Page 65 of Mafia Shade's Reluctant Bride
Maria and I stood there, silent. It wasn’t the kind of silence where you had nothing to say but one that felt like you had everything to say.
She folded her arms, looking everywhere but at me.
I cleared my throat. “Hi,” trying to get at least one word from my mouth.
“Hi.”
Then the silence came again. I thought I should say something about last night. I should talk about the kiss. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear whatever she had to say. I opened my mouth, hesitated, and then went for it. “About last night—”
“It’s fine,” she interrupted me even before I could get any coherent thought out of my mouth.
I blinked. “Fine?” That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I knew she wasn’t going to admit it or claim it meant more than an act, but saying that felt like she was reducing it to nothing, which we both know it wasn’t.
She nodded stiffly. “We don’t have to talk about it. As long as it doesn’t repeat itself.”
A slow, dull ache settled in my chest. I masked it with a smirk. “Ouch.”
“You’ll survive.” She teased, a smile forming on her face.
Would I? Probably.
“I actually came here for something else,” I muttered, shoving my hands in my pockets. “There’s a gala tomorrow. You and I need to be there. PDA and all that.” I muttered, trying to make it sound as casual as it could.
Her brows shot up. “A gala?”
“Yeah. Some society event on the outskirts of town. Shouldn’t take too long.”
She crossed her arms. “Outskirts of town? And why exactly should I leave Matteo to play dress-up with you?”
“Because it’s important,” I said, but as soon as the words flew out of my mouth, I knew it was the wrong choice of word.
She gave me a look. “More important than my child?”
“No, that is not what I meant.” I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. “Look, it’s one night. You have Luca. He can take care of Matteo while you are away.” And again, as soon as the words came out, I knew how wrong it sounded.
“Luca with a kid is a disaster waiting to happen. He’s practically a child himself.”
I huffed a laugh. “Fair point.” I was thankful she took it that way.
“Exactly.”
“What about Kayla?” Finally, I said something that wasn’t that bad.
Maria considered this, lips pressing together. “Kayla can handle Matteo.”
“Then?”
She sighed, rubbing her temples. “Fine,” she said casually, but I knew that this time, her word “Fine” was not casual at all. I could already see the shift in her eyes.
I smirked. “That’s a yes?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
It’s too late for that.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MARIA
