Page 29 of Did My Heart Love Till Now?

My mother could not take the media frenzy any longer, so she snuck away and went to stay with my aunt for the time being. It was closer to the courthouse and prison. She wanted to be as near to my father as she could.

My brother was nowhere close as usual. He was not a fan of the family drama and always tried his best to stay far away. It was unclear why my father never pressured him to join the family. Time and time again, I was told what an honor it was that I had been chosen. So far, I was not seeing the benefit.

When I entered the kitchen, my sister Chiara, and a couple of her friends were at the table chatting and eating breakfast. It felt as if I had not seen my sister in weeks as I focused on my new role in the family. Paying them no mind, I adjusted my posture, striding to the coffee maker.

Chiara’s best friend, Martina, jumped out of her seat, skipping over. I had known her for years and she was practically family to us. She had just gotten back from vacation, so I had not seen her in a while either. Her long, silky raven-colored hair bounced as she came to a halt next to me and leaned on the counter. Her almond-shaped, green eyes inspected me as she folded her arms, waiting for me to acknowledge her presence. I glanced over her shoulder seeing the girls staring in our direction.

Returning my gaze to Martina, I sighed. “What, Martina?” I spun around and grabbed a mug out of the cabinet.

“Nice beard.”

Gripping the coffee pot handle, I filled the cup and took a sip.

The sudden caress of Martina’s touch on my jawline caught me by surprise. I twisted back to her. Tucking her bottom lip between her teeth, she smiled as she circled the pad of her thumb on my facial hair. “It’s so sexy.”

Leaning my head back slowly, I trailed my gaze down her supermodel frame before bringing my eyes back to hers. “Thanks.”

“Sorry about your dad,” she frowned, wrinkling her nose, “but I'm sure you're handling it quite well.”

I shook my head then walked to the others, taking small sips of the piping hot liquid. The girls had just finished eating and three pancakes remained in the middle of the table on a plate. I grabbed one, folded it in half and took a bite, smirking at my sister.

She glared up at me. “Um, you're welcome?” She arched her brow.

Chuckling, I took another bite as I strode to the archway. After I got into the hall, they began to discuss plans for the evening. I froze after hearing Juliet suggest they return to the mansion for a party after the club.

I turned around and marched back into the kitchen. “Chiara, you should just go stay elsewhere for now.”

She whipped her head around, draping her arm over the back of the chair. “Uh, why?”

I gritted my teeth as I tossed the remainder of my pancake in the trash can. “Can I speak to you alone?” I glanced around at the other girls before returning my gaze to my sister. “Now.” It was no longer a request, but an order.

She rolled her eyes, reluctantly standing then trudged toward me. Resting the mug to my lips, I took a larger swallow of the coffee as I led her down the hallway to our father’s office. The minute we stepped through the doorway, I moved around her and closed the door. She skipped over to the table, grabbed the television remote then sashayed to the desk, sitting on the surface.

She started to giggle. “You have a cute little fan club out there, big brother.” She set the remote down, then crossed her arms proudly over her chest.

“I don't fucking care about that shit.” I muttered under my breath. All I could think about was my forbidden relationship.

“Okay, okay.” She took a deep, audible breath.

Stepping over, I took the remote and turned the news off. She waited somewhat impatiently for me to find my words. Tossing the remote on the sofa, I rolled my eyes. Fingertips on my temples, I tried my best to massage the stress away. “I need you to go stay with a friend until further notice.” I began to pace back and forth in front of her.

“Why?” She was always so curious and nosy.

Taking a deep breath, I blurted all at once. “Because I don't know what's going to happen and I need the house as empty as possible right now in case people need to fucking die, okay?”

She snickered. “Okay, Mr. Power Trip, much?”

I clenched my jaw, narrowing my eyes in anger.

“I can just stay at the firehouse!” She announced as if she invented a cure for cancer.

“NO!” My gaze widened when I realized I had shouted at her.

Her mouth fell agape, and she jerked her head back, lifting her palms in surrender. “Damn! You don't have to be so rude.”

I grabbed the remote and switched the already muted television back on. Oh, shit! My eyes became saucers when I read the headline scrolling across the bottom.

Teenage girls are beginning to ‘ship’ Gavino D'Angelo and Sofia Barone.

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