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I shook his hand and he had a firm handshake. I could feel tears burning at the backs of my eyes. “Hello, Matteo,” I said softly.
Then Allegra just said it. “You’re always asking me about your father,” she said quietly. “Well, this is him.”
Matteo was still holding my hand, and his eyes widened. “You’re…you’re my father?”
I couldn’t do anything but nod, feeling like words wouldn’t come from my jumbled mind. “I am,” I agreed, and Matteo threw himself into my arms so hard, the chair jolted backwards. I put my arms around him, surprised, and couldn’t stop a tear from streaming down my face. I looked at Allegra and she was openly crying, dabbing at her face with a handkerchief.
I sniffled and wiped at my eyes and Matteo pulled away, sitting next to me, his eyes bright with excitement. “Mama tells me stories about you,” he said, and Allegra made a choking sound in the back of her throat.
I looked at her, and she blushed. “Sometimes,” she said. I grinned, unable to help it. If she’d told Matteo stories about me, that meant she wasn’t completely ashamed of me. It was a step in the right direction, anyway, even if I was still angry and hurt by her actions.
Matteo and I chatted for a bit about his favorite things, trains and boats and his grandfather’s office. He wanted to be a train conductor when he grew up, loved visiting the subways. My head was spinning by the time breakfast was over, and I’d barely touched my food. “Time for you to go wash up and get ready for school,” Allegra said to Matteo.
He pouted. “But Mama—”
“He’s going to be staying with us for a while,” Allegra hedged, looking down at our son. I couldn’t stop staring at him, at all the things that made him look like me and Allegra. He was like the perfect mix of both of us physically. Matteo hummed, seeming exasperated, but he got up and started to walk toward the stairs. Before he made it there, he turned and ran back to me, throwing his arms wide. He hugged me tightly and I had to choke back tears.
“He’s beautiful,” I said shakily once Matteo was halfway up the stairs.
Allegra’s brown eyes shined with unshed tears. “He is, isn’t he?”
Romeo cleared his throat. “Time to talk some business,” he said firmly.
I took in a deep breath, collecting my thoughts. “You’re inviting Ricardo here?” I asked.
“That’s the plan,” he confirmed.
“What’s the security plan?” I asked.
Romeo leaned forward, his brown eyes shrewd. “Two men outside the door. They’ll hide in the guest rooms while he’s here. I don’t want him to think he’s surrounded.”
I nodded. “That sounds wise. I want to be a part of it, Romeo. Is that okay with you?”
Romeo looked at me for a long moment with those shrewd eyes of his. “Are you going to respect my household, Rocco?”
“O-of course,” I stuttered, unprepared for that question. What did that even mean? He glanced over at Allegra, and I figured it out. He didn’t want me sleeping with her in the mansion. After our fight the other day, I didn’t think much of that would be going on.
“Then it’s okay with me,” he said. “You can hide out in the room right next to the office. Allegra says you can hear everything in there.”
“Sounds good,” I replied.
Allegra frowned at me. “I’m going to be in there with you,” she said.
I instantly shook my head. “No, you’re not,” I said firmly. “Ricardo’s after you specifically. I’ve heard the way he talks about you. We’re not going to let him put a hand on you.”
She scoffed, her eyes flashing. “Papa will be in the next room, men in the guest rooms, and you’ll be there, too. Between all those people, I think I’ll be protected.”
I sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to let this go. She was as stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be, which was almost always. “All right, Allegra. You can be in the room with me.”
“I want to hear what he has to say,” she said coolly. “And I’m interested in knowing if Enzo Gallo is involved.”
I bit back the words that I didn’t think he was involved. I couldn't know that for sure, but if he was involved, I would feel betrayed. Enzo had been like a father to me my entire life, and I would feel awful if he’d put out the hit to kill me. Ricardo had always gone against his father’s wishes, though, and I assumed that was the case here. We’d have a clue if he showed up alone, without Enzo’s men or with one of his own thug friends. But we still needed Ricardo to confirm Enzo’s lack of involvement.
Allegra and her father chatted for a while, and I was impressed by her ability to plan and delegate. She would be a good leader, even if it would be hard for her to keep things going when everyone around her would be judging her. Having a woman as acapowould be a big shift with the families in the area, but I thought Allegra was the kind of woman who could do it.
I excused myself from the table after we finished the plans, walking back upstairs. As I got to my room, I heard footsteps behind me. “Rocco?” she asked softly. I turned and looked at her. She was biting her lip again. “I thought we should talk.” She paused. “About Matteo.” I nodded and opened the guest room door and she followed me inside. She closed the door behind her and I sat down on the edge of the bed, taking off my suit jacket. She stood there for a long moment. “What do you want to do, Rocco?”
I looked up at her, my jaw clenched. I didn’t like that she kept asking me that, as if she didn’t know that I’d want to be in my son’s life. “I want to be a father, Allegra. I know that’s not what you want—”
