Page 100 of Captivated

So that must have meant the woman pushing between the two men with a wide smile and food in her hands was Joe’s …

“Lily Rossi,” the woman greeted, “and you must be Liliana.”

Liliana smiled. “I am.”

“I have been waiting quite a while to meet you.”

A part of Liliana wanted to feel awkward, but how could she when this sweet woman with her blonde hair and brown eyes was smiling like they were the oldest of friends?

“Why?” Liliana asked.

She wiped her hand off on the side of her pants to get rid of the coffee she had spilled while Lily talked.

Shooting her youngest son a look, Lily said, “Someone doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut, that’s all.”

“Not entirely all,” Cory grumbled.

Lily shrugged, and grinned. “And maybe I pestered Joe a lot when he called yesterday to explain some things.”

“And you came over here?”

“Who wants to eat breakfast alone in a big house?” the older man asked.

“Like Damian said,” Lily added, “we just wanted to say hello, maybe have some food, and make you feel welcome.”

But why?

“Is that her? Move.”

A small girl—maybe ten or eleven—with her mother’s eyes, and her father’s hair, who looked a hell of a lot like the feminine version of Joe and Cory, pushed through the people. She wore an oversized sparkly, pink sweater and black leggings. Her Nike sneakers were also pink and black, and her dark hair curled in perfect ringlets.

The girl peered up at Liliana with curious eyes.

“It is her, right?” she asked Lily.

“Yeah, Monica,” Cory said.

Oh.

Joe’s little sister.

Monica smiled widely at Liliana. “My brother says we have to be nice to you, Liliana. So, Ma made you food, Dad will take you out to get you anything you want, and Cory’s not going to be a shit. Mostly.”

“Mon!” Lily cried, “Language.”

Well, this made a hell of a lot more sense, now. Liliana thought it was terribly sweet that Joe had thought to ask his family to make Liliana feel welcome during her stay, so she wouldn’t be so alone. And honestly, it gave her a chance to get to know the people who he came from.

It made her heart swell, really.

Beat fast and hard.

Only Joe did that for her. Only he could do that without even being there. The realization that came down on Liliana in that moment was kind of terrifying, but at the same time, it wasn’t scary at all.

She would just have to wait a little longer to tell Joe what she knew now. Hopefully, not too long, though.

Liliana couldn’t suppress her grin if she tried. Bending down so she could be at least close to eye-level with Monica, she asked, “Is that what Joe said?”

“Yep.”