Page 7 of Surprise Baby for the Don

“So what are you suggesting?” she asks, her guard going up before my eyes.

“You’ll stay here,” I reply evenly. “One of the guestrooms will be set up for you, and you’ll work from here during the renovation. The arrangement keeps things simpler and safer for everyone involved.”

Ginny’s jaw tightens, her gaze flickering between me and her father as she weighs the offer. I don’t press, allowing her the moment to consider. She’s hesitating, though it’s not fear in her eyes, not exactly. She’s wary, and smart enough to know that entering my world, even for work, is not something to take lightly.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t realize that the choice isn’t really hers. Rex made sure of that.

Finally, she nods, her voice steady. “Alright. I’ll stay.”

I incline my head, approving, but say nothing more. Rex’s gaze darts between us with a mix of relief and apprehension.

“Good,” I say, turning back to her. “We’ll set things up tomorrow. You can begin whenever you’re ready. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have a word with your father. Alone.”

With a curt nod, she heads back toward the sitting area, shooting one last glance over her shoulder before disappearing down the hall. Once she’s gone, I turn to Rex, who’s still hovering by the door, looking like a man barely holding onto a life raft in the ocean.

“Now, Rex,” I say, my voice dropping. “There are a few things we need to discuss if this little arrangement is going to work.”

His face drains of color, but he steps back into the room, closing the door behind him. I let the silence stretch, watching as he shifts uneasily from foot to foot, his fingers twitching like he’d rather be anywhere else.

Finally, I stand, taking my time as I round the desk to face him. His shoulders hunch, his head dropping, his hands fidgeting like a schoolboy caught cheating on a test.

“Do you know how many chances I’ve given you?”

He swallows, his gaze dropping to the floor. “I know, Mr. Rossi,” he stutters. “I know, and I appreciate every one of them.”

“Then why haven’t you learned anything from them?” My voice sharpens, and he flinches. “All the drinking, and the gambling. I cut you off months ago, Rex, yet here you are, deeper in debt than ever, dragging your innocent daughter into this mess. Does she even know what she’s agreed to?”

He glances up at that, his expression twisting with a mixture of shame and defiance. “Ginny’s got a good head on her shoulders,” he says defiantly. “She’s tough, like her mother. She can handle herself.”

I take a step closer, my gaze hardening. “Your daughter’s got ambition. More than you’ll ever have,” I spit. “But she’s not your crutch, Rex. I agreed to hire her because I like her. She’s straightforward, smart, and a hell of a lot easier to work with than you.”

Rex’s face pales, and he nods, his gaze falling back to the floor. “Yes,” he whispers, chastised. “I understand.”

“Good,” I say, my tone steely. “Because your days of borrowing are over. No more drinking. No more gambling. You’re done with that. From now on, you owe me a favor. Even more so, you owe it to her and your other daughter. Do better for them. That’s the only reason you’re walking out of here right now. I don’t need to see another family fall apart in this city because of bad habits.”

Rex’s shoulders slump, the fight draining out of him as he absorbs my words. I let the silence stretch, making sure he understands the finality of what I’ve just said.

He nods, his voice barely a whisper. “All right, Mr. Rossi. I’ll do as you say.”

“You better, Rex,” I warn. “I swear to God, if I hear that you’re borrowing money to cover another one of your shitty bets, I will cut you off at the knees. And I think we both know I mean that literally.”

He gulps and nods, looking about ten years older than he did when he walked in here earlier.

Satisfied, I turn away, heading back to my desk and dismissing him with a wave. He leaves without another word, his footsteps shuffling down the hallway.

Once he’s gone, I sit down, letting out a slow breath. Hiring Ginny is a calculated risk, and I know it. Bringing her into my world, into my home, comes with its own set of complications. But there’s something about her that I can’t shake.

It’s rare to meet someone so honest, so unaffected by the weight of the world around them. She doesn’t see me as a mob boss or a threat, just a man in need of her services. And maybe that’s part of what I find so intriguing.

Still, I can’t help but feel bad for the girl. She’s agreed to this job under false pretenses. I’ve done the best I can to make it seem like she has any choice in the matter, feeling a strange need to shield her from the kind of person her father actually is. Regardless, she seemed excited to take on the challenge of redesigning the space.

I re-open Rex’s ledger and pore over it again, noting dates that go back years. He’s been making bets with my guys for nearly two decades, usually losing and only paying back the minimum to keep from having his kneecaps broken.

We’ve been too lenient with him, clearly. I should have caught this earlier, should have put a stop to his addiction long before now. Guys like him are like dog shit on the bottom of my shoe. They’re slight annoyances, disgusting problems to get rid of. If you don’t clean them up right away, though, they can cause problems for everyone else too.

Just from my brief encounter with Ginny, I know she doesn’t deserve that. How many sacrifices has she already made in her life to cover for her father? She mentioned her older sister owning a diner. It was also clear that they were without a maternal figure. I call Rocco back in.

“Yes, boss?” he asks, ever the dutiful right-hand man.

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