Page 76 of Savage Vow (Mafia Marriages 3)

She visibly swallows, and I reach for a bottle of water that I brought up on the tray, handing it to her.

She takes a sip, washing down her dinner. “He’s your son.”

Karina confirms my suspicions.

The shower kicks on, which pulls my attention toward the bathroom and then back to Karina.

“I know.” I don’t need a DNA test to prove the relation. I see it in his eyes and face, the small nose and similar jawline. “After what happened today, I want to enroll him in private school. I think it’s for the best, considering that you’re living here and driving him to the southside is not only an inconvenience but also a dangerous area. He will have a much better education and upbringing at a private institution nearby.”

“You’ve thought about this for a while?”

She isn’t wrong. “Yes, it crossed my mind before our encounter this evening,” I say. “But after what transpired, the threat by the Bianchi’s, I would feel better knowing that he is in the best institution for his education and protected.”

“Protected. How?” Karina asks. “Does your mafia own the school?”

I chuckle at her question. “No.”

We haven’t needed to own a private school, but we own the block and the several streets surrounding the area. The Bianchi’s are idiots if they step foot anywhere near our turf. “Just trust me, he’ll be safe at school.”

She purses her lips together but doesn’t argue with me.

Does she agree, or is she just too tired to fight and is willing to give in to my demands?

The shower cuts off, and a minute later, I hear his screech. “Mom!” Ashton shouts at the top of his lungs.

The kid could wake the dead.

“Let me grab him pajamas,” she says.

It’s like she’s a mind reader. Maybe she’s just intuitive. She knows what the kid needs without him asking. However, his shout was a pretty good indicator of desperation.

Karina digs through the drawers. She’s already unpacked his clothes and brings a pair of clean pajamas and undies to the bathroom.

He cracks the door just a few inches and sticks out his hand. She drops the items into his palm before he snatches them and slams the door shut.

The kid certainly knows about privacy. At his age, I was probably still running around naked, not caring about anyone or anything.

He also has a mother who cares about his well-being. My parents would have laughed if I put my hand on the stove. They wouldn’t have stopped me.

She comes back to the bed and sits down beside me while Ashton gets dressed. “You were saying?”

It doesn’t matter. She seems to agree about sending him to a private school. “Just that I’d like to enroll him in Northshore Academy,” I say.

Karina presses her lips tight together. “That’s wonderful, but I can’t afford to send him to some prestigious school, even without having to pay the rent on my apartment.”

The tuition is more than her rent payment. “I’m his father. You don’t have to worry about the money. I want what’s best for my son.”

“That isn’t fair. I do, too,” Karina says.

“I didn’t mean to imply that you don’t want what’s best for Ashton, just that I can help you afford those things now, that I know I have a son.”

Her eyes flinch for a second. It’s barely noticeable, but I can’t tell what she’s thinking.

“Are you mad?” she asks.

“About?” I wait for her to continue.

“That I didn’t tell you I was pregnant. I know I’d be mad if it were the other way around. I just honestly never thought that I’d see you again. We come from different worlds. I would never have run into you if my sister hadn’t convinced me to crash the party.”

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