Page 105 of Married with Mayhem

This time I’m not in a hurry to put all my clothes back on. I’m content to let him take the lead and we climb under the covers together, just holding each other and listening to the gentle patter of the rain outside. I’ve never been happier.

“Can I ask you something?” I ask him, feeling sleepy as his fingers gently stroke my skin.

“Anything,” he says immediately.

“I still won the game, right?”

His laughter vibrates under my cheek. His arms tighten around me and he kisses the top of my head.

“Yes. You won it all, my beautiful girl.”

21

MONTE

Idon’t answer the call. The instant I see the name flash on the phone screen, I shove the phone back in my pocket. A minute later, there’s the sound of a faint ping, indicating a voicemail has been received.

All I can do is hope the sudden flood of uneasiness doesn’t show up on my face. A few feet away, Sabrina is saying a lengthy farewell to her mother.

Anni and Luca already said their goodbyes back at the house. I offered to drive to the small airport where Vittorio’s private jet awaits to ferry Sabrina’s mother back to Sicily. Two of Vittorio’s men are here to escort her and we exchange glares.

The heavyset dude on the left was at my wedding. He bears more than a passing resemblance to the fucker I threw off the balcony and he looks like the sort to carry a grudge. Maybe he thinks if he just glares hard enough then I’ll get nervous.

That’s funny. If he wants to try something then he’ll be flying back across the ocean on a stretcher.

The other guy doesn’t appear to be in a friendly mood either but I bet his face is just carved that way. He checks his watch andfrowns at the sight of Sabrina being tenderly embraced by her mother.

I clear my throat and send him a deep scowl that says he can go take a nap on the plane if he has a problem. Sabrina and her mother will have as much time as they need to say goodbye.

Giulia Barone holds the face of her youngest daughter in her hands. She kisses Sabrina’s cheeks. With tears in her eyes and heartbreaking reluctance, she finally lets go.

“You take care of her, Monte,” she says to me.

“I will.” I step up and slide my arm across Sabrina’s shoulders.

Her mother breaks into a faint smile at the sight of us together. She stretches up to kiss my cheek and I bend down to let her.

“I love you, Mama,” Sabrina says and her voice cracks.

With a wave of fresh tears, her mother breaks away and hurries to the waiting plane. The pair of mafia guards follows right behind her. The first guy, the one who was giving me a tense feeling, swivels around and smirks before he disappears.

I hope that’s the last we’ll see of Vittorio’s asshole underlings for a while.

Sabrina’s sigh is sad enough to yank on some heartstrings that only she has access to. I pull her close to my chest and wrap my arms around her. She and her mother have never really been separated for an extended period of time and now they’ll be living on different continents.

Sabrina sniffles a few times but she’s clear-eyed when the plane lifts into the air. She blows a kiss as the shape becomes a small dot against the bright blue sky and then disappears altogether.

Then she tips her head back and smiles up at me. “I’m hungry.”

“Let’s go get lunch.” I move my arm to her waist and steer her to the parking lot.

I’ve become used to ordinary gestures such as opening her door first and making sure she’s settled before walking around to the driver’s side. She never fails to look pleased.

Sabrina plays with the radio while we leave the small airport behind. “How old is this car?” she says. “Seems like it might be older than your dad.”

“It is. My grandpa bought it new in 1970, two years before my father was born. This car was his constant project and I remember him always working on it. He handed me the keys shortly after his cancer diagnosis. Driving it around feels like a tribute to him.”

She twirls the radio dial some more. I help myself to a nice long look at her bare legs while I’m paused at a stoplight. She’s wearing one of her cute little skirts today. Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind skipping lunch, pulling over, and burying my face between her thighs for a while.

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