Page 17 of Did My Heart Love Till Now?

They took your father! She cried out before I could speak. They took your father and Giuseppe.

I know, Ma.

Gavino, I don't know what to do. I don't know who to talk to!

I will figure something out.

I had never heard my mother cry so hard before. Before I could say more, she hung up the phone while weeping.

“I need you to sneak Sofia out of here and make sure she gets home safely.” It was more of a command than a request. “The media could be stalking everyone right now and the last thing we need is to be—”

“Seen together, yeah I know.”

I nodded, resting my chin on the top of Sofia's head.

“Alright.” Joey sighed, stroking the stubble on his chin.

Eyes pooling with tears, Sofia gripped me tighter. Shaking her head in a mild panic, she pleaded silently with me.

“I promise he will not hurt you.” I reassured her, glaring at him for confirmation. “Give us a second.”

He nodded and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

Sofia sat up, twisting to face me on her knees. Her breasts spilled out as she let the blanket fall. Tears streaked her cheeks. The tip of her nose was now reddened from sobbing. I knew she was processing the reality of our families and grieving her uncle at once.

“We probably need to not see each other for a while.” Regrettably, the words spewed from my mouth.

She nodded, muttering, “I know.”

“I promise I'll figure out a way to fix this shit.” I sighed. “I didn't know your uncle but I'm sorry.”

“We were close.” She inhaled unsteadily. “I know he was involved in things but he's still my blood.”

Reaching out, I cupped her cheeks in my hands. Lightly, I grazed her soft mouth with mine then pulled her onto me. She straddled my lap, resting her forehead against mine. I gazed into her eyes, memorizing every detail. She wrapped her arms around my neck and laid a gentle kiss on my lips.

“We should get dressed.” I exhaled.

Sluggishly crawling out of bed, we both dressed in the clothes we were wearing the previous night. The moment she finished adjusting her sweater, I tugged her into my body. I was dreading saying goodbye and hated that our connection was instantly genuine. She took my cross in her palm, carefully inspecting it as she traced the edges with her fingertip.

“What if we can never see each other again like this?” She peered up into my eyes, yearning for reassurance.

My eyes lowered to her hands. Sliding my necklace over my head, I slipped it over hers, resting it on her neck. “This necklace means everything to me.”

Cupping the cross in her palms, she shook her head. “You don't have to give m—”

Putting a finger under her chin, I forced her gaze to meet mine. “It's my promise to you that I will see you again.”

A hint of a smile appeared on her face. She rested her arms on my shoulder, lacing her fingers together around my neck. Bending over, I placed a small kiss on her lips. Fingers entwined with hers, I led her downstairs.

Joey was leaning on the wall in the foyer texting when we got to the bottom of the stairs. He looked up then slid his phone in his pocket. “I’ll text you the minute I get her dropped off.” He sighed. “Do you want me to meet at your house after?”

“Yeah, I want to meet with my father's other leaders.” I clenched my jaw. “We gotta get our dads out of there.”

He bowed his head slightly. “I’ll make the call.” He turned to Sofia with a stoic façade. “You ready?”

Taking a deep breath, she nodded reluctantly. Uncertainty filled her gaze as she wrapped her arms around me. I pressed my lips to hers then pulled away.

“It's okay.” I muttered, offering a faint smile.

---