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Nick grins. “Not this time. I’ll probably try to catch up on some sleep.”
My cheeks warm, and the ache between my legs tingles. Leo is oblivious. I don’t check June’s reaction. I’m not even sure if that’s what Nick meant. His sleep schedule seems to be haphazard at best. Maybe I’m projecting the way I had the best night’s sleep since I left Russia, marathon sex and all.
“Well, we should get going,” June says. “Let you guys have some family time.”
I smile at her, absorbing how those two words sound. Something so simple and so meaningful. “Thanks, June.”
“Anytime.” She smiles at Nick and then gives me a loaded look I’m not ready to unpack before the front door shuts behind her and AJ.
“How come you’re here so early?” Leo asks Nick as they walk into the kitchen.
I hold my breath and tighten my robe, hyperaware I’m not wearing anything under the terry cloth.
“I came from New York. I thought you’d be home and I could say hi to you and your mom. When she said you were at a sleepover, I decided to wait until you got back.”
“You were in New York?”
“Uh-huh. You want breakfast?”
“Sure.” Leo climbs up on one of the island stools, watching Nick as he starts rummaging through one of the drawers and emerges with a frying pan. “What were you doing in New York?”
“I bought a building there recently.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” Nick pulls the carton of eggs out of the fridge, making himself at home in the kitchen.
“How come?”
“It’s an investment. Real estate tends to hold its value. You pay a lot of money up front to buy a property, and then over time, you earn it all back, plus more.”
“How much did it cost?”
“Leo,” I chide. “That’s rude to ask.”
He looks down. “Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. Just remember, sometimes, people get offended when you ask them how much they spent on something. It’s up to them whether they choose to tell you.”
Leo nods.
“I’m going to get dressed. Can you help your dad with breakfast?”
Another nod. Some of the excitement he wears so effortlessly around Nick disappeared as soon as I spoke, and I wonder if this is the role I’m destined to play forever.
Nick will always be the cool parent who appears on his private jet with stories about places Leo has never been. I’ll be the one who enforces bedtime and reminds him about homework and makes dentist appointments.
It’s not Nick’s fault either, which makes it even harder. I’m the one who moved Leo thousands of miles away. I’m not the one with commitments to a certain place. I might be mostly ignorant to the workings of the Mafia—by choice—but I do know it’s not an operation you can pick up and move. There are territories and traditions. Warehouses and routes.
Nick is tied to Russia. I’m choosing Philadelphia.
Once I’m around the corner, I pause.
“Thirty-four million.”
I hear Leo’s gasp. “For real?”
“Uh-huh.”
