Page 47 of The Mobster's Nanny

“Actually, I’m not sure if Giovanni knows that.” I frown, thinking about our last interaction this morning. “When I told him I knew that they lied about Hank, he looked genuinely confused. I don’t think he believed me.”

Louis waves a hand. “He’s just good at playing innocent. We all would do the same if there was a gun pressed to our foreheads.”

He’s right, but for some reason I have a hard time believing it. I remember the look in Giovanni’s eyes, and I’m sure it was genuine. He was too good at wearing his mask of indifference, and if he wanted to lie, he wouldn’t show any emotions at all. I raise a hand to rub my forehead, listening to Paolo talking about his wife who, apparently, can help them find more information about Giovanni, when I feel Matteo squeeze my hand.

“Are you alright?” he asks quietly, and I look him in the eyes with a tired smile and nod.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I just—I don’t know what to make of this.”

Matteo leans closer to me, stroking the side of my palm. “You don’t have to think about it anymore. We’ll figure it out, don’t worry.”

God, I had no idea how much I needed to hear this. For a long moment, I just stare at Matteo, feeling my chest tighten around my heart that’s suddenly so heavy and aching—but it doesn’t feel bad. It’s good to finally be able to touch the feelings buried deep inside of me and welcome the memories of the past.

I have no strength or desire to fuel the hatred and desire for revenge that have been consuming me for years. My brother is dead, and maybe it’s finally time to mourn his death and move forward. Tears rise to my eyes from the deep nagging feeling in my heart, and I lean into Matteo to bury my face in his shoulder and find peace in his embrace.

I stay like that for a bit, listening to them talk about the Mexicans and the clear hostility with which the Escarra decided to stand up against them, but eventually, it gets to be too much for me to handle. I’ve done my job here—now, I want some rest for my body and soul. So I excuse myself from their circle and go upstairs to fulfill my promise to Romeo.

His joy and excitement at the sight of me distract me from the gloomy thoughts, and I don’t know how much time we spend in his room, organizing battlefields and scratching Dolce’s belly. By the time we hear a knock on the door and Matteo peeks inside, Romeo and I are slumped on his bed with his head on my chest and his favorite book in my hands.

“You’re doing well, I see.” Matteo chuckles, eyeing us for a moment, but Romeo hurries to wave his hands in a shooing gesture.

“Papa, go away! We’re getting to the most interesting part.”

Any other time, I’d correct him for the demanding tone, but right now I don’t have enough mental strength for a good scolding, so I only look at Matteo with an apologetic smile. He purses his lips at Romeo, showing his displeasure, but in the end he says nothing as well and looks at me.

“I’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”

I nod, and for the next half an hour Romeo and I dive back into the sci-fi world of space travels and undiscovered planets. By the time I finish the sixth chapter, Romeo’s eyelids are already heavy and he keeps yawning and dozing off on my shoulder. But as soon as I attempt to move him toward the pillows, Romeo forces himself to sit up and grabs my elbow.

“No, Miss Liss, just a little more.”

“I think that’s enough for today.” I run a hand over his hair and lean down to press a kiss to his temple. “You need some rest, Romeo. I’ll read more tomorrow.”

He frowns, then, and pushes his head up to look at me over my shoulder. “Will you be here tomorrow?”

Oh. I blink and look to the side. Well, it’s actually a good question—and Romeo probably catches the hesitance in my eyes because he tightens his grip on my arm and fidgets to look at me properly, his lips already pursed into a pout.

“Don’t leave, please. It was so sad and lonely without you.”

Ah, my sweet boy. I smile softly and pull him into an embrace, pressing my cheek to the top of his head. “I know, I was very sad and lonely without you too.”

Romeo leans closer, wrapping his arm around my waist, and I catch a note of longing in the way he pushes himself into the hug. It makes my heart squeeze so tight I feel it in my throat, and I hug him back. God, if I could, I would never leave him again—but it’s up to Matteo now. Is he willing to go back to where we started?

“Don’t go away, please,” he murmurs into my shoulder, and I nod, closing my eyes for a moment.

“I won’t, I promise.”

Finally, after a long moment of holding me tightly, Romeo yawns again and pulls back, rubbing his eyes. I take it as a reason to put him to bed, and this time he doesn’t protest. The emotional rollercoaster of the day must’ve taken a toll on him—and it’s his bedtime anyway. So I cover him with a blanket, kiss his forehead, and turn on the night lamp before quietly walking out of his room with Dolce in tow.

When I get downstairs, I realize that the lights in the house are dimmed and only the lamp above the stove is as warm as ever, creating an intimate circle of light in the kitchen. Matteo is sitting on one of the stools with a phone in his hands, its bright light illuminating his face, making it sharp and intimidating. God, why do I find it so hot?

“Hey,” I call him quietly, walking through the living room, and Matteo immediately looks up, putting his phone away. “What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.” He chuckles and points at the bottle next to him. “Do you want to share a bottle of wine?”

Oh, that would actually be perfect right now. I go to get a couple of glasses from the cupboard while Matteo opens the bottle, and a few minutes later, we settle next to each other, our knees brushing. He holds out his glass with a smirk, and I can’t help but smile, holding my own glass to clink against his.

For a long moment, we remain quiet, allowing the silence to speak for itself. It’s so comfortable to just be next to Matteo again that I don’t want to interrupt it with words. The air in the kitchen is warm and thick with meaning on its own, and I can feel the invisible strings keeping me close to Matteo, everything inside of me tight and longing for him.

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