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“You’re taking it better than I would,” Ren adds to our conversation.
Lifting the filled sculpted double old-fashioned glass, I ask. “Do you want a drink?” When Lorenzo shakes his head, I flick my eyes to K and lift the glass higher. He takes it, and I turn back to pour another for myself.
“What about your townhouse?” I question Matteo. “Have you put it on the market yet?”
“And why would I do that?” he counters, sounding genuinely curious when he can’t actually be that stupid, but maybe all those blows he’s taken have made him slower than I thought.
“I’m not my father, Matteo. He gave Si a lot of fucking rope, but he also made her believe that rope didn’t exist or that it wasn’t looped around her ankle. Mine isn’t an invisible rope. It’s a goddamn chain, and if you think for one minute that I’m going to let my sister live outside my walls, then you don’t know me at all. She’s my consigliere. She lives wherever I live.”
When I turn around, he’s half in front of me, half to the side. His ocean blue eyes land on mine, and I like that he isn’t intimidated by me. He wasn’t by my father either and that was impressive.
“She’smywife. Sienna is going to be the mother ofmychild. She’ll be whereversheandIboth choose to live. I’m not living here forever, and Si doesn’t want to go back to your father’s house for obvious reasons.”
“Good. So far, we’re on the same page,” I tell him. I have no intentions of staying here any longer than I have to. It may be better than a hotel, but it’s not a home. I had a home, but now it’s stained with my father’s blood. I won’t be going back there, either. At least not for a long time. “I’m sure you’ll like your wedding present and agree it’s suitable for all of you and any pluses that come after.”
“Our wedding was almost two weeks ago. You’re a little late, and I don’t even give a fuck, Dom. I can give Sienna anything she wants. A house in a different fucking state if she wants.”
“Didn’t say you couldn’t, just indicated that you won’t. I will, and it’ll be in the city with the rest of us, but you’ll likely have to wait another four to six weeks before it’s yours.”
And Ciera will have to willingly give away two of the four properties she now owns, but I don’t say that out loud. I’ll talk to her about it later, or in a few days after she’s recovered from almost getting herself killed, and after I’ve rewarded her for saving herself, our sisters, and that little toots with an attitude upstairs that I might like just a little.
I put my hand on the champ’s shoulder and look him in the eye. We’re almost the same height, though I have perhaps half an inch on him.
“Sell the townhouse, Matteo.” I pause, giving him enough time to hear the order in my tone. “Or I’ll burn it to the ground.”
CHAPTER 39
CIERA
“What do you think?” Domenico asks from behind me as I scan my eyes around us.
Oh my. What do I think? There is so much to take in, not just here, the other houses too.
When Domenico asked—and I mean actually asked, not told or demanded—if all the brownstones I own could be renovated, if one could be given to Sienna and her family and another to Ren and Sasha, I said yes.
I don’t have any bad memories associated here. I barely spent any time in this place after I returned from Ireland to be able to make any. After seeing the changes Dom has made, the place my father once called home doesn’t even look the same.
The walls were painted, all new appliances were installed, and furniture Domenico bought was brought in. I even got to pick everything out for my house, which was strange and fun at the same time.
The buildings are all listed in my name legally, and no one has given us any problems that I know of. As weird and surreal as all of this is, this place feels like a home when I look around it.
It’s been nine weeks since the incident in the alleyway. Brooklyn turned six. A year ended, and a new one began. Just today, Sienna found out she’s going to have a boy, and Sasha is having a girl.
They’re in their houses now, while I’m standing in mine. Sienna’s home is in the middle, with Ren and Sasha’s on the other side. There were doorways that lead into the other homes already installed, making me think they were placed there in case my father’s house ever got raided.
Dom didn’t mention walling them off, so maybe he likes that idea too, or perhaps he likes the idea that all three houses are connected, making it feel more like one big house than three individual ones.
“I like it. Everything is beautiful and homey.” I turn around to face him. “Is that a word?”
“It’s a word, and I agree with your assessment. You did good, pet. I like it here. I like everything inside it too.”
“Does that mean you’re going to live here too?”
He hasn’t mentioned it. There’s a building across the street. It’s the one I haven’t been inside, nor did I have anything to do with the decorating.
“Ciera, as much as a small part of me is telling myself to lie to you right now, I believe in until death do us apart. I’ll give you all the freedom your beautiful heart desires, but I won’t give you a divorce. You’ll never be free of me, little pet. Yes, I’m going to live here too.”
“There’s no record of our marriage license,” I remind him. We found that out a few weeks ago when Dom submitted tax information to his accountant. “You’re technically free to do and marry any woman you want for real this time.”
