falters as he takes in the three new men around us.

Matty leans forward and offers Jack a fist to bump, which he does easily, and a "Great goal, little man!" Jack beams with the praise before taking a long drag of his water bottle.

"Jack, these are my friends Matty, Rico, and Santiago," I say nodding towards all three of my guys. Shit. When had they become my guys? I shake my head a little. I feel like I've been adopted as the unofficial mascot for three of the most dangerous men in the city.

"Sup?" Jack says, trying to put on a much cooler, older front. It's honestly adorable.

Rico leans forward towards Jack and crooks his finger at him conspiratorially.

"See number 4 on the other team?"

Jack's head pops up to take in his opponent and nods, leaning towards Rico more, eager for the intel.

"He's slow on his left side. If you get the ball, take it to his left side."

Jack glances back at Rico, and gives hima serious nod, before chucking his water bottle back at me and running off back to his team's side of the field.

I laugh. Something light and warm settles in my chest, seeing my 'real' life and my 'new' life come together.

"So you guys randomly decided you wanted to come to U8 soccer games on your Saturday? No pressing mafia business?" I tease, voice low enough that only Matty and Rico can hear it.

There's a tense silence where I begin to second-guess everything.

Finally, Rico speaks up. "Were you serious about helping us look at the Vitale's financials?" Rico asks, looking back at me over his shoulder.

"Yeah! Of course. Anything, if it helps." I recognize I'm eager to be useful, but the forty-five minutes of just touching and smelling a horse again for the first time in so many years had unleashed something in my heart and soul. It was the first step of reuniting who Hannah truly is and who she's become and I can't describe how grateful I've been to them because of it.

If spending a few hours pouring over boring bank statements and whatever else their hacker comes up with could repay a fraction of what they've already given me, I'd happily do it a hundred times over.

Just then the coach blows the whistle and the game is over. Jack comes trotting back to us, wide smile on his face.

"We won! Did you see?" Jack starts, excitedly looking for my approval.

I open my mouth to praise and validate him when Matty stands up, scoops Jack up, and plops him on his shoulders. With one handholding his ankle in place and one hand raised in victory, Matty proceeds to sing Queens "We are the champions". Jack giggles joyfully while the rest of the parents throw them mean side-eye. Ignoring them, Santiago and Rico help me pack up the folding chairs and water bottles into my cart.

Underneath some trees are some picnic tables, next to where Viv is practicing her aerial and Aiden is shooting on an empty goal.

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