THE CALLAHANS (A Mafia Romance): The Complete 5 Books Series (68 page)

It was as if cold water had just been poured over all of us. I hadn’t known. No one would tell me the details of what had happened that night, assuming I was too young to understand as they’d always done. Never mind that I was twenty-two and plenty old enough to comprehend the darkness that was within the life my father chose to live.

“Your husband…?”

“Aldo. He was by the warehouse doors when you pulled him back and rushed out to get Daddy out of the line of fire.”

Kyle and Killian exchanged a glance. “I remember,” Kyle said, focusing on my sister again.

“Aldo said if not for you, Daddy probably would have lain out there and died. So, we owe you everything.”

Kyle grew uncomfortable, shifting a little between his feet. “I was just doing what needed to be done.”

“He also said that it was your idea to slip everyone out the back while the gunmen were distracted.”

“We all worked on that solution.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. We know we owe you, and we Rossis pay our debts.”

Kyle inclined his head to accept her words as humbly as he could. I watched, quite impressed. Not only were these people human beings, not monsters, but they were respectful, kind, and polite. In some ways, they were better than the men who worked for my father.

“Your wife isn’t here?” Seraphina asked Kyle. “I was hoping to meet her.”

“She flew to Oregon to visit her father. She won’t be back for a few days.”

“Well then, I guess it’s you and me.” Seraphina slid her arm through the crook of Kyle’s arm and led him toward the table, which was beautifully set further down the deck. Kyle glanced back at me and his brothers, an almost panicked look on his face.

“She won’t bite,” I called, causing Seraphina to shoot me a dirty look, but the others to laugh.

“You’ll fit in well around here,” Stacy said, touching my arm lightly.

For a moment, I almost felt like she was right. And then I saw him.

He’d been standing against the far wall the whole time, watching the introductions over the rim of his glass, his light eyes fixed on mine. He was so handsome that it took my breath for a second. He looked like Brad Pitt if Brad Pitt was thirty years younger, a foot taller, and had much broader shoulders. There was something rugged about his jaw, something almost delicate about his brow. He was a set of contradictions that came together to create an extremely masculine, intensely handsome man.

I couldn’t read his expression. I’d always prided myself on being able to read people in all kinds of situations, but I couldn’t read him. I couldn’t tell if he thought I was attractive, or if he was ready to run for the hills. There was something so distant about him that I felt like any attempt to get to know him would be a complete waste of time.

But I wanted to. I couldn’t explain why, but I really wanted to get to know him.

Ian

This wasn’t the way it should be.

When her sister first walked outside, I thought, well, she wasn’t bad looking. Tall. Dark. Not really my type, but not bad looking. But then Stacy introduced her as Seraphina Catalina, and I was a little disappointed. This one…I could have made it work. A year or two of marriage…we could do that. Then a quiet divorce and I could walk away without a second thought. But then the other one came walking through the doors…and I knew I was in trouble.

She looked as unhappy as I was to be there and, for some reason, that offended the hell out of me. What did she have to lose in marrying me? I was a good catch. Women all over Boston would be crying in their drinks next week when the announcement came out. Yet, she looked like she was being marched in front of the firing squad. She had no idea what she was getting into.

And then the whole scene with Kyle and she seemed to soften a little. There was even a slight smile on those full lips. But then our eyes met and that smile all but disappeared.

What was she thinking?

She was beautiful. Not my type. I preferred my women to be blond, slender, lithe. She had curves on curves, her breasts threatening to pop through the front of her dress. But there was something about the slight blush on her cheeks, the warmth of her coloring, the green of her eyes. I couldn’t pull my eyes away.

“Ian!”

Stacy gestured with the arm that wasn’t filled with the baby, calling me over. Everyone turned then, staring at me as if they’d just remembered why we were all here. I felt as if I was in high school again, that if I didn’t move quickly enough, one of them would come over and drag me to stand in front of her.

I took a deep breath and headed over, leaving my glass at the table as I passed it.

“Hello,” I said politely as I came to a stop in front of her.

She studied me quite openly, not even trying to hide the curiosity that shone in those gorgeous green eyes.

“Mia,” she said, holding out long, thin fingers.

I took her hand, trying to ignore the little shock of excitement that rushed through me.

Everyone was watching us. I felt like I was in some sort of bizarre production, the bachelor on one of those stupid reality shows. I never should have agreed to this group meeting. I should have insisted on meeting her one-on-one, in a restaurant or at a bar where we could both drink liquid courage, at least something harder than the chardonnay that Stacy was serving. But it was too late for regrets.

“Dinner should be about ready,” Stacy suddenly announced. “Everyone have a seat while I go check.”

She handed the baby to Killian and disappeared through the door.

“Should I go help?” Mia asked.

“No. She much prefers to do it herself,” Delaney said, moving up behind me. “Trust me. I’ve been there.”

Mia nodded, glancing at me as she was propelled toward the table by everyone else’s movement. Kyle and Seraphina were already there, whispering close to each other, making me wonder what it was they had to say to each other. Kyle caught my eye and smiled, but it was one of those smiles that made me weary.

I poured myself another glass of wine and settled in the chair I always took when I was at Killian’s, the seat beside him, across from Sean. But Sean came up behind me and tipped the chair a little, gesturing to Mia, who’d settled in a seat beside Seraphina and Kyle.

Grumbling something I probably shouldn’t have said, I got up and moved around to the other side of the table. Mia looked up when I settled beside her…that little bit of a blush back.

“Did you want some wine?” I asked as politely as I could.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

I got up again, feeling again like I was back in high school. I poured her a glass from the small bar at the back of the deck, carrying it and the bottle back to the table because I knew I would want more. I wasn’t sure about her.

We sat there beside each other—everyone watching us with baited breath—with nothing to say to one another. The tension was so thick that I could feel it weighing down on my shoulders like a physical weight. I wanted to get up and go, hide out at my place, or maybe even drive up to Manhattan and demand to know why Carrie hadn’t called in five days. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, but I couldn’t make myself make that phone call, either. How was I supposed to tell the woman I’d been seeing for six months that I was sort of, kind of, engaged to another woman?

Stacy saved us by coming out with a rolling cart that was laden with all kinds of delights. She’d made rack of lamb and buttery potatoes and an amazing pasta salad that was a recipe Mom taught her. We dug in, everyone talking at once about the delicious aroma that filled the table. I was so caught up in the growling of my own belly that I didn’t notice how generously Mia filled her plate. I watched her close her eyes as she took her first bite of the pasta and saw the appreciation bring a smile to her face.

I couldn’t dislike anyone who appreciated my Mom’s recipes.

“The secret is the grapes,” I told her.

She nodded. “And the little bits of green apple.”

She had an amazing palate. Impressive.

The conversation turned from food to a couple of new movies hitting the theaters soon to a music group that was coming to town in the next week or two. Seraphina was quite vociferous, joining the conversation as if she’d been one of us since the beginning, but Mia was silent, preferring to enjoy her food and wine as if she was a critic visiting a restaurant looking for a third Michelin star.

She was fascinating.

The weather began to turn a little as we grew close to the end of the meal. Killian welcomed everyone into the living room, but Mia stayed back to help Stacy gather the dishes on her little cart. I watched from the doorway and saw how animated her face got as they talked about something that got washed away on the wind.

“She’s a firecracker,” Stacy said as she passed me.

I’d described Stacy the same way once. She touched my arm, a knowing look in her eye. I pretended I didn’t know what it was she was trying to say.

I stepped out onto the deck.

“You should come in. It’s going to rain soon.”

Mia was at the railing, the wind beating her skirt around her legs. She turned her head up to the sky and took a deep breath.

“Not for a little while yet.”

“You can tell the weather with just a glance?”

“No. But I can’t smell rain yet. You can usually smell it a few moments before it comes.”

I moved up beside her, leaving a foot or so of distance between us, as I leaned my back to the railing. Her eyes were closed, her lips just slightly parted.

“How old are you?”

She peeked at me. “Why? Do you think my father’s doing this because I’m an old maid or something?”

It’d crossed my mind. But that wasn’t why I’d asked.

“I’m twenty-two. I graduated Boston College last year, and I’ve been in Chicago that last four months.”

“What’s in Chicago?”

“My boyfriend.”

Was it odd that I felt a twinge of jealousy when she said that?

She was peeking at me again. “Does that change your opinion of me? Knowing I have a boyfriend?”

“It makes the whole engagement thing a little complicated.”

She smiled. “And I’m supposed to assume you were single when they sprang this on you?”

“You don’t think so?”

“A guy who looks like you is rarely single.”

“You’d be surprised.”

She shook her head. “I bet she’s a beauty, too. Tall, blond. The kind of girl who should be between the pages of
Glamour
.”

I shook my head, but she wasn’t far from the truth.

“Neither one of us really wants to do this. But neither of us can handle the guilt that would come with a full-on street war either.”

“We’re not even married yet and you’re already speaking for me.”

She laughed. “Sorry. I guess that’s the Italian in me.”

I turned toward her a little, my eyes wandering to places they shouldn’t have gone. I was only human, after all, and her breasts were seriously about to fall from the thin material of that delicate dress. I’d never really been attracted to women with such large breasts because they were usually fake and I didn’t like the feel of the implants. No matter how innovative doctors thought they were being, they could never make fake breasts feel like the real thing. But these—they were very obviously real. And they were round and creamy, and her nipples were pressing against the front of her dress, and I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes from them.

It was official. I had reverted to adolescence.

She opened her eyes suddenly, looking up at me.

“Did they tell you that we didn’t have to go through with this if we didn’t like each other?”

“Yeah.”

“We could just tell them we couldn’t stand each other on first sight.”

“We could. But I’m not really good at lying.”

She bit her lip to hide the smile that threatened to blossom there.

“Is that right?”

I shrugged, my attention turning to the light shining from the living room. I could see my brothers trying not to watch us, but doing it just the same. Even Seraphina was in on it, craning her neck to see around Kyle as she stole peeks at us.

“This is pretty important to them.”

“I know.”

“The tension that’s been building on the streets is going to destroy this city if we don’t stop it.”

She nodded. “I just…I don’t see how you and I getting married will do that.”

“It’ll show unity between our two organizations. And it’ll show that Carmine and Jack are honest in their desire to make things right.”

“You seem convinced.”

“I…”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Until this moment, I thought I was still struggling with the idea. But I looked at my brothers again, saw the way Seraphina was staring at Kyle with deep gratitude, the way Stacy ran her hand affectionately over Killian’s arm, the way Delaney and Sean whispered to each other, and I knew that I had to do everything I could to keep this family together, to make sure no one else was killed or arrested, to make sure that things went back to the status quo as quickly as possible. We had a good life, once. Despite Mom’s death, despite the huge hole she left in our lives, we’d managed to come together and build a life, a routine, a world that made sense. Then Kevin came back and turned it all upside down…and all I really wanted was to put it right again.

If marrying this girl could do that…

And it didn’t hurt that I was so completely attracted to her. It killed my heart to admit that. I believed I loved Carrie as much as I was capable of love. But I could also see myself with this beautiful stranger, despite my deep desire not to like her, not to see myself tied to her.

Just a couple of years. And then, maybe…

“I don’t think we have much choice.”

She raised her face to the sky again. In that instant, the skies let go and rain began to pour down over us. I cried out in surprise, the cold shocking against my overheated skin, but she just smiled. It was that smile that filled my dreams that night.