by Sam Mariano
“Thanks,” she mutters, before making a beeline through the ballroom.
“Bathroom, my ass,” Rex tells Mateo. “She’s sneaking off to text Tommy.”
“No kidding,” Mateo mutters, shaking his head in mild annoyance and reaching for his own drink.
“Is parenting getting extra fun, cousin?” I inquire, amused as all hell.
“The teenage years are off to a bumpy start,” he informs me.
“She’s only 13, isn’t she? Man, you’re in for a hell of a ride,” I tell him, openly smirking now. Looking up at Virginia, I tell her, “This is why we aren’t having kids. A city full of grown men we can control, but your own kids know you won’t kill ‘em for being pains in your ass, so they’re harder to keep in line.”
Virginia shakes her head at me before leaning in and brushing her lips against mine. “We already have Skylar and Nicky to worry about. You’re fooling yourself if you think you’ll get out of worrying about teenagers someday.”
I shake my head. “I’m not gonna worry about ‘em. Sin can be the strict one; I’ll let Nicky do whatever he wants, then I won’t have any headaches.”
“Oh, boy,” she says. “I’m going to do all the parenting when Nicky visits us, all right? You can just be the fun uncle.”
Smiling up at her, I take her hand and draw it to my lips, giving her a little kiss. “I’m good at fun.”
Smiling fondly, she sinks back against me and caresses my face. “My handsome, hedonist husband.”
Rex rises, walking over and boldly planting my son on Mateo’s lap. Mateo looks down, while Nicky grins up at him, gleefully oblivious that he’s in the lap of one of the worst men my family has to offer.
“Dada dada,” Nicky babbles, tipping back against Mateo’s chest and grabbing for his feet.
“I am most certainly not your dad,” Mateo tells him, settling an arm around Nicky so he doesn’t fall. Glancing up at Rex, he inquires, “What are you doing?”
Rex nods over his shoulder. “I’m gonna go fuck with Bella and steal her phone. If you hear shrieking, no one’s murdering her, she’s just yelling at me.”
Chuckling lightly, Mateo says, “Thanks for the warning.” As soon as Rex disappears the same way Bella went, Mateo stands. Responding to a command to move that he didn’t even verbalize, my wife hops off my lap, gathers her dress, and moves aside.
Mateo steps in front of me and puts Nicky in my lap. “I believe this belongs to you.”
Nicky brings his fist to his mouth and blinks at me.
“Are you ditching me, too?” I ask Mateo.
“Yep. I’m going to retrieve my wife.”
“Ooh, can I come? I’ll dance with Adrian,” Virginia volunteers, following Mateo with surprising eagerness. “Maybe he can topple a small government before the song is over. I want to learn from that man, I swear to God.”
I watch my wife and cousin disappear into the crowd, then I look down at my son. He’s a friendly little shit, but then I guess most babies are. “Everyone is playing musical baby with you tonight, aren’t they?” I ask him.
He grins and reaches for my face. “Ra ra ra,” he babbles. His eye catches on my boutonniere and he dives at it, trying to eat it.
“Hey, now, no eating flowers with safety pins attached,” I say, pulling it away from him.
He squeals in vehement disapproval, smacking me in the chest.
I lift an eyebrow. “You wanna go, little guy? I think I can take you.”
Apparently disagreeing, Nicky kicks his legs and nearly gets me in the crotch.
“Oh, hey, now, that’s not fighting fair,” I say, lifting him up and turning him around so he’s facing me. He certainly can’t stand on his own yet, but if I hold him up like this, he likes to think he can. “You think you’re a little badass, don’t you?”
He stomps my leg, as if to remind me about where he last tried to kick me.
I shake my head. “Hiding behind that baby laugh and cute little smiles. I see you, kid. I know your game.”
He dives forward and throws his tiny arms around my neck, craning his head back to look at my face. “Dada,” he says.
“One of ‘em,” I agree, my eyes traveling over his innocent little face.
Nicky smiles, then dives forward again and plants an open-mouthed, slobbery as hell kiss right on my cheek. It’s kinda gross, but kinda sweet, too.
“All right, all right, I love you, too.” Settling him on my shoulder, I stand and look over at him. “Let’s go find some trouble to get into. What do you say, little guy?”
I know beyond “mama” and “dada” he doesn’t say much on purpose, but I swear to God, it sounds like he answers with an enthusiastic, “Yeah!”
Smiling at the little rascal as we head into the crowd, I pat his back and tell him, “That’s my boy.”
THE END
Acknowledgments
There are so many people I’d like to thank for various things—their help, their enthusiasm, their encouragement, their willingness to have a Happy Meal for dinner so Mommy could write (I’m looking at you, Katie).
Katie, you made the most sacrifices for my writing schedule, hands-down. I hope Disneyworld is worth it, baby! I love you so much. You’re growing up TOO FAST!
Jeremy, I know you are still 84 books behind, but hey, if you ever get here, you’ll see this one: I’m sorry you had to do so many loads of dishes. :p
Jen, Sara, and Kate—my alpha and beta readers, for helping me polish this up and make it pretty! Thank you so much for your input!
Daqri at Covers by Combs for designing these kick-ass covers that I’m so in love with.
All the fantastic bloggers, readers, and fellow authors who help spread the word about my books—you guys are absolutely the best! I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you so much!
To the crazy-awesome people in my reader groups (the general one, and my Sweethearts in the Morelli spoiler group), thanks so much for your enthusiasm, interest, and support!
Most of all, thank you, the reader, for choosing to spend your time reading my book! There are so many stories out there, and you chose the one that popped out of my head. That’s crazy-awesome, and I sure appreciate it. The Morellis have been in my head for so many years, and I’m glad I was able to share them with all of you. :) Thank you so much for buying my book and enabling me to do this job that I love. I hope you enjoyed the story!
About the Author
Sam Mariano loves to write edgy, twisty reads with complicated characters you’re left thinking about long after you turn the last page. Her favorite thing about indie publishing is the ability to ditch the cookie-cutter and play by your own rules! If she isn’t reading one of the thousands of books on her to-read list, writing her next book, or playing with her adorable preschooler… actually, that’s about all she has time for these days.
Feel free to find Sam on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, or her blog—she loves hearing from readers! She’s also available on Instagram now @sammarianobooks, and you can sign up for her totally-not-spammy newsletter HERE
If you have the time and inclination to leave a review, however short or long, she would greatly appreciate it! :)