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EIGHTEEN
VIOLET
“I was wonderin’ if you’d ever call!”
Mama’s voice filled my ear as I held my phone. “Hey.”
“Hello, my precious girl. How are you?”
“Doin’ great. Um, we moved out of Elise’s apartment. So I’ll have to send you our address.”
“Oh. What’s the new place like?”
“Really nice. I’m at stayin’ at a man’s house.” I grimaced, bracing for her reaction. “Jack’s daddy.”
Mama gasped. “You met him? How?”
“We ran into each other in a restaurant.” I chewed on my lip. “His name’s Achille Costa. Well, he’s somethin’ else. Not what I expected. Let’s just say he’s not your ordinary guy.”
“Is he a good man?”
“I hope so.” I stared out the window, picturing Achille cooking Jack breakfast. “He’s very involved. It’s sweet watchin’ them together.”
Since we’d moved in five days ago, Achille’s presence had been a constant surprise. He killed people for a living, but with Jack, he shifted into someone else. I kept waiting for his calm mask to slip and reveal the monster. But each morning, he rose at the crack of dawn without a groan and answered Jack’s endless questions. At night, he was there, tucking Jack in, a softness in his eyes that didn’t fit the hard lines of his face.
“I don’t understand,” Mama muttered. “If he’s so great with Jack, why’d she keep him a secret?”
“Because he’s in the Mafia.”
Mama’s sharp intake of breath hissed through the phone. “You’ve got yourself tangled up with a mobster?”
I winced. “It’s complicated. And, uh, there’s more.”
“What more could there possibly be?”
“We’re getting married.”
“Violet Grace Harper, have you lost your mind?”
I cringed, imagining her pacing the family room. “Achille and I have an understandin’.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“It’s for Jack,” I murmured, aware of how crazy I sounded. “Achille can provide for him in ways I can’t.”
“You don’t marry a man for convenience, especially not a gangster. You’re steppin’ into a world of trouble.”
“I know, but it’s a practical arrangement.” I glanced into the kitchen, watching him play with Jack. The ease between them couldn’t be faked.
“You think you can step into that life and not get burned?”
“I’ve thought it through, Mama. It’s the best option for Jack.”
“You’re tyin’ yourself to a stranger.”
“He’s not a stranger anymore, and he’s amazing with Jack.”
“Amazing?” Mama shouted. “He’s a gangster. Those people, they don’t let you walk away. You marry him, you’re in it forever, with all the dangers that come with it.”
