Page 61 of Texting My Mafia Savior

Lucy:Morning, Arria. I’m sorry to do this to you, but Sandy called and asked if you were with Nico.Apparently, she ran into Lilly’s mom, and Lilly knew nothing about a sleepover. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t lie to her. Anyway, your dad has demanded that we meet in the cafe across the street. I said I’d text you, but I think you’ll get phone calls soon.

Panic streaks through me. I gently prod Nico in the chest. His expression melts into pure joy when he sees me. I’m relieved he gets to experience those first beautiful moments, too. Then he fully wakes up.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, his voice rough with sleep.

I show him my phone.

“Crap,” he says.

“That’s just what I was thinking.”

He sighs. “We’ll have to go and face them together. No point trying to run away from this.”

“What are we going to tell Dad?”

He gently strokes his hand across my cheek. “That’s up to you, Angel.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, even though I know what he means. I think I need to hear the word said out loud.

“We could tell him we made a mistake, that we let ourselves get carried away with some silly texting, that it’s over now. Or we could tell him we’re determined to make this thing, us, as crazy as it is, work.”

“What do you want?” I ask.

“To make it work,” he says as if that’s obvious. “There’s nothing I want more. I can’t imagine letting you go, not after last night. I can’t imagine another man claiming you. It hurts just to think about it.”

“I want that too. I don’t want to think of you with anybody else. And definitely notmewith anybody else.”

He kisses me, then presses his forehead against mine, staring deep into my eyes. “Let’s do this, then. Together.”

As soon as we walk into the cafe, I can tell which side everybody is on. Mom holds one of Dad’s hands with both of hers as if keeping him in place—like she’s worried he’ll jump to his feet and run right at us. Dad is seething, but do I see some softness there, just a little? Aunt Lucy sits off to the side, the mediator.

It’s difficult not to hold Nico’s hand as we walk toward the table. If the way he’s clenching and unclenching his fists is any way to judge, he feels the same.

We sit at the table with them.

“So it’s true,” Dad mutters, glaring at me. “You’re together.”

I sit upright. “It’s true.” There’s no point lying.

Dad turns to Nico. “Do you have any idea what this looks like, Nico?”

“I know, Rocco,” Nico says. “It seems I’m exploiting a woman half my age, my niece, and abandoning my wife to be with a younger woman. It looks like I’m turning into a complete, unapologetic jerk.”

“So we agree, then.” Dad purses his lips, waiting for more.

“But that doesn’t consider how important your daughter is to me. That doesn’t follow because this isn’t a fling. I’m not using her. As absurd as it may sound to some people…” he sits up straighter, drawing his shoulders back, looking so dashing, so captivating, with the early morning sunlight glistening on his hair. “I fell in love with Arria by texting her.”

Dad gasps. Mom smiles. I have to blink to make sure I’m seeing it right. That’s definitely a smile on her face. Aunt Lucy grins, too.

He loves me, and I love him. He’s right. Our love grew as notifications and message alerts. It grew in a unique, memorable way, something that’s just for us, something nobody can ever take away from us.

“You love each other?” Dad mutters, looking at me.

“Yes,” I say confidently. “He’s right, Dad. Don’t call me immature, say I’m misguided, or that I don’t know what I’m thinking. We both know I’ve always been mature for my age. We both know I can make my own decisions.”

“What about your travels?” Dad snaps.

“I’ll take her around the world,” Nico says, making my heart flutter, love surging through me. “We’ll leave tomorrow. We’ll go anyplace she wants. She’ll take a thousand photos, and we’ll make a thousand memories. My Snapshot doesn’t deserve any less.”

---