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“My favorite. Eggs with ham. And cheese. And onions. And red peppers. And olives.”
“You know that’s exactly what your grandfather used to eat every morning,” my uncle said.
“And I had toast, too. With jelly.”
“And peanut butter?”
“Ew. Peanut butter’s gross,” Matteo said.
“Oh! My heart. It hurts.”
I watched my uncle sink to the floor as Matteo straddled his stomach. The two of them began to wrestle, and I stepped back to stand with Enrico. He’d been with me ever since my father figured out I was pregnant. He was the only other person I trusted to always tell me the truth about things. Over the years Enrico had become my friend as well as my guard, and I was itching to get him alone so I could talk to him about what had happened with Romeo.
Preferably not in front of my uncle.
“So,” Stefano said as he lifted my son into the air, “how did your evening last night go?”
I glanced up to Enrico and watched him clench his jaw.
“Not as well as I hoped,” I said.
My uncle’s eyes connected with me as he set Matteo down on his feet. He grunted to get off the floor, and I opened my arms for my son. He ran into them and I kissed him on top of his head, then I turned toward the door and opened it.
“Why don’t you go play in your room for a second while I talk with Uncle Stef?” I asked.
“Can I watch a movie?” he asked.
“Of course, you can. How about you go pick one out, and I’ll come watch it with you once I’m through talking.”
“Yeah! Okay, but hurry up!”
I watched Matteo bolt out of the room and up the steps, then I turned back to my uncle as I shut the door behind me.
“The night went south when Romeo demanded to see his son. I told him that wasn’t how this was going to work,” I said.
“Why not? Julia, that boy is the key to giving us the peace all of us deserve.”
“My son isn’t a pawn, Uncle. And Romeo didn’t come alone. I left Enrico here because you agreed with me that we needed to show a friendly and unthreatening front. But when I stood to leave, six Martine goons stood from booths all around us.”
“What?” Enrico asked.
“Romeo didn’t come alone like you thought he would. How in the world am I supposed to let him into my son’s life when he doesn’t even keep his word?”
“It was your job to open that door. Not close it in the man’s face. Above all else, he’s that child’s father.”
“No. Above all else, Matteo’s my son. And his father chose to take over one of the bloodiest jobs in this city. I have a duty to my son to protect him. From anything and everything. I’m more than willing to help bring our families together in peace, but it won’t be under the condition that Romeo sees his son,” I said.
“You don’t get a choice in the matter,” my uncle said.
“Okay, I think we all need to take a deep breath,” Enrico said.
“You keep your mouth shut,” Uncle Stefano said.
“Now, you listen. I’ve been hired to take care of Julia, and that order came from her father. My only dedication is to her and that boy. No one else. You won’t come at her this way and neither can Romeo,” Enrico said.
“Thank you,” I said.
“You need to think of Matteo,” my uncle said. “That boy deserves to know his father.”
