Page 85 of Beautiful Desire

“Yes, Nero. Hi.”

An uneasy feeling forms in my stomach, between his proximity and the slimy smile on his face.

“Ahh, and who is this little one?” Nero asks, looking down into the stroller at Lily.

Not wanting to be rude, I reply, “This is Lily.”

The sickly smile sends a shiver down my spine. “She is beautiful like her mama.”

My head jerks back at his words. A loud ringing sounds, and Nero reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out his cell. I turn away, looking back down at Lily, wanting to get out of here and away from this creep as quickly as possible.

“Excuse me, Miss Parker, but it was great to see you. I look forward to seeing you again soon,” he says, giving me a wink before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.

What the hell was that about?

I walk around the park for a little before stopping at a bench to sit down. Thankfully, Lily fell back asleep, and I’m able to eat my brownie and finish my coffee in peace. I pull out my cell and decide to shoot G a text.

Me

Hey, bitch, do you mind if we come over a little earlier for some play time before dinner? x

Gia

Of course not. We’ll be here waiting. Let me know when, and I can get Santino to come pick you up.

Me

I can just get a cab like a normal person.

Gia

Yeah, because my husband would be cool with a cab pulling up to the house.

Me

We’re at the park. Can he pick us up from here?

Gia

Of course. I’ll send him now.

I slip my cell back into the bag and sit for a little while, people-watching. It’s one of my favorite pastimes, but the uneasy feeling from earlier still hasn’t gone away. My thoughts veer back to Nero, and a chill makes its way down my spine. He’s gone now, and I feel safe to stay here with Lily, but my gut feeling tells me that man is bad news.

Standing from the bench, I start to push the stroller when I see Santino pulling up.

* * *

We pull up to the front of the house and I see Marco and Gia standing at the door. G hurries down the steps and opens the door, trying to undo Lily’s seatbelt.

“Elle,” Marco says while inclining his head.

“Oh. Hey, babe. How are you?”

He levels me with a deadpan look. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?”

Knowing exactly how much he hates me using that name, I tend to use it as often as possible. As I lift my daughter out of her car seat, Marco grabs Lily’s things, then turns on his heel and walks straight past us into the house.

Rolling her eyes at him, Gia pulls me and Lily into a hug when I reach her.

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