Page 19 of Marrying the Underboss

He nods. “I grew up in a small town like this. Only a few hours from here actually.”

“Really? I thought you were from Jersey.”

He shakes his head. “I was born in Chicago. When my dad was taken out, Mom left town and never looked back. She disappeared in case they ever came looking for us.”

I put my fork down and wipe my mouth more interested in what he has to say than what’s on my plate. “I didn’t know that about you.”

He shrugs. “I don’t tell many people.”

“What brought you to Jersey, then?” I ask, needing to know everything now that he’s finally opening up.

“After I got out of the Army, I was angry. I needed to find the people who killed my dad and repay the favor. Turns out they were in Jersey, in direct competition with your dad. I hooked up with him and we came up with a plan that was mutually beneficial and exacted our revenge. Then he hired me forother things.”

“Like finding the man who hurt my mom?” I ask. My dad never told me outright, but I always assumed that Kane was the person who took care of it.

He gives me a wary look before answering. “Yes. Does that bother you?”

I shake my head. “Not in the least. He deserved what he had coming to him.” I shake my head not wanting to think about it anymore. “What happened to your mom? Do you still see her?”

His eyes go dark and he looks away from me. “No. She and Mr. Flynn, my pseudo dad I guess you could call him, were gunned down in a robbery gone bad when I was eighteen.”

I reach across the table and hold his hand. “I’m sorry Kane. It’s hard losing one parent, I can’t imagine what losing all of them must have been like.”

He rubs his thumb across my hand. “I was angry for a long time, but your dad put my anger to good use. He focused me and helped turn me into the man I am today. I don’t know where I’d be if he hadn’t taken me in.”

“He’s not so bad, I guess,” I smile, joking around.

“Jennifer, he may do illegal things, but he’s not a bad man. He taught me about honor and respect. He showed me the ways of the business and how to do it without losing your soul. He’s one of the best men I’ve ever known.”

“Thank you for saying that. I’ve always known him as my dad, so it’s hard for me to put the two parts of him together. Ijust pretend he’s a businessman. That doesn’t seem fair to him though. It sounds like I’m ashamed of him.”

“Are you?”

I tip my head to the side thinking about it. “No, not really. I’ve never been part of that world, so I don’t know what’s going on in that aspect of his life. I mean, you know what I’ve been privy to since you’ve been around for most of it. I see the way some of the guys treat their women and families. Honestly, most of what I know is what I’ve seen on TV. I have to wonder if that’s what he’s like when he’s not around me. I know he keeps me out of the loop on purpose, and I’m thankful for it, but I’m still left not knowing. Maybe not knowing makes me think the worst.”

“Is that why you don’t want any part of being ‘in the life?’ so to speak.”

“Maybe,” I grab my fork and twist some pasta around it and take a bite.

“Enough with the heavy conversation. What do you like most about being here?”

Grateful for the conversation change, I smile. “You’re going to think it’s dumb,” I laugh.

He shakes his head. “I won’t. Tell me.”

“I like being in the kitchen and taking care of the house. I know women these days are supposed to have a career and be able to do it all, but I don’t want to do it all. That’s a lot to shoulder. I feel like I just betrayed women all over the world for admitting to that,” I laugh.

“That’s not dumb, Jennifer.”

“Why don’t you ever call me Jenny?”

“That’s what Fucker called you” I laugh hard when he calls him Fucker. “What’s so funny?” He asks, looking like he’s about to get upset.

“You always call him some derivative of Fucker, never by his real name. You’ve gotFuck Face, Fuck Head, and Fuckerino,that is one of my favorites by the way. It’s always something, and I love it.” I shrug.

“He deserves it,” He grumbles to himself then takes another bite of his pasta.

Once we’re finished eating, Rosa walks over to our table to take our plates. “Look at these two Pauly, so in love,” She says to her husband standing a few feet away. “You’re a beautiful couple. How long have you two been married?” She asks.

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