Page 15 of Secret Babies for the Italian Mafia Boss

When we stop in front of the house, my stomach twists in knots. I won’t let him diminish me again. I’ve come too far in the last five years for him to think I’ll let him make me feel less or unworthy because I’ve become a mother.

Andrew opens the back door and bends down to take Olivia from me, and I slap his hand away.

“I promise, I’m only here to lend an extra hand. I’ll show you to your room. I won’t hurt her.”

“I’ll kill you if you do,” I say, looking directly into his eyes.

“I’ll hold you to that.” He slowly scoops her into his arms, and she sighs, burying her face in his shoulder.

Guilt eats away at me. Sometimes I wonder if the kids are missing out on having a good man in their lives. Not even a father, just someone who is…good.

Who would have thought even that would have been hard to find?

I slide out of the car next, then pick up Ollie, and plop him on my hip. He’s nearly too big to carry, but I will never stop trying.

I exhale a long breath when I climb up the steps; memories, the good kind, weigh me down, and the last thing I want is to step through these doors.

The one person I thought would always be there for me turned their back on me. Even in death, I’m not sure if I can forgive him.

Andrew opens the door, and when I step inside, I’m not sure what I expected, but I didn’t expect for nothing to change. Time has stood still. Everything is how I remember it.

Minus the photos of me on the wall.

He didn’t waste time taking those down.

“Follow me. I’ll take you to your room.” Andrew walks down the hall and takes a left to go down another, which isn’t near my old bedroom.

Good. I don’t want to see it.

When we get to the room, there’s a king-size bed in the middle with big pillows and a fluffy comforter. Andrew lies Olivia down, and I do the same with Ollie. I tuck them in, giving each of them a kiss.

“Mommy?” Olivia slurs with sleep. “Come back.”

“Oh, I will. Don’t worry. Go back to sleep, and I’ll snuggle you in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” she exhales, falling asleep in the next second.

“They are adorable. You’ve done well.”

“I don’t want to talk to you about my kids. I don’t know what he’s told you, but—”

“—Nothing. He hasn’t said anything. I don’t know one detail about your situation.”

I nod, shutting the door behind me. “My father kicked me out and sent me twelve hours away because I got pregnant. I wasn’t married. He called me a disappointment, and he erased me from his life. That sums it up.”

Andrew swallows, clearly not expecting an honest answer.

“Where is he? I want to get this over with so I can move on.”

“He’s in his room. Bedridden.”

Muscle memory takes over, and my legs climb up the steps to his wing of the house. My hand rubs along the rail, and tears threaten again when I notice the blank space where my prom picture used to be.

God, this hurts.

I wish it didn’t.

I thought it wouldn’t matter when this moment came. I thought I had frozen my ability to feel anything for my dad, but I was wrong.

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