Beauty & The Crime Boss (Foster Family Book 1)

by Zavi James

  "We can cook," Mia told me, inadvertently adding more distaste to the suggestion.

  "I'll call a caterer."

  "No," she argued. "That's not Christmas. We'll cook and decorate the house."

  "You understand that there's a reason I keep Lydia in my employment?" I asked her.

  "Don't be a Grinch."

  "I'm not being a Grinch," I huffed, despite her speaking the truth. "It's just been a few years since I've actually sat down to a proper dinner at Christmas."

  "Tell me about it," Mia said but it was a question, not a demand. She wanted to know more about me.

  "The last one must have been just before Dad died, with Mom, Stefan and Andrew. After he died and I took all this on, Christmas just became a day with Dante or Amber."

  At the mention of Amber, Mia looked away from me. I knew that she didn't particularly like the thought of Amber, but I was being honest. Maybe it was time for things to change. If this dinner was what Mia wanted, I would give it to her.

  I pulled Mia so that she straddled my waist. "Princess, if you want a family dinner then we'll have one."

  "Are you serious?" Mia asked.

  If I had any doubts, they were washed away by the spark in her eyes. I’d walk through hell if Mia asked me to do it just to see her happy.

  "Yes."

  "With Dad?"

  "I'll let Hector know when I see him next week."

  Mia leaned down and kissed me. "Thank you, Luc.”

  ∞∞∞

  A few days later, Dante and I stood in the driveway of the house and watched a truck deliver the tallest fir tree that would fit in the living room. This would be the first time a Christmas tree had been brought into the house since Dad had passed away. Mia and I had come to an agreement that we would keep it tame, easing me back into the holiday spirit. A lie had been told.

  "We've got it. Don't worry," I grumbled as I signed for the monstrosity. Dante helped me to get it into the house and then into the living room where Mia had directed it to be installed. It had already littered a trail of needles through the house.

  "Never thought I'd see the day you'd do Christmas again," Dante commented.

  "Yeah, well..."

  "Mia?" he filled in the black without hesitation.

  I shrugged. "It's just a bunch of decorations. It's not going to kill me. What's going to kill me is dinner."

  "What dinner?" Dante asked, confused. "Tonight?"

  "No," I sighed. "She wants to host dinner on Christmas day. You're invited."

  "Guest of honor?" Dante asked with a grin.

  "Fuck off."

  "I'll be there," he told me. "Doesn't sound like a bad day. You, me and Mia."

  "You, me, Mia, Mom and Stefan," I corrected him.

  "Oh..."

  "It gets worse," I said, sighing heavily. "Hector."

  Dante's eyes went wide. "As in, Mia's Dad? And you agreed to this?"

  "She asked."

  "And you couldn't say no?" Dante watched as I dropped my head. "And you couldn't say no. She's going to ruin you," Dante laughed. She already had. With every day that went by, I was pulled in deeper. "Yeah, dinner might kill you."

  "You have to be there."

  "Don't worry. I'll be there," Dante confirmed, waving a hand. "I'm not going to miss that shit show. Hey, at least that’s your only holiday commitment. Imagine having to attend the Moretti ball for New Year’s. That would have topped off the holiday season."

  I grimaced and Dante shook his head. "You're not being serious. You're taking Mia to the ball?" Dante asked me, raising an eyebrow.

  "I don't have a choice."

  "What? Why?"

  The Moretti family, headed by Xavier Moretti, ran the state. Old blood. Old money. Xavier and Dad had been good friends for years despite a number of disagreements. So close that Xavier had been given the role of my godfather. When I had taken over, four years ago, I had kept my distance from him. There were too many memories associated with Dad and I wanted to find my feet before walking into the fold formally, as a family head.

  "I had to see him about Marco," I explained. "Thought it was better to bite the bullet."

  My actions could have caused a lot of issues. I had acted out of impulse, given Marco no warning, and had gone in for the kill. That wasn’t how things worked, and the consequence of my action had meant I could no longer hide in the shadows.

  "He wants to meet her."

  "Luc," Dante said, looking uneasy. "You're going to put her in all that?"

  "It was going to happen at some point. We're going to be there. She stays with us. We're in, we chat, we get out," I laid out the plan.

  Dante scoffed at the simplified outline of the night. I wasn't comfortable either but if I kept this from Mia it would only come and bite me in the ass. If I wanted her then I had no choice but to have her all in.

  "Babe?" Mia's voice drifted through the house.

  "In here!" I called out and then I added under my breath, "Follow the trail of fucking needles."

  A few moments later, Mia and Dom joined us in the living room.

  "Oh, wow," Dom said, eyebrows shooting up as he took in the tree.

  "It came!" Mia exclaimed.

  No matter how much I hated the mess and the holiday season, it was worth it just to see Mia light up. She walked over to me and I wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “It came,” I confirmed. “But this does not constitute small. When are we decorating this monstrosity?" I asked.

  "Now?" Mia suggested, ignoring her blatant disregard for breaking our agreement.

  "Sure."

  Dom gave us a smile. "I'm going to leave you guys to it. I think Lyds wanted to give me a list of things that needed fixing."

  Dante nodded and said with less tact, "I just don't want to be around this sappy shit so I'm going to see what I can find in the kitchen."

  Mia flushed red as they left. I looked at the bags by the door and then back to my girlfriend. "Find everything you need?" I asked with a laugh. There was no point in resisting. Mia was holiday crazy and nothing I did or said would change that so I would roll with the madness.

  "You have a big house," Mia told me.

  "And you're decorating every inch?"

  "Without fail," Mia told me defiantly. She untangled herself from me so she could take off her coat and scarf before rummaging through some bags. Boxes of baubles and lights and various other things were in her arms when she rejoined me.

  "Start from the bottom and work our way up?” Mia suggested.

  "Whatever you think is best, princess."

  We both sat on the floor as she opened boxes, pushing them towards me. "Did you ask Dante about dinner?"

  "Yes and he'll be there."

  "Have you spoken to Stefan yet?"

  I didn't answer her question.

  "Luc," Mia said softly.

  "Mia, can't he just go to Andrew's for Christmas?"

  She looked up at me as she finished placing a bauble on the branch. "He wants to spend Christmas with your Mom. His Dad's not even here over Christmas."

  I hated the fact that Mia had spoken to Stefan so much that she knew all the little details.

  "He can't sit in his room all day," Mia tried to reason.

  "I don't see why not."

  "It's either you ask him or I do," Mia told me, realizing I wouldn't listen to reason.

  That would not be happening on my watch. Mia would not talk to Stefan on her own. Not when I couldn't trust my brother not to try and twist things again. If Stef wasn’t a giant liability, I would have asked him to join the family business after the stunt he pulled.

  "I'll do it," I grumbled.

  "You're not happy about it."

  "Mia, he tried to drive us apart. I'm not the boy's biggest fan at the moment."

  "You need to let it go."

  "You're too forgiving," I told her, narrowing my eyes.

  "I haven't forgiven him. I just think maybe he's been punished enough. No one's talkin
g to him properly in the house, Luc."

  I’d had to pull Dom off Stefan once my handyman had found out about the lies. Preferably, it would have been good to see Dom knock some sense into his thick skull but at the risk of having Lydia and Mia mad at me I had broken it up.

  This was one of the reasons I was so drawn to Mia. She wanted to see the best in people and to give them a chance. She was the light in all of my darkness. Mia was well within her rights to do so but it didn't mean that I had to do the same.

  "You know how to hold a grudge," Mia said with a sigh. She leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the lips and I moved to try and deepen it, but she pulled away. "Now, help me with this tree."

  Chapter Forty Five

  Mia

  We worked along the tree slowly, adding baubles and lights. Every so often, I would reposition Luc’s efforts and he would grumble under his breath about the “stupid tree”.

  "I'll talk to your Dad this week," he informed me. I knew Dad would agree considering we had never spent a Christmas apart. "I'm not his favorite person but I'm sure you being with me is going to send his blood pressure through the roof."

  My face fell at the comment. I hadn't actually thought about what Dad would think of our relationship. Luc and I had been in a bubble where everyone had accepted us being an item.

  Luc latched onto my change in mood and wrapped his arms around me from behind. "What's wrong?"

  Placing a small bauble on a branch, I leaned back against him. "I'm just thinking, maybe we shouldn't tell my Dad."

  "Why not?" Luc asked, his grip around me became tighter as if I was about to walk away.

  "As you said, he's not going to like it."

  Luc let out a small, mirthless laugh and let go of me. "Right."

  "Luc," I tried.

  "No."

  "Luc."

  "What Mia?"

  I placed the decorations in my hand onto the floor and moved over to Luc who sat on the back of the sofa. "I'm just worried about what he'll say."

  "It's probably nothing he hasn't said about me before."

  Luc made a valid point. I had already heard my Dad's thoughts on Luc. There wasn't much worse he could say but I wanted him to like Luc and see what I saw. Maybe it would be a matter of time the same way it had been for me. Once you got to know Luc there was more to him than what he allowed the world to see.

  "I don't want to hide, Mia," Luc told me. "You're mine and everyone should know that." He pulled me into him, and I leaned against his solid body.

  "I'm not hiding it," I said gently.

  "You don't want to tell him. That's trying to hide it."

  "Can we just wait until after dinner?" I tried to compromise. "We can sit down and tell him together."

  Luc looked unhappy but eventually nodded his head. "Okay, but we are telling him, Mia."

  I gave him a kiss in agreement. The entire situation made me nervous, but Luc wasn’t asking for much. Just like I wanted to be a part of his world, he wanted to have a place in mine. Luc let go of me and we both drifted back to the tree to continue decorating with Luc working on the branches I couldn't reach.

  "Whilst we're on the topic of telling people," Luc started.

  I popped my head around the tree to look at him. "Yes?"

  "Xavier Moretti throws a New Year's ball every year. He's requested I bring you."

  The name sounded familiar to me and I grasped at the memory. "Xavier Moretti? The guy who stuck a knife in your Mom's hand?"

  Luc gave a tight smile. "The one and only."

  "And you want us to go?" I asked, slightly alarmed.

  "Not particularly but I'm going to leave the decision to you," Luc said with a shrug.

  "Why don't you want to go?"

  "Stabbing my Mom in the hand is tame for Moretti's standards," Luc informed her.

  An uneasy feeling grew in my stomach. "And you're leaving the decision with me?"

  "You told me to be open. It's all part of my life, Mia but I don't want to push you into it. I know I can't keep it from you. You'll meet everyone eventually."

  "Can I think about it?" I asked him quietly.

  "Of course."

  This was what I had wanted. I wanted Luc to speak to me and not make decisions on my behalf, but I was unsure with this situation. I knew what Luc did for a living, I had witnessed first hand what he was capable of, but I trusted Luc. I wasn't sure how much I could trust everyone else, especially after my encounter with Marco.

  A comfortable silence settled between us as we finished the tree and I picked up the star from the box. "Does Dom have a ladder around here?"

  "You don't need a ladder." Luc moved a few steps closer and hoisted me up onto his shoulders.

  "No! Luc put me down," I yelled as I held onto him.

  "You're fine. Top the damn tree." Luc took careful steps towards it and I let out a scream, making him laugh. "I'm not going to drop you."

  He suddenly bent at the knees as if to drop me and I felt my stomach flip. "Luc! Stop it!"

  He laughed harder and repeated the motion. I slapped his forehead. "LUC! I swear to God..."

  "Quicker you top the tree, the quicker I let you down," he teased me.

  I cautiously leaned over and placed the star on the topmost branch. Luc took two steps backwards so that we could admire our handy work. He would have happily hired someone to make it perfect, but I preferred to do these things myself. I grinned from ear to ear. Our first Christmas tree, all ready for our first Christmas.

  When Luc finally put me back down on the ground, I swatted at him. "You're so lucky I love you." The words had flown from my mouth before I could process what I was saying.

  "What did you just say?" Luc asked me.

  I panicked. "Nothing."

  "Mia."

  I couldn't say it again. "I didn't say anything."

  A smile started to creep across Luc's face. "I think you did."

  Turning away from him, I made my way out of the room but Luc followed quickly behind me and so I broke into a run. Luc gave chase and I managed to make it to the garage before Luc's arms wrapped around my waist, picking me off my feet and pulling me into his chest.

  "Let me go!" I struggled against him.

  "Not until you tell me what you said."

  "Luc, please," I pleaded, mortified that the words had just tumbled from my lips.

  Luc set me down gently and turned me around to face him. "I just want to hear you say it. Please."

  The way he said please made me melt. For a man who didn't say the word often he knew exactly how to use it to get what he wanted.

  "I said," I started and then hesitated.

  "Yes?"

  "I love you," I whispered.

  Luc picked me up again and captured my lips in a kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and legs around his waist. When we broke apart the grin on Luc's face was the biggest, I had seen.

  "I love you too, Mia."

  My heart stuttered in my chest to hear him say it so readily. I had no idea how this had happened, but I knew I wouldn't swap it for the world.

  "Tell me again," Luc told me.

  "I love you," I obliged.

  "Again."

  "I love you,” I laughed, and Luc kissed me before placing them all across my face. This was the happiest I’d felt in some time and I hoped that Christmas would be the start of happy memories for us to look back on.

  Chapter Forty Six

  Mia

  Christmas morning saw Luc as my shadow from the moment we woke up. Nothing delighted me more than watching him hand things to me upon my request, dressed in his boxers and a Santa hat. He was delighted when he got dressed to pick up his Mom, and was no longer required to wear the hat. I’d break him eventually.

  Maria and Luc got back just as we sat down for breakfast and afterwards the five of us invaded the living room to play board games. Maria diplomatically placed herself between her sons, bridging the gap, and I was grateful they managed to stay civil. Stefan ha
dn’t said much all morning but that was for the best.

  Not long before lunch, Luc answered the door to Dad, and I squeezed past and threw myself at him. By far this was the best Christmas gift I had received.

  "Dad!"

  "Merry Christmas, darling," Dad said, hugging me close.

  "Hector." Luc gave a curt nod.

  "Lucas."

  I knew that Luc would find it awkward to navigate his relationship with Dad but all I wanted was to make it through the day without an incident.

  "Well, dinner is pretty much ready so how about we go sit down," I suggested, walking with Dad to the kitchen as Luc followed behind us.

  The seating plan had been arranged in a way that hopefully wouldn’t lead to an argument. Luc and Dante sat at either end, Maria and Stefan on one side and Dad and me on the other. Dinner was served with Luc’s help, an excuse for him to keep close by and steal touches when Dad wasn’t looking. We’d sit with him after dinner and I’d introduce Luc as my boyfriend. No matter how nervous I felt, looking at Luc I knew I wanted nothing more than for him to feel valuable in my life.

  Over dinner, Luc and Maria chatted and I took up conversation with Dad as Stefan joined in. Dante had received the short end of the stick and I made a mental note to give him the biggest slice of dessert as an apology. He wasn’t just Luc’s brother but had become mine over the course of the past few months, never complaining about anything I went to him with.

  "Mia," Maria said, catching my attention. "Luc said that he's taking you to Xavier's ball."

  "Xavier Moretti?" The attention turned to Stefan who had spoken.

  "Yes." Luc's response was terse.

  "Oh my God," Stefan laughed, looking between us both. "You really are stupid."

  "Stefan," Luc warned his little brother.

  "You thought Marco Bianchi did damage? You're taking her to Moretti!"

  "Keep your mouth shut, Stefan."

  "Or what?"

  Luc got up out of his chair and Stefan followed.

  "Boys," Maria hissed. "We have company."

  Both of them looked to their Mom before sitting down again but the tension felt thick in the air. The rest of dinner became a quiet affair and when everyone had finished, I cleared the table for dessert. It was one small hiccup, but the rest of the day didn’t have to be ruined.