"Speaking of hot," Ethan remarks. "What were you going to say about Rose?"
We reach the car, and I rest my arms on the roof while watching Ethan hurry to the driver's side. "I told her about me. That I am infertile."
He pauses and looks up at me. "Did it go badly?"
"No. It went well. She took it in stride and made jokes about how fun it is to try anyway. But she had put all this pressure on herself to have a baby. I feel… guilty for not telling her sooner."
"But she took it well?" Ethan asks.
I nod.
"Maybe she really likes you. It's not too hard to imagine, given how she seems. Life exudes from her. She's always smiling."
"That does not mean she is happy," I point out. "But I am… concerned."
"Why? You have a beautiful wife, business is good outside of the Italian fucks, and she's happy to keep trying. What's to be concerned about?"
"Me. Rose is… she is like sunshine. I worry that too much time with me will dull her light. I do not want to be the reason she becomes a shadow."
“Boss…” Ethan shakes his head. “Is this because of Lianna?”
I meet his gaze. “No.”
“Your brow twitches when you lie,” Ethan replies. “Look. What happened to Lianna was tragic; there’s no denying that. But it was her choice to have an affair with that guard. It was her choice to let him in that night. It was not your fault.”
“Was it not? In her eyes, I am sure I pushed her by neglecting her.”
“You forget that I was there. I was always there. She was distant from the start. You both performed a duty but her heart was never in it. Maybe that’s why you’re feeling so much guilt for Rose feeling that same dutiful weight.”
“I did love her,” I say softly. “Lianna. I would have done right by her.”
“She betrayed you,” Ethan reminds me. “She got a lot of people killed because of it.”
“Yes. But she was still mine.” I turn my gaze skyward and close my eyes. “I do not want to repeat the same mistakes. I do not want to be a source of pain for Rose.”
Ethan's face twists slightly as he nods. "Well, about that, I think her family might be winning that battle."
"How do you mean?"
"I haven't been able to find anything on her mother or her sister. They exist but they've vanished. But when I called her father, he spoke fondly of them and then hung up on me."
Interesting. I mull it over as I climb into the car and as Ethan joins me, an idea springs. "Invite her father to dinner. Only her father. I do not want to deal with Mathew. Perhaps speaking man to man will get me some answers. If there is a problem or pain there, I want to help."
"Sure. I'll call him," Ethan agrees. "We could head there now, actually, and just pick him up for lunch?"
"No, not now. I have something I need to organize."
"Rose?"
"I wish. That Italian bastard, Leo? He wants to meet."
"The Don whose son you killed?"
"Mhm. He contacted me while you were in the back office."
"You know that's got to be a trap, right?" Ethan frowns deeply. "Meeting him can't be a good idea."
"It is a trap," I agree. "But I am tired of this war. So we will organize a meet and we will see what he has to say. And if I have to kill him then so be it; he's been more trouble than any partnership is worth."
