by Zavi James
There was a time I’d believed that I wouldn’t see Luc again. I had cut my ties and was ready to accept that the man I had fallen madly in love with was destined to become a stranger to me once more. To have him sat in front of me made my heart want to burst out of my chest. I took a hand from his and tentatively rested it against his cheek. Luc turned his head and kissed the inside of my palm as my eyes stung with tears.
“I know why you left,” he said, looking up at me.
Sniffing, I blinked the tears from my eyes and shook my head. “You have no idea.”
“I know, Mia. I know. Dante told me everything.”
“Everything?” I asked him quietly.
Luc nodded. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you come to me? We could have dealt with this together. You didn’t need to run.”
“I couldn’t think straight,” I admitted to him. “I’d just found Dad. I didn’t know what he’d do to me. I thought if I left then I’d be safe, and everything would go back to normal for you.”
“Why didn’t you come back after you found out about the baby?”
“I wanted to. I thought about it, but then Carmen told me that you were looking for me and I couldn’t. I couldn’t risk it.”
Luc closed his eyes and squeezed my hands before resting his forehead against my stomach. “I would never have been able to go through with it,” he whispered.
“Because of the baby,” I finished his sentence.
“No, Mia,” he said, looking up at me again. “Because I love you. Because even when you left me, I was still in love with you. Before Dante told me everything, I thought you’d left because you didn’t want anything to do with me or this life. Then I found out you were pregnant, and I thought you believed I wasn’t good enough to be a Dad.”
“That wasn’t what I thought.”
“I know,” Luc said, lacing our fingers together. “I know that now.”
We sat together in the silence of the room, the only noise the blood thundering in my ears. Luc’s skin was warm against my own, he’d caught the sun over the summer, and I saw the familiar lines that creased his brow when he was thinking over something. His index finger hooked itself on the bracelet around my wrist and I bit my bottom lip as he pulled my wrist to his lips. I’d never stopped loving him and would wager that I was incapable of loving anyone else as deeply as I did Luc.
“What happens next?” I asked. “What are you going to do about Xavier?”
Luc stood up, traces of affection vanished from his demeanor and something eerily calm came over him. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
The moment someone told you not to worry was the exact moment it took over. I stood up from the bed and narrowed my eyes. “Luc, you need to be careful.”
“Leave it to me, princess.” His hand cupped my cheek and I leaned into his touch, a kneejerk reaction that I would never be able to rid myself of. “Don’t trust anyone but me or Dante. Do you understand?”
Luc was asking me to trust him. There was some small part of me that wanted to tell him there was no chance in hell after seeing what he had been willing to do, but we had both been in the wrong. Looking into his green eyes, I knew I could put my life in his hands without worry. “Yes,” I answered.
“No one else knows about this?”
“Just you, me and Dante.”
“It stays that way. Get some rest and we can talk in the morning.”
“I’m busy tomorrow,” I told him. “I’m meeting Carmen for brunch before we head home.”
“I’ll take you.”
“Franco’s not going to like that.”
“Fuck Franco.”
A smile tugged at my lips. “Okay, you can take me, but you can repeat those words to Franco.”
Chapter Twenty Five
Lucas
Franco was seething when he found out that Mia and I had spoken without his knowledge, and even more so when I insisted that I would escort Mia to her brunch with Carmen. He had whipped out his phone the second I turned away, no doubt to let Gabriel know of the development. A monkey reporting back to the monkey who was higher up the chain. It would be a stretch to refer to Gabe as an organ grinder.
My mood brightened considerably when Mia walked into the foyer of the hotel. Gone was the sundress that she’d worn for the ceremony yesterday, and instead she’d swamped herself in a large t-shirt and jeans with her hair piled onto the crown of her head in a bun.
“Morning,” I said as she came toward me.
“Morning.” She stood in front of me, looking unsure of herself. “We should probably get going or I’ll be late, and I’ll never hear the end of it from Carmen.”
I nodded and led her out of the hotel and to the car. Traffic was light as I followed the directions Mia had punched into my phone.
“Thank you,” Mia said as I navigated through the traffic. “For taking me. It’s nice to have a break from Franco.”
“He’s not as subtle as Dom.”
“I wouldn’t call Dom subtle,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. Mia had corrupted Dom so that my strait-laced handy man became her friend before anything else. “He’s definitely nowhere near as talkative either.”
The realization hit me as to just how lonely Mia must have been in her time away. She’d lost her father and left all the friends she’d made. Carmen would have paid sparing visits when she had the time. Alone with her grief and heartbreak, Mia would have processed everything in bitter silence while I was surrounded by people who I chose to push away. She’d always had a knack for making me realize that I was an ungrateful prick.
“How’s it been living with Gabe?” I asked, pushing away the shame that started to color my cheeks.
When Mia didn’t answer straight away, I shot a glance at her. She was staring straight ahead and chewing on her bottom lip. “Interesting,” she said eventually. “There’s never a dull moment in this family.” There felt like there was something more under those words, but she said no more.
Pulling up to the restaurant, I hopped out of the car and opened Mia’s door. A strange, nervous energy pulsed through me at having her by my side again. I gave her my hand and helped her out of the Range Rover, a static tingle running across my skin. The grace she had once possessed had been sacrificed for the pregnancy. Even with her standing in front of me, I found it hard to believe that Mia was growing our child. I’d missed out on so much, but I’d be there from here on out for both her and the baby. Our touch lingered for a moment before she pulled her hand out of mine gently, flushing pink.
“Mia,” I started. Last night had cleared the table. The truth was out, and we had managed to have a conversation that didn’t end in a death threat. Being close enough to touch her, to feel her respond to my touch the way she always had, had obliterated the last of the walls that remained. Mia would always be mine and I would always belong to her in every sense of the word, I just needed to make that clear to her again.
“Mia!”
My head snapped in the direction of her name to see Carmen slipping out of a similar car, parked a few spaces away. She pushed her large, black sunglasses onto her head and narrowed her eyes when she registered me. “Get away from her,” she demanded, coming toward us with her index finger pointing in my direction. What followed was a hiss of Spanish. Carmen had been calm yesterday because she had to save face. She’d let Emilio deal with me in front of the family, but now she could do as she wished.
Mia moved her tiny frame in front of me and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes before stepping around her. No one would be hiring my pint-sized princess out for security anytime soon. “Carmen,” she said, causing Carmen’s attention to be diverted to her. Gio stood behind her looking vaguely amused, and I bit my tongue. “It’s fine,” Mia continued. “He brought me here. We’ve talked things through.”
Carmen’s eyebrows rose in surprise as she looked back to me. I folded my arms across my chest and waited for her to speak. “And?” she said, looking be
tween the both of us.
“And what, Carmen? Do you want chapter and verse?” I asked. Mia put her hand on my arm and stood next to me. “We’re talking. We’re sorting through some personal matters.”
Carmen held my gaze, looking less than impressed. Whatever bond had been formed between her and Mia held strong and reminded me of the way Dante and I stood by each other. As irritating as it was to have Carmen question me, I was happy to see Mia had formed strong allies without my help.
“I think you need to say something to Carmen regarding your behavior yesterday,” Mia said quietly.
I dropped my arms and twisted my torso to look at her, eyes wide. What the hell was she thinking? Mia stood there looking at me and didn’t utter another word. I felt the corner of my eye twitch. There had been a lot of collateral damage that had occurred as a result of her leaving, and we were both trying to make amends. Mia had witnessed just how volatile some of my relationships had become. They would need to be repaired, but I planned to do it in my own way and in my own time. That wouldn’t wash with Mia. Apologies had always been a necessity where she was concerned and just like Carmen expected certain things for Mia, Mia expected certain things for Carmen.
Slowly, I turned back around to face the Diaz matriarch. “I—” The word sounded funny, so I cleared my throat and started again. This was for Mia’s sake more than my own. “I should… apologize for my behavior at the christening yesterday.” Every single word sounded strained but at least I’d managed to spit it out.
Carmen looked at me curiously before raising a hand. My body tensed as I prepared myself for the slap, but the sting never came. Instead, she rested her hand gently on my cheek and said, “You will always be family to us, in more ways than one. Glad to see you more like yourself. You get one pass, Lucas. Try behaving like that again and I’ll make sure Emilio cuts all ties.” It wasn’t a threat but a promise. Carmen did not handle disrespect well and I was lucky that she was willing to overlook what had happened yesterday. If she was unhappy, Emilio wouldn’t hesitate to end our friendship on her say so. “It’s in the past,” Carmen continued. She removed her hand from my face and asked, “Will you be joining us for brunch?”
“No!” Mia said, a little too eagerly for my liking. I wondered what she wanted to discuss with Carmen in my absence. “No. I think Luc probably needs to go and apologize to Emilio as well.”
“Mia,” I said with warning, looking down at her. She had always pushed her luck with me, never quite knowing where the boundary was. Carmen had gotten an apology because she deserved it.
“You should go and see him,” Mia suggested, changing tack. “It would be good for you to both clear the air before we all go home.”
“I’m meant to be keeping an eye on you.”
“Gio will be with us the entire time,” Carmen reassured me. I knew her version of the Hulk would be more than capable of keeping an eye on them both, but that didn’t mean I wanted to leave.
“Fine,” I relented, out of excuses. Leaning down, I brushed a kiss against Mia’s cheek. “Enjoy your brunch.”
Chapter Twenty Six
Mia
The feeling of Luc’s lips on my skin lingered as we walked into the bistro and were seated in silence. Only after the orders were made did Carmen turn her full attention to me. Her dark hair sat over her shoulder in glossy curls and her make-up was done perfectly, no trace of late night revelry in her aura. My mouth ran dry under her expectant gaze.
“He found me last night,” I explained without any more prompt, and catching myself before I qualified that it had technically been this morning. Luc may not have wanted to give her chapter and verse, but I would preach the omitted version. “And we spoke.”
“Does he know why you left?”
“Yes.”
“Will we ever be party to that knowledge?”
I’d originally kept the secret out of fear. The last thing I wanted was to drag anyone else into the mess that I’d stumbled into, but since speaking to Luc I knew there were larger implications to people finding out about his true parentage. “I don’t think that would be a wise decision,” I said as the waiter placed down a jug of water at the center of the table and a mimosa in front of Carmen. “Luc and I would appreciate some privacy, especially since everyone has been pretty vocal about their thoughts.”
“I can respect that,” she replied, although I knew some part of Carmen was disappointed. She enjoyed a piece of gossip as much as the rest of them. “It’s good to see you back together.”
“We’re not back together,” I corrected. Luc and I hadn’t discussed the state of our relationship. That topic remained untouched and I wasn’t sure whether it would be broached any time soon. Between Xavier and the baby, we had enough to contend with and I had the small issue of trying to shake Gabe, who was probably pitching a fit if Franco had managed to fill him on everything already.
“Oh,” Carmen said, looking confused. “I thought with the way you told him to apologize—”
“No.” I shook my head. “And I didn’t tell him to apologize. I suggested it.”
Carmen rolled her eyes. “Whatever way you wish to dress it up. I’m surprised you haven’t reconciled.”
The conversation took a brief pause as the waiter returned with brunch. My stomach growled at the sight of the stack of fluffy pancakes in front of me covered in strawberries and syrup. “Thank you,” I said to the waiter and he gave me a curt nod before retreating from the table. “What would people say, Carmen? Everything got so messy.” Stabbing a fork into my brunch, I tore a bite away and brought it to my mouth. The way the rumors had spread like wildfire after my impromptu visit to church last week had played on loop in my head.
She regarded me for a moment, icy blue eyes drinking me in until I felt my skin start to prickle. “Do you love him?”
My eyes dropped down to the plate in front of me. I didn’t need to think about my answer. There was no doubt in my mind over whether or not I loved Luc. I felt it in the very fibers that held me together. Luc had always been the answer for a question I had never asked. “More than anything.”
“Then what does it matter, Mia?” That made me look up at my friend. “You know as well as I do that everyone in our little family has an opinion on things. Those of us who do well don’t allow the opinions of sheep to affect us.”
“That’s easier said than done,” I muttered, poking at a strawberry. My reintroduction to this world was not gentle, the way it had been the first time. This time, I’d been thrown to the wolves with sharp claws and sharper tongues.
“Don’t I know it,” she agreed. “I didn’t come from this world either. A lot of people doubted me and whether I would be a good fit for Emil. You can’t ignore them, but you can prove them wrong. If you love Luc, then be with him regardless of what anyone else thinks. It’d be a miserable life to give up on happiness because of a few catty comments.”
I poured myself a glass of water as I chewed over Carmen’s words. Proving people wrong had been tiring the first time around and it would be even more so now. But she had a point. Was I willing to give up on Luc because I was worried about turning the rumor mill even more?
“I think it’s stupid you’re not even considering it,” Carmen told me. “But that’s just my humble opinion.”
There was nothing humble about Carmen Diaz. If I thought that the men thought about each move before they made it, then Carmen had planned well in advance. Dragging my finger along the rim of the glass, I watched beads of water run down the outside and dampen the tablecloth.
“Whatever you want to ask, Mia just spit it out,” Carmen said, leaning back in her seat.
My finger paused the circular motion and I looked up at her properly. I considered Carmen a friend. She had been kind when I first met her at the Moretti New Year’s ball and continued to show me her generosity when she’d found me after I ran from Luc. However, I had been around this world for long enough to know that nothing came without a price. Our i
ntroduction had no fee, but the passport, papers and money that Carmen had handed over were because I had saved her son’s life. There was never the prospect of having the debt shift back into my court when I was meant to be starting a new life. It would have been a clean break, but I hadn’t left, and I was sure that meant Carmen had been deep in thought.
“What is it that you’re after?”
A smile stretched across her red painted lips and she leaned forward. “You’re starting to think like us. You’re already proving them wrong.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be proud of myself or disappointed that it had taken me so long. “Seems like it’s the only way I’m going to survive. So, what is it you want?”
“You’re a good friend to me, Mia.” Carmen wasn’t someone to bullshit people, so I knew she wasn’t trying to win me over with pretty words. “I made you Godmother to my children because I knew you’d be in our lives for good.”
“How did you know that?”
“I’ve known Lucas longer than you have. The boy has always had a temper, but he can see sense when he has all the facts in front of him.” Carmen inspected the glossy red nails on her hand, not a chip in sight. “I don’t want anything, per se.” The baby moved and I shifted in my seat to get comfortable again, waiting for her to continue. “I suppose you noticed the absence of a certain family at the christening?”
I hadn’t planned on mentioning it, but it hadn’t gone unnoticed that not a single Moretti had been around over the weekend. In all honesty, I was glad because it had made it a little easier to breathe.
“I have no patience for that family,” Carmen told me, pursing her lips. “Emilia has always been a simpering mess around that sorry excuse of a man she calls her husband.” I was shocked at just how blunt Carmen had chosen to be in front of me. There was an unspoken understanding that we were allied. That anything said between us would stay between us. “Xavier has never truly understood the words honor and duty and Horatio paid for it with his life.”