Page 59 of Bartered Innocence

“A mama bear and all her cubs,” she teases. Her eyes roam over me and her smile falls a bit. “How are you settling in?”

“Fine, I guess.” My eyebrows knit together, realizing this is the first time anyone has ever asked me that. “I feel a little lost. I’d accepted the fact that I’ll be his wife, but I’m still not sure what that entails.”

“Anything you want it to. The boys aren’t much for social events, so I don’t think you’ll have to worry about planning many parties or dinners. To be honest, they’d probably just be happy to have an excuse to stay home.” Aoife waves her hand around fondly.

A reminder of how large the house is and how many people stay with us on a daily basis.

I nod, absentmindedly. “I wanted to be a chef.”

“You don’t anymore?”

“I do, I think…I’m not sure. I loved learning at my father’s restaurant, but Rian won’t let me return to it and I’m just…here.”

She worries her lip, staring at me with a pitying look. “I assume your father’s restaurant is in New York?”

I frown, then nod, already knowing what she’s gonna say.

Aoife grimaces. “Yeah. I’m sorry, babe. But anything outside of Jersey isn’t gonna happen.”

“Not even in Manhattan? Everyone has businesses there.”

She shrugs. “I’m not sure about that. You’d have to discuss those logistics with Rian, but I know most of the men aren’t a fan of traveling to Manhattan, regardless of the rules in place.”

My eyebrows knit together. “Like they don’t trust it?”

“I guess…a neutral portion of a city in the center of someone’s territory? Not the brightest idea, but Declan says it’s to confuse the feds and all the legal businesses everyone has fronted nowadays.”

“Declan talks to you about business?” Granted they’ve been together since they were kids, so that level of trust doesn’t seem unwarranted.

She presses her lips together, watching my face carefully. “Most men talk a little business with their wives, you know? Most of what they keep from us is for our safety. If we’re ever kidnapped, the less we know the better.”

“Oh, do you get kidnapped often?”

A snort escapes her before her hand covers her mouth and her shoulders shake with laughter. “To be honest, it’s one of those gotta be prepared for the worst type of things.”

“I doubt Rian and I will reach that level of trust. I’ll always be the daughter of the enemy,” I say with a defeated sigh. The more time I spend with him and the boys, the less I think of them as the deadly mercenaries everyone seems afraid of. But I don’t know if we’ll be at a point where he sees me and doesn’t see Italian.

Aoife shakes her head. “I’ve never seen Rian so smitten. I wouldn’t sell yourself short.”

She rubs at her belly and I smile.

“Are you excited for the baby?”

She blows out a long breath. “Yes, no, kind of…I’m so nervous, but I’m excited. It doesn’t feel real yet.”

“And Declan?”

Aoife grins. “He’s so excited. He’s always wanted a big family, to carry on the legacy so he says.”

“And if it’s a girl?”

Her eyebrows raise. “I bet he’ll hope she has an affinity for computer skills, but if she wants to join, nothing will stop her.”

“Right, of course. Sorry, I asked the boys the same question and already got told about how sexist it was when apparently Aisling is some elite super soldier. I’m just used to the Famiglia and their…”

“Misogyny?”

I laugh. “Yeah. To be fair, Luca is trying to instill some new values. The traditionalists just make it harder.”

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