Page 134 of Don Caselli

“I know.”

“Go to therapy. Stop trying to fix it yourself and actually get the help we all know you need. What happened to you was horrible, and nobody can fix themselves without help.”

“Only if you go, too.”

She laughed. “I’m worried about you… get the help. Do you need a ride home, or did you drive?”

“Alex got me a new car,” I groaned, knowing what came with me asking for a new car.

Since he sold the Sonics, things had been better. He wasn’t as tense as he was before. I asked why he sold the company; however, he never explained his reason. Who randomly sells a team?

“Money isn’t everything, Ken.” She felt the need to remind me. “I have money, and it doesn’t make you happier. It only shows just how unhappy you are.”

“Will you have these talks with Navy?”

Zoya laughed. “I like Navy. I’m not picking sides, but I am telling you that you’re wrong. I like who my brother is with her. I want to see their love develop, and if that hurts you, I’m fine with you distancing yourself.”

I smiled, knowing that I had done damage when it came to the Caselli’s and I didn’t think I could fix what I did, or what I said. Don probably hated me, and he had every reason to. Zoya walked me out and stayed behind to clean up the mess after dinner.

Valet had my truck already waiting for me, and I climbed inside and headed home. Whereverhomewas.

21

Don Caselli

She miscarried the baby.

I didn’t know how to feel because on one hand, we were never keeping the baby. Then, on the other hand I was feeling sad about the shit. I think what hurt me the most was the fact that she was terrified. As we sat in the hospital triage waiting for them to tell us something, she held onto me.

My Pooh.

My heart broke because I never wanted to see her like this again. Never wanted her to be scared or in pain. When the doctor told us what I already figured, she had a sigh of relief. I think we both did because it could have been something else. With the amount of blood that was there, I didn’t know what the fuck to think.

She slept on my chest as I sat in the hospital bed, not really listening to the news. I held her in my arms and was in my head. Looking down at her, I kissed her lips, her nose, and then her forehead. Nothing mattered when I saw her bleeding andhow scared she was. The only thing that mattered was Navy and getting her to the hospital.

The curtain pulled back, and her mother came with drinks and snacks from the vending machine. She sent Ro home to get sleep because he had to work tomorrow. She sat in the chair next to the side I was on, crossed her legs and popped open her Pepsi zero.

“Rough night, huh?”

“Tell me about it.”

She rubbed my arm. “You both will be alright. Navy is a strong girl, and she has you now. She doesn’t have to be strong anymore.”

“Yeah.”

She took a sip of her soda and then opened her chips. “Always some mess going on. This serial killer is something else. Always worried about Navy traveling on the trains alone.”

“Ma, I want to apologize about the stuff that went down earlier.”

“Oh, how you wanna sex your niece,” she snorted.

Every conversation with Avril, I realized just how much Navy had her mother’s personality. “I’ve been around a long time… too long, and even I can spot a jealous ex. Girl came to do damage and she succeeded.”

“Not even my ex-girlfriend. We could never get shit right, and she fucked me over.”

“What did she do?”

I covered Navy up as she got more comfortable in my arms and explained everything to Avril. I told her everything from how we first met, to the way she blew up on me in Italy. How I constantly showed up for her, even knowing that she constantly pushed me away. How I was willing to go against my family for her.

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