Page 10 of The Mobster’s Present

Because I know one thing with a certainty that I’ve only felt a few times before—Ashleigh and Oriana are mine. My family. My life.

After seeing the pictures, I can’t wait to meet Oriana. She won’t be scared of me. She’ll know that I’ll only ever protect her and put them first.

At a light, I glance over at Ashleigh who is looking out the window and trying to make herself as small as possible. “Why are you hiding, la mia piccola leonessa?”

“I’m not hiding,” her tone is defensive and I almost chuckle at the pout underneath it. “I just don’t understand what is going on.”

“It’s simple.”

Her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline, and her blue eyes ignite with fire. “I don’t think it’s simple at all.”

“It is,” I insist. She opens her mouth, but I don’t let her get anything out. “I don’t care that Romeo Amato is Oriana’s biological father, she’s mine. I don’t look down at you because you survived him and protected our daughter.”

The silence stretches between us as I pull into the underground garage for my building. My highly secured building that is, suddenly, inadequate for the family I need to provide a home for. I’ll find a solution to that problem before Oriana comes home.

When I park and turn off the car, the silence seems to hum around us. Ashleigh looks at me like she’s trying to find my seam, my weak point.

“You’re mine.”

Her eyes widen and her breath hitches, but she covers it quickly and deadpans, “I’ve heard that before.”

“I’m not Romeo.”

I let the words hang between us and our gazes lock until she nods slowly. “I know.”

We’re both quiet as I lead her through the parking garage and up to the large apartment overlooking Seattle. It’s high enough to make anyone appreciate the view, even if only for a moment. When the door closes behind us, I brace myself.

Because my lioness isn’t going to let me get away with bulldozing into her life without a fight. She just has no idea she won’t win; not yet at least.

She lets me lead her to the couch in the spacious living room that looks like it belongs in the center spread of a magazine with clean lines and expensive furniture. Now, as I take it in and try to see it through Ashleigh’s eyes, it feels cold.

“This is your place?” The question comes out of her tentatively as she perches more than sits on the edge of the couch.

“Yes, which means you can relax.” As much as I want to sit next to her, I choose a place where she can easily see me.

If I get too close, I’m likely to snatch her and put her on my lap. She’s not ready for that, not yet.

Ashleigh eyes me wearily before leaning back on the couch while keeping her body stiff like she’s afraid to actually touch anything. She’s so fucking cute that it’s almost impossible to keep my face neutral.

“Why did you bring me here? I could stay in a hotel,” I point out. “You don’t need to do anything for me.”

“I take care of what’s mine.” I lean toward her slightly and watch as her pupils dilate and her pulse pick up. Good. “Now, tell me about our little one.”

“Our?” She arches one eyebrow, the challenge written clearly across her face. When I don’t say anything, she lets out a long breath like I’m being extraordinarily exasperating. “I’ll ignore that, for now.”

She says it like she’s doing me a favor, but I know she’s just delaying the inevitable. She’ll figure it out quickly when I don’t back down, and make the things that have been roadblocks in her life disappear.

The money for Oriana’s treatment? It’s hers and so much more. She’ll never want for anything again.

And she’ll have powerful people at her back who will look at her as family. Even if something happens to me, they’ll always take care of my family.

Ashleigh turns her head slightly and looks across the room without really seeing anything. “Oriana was born on a Tuesday morning with no hair and a scowl on her face,” she chuckles under her breath with her words. “She’s learned to smile, but she’s still not shy about making her displeasure known.”

I tease her, “Is she stubborn like her mom?”

She presses her lips together, but I can see the way the corners pull like they want to curve upward. I’ll earn her smiles, and so much more, in due time.

“She’s stubborn,” she offers, but we both know the little one isn’t the only one who is. “She’s also kind and thoughtful. She loves to draw and color. She loves stories about faraway lands and princesses. She sings along during movies and loves the animal sidekicks almost as much as the main character.”