SE7EN: A Single Dad Mafia Romance
Page 23
“Dad, I’m right here,” Grace says, fiddling with her gold hair in the mirror.
“Not close enough,” I grumble.
She shoots me a radiating smile. “How will you deal when Nia goes to college, Dad?”
“I’ll die,” I deadpan. Really, the truth is, I’m okay with it. It’s not Danny’s wedding.
She giggles and comes over, wrapping me in a hug.
“I’m leaving for vet school in a few years, too.”
“Grace, Dad needs us today, okay?” Nia says in that unique, raspy voice of hers.
Grace’s eyebrows furrow and her eyes sadden. I don’t like that look on her.
“Mom?” she whispers.
“Yeah, kiddo. Mom.”
“She’d be proud, right, Dad?” Grace whispers, staring at her feet. Nia’s gaze swings to her. “I’m gonna be a vet, a doctor for animals. Nia’s gonna be a speech therapist to help people who have trouble with words like her. She’d be proud of us?”
Sensing Nia’s eyes on me, too, I crouch down and take in my teenage daughters. In the midst of my own pain, I didn’t think how today would affect them. Nia’s been especially quiet, which is her go-to when she’s hurting. She reverts back to silence. Grace has been hyper-focused on stupid shit. I should have noticed when she nearly started crying about her hair looking bad. Neither of my daughters are vain, despite their beauty, so I should have seen it. I feel terrible. They’re kids.
“Your mother,” I say, lumping Nia in because Isla was a maternal figure for Nia, “would have been so proud. Nia…” I turn to her. “You helping others talk would have made Isla cry like a baby. You know it.”
Nia’s eyes barely fill with tears, but even the little bit welling up, she shoves away. I see the pain there, though, as she nods.
“Grace…” I turn to her. “I know you never got to meet your mama.”
I squeeze her hand as her lower lip quivers. Another trait of Isla’s.
“But she would love you. God,” I choke, “she would have just…” I take a deep breath and cup her face. “She would have been proud. A vet? That’s amazing. But more than what you two do, she would have been proud of who you are. She’s watching now, probably crying, and her heart is full of love for you two. Never forget that.”
“Is that why you do bad things but you’re still nice, too? ‘Cause of Mom?”
They vaguely know what I do. I couldn’t hide it all.
“Yeah, angel. ‘Cause of Mom. Now, let’s go see Uncle Dan get married.”
“Let’s do it,” Grace tries to cheer.
Nia nods. She needs a minute. I get it.
“Come on, girls.”
* * *
“Do you, Dan Porter, take Frank Wilson to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold…”
Boss looks at me for the umpteenth time tonight. Lacey, too. They’re worried. But I have both of my girls by my side. We’re all huddled close, supporting Dan. I may have proverbial blood on my hands, but right now, I have my girls and that’s what I’m choosing to focus on.
Right as Dan is about to say I do, his eyes full of tears and Frank holding onto him for support, a giant red and yellow bug lands on his face. He frowns and swats it away, but it comes back. He freezes.
“Bug,” he whispers. “Isla?”
His voice cracks. Frank’s eyes well up.
Danny lifts his hand. It’s shaking so hard it looks like he’s having a seizure. The bug lands on his finger and starts flapping its wings. Nia chokes. I never hear her cry, but she chokes and I grab her and pull her close, squeezing the life out of her to keep us together.
Danny cries and smiles and laughs and sobs.
“You suck, Isla Grace. Only you would come back as a bug.”
The bug lands in his hair and flutters around.
“Gross, Isla,” he mutters, but his tears are gone and that dries mine, too. Nia laughs. Grace looks confused, but I take her hand anyway and look up at the sky.
“Thank you, Isla Grace,” I whisper.
The sun seems to shine a little brighter as Danny says, “I do,” surrounded by people who care about him: mafia, kids, civilians, bugs, and all.
Just one fucked bunch with the common thread of a beating heart.
If You Loved This Story…
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Coming Soon…
Kill
Or
Be
KILLED:
The Assassin Brothers Duet Book One
A Saving Her spin-off novel
Coming March 2019
For updates, see below!
And be sure to read the Saving Her series to prepare to meet TOBIAS!
You can read Saving Her HERE.
Books By Bry Ann
Standalones:
*Axel: Axel and Aly’s Story
*Cut: Cut and Maria’s Story
*Graveyard Girl: Frances and Marley’s Story
Roses & Thorns:
*Roses & Thorns: Sven, Rose, Lacey, and Adam’s Story
*Roses & Thorns: Women
*Roses & Thorns: Men
*Roses & Thorns: Conquer
*Roses & Thorns: Box Set
FBI Brotherhood Series:
*Enzio: Derek and Iris’s Story
*Collin: Collin, Arabella, Raven, and Rhett’s Story
Saving Her Series:
*Saving Her: Sam and Logan’s Story
*Saving Him: Dana and Gunner’s Story
*Saving Them: Alex and Rex’s Story
*Safe
*Saving Her Box Set
Shattered Duet:
*Shattered: Nix and Sage’s Story
*Accepted & Rebuilt
Let’s Chat!
Hi, thank you for reading! I am a writer, psych major, and yogi who enjoys weight lifting, dance, car rides, reading, and all things Halloween. I have a love of giving struggling, complicated characters happy endings. I currently live in Dallas, TX, but will probably move again... we’ll see!
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