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“No, thank you,” Conway said. “I just stopped by to say hello. I should get back to my wife.”
“She’s having your baby soon, right?” Mia asked.
“Yes,” Conway said with a smile. “It’s good to know Carter talks about me.”
“I don’t,” I countered. “I just talk about your wife.”
He chuckled. “Can’t say I blame you. She’s pretty great.”
“Still not sure how you got her,” I said. “Oh wait, that’s right. You bought her.”
“You wanna die, asshole?” Conway couldn’t keep a straight face, the trace of a smile on his lips. We hadn’t joked around with each other in forever, and now the insults were rolling out one by one.
“We don’t have time for that. Your wife is about to go into labor.”
“You’re lucky for that.” He finished his drink and left the glass on the counter. “By the way, you should talk to your father soon. Once the baby comes, there won’t be much time for that sort of thing.”
“That’s a good point.”
“And if he’s pissed at you, the baby will soften him up.” He clapped my shoulder as he left the kitchen. “It was nice to meet you, Mia.”
“You too, Conway.” She gave him a wave as he walked out.
When he left the house and shut the door behind him, I turned back to Mia.
She smiled in a guilty way. “I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have come down here if I knew you had company.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I came around the kitchen island toward her. “You live here, Mia. You can do whatever you want.”
My specific choice of words made her flinch. The carefree smile on her face immediately faded away when she digested the words I spoke. I didn’t think twice about them, but she was still sensitive about her newfound freedom. “Can do whatever I want…”
“Because you can do whatever you want, sweetheart.”
Her eyes shifted away from my face, and she inhaled a deep breath. “I know this doesn’t make any sense, but I always feel bad when I realize how much I have now. I compare it to how it was before, and the memory catches me off-balance.”
I wasn’t a therapist or someone who was capable of understanding such intense emotions. I wished I could help her, but I just couldn’t. “I can only imagine.”
She lifted her gaze to look at me again, and when she didn’t have anything else to say on the subject, she mentioned Conway. “Your cousin is nice.”
“So is his lingerie.” It was worth every penny because it made her slutty and classy at the same time. A beautiful woman like her deserved to be covered in diamonds and lace.
“Are all the Barsettis extremely successful?”
I shrugged. “Seems that way.”
“Must be something in the water.”
“Or something in the blood.” My hand cupped her cheek, and my thumb brushed across her bottom lip. I’d never been threatened by Conway when we picked up women. He was just as handsome as I was, and even a little more famous. But the idea of Mia finding him attractive made me a little jealous. I wanted to be the center of her focus, wanted her eyes to be obedient to my worship.
She chuckled. “Guess so. That’s exciting that you’ll have a second cousin.”
“I feel like they’ll be more of a niece or nephew. Conway has always been a brother to me.”
“That’s sweet.”
“Do you have any siblings?” I’d never asked before.
“No, I don’t. Just me,” she said with a sigh. “When I see the closeness you share, it makes me wish I had the same thing.”
I never took for granted how lucky I was, to have an expansive family that was always loyal to each other. I never felt alone in the world, not even when I was five hours away in a different city. “You do. With Luca.”
A soft smile appeared on her mouth. “Yes, with Luca. I’ve always wanted to give him a sibling. But now I need to let that dream go.”
“I don’t see why that dream isn’t possible.”
“It’s very complicated to reverse the procedure.”
“But not impossible,” I said. “And even if it were, there are other ways to have children. Don’t let Egor stomp on your dream to grow your family. You’ll make it happen.” Encouraging her didn’t make a lot of sense since she was my prisoner. I told her other men weren’t allowed in her life. There was only room for one man between her legs. Since I wasn’t looking for a wife or a family, I couldn’t be what she needed. Since I couldn’t give her what she wanted, this arrangement had an expiration date. I couldn’t keep her forever, and I knew that. Perhaps I’d get tired of her in a year or two, and I could release her back into the wild.
“You’re right, Carter. You always know what to say.” Her hand moved to my arm again, and she squeezed it.
