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"Do that. Because if I am ever put in a situation like that by him again, the nurse won't be the only person I shoot and I will be aiming to kill, not wound."
"You're fucking sexy when you go all Annie Oakley."
Expecting censure for daring to threaten the don, Raff's words shock me.
"More Ma Barker surely." At least she was a figure in organized crime.
"If you say so." His big hands land on my shoulders, providing more comfort than such a simple, not overtly personal, touch should.
As angry as I am, I need that comfort. Even though I wouldn't admit it to him under torture right now. But I don't move.
"Were you on birth control before Neri?" he asks.
Ah, he's remembering the two years it took me to get pregnant after our wedding. Dr. Hewitt said that contributed to Mr. Mancini's (i.e. Raff's father) certainty something is wrong with my lady parts.
"Yes."
"An IUD?"
"No. I used the implant, but I didn't like the headaches or the lack of libido." I didn't even realize the effect it had on my sex drive until I had it removed a month after my father's death.
I hoped bringing new life into my family would help all of us with our grief. It worked.
The other benefits, besides getting pregnant, of having the implant removed are that I no longer have daily headaches and I cannot get enough of physical intimacy with my husband. The sex is so much more intense than our first year of marriage.
The IUD has none of the negative side effects for me that I experienced with the implant. My OB told me that other women experience the opposite. Every woman's body is different.
"I thought you got pregnant because we were having more sex."
Cause, meet effect. "I'm sure that helped."
He turns me to face him and puts one hand under my chin to lift my head, so our eyes meet.
His gaze searches mine. "Why did you get the implant? You knew everyone expected us to try immediately for a child."
"Not everyone. My mom didn't." In fact, Mamma had been the one to suggest I go on birth control before the wedding.
"Aria knew?"
I nod, my chin sliding against his finger. "Mamma was nineteen when she had Severu. She knew how hard it would be for me to find my footing among strangers in a new city while pregnant."
Because that was exactly what she'd had to go through.
"You wanted a chance to settle into Vegas before pregnancy hormones hit."
Isn't that what I just said? I manage not to roll my eyes when I nod my agreement again. "Besides, I wasn’t ready to become a single mom at twenty-two."
"You are not a single parent."
"No, I'm not. You're a lot more hands on with Neri than I expected." Raff has always been more committed to his role of dad than husband, but there is no way I could know he would be that way. "I didn't know what to expect and what I did know about your dad didn't give me a lot of hope."
"I am not my father."
"Keep it that way."
"He is a strong don."
"One day, you will be too, but that doesn't mean you have to stop being a decent father."
