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“You have. And despite all her threats to beat you with bats and boil your balls in acid if you hurt me, she actually really likes you too,” Josie said. “What do you think about the mirror here?” she asked, waving at the wall.
“I think it will look great. I will move it in one second. I’m just going to help Marcie with the coffee,” I said, hoping my ulterior motives weren’t clear on my face or in my voice as I turned to go down the hall, finding Marcie in the kitchen, waiting for the coffee to drip.
“Ugh, are you here to be nice again?” she grumbled, but she was holding back a smile.
“I have a question, actually. And I don’t want Josie to know,” I added.
“I knew it! You’re a sneak after all. I feel mildly better about all my many flaws now. What’s the question? Did you forget her middle name? Her birthday? Her favorite position?”
A snort escaped me at that as I shook my head.
“No. I was wondering if you think Josie would like a dog,” I said, voice low. “Christmas is coming. And it would be good for my peace of mind when she’s home alone.”
“Um… of fucking course she wants a dog. Who doesn’t want a dog for Christmas? Can I have one too while you’re at it? I mean, aren’t I potentially in danger by being best friends with a mafia girlfriend?”
“Okay. You can get a puppy too.”
“Damnit. You ruined the surprise. Typical man,” she said, but her eyes were bright.
I guess I had to call Brio and see if that lead he had on a dog could be two puppies instead of just one.
Josie - 6 months
“I mean, all I’m saying is he could have gotten me a puppy too,” Sofia grumbled as mine and Marcie’s puppies loved all over her as she sat in the recently-finished living room.
We’d been working on the house a lot since I’d officially moved in. Some of my things ended up fitting. Others kind of just didn’t go with the house. Which meant I got to do a lot of designing. And ordering men around. Especially Nino, who seemed content to be my personal assistant forever. Or, you know, until he actually found a woman to take up some of his time, that is.
Until then, we were enjoying the fact that he was in the kitchen making us some margaritas since he was acting as our guard for the day anyway.
Things seemed like they’d calmed down. At least, no one was in lockdown and most of the female family members could walk around without any protection.
Except for me and Luca and Lucky’s wives and kids.
Sure, everyone had fancy new security systems—with stern warnings to make sure they always used them—but only a few of us had to have bodyguards.
And I was pretty sure that had more to do with overprotective men than any actual threat.
“There were only two left,” Marcie said, rubbing her big boy’s broad head.
Apparently, our puppies came from a shelter in the city. A mama pittie had been surrendered heavily pregnant with a litter of five.
Marcie and I got the last two.
Hers, the boy with an all-gray body, and mine, the girl, with a strip of white up her snout and between her eyes.
Marcie had named him Bruno because, and I quote, “He needs a strong Italian name if he is going to be a part of a mafia family.”
My girl had been named Holly since Matteo had given her to me as my first Christmas present. Which, clearly, made him the best man on Earth.
“I will make sure to tell Matteo that Brio better get a lead on another cute rescue pup for your next birthday,” I assured Sofia.
“That’s all I’m saying,” Sofia said, nodding. “We should get Ma one, too. I don’t like her living all alone now that we’ve all moved out.”
Apparently, Brio was going to need to outfit the entire Grassi family with puppies from his local shelter.
Somehow, I didn’t think he would mind.
He’d come to the house a couple days after Christmas to check in on Holly, and I’d found it hard to get a read on him. He was charming and strange and sweet, but dark somehow all at the same time.
It wasn’t until after he left that I’d heard Massimo and Milo discussing how crazy and violent he was. You wouldn’t ever know it with how sweet he was with me. And Holly.
I was sure he would happily be the Family’s dog broker.
“So do you plan to give Holly any siblings?” Sofia asked, making Marcie and I share a look because we knew what she was saying. And it sounded a lot like something her mother would say. Which was a fact that would horrify Sofia if you told her that.
