Page 145 of Made in Love and Blood

A snort escaped him. “If that were the case, Giorgio should be long dead by now. You’ve never smelled the cigar smoke that permeates his office. It’s fucking offensive.”

“Are you going to quit, or not?” Frankie demanded.

“Is that a deal-breaker, or what?”

“No, but...you only have one kidney, too. So, what if we have a kid someday and they need a kidney or something, but you’re the only match and now you can’t donate?”

That had nothing to do with smoking.

He didn’t point that out.

He heard something better.

“First of all, they’d get the fucking kidney. Mine or someone else’s.”

“Second?” she asked.

“Second,” Nico continued, winking and grinning, “now we’re having kids?”

Her own smile turned shy. “Yeah, someday. Don’t you think?”

“Someday,” he echoed, heart aching a little.

“Do you think you’re going to be in trouble?” she asked him.

“With my father, or yours?”

She shrugged under his black hoodie. “Both.”

“My actions have consequences; severity always depends on my choices after the actions. I choose to accept them regardless of who hands it out. I brought you home a day early. I’m hoping that helps on your father’s side of things. As for mine...whatever.”

Her stare caught him slipping the cigarette back into the pack. He tossed the lighter into the middle console, as those were good to have for certain things. The pack of smokes, he handed over to her.

“Here, shove it in that Birkin I know Carina paid way too much fucking money for, and toss ‘em the first chance you get.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yeah, babe. Really. I’ll figure it out.” He tried cracking his neck, willing himself to ignore the nicotine craving that hit practically the moment he decided he would quit. What a bitch. “Besides, fuck me. It’s not good for you. I bet you’d feel it in your lungs after sitting next to me smoking for a year and then you try to run twenty laps on a field or something. Screw it.”

“You seem pretty convinced I’m heading somewhere to play soccer.”

“Aren’t you, after the gap year?”

“I’ve had a lot of offers.”

“Since when?” he asked, honestly curious.

“Scouts came in grade eleven.”

“Seriously?”

Frankie nodded while playing with items in her bag that he couldn’t see. “I kinda do have my pick, even if I preferred one place over the other. What freaked me out a lot was that the Olympic team kept getting mentioned, like that was a real possibility if I could show up and show out like I already had.”

Nico jerked to turn sideways in the seat, in awe of her all over again, as he repeated, “Seriously?”

“A couple years playing college first and attending Team USA training camps.”

“Why haven’t you told me?” he demanded.