Page 4 of Stealing His Christmas Present

“Look, Dante and Dad are making sure this city is as safe as it can be. We have some enemies, sure, but we can keep them at bay. You can have the life you’ve always wanted. Your boyfriend doesn’t have to know anything about the mafia. You can say what everyone believes—that we’re a family of billionaires and successful businesspeople. We can find you a house in the safest neighborhood, and—”

“No. I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, with my luck, the nice guy is going to turn out to be a serial killer or something.”

My mom laughed. “Nonsense, honey.”

“It was just one guy,” Stella said. “And you were eighteen, and circumstances were different. It’s been over five years. You’re smarter now. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life hiding from everyone just because of him?”

Yes. Yes, I did.

It was much safer that way.

Better than making another huge mistake and getting people killed.

“Forget about that,” I said. “Show me some more photos of Gianni and Sofia.”

Stella had given birth to twins less than a year ago. My niece and nephew were absolutely adorable, and I’d rather talk about them than about any guy.

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