Page 73 of The Boss

“Okay, you know I wouldn’t ask you to go around your boyfriend to tell me things, but can I ask you to try to convince him to tell me more than he is?”

“I’ll try my best.” I smile at her.

Once the day is over, I make my walk back to the house. I’m still getting used to calling it ‘our house’ or ‘my house.’

Walking through the front door, I immediately walk upstairs to Gino’s office.

Ryan and Drew are both seated across from him. Gino looks up at me and smiles.

“Hey guys, can I talk to Gino alone, please?” I ask.

Gino’s smile drops, and Drew and Ryan quickly get up and leave the office. Before closing the door, Drew gives Gino a ‘good luck’ look.

He walks around his desk, and I get close to him.

“What is it, bella?”

“You need to talk to your sister,” I say.

“I’ve been talking to her,” he replies.

“I know, but you need to talk to her; she’s scared, terrified. She thinks we’re all lying to her. Not just keeping things from her, but lying. She’s clearly been talking to Alonso about it because he got pissed at me this morning, thinking I’m encouraging you to lie.”

“That son of a bitch. I’m going to⁠—”

“No, you’re not,” I cut him off. “He’s right; you have been lying to her.”

“I’m trying to keep her safe,” he replies, sounding defeated.

“Are you?” I fire back. “She’s strong enough for you to tell her the truth.”

“I don’t want to break her.” His voice is low, merely a whisper.

“Gino, we've talked about this. She’s not made of glass. She’s a mom who's hurting because her children haven’t met their father yet, and she hasn’t seen her husband in almost a year.”

He sits back on his desk, and I can see the realization on his face of how long Mateo has been gone.

“Juliet, I don't know what to do.”

“Talk to her. It’s that simple. Tell her something. Give her something, anything,” I tell him.

“What should I tell her?” he asks.

“Be honest with her. Tell her the truth. That’s all she’s asking. She understands there are some things that she shouldn’t know, but you need to tell her something. I know she’s getting sick of hearing secondhand information from Alonso or me.”

He swallows.

“You’re right, she deserves to know. I’ll go over and talk to her now.”

I nod.

He kisses me; it’s a soft, slow kiss. He pulls back, looking at me.

“I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you too,” I reply. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, I need to talk to her alone. You’re right; she needs to hear from me directly, not from anyone else,” he says, then looks at me. “I know you want to tell me something else. What is it?”