by Mj Fields
“Is that a recording device?”
“No. Actually, it’s kind of the opposite. It scrambles airwaves and …” She stops and shakes her head. “Thor used to be a detective, and he’s very protective. It’s to make sure those who would use the information to hurt others don’t have the chance.” She looks around and smiles. “Not that I think Zandor is one of them, but—”
“I did not ask him to come.”
“Yeah, well, you’ll get that.” She shrugs. “It’s cool, though. Comes from a good place, but other people … not so much.”
I don’t reply. I would prefer this not even be happening, but my wife thinks that I need some answers and that I need to give them some information, as well. medical information, from Torrance and, yes, for Marcello.
“We’ve done some digging to find out what we could about Luciana’s passing and …” She stops and shakes her head, looking at me. “You are the perfect blend of them. You’re a beautiful man, Matteo.”
I don’t respond to her attempts to be cunning. I have dealt with women like her all my life.
Carlos pulls out a file. “We’re going to ask that you sign this NDA before further discussion.”
“Sure, of course.” Signing it, she says, “I didn’t bring one. I believe a man’s word is a man’s world.” She pushes it back toward Carlos, looking at me. “I know you feel like Sabato and I aren’t good parents; however, we are. Marcello is a boy who has made many mistakes. He’s also getting help for that. We do what we can. After last night, we’re doing more. But Tris sent him a message, so he isn’t totally at fault.”
“Tris sent a message because she was under the impression that I would choose to have a family in my last—” I snap my mouth shut and clear my throat. “Over love. That is not nor will it ever be the truth. She is my family. She is my wife.”
“I …” She stops and tilts her head. “I feel like there is a big portion of this being left out.”
I look at Carlos, and he nods. Then I look back at her. “You signed a paper stating that this is between us.”
“I did. But, more importantly, I give you my word.”
“Where is your husband?”
She smiles and sits back. “Parked a few vehicles back from Zandor.”
“Get him here. I will do this once, and then we’re done.”
She sends a message immediately then waves to the waitstaff and orders drinks.
I look at Carlos. “He’s to sign, too.”
As Sabato Effisto walks through the café, heads turn. When he unbuttons his jacket, removes his glasses, and kisses his wife’s head while glaring at the onlookers, they look away.
“Thank you for meeting with—”
“Carlos, the papers,” I interrupt him.
Signing, Sabato says, “I’m not your enemy, kid. Pack that pretense up, kill the attitude, and you and I will be good.”
“I don’t care enough to give a shit, nor am I here to make things good between us.”
He pushes the NDA across the table. “I’m not your enemy. I’m a father and—”
“I’m grown, and I make no enemies. I’m here to ease a burden for my wife.”
He crosses his arms and stares firmly into my eyes.
“Allow me to handle this,” Carlos states.
Eyes still locked with his, I reply, “No.” I then look back at Carlos. “I’ll begin, thank you, my friend.”
I turn back to Sabato. “My brothers have no idea that I am not blood. My grandmother, a tyrant, exposed this after her death to me and me alone. I understand why now, because I was sold by a woman and—”
“Luciana would never have sold you. That was all his doing. We found evidence that she was kept alive to allow you to be born and raised as a pawn. My killing him also killed his sick attempt at destroying me any further. Obviously, money was given to—”
I hold up my hand to stop him. “I hold no blame toward you for what happened.”
“I’m glad because—”
“And I ask that you leave me alone. Leave my family alone. My nieces are innocent in all that their father—”
“I’ve looked into that, too, and—”
“I want peace,” I cut him off, frustrated.
“Then you’ll have it. The girls will be taken care of however you decide. Marcello knows what family—”
“No.
He visible looks shaken.
“I am here strictly at Tris’s request, that you are aware that I have a heart condition. She and I agreed that you have the right to know this, because if your children have the same, they’re young enough that they may find treatment early enough to slow down the inevitable. I am in stage—”
“Excuse me. What?” Sabato asks.
“I’m dying and have made peace with it. I have congenital heart failure and choose to spend the remainder of my life, however much time that may be, being loved and in love with the woman who somehow was given to me and was too stubborn to walk away when I begged her to. Tris, her parents, Carlos, and now the two of you are the only people who know. All of you have signed an NDA. Therefore, I implore you to keep this information to yourself. Together, Zandor, Bekah, and Tris will be in charge of my estate when I am gone and will see to it that my nieces live comfortably and are taken care of, and that my brothers are given enough but not so much that they can hang themselves.”
“Matteo …” Sabato shakes his head.
“Your job in this is to make sure your children are free from this and that they continue getting checked to ensure they live a long life.”
Sabato pulls his sunglasses from his head and covers his eyes, his jaw twitching. He’s angry.
“There are steps in the grieving process for both the dying and those living. To ease that for you, with all sincerity, I’m sorry for the pain this may cause you, and I truly pray your children do not suffer from the same condition.”
“Matteo, at this moment, they’re not what’s most important.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, because aside from not making life more difficult for my nieces by unveiling this unfortunate occurrence, I will ask that you allow me to live as I have been and not burden me with forming any type of relationship where I feel the need to be tasked with easing the pain that may be caused by my death. Tris is my focus. Seeing that she is loved and growing above her circumstances is my concentration. Trust me when I say I never wanted to drag her into this. The kiss that started it all was to shield my nieces from seeing their father for the pig he is. But I also am extremely grateful that I am able to live my last days being loved by her.”
Silence, I usually find solace in it. Not the case at this moment.
“I apologize for the burden this may cause but offer a way in managing it. Make sure your children are okay. Be at harmony with the knowledge that I am spending my time where pain knows no level and love brings peace, and be each other’s comfort.”
“You’re my son.”
“I was a pawn.”
“That’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean—”
“Sabato, I’m glad I know of you. I’m happy to know I was born of love.” I push back my chair.
“Kid, do not leave like this,” he growls, and Mel takes his hand.
I reach forward and place mine over theirs. “My wife is waiting for me. I won’t miss a moment more.” I pull my hand away. “I thank you for life. Because of you, I know love.”
Epilogue
Four Years Later…
Tris
I have written a million songs about the man who helped me heal, taught me to love, and proves to me each day that miracles do come true, yet I haven’t recorded one. I still write for Foreplay, which is still touring every other year. However, I have been replaced by a killer vocalist and lyricist, “Pen,” who is Billy Jeffers’, from STD, sister.
Matteo paints and sculpts every day, we travel to his shows and galleries whenever possible, but if we don’t want to, we simply don’t. Same goes with conc
erts. Basically, we fuel our passions and still act as functioning members of society.
We also have a side hustle, our “pet project.” The pets? Our monsters. The money we raise from it goes to help people who suffer from mental health. Who runs that? Brisa, my best friend. More into that in a bit …
We also bought a baseball team with my Crew when Steel started to get taken over. The Jersey Jags.
We have homes in Jersey, Italy, and Spain, where we live at any given time, depends on the seasons. That, along with our whole food diet, taking the right medications, sleeping—God, I love sleeping—therapy once a week and, yes, having sex at least once a day, they have given us a beautiful life.
We have had scares—some small, some major—but through it all, we’re happy. So fucking happy.
A year after the big reveal in Italy, Matteo found out I was giving Mel and Sabato updates on the sly. He was a bit upset, and I told him to suck it up because to know him is to love him. Marcello and he aren’t best friends, but they are finally cordial. Torrance, on the other hand, they are close, very close. Torrance and Marcello have healthy hearts. Sabato blames the way in which he was kept alive, his early birth and lack of care, for his condition. Matteo and I—more Matteo—believe it was a vessel that brought us together.
Marcello is going into his residency, in hopes of becoming a neurosurgeon, and Torrance is now in her last year of residency as a cardiothoracic surgeon. See? Close.
Today, we’re meeting with Mel and Sabato, which we do every year here in Mexico after Matteo and I swim in the cenotes, which I’m convinced is healing him, or at very least keeping him healthy. The other thing we do is visit churches wherever we are, and we light a candle.
“Are you coming in or just going to stand there?” he yells to me.
“The view is amazing, Matteo. Can’t blame a girl for gawking.”
I have other reasons for standing here. I have a little announcement to make, and I want to see his face when I tell him.
“This only works if you’re in here with me,” he says, poking fun.
“So, if there were two joining you, do you think that would double our time?”
“Not into that. You are all I want and”—he laughs—“all I can handle.”
“You sitting down?” I ask, joking, of course.
“I’m treading water,” he states.
“Should probably wait till you’re sitting down to tell you this, but you’re going to be a daddy.”
“You don’t want kids.”
“You do.”
“But you don’t,” he says, swimming toward the rock that I’m standing on.
I sit down as he gets closer.
“Is this another scare?” He asks.
“No, and actually, I’m not afraid at all.”
He puts his hands on either side of me, searching my eyes the way he does, the way he sees everything going on inside of me. “Did you take a test to confirm—”
“Gray monsters leashed.” I hook my feet under his arms and smile. “I’m happy.”
“You sure, Tris? Because I told you I didn’t need that.”
“You want one.” I smile bigger, seeing his eyes sparkling.
“I wanted you to stop thinking you wouldn’t be a good mother,” he says, trying not to smile, but his dimple is deepening.
“I’m gonna be the best mother, and you’re going to be the best father.”
“We’re having a baby?”
I grin as I unhook my feet and slide into the crystal clear blue healing water. “We are.”
“Safe to come down now?” Dad yells.
“Your parents are here?” He brushes his lips across mine.
“Figured you wouldn’t be able to hide that happiness from Mel and Sabato, so they may as well be here. You know, keep things fair.”
“You two alive?” Sabato yells.
“Yeah, we are.” I laugh then whisper, “Tell them.”
I thought it would take some convincing, that he would say not yet. Instead, he yells, “Make that three!”
Laughing, I wrap my arms around him and kiss him in the way we do—softly, sweetly, and reverently, which is my favorite kind of kiss.
Next In Steel Crew
Want more of the Steel Crew series?
Max’s Story Releases July 1st
Preorder Maxed Steel Today!
More Tris and Matteo?
Tris and Matteo’s story began at the end of Tricked Steel, their honeymoon is fleshed out in Busted Steel, and Smashed Steel gives you more of the in-betweens.
Interest in their ‘Pet Project’?
Click the link below.
Tris & Matteo's 'Pet Project'
Books by MJ Fields
MJ Fields
THE STEEL WORLDS
(Recommended reading order)
The Men of Steel Series
Jase
Cyrus
Zandor
Xavier
Forever Family
Raising Steel
Or get the
Men Of Steel complete box set
The Ties of Steel Series
Abe
Dominic
Eroe
Sabato
Or get the
Ties of Steel complete box set
The Rockers of Steel Series
Memphis Black
Finn Beckett
River James
Billy Jeffers
or get the
Rockers of Steel complete box set
The Match Duet
Match This!
ImPerfectly Matched!
or get the
complete duet
The Steel Country Series
Hammered
Destroyed
Wasted
or get the
Steel Country complete box set
Tied in Steel series
Valentina
Paige
Gia
or get the
Tied in Steel complete box set
Steel Crew
(Generation 2)
Tagged Steel
Branded Steel
Laced Steel
Justified Steel
Tricked Steel
Busted Steel
Smashed Steel
Marked Steel
Maxed Steel (July 2021)
THE LEGACY SERIES FAMILY OF BOOKS
(Recommended reading order)
The Love Series
Blue Love
New Love
Sad Love
True Love
The Wrapped Series
Wrapped In Silk
Wrapped In Armor
Wrapped Always and Forever
The Burning Souls Series
Stained
Forged
Merged
LRAH Legacy Additions
Love You Anyway
Love Notes
The Way We Fell
The Truth About Love Series
27 Truths
27 Lies
The Firsts Series
Her First Kiss
His First Crush
Their First Fall
27 Truths About Their First Goodbye
Their First Time
The Norfolk Series
Irons
Shadows
Titan
Timeless Love series
Unraveled
Deserving Me
Hearts So Big
Couture Love
The Caldwell Brothers Series
(co-written w/ Chelsea Camaron)
Hendrix
Morrison
Jagger
Visibly Broken
Use Me
Holiday Springs
(co-written w/ Jessica Ruben)
The Broody Brit: For Christmas
Coming March 17th, 2021
The Irresistible Irishman: For St. Patrick’s Day
Standalones
Offensive Rebound
Abou
t the Author
MJ Fields is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and new adult romance novels. She lives in New York with her daughter and smoochie faced Newfie, Theo.
When she's not locked away in the cave, she enjoys spending time with her family, listening to live music, watching theatre, singing off key, dancing to her own beat, listening to audio books, and reading— of course.
Forever Steel!
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