Page 125 of Absinthe Minded

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m pretty sure you did.”

“She admitted it. As a matter of fact, I believe she’s responsible for the bun in your oven, too.”

My blood turned to ice. “What?”

He rested his head in his hand and ran his fingers over his forehead. “The rubber I had in my wallet came from a box she left at my place. I had Leo check. They all had holes in them.”

My nose wrinkled. He had sex with me with another woman’s condom? “That’s just wrong.”

He ignored my comment. “She was desperate to get the money my father stole from her.”

“That’s awful.” I pressed my hand to my belly. Despite my feelings for her, I had Chantal to thank for two of the five children in my life.

“Speaking of which, it seems she was right about one thing. My father did swindle her out of half a million dollars. I’m setting things right. It won’t bring her husband back, but it’s the right thing to do.”

That he wanted to do that for Chantal after everything she’d done gave me hope he’d stay true to his promise to break free of the mafia. I curled closer. “What are we going to tell Ella about her mother?”

“Eventually, we’ll tell her the truth, but that’s not something we need to worry about anytime soon.” Gabe kissed the top of my head. “Are you sure you’re up for wedding planning today?”

“I don’t think your mom will let us wiggle out of it.”

He flashed me a grin that was one partlet’s rebeland one partI have an idea. “Let’s get married in the same church as my parents in Sicily. A small family only event.”

“I love it, as long as Shanna, Dahlia, and Wayne are considered family.”

Gabe groaned. “I’m never going to get rid of the detective, am I?”

“Not a chance. You do realize Jessie has a thing for him, right?”

“Yeah, she made that quite clear.” He shuddered. “I’ll call and tell both mothers we’re canceling the wedding planner.”

“Oh yeah, that’s going to go over well.” I was glad he’d volunteered for the task. I’d rather go downtown and give my statement about the kidnapping than face Nadine and Evelyn.

“You know they’re arguing over which neighborhood we should live in.”

“How about Florida? I hear the Keys are nice.” I laughed. After everything we’d gone through, it felt good to think of the future.

“They’d follow us. I say we look for something near Loyola. You’ll be close to campus next fall.”

“I have to plan a wedding and give birth before I can think about applying to school. Plus, I may not get in.”

“You’ll get in.”

I smiled, loving that his belief in me gave me more confidence in myself. I would get into the Master of Fine Arts program, write best-selling novels, raise five kids, and have an awesome marriage. I could do it all, especially with a man who loved and encouraged me every step of the way.

A car door slammed, and Evelyn Marchionni walked past our front windows.

“Crap, we waited too long to cancel.” I had a moment of total panic. We weren’t exactly dressed for company.

Evidently, Gabe didn’t give a crap. He opened the door and gave the woman a shit-eating grin. “Good morning.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, this is how you open the door?” Evelyn handed Ella to him and made a beeline for me. “How are you, dear?”

“I’m okay. A little sore.” I forced a smile.

She sat and patted my still flat tummy. “You take care of yourself and my grandson.”

“I’m staying off my feet and reducing stress.” I nodded toward her son. “We’ve decided to get married in Sicily.”

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