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“You’re right, Mia Bug. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Daddy.” She lifts her hand, placing it on Luca’s shoulder. “Don’t be sad.”
“I’m not sad.” He shakes his head.
“Daddy,” she says in warning, removing her hand and placing it back on her hip. Cocking her head, she lifts an eyebrow. “Lying is bad, too. You said lying is badder than saying a bad word.”
“Worse,” he corrects. “And it is. I’m not sad. How can I possibly be sad when I have the best kid in the entire world?”
She seems to think about that, and after a few seconds, rewards him with a bright, big smile that warms my heart. He really is a good dad.
“You the best daddy ever, too.” She turns, facing and looking up at D. “Can I play with the baby?”
“Sweetheart,” Drago starts, cringing. “He’s a little too small for you to play with right now. He isn’t like your dolls.” Drago’s head shakes.
“But I be gentle,” she argues. “Besides, he’ll have more fun watching toons with me. Plus”—she goes on—“I need practice with a real baby for when Mommy and Daddy give me a baby brother or sister.”
“Uh, Mia?” Luca calls, getting her to turn her head up toward him. “Where did you get that idea?”
“Mommy, of course.”
Luca’s teeth skim his lips like he’s about to say another curse word when he clamps down on his jaw, saying nothing. His eyes, on the other hand, say exactly what he’s thinking.
I don’t know much about Mia’s mother, other than Luca calling her a stuck-up, self-entitled whore with a cocaine problem, so I’m guessing baby number two isn’t on his agenda with his daughter’s mother.
“Mia,” I call her name. “Remember me?”
“Bee.” She nods.
“Close enough.” I nod back. “His name is Gabriel, but if you want to call him Gabe you can. It’s what I call him, and he’s your cousin. Do you know what a cousin is?”
“Yep. Tori is my cousin, and she’s my best friend.”
“Tori,” Justin chimes in. “Or Victoria. She’s mine. The girls are really close. Tori is a year older than Mia.”
I grin, nodding to let Justin know I heard him, but I keep my eyes trained on Mia.
“Well, cousins can be a lot like a brother or a sister. And Gabe will need someone like you to teach him things when he gets older. Right now, he’s a little too small, and if we aren’t careful with him, he could get hurt.”
“So, I can’t play with him?” She pokes her lip out.
“Not today, but soon. I promise.”
“Okay.” She turns, bouncing away, and back to the television, I’m guessing. At least all is forgotten about a baby brother or sister. Luca doesn’t look the least bit pleased.
“I tried,” I tell him, shrugging my shoulders.
“It’s fine.” Luca shakes his head, standing back to his full six-foot height. “I just can’t believe London is filling her head with crap like that. Things she knows will never happen. I was dumb once.”
“How are you surprised?” This from Justin. “She’s attached herself to you and she isn’t letting go. At least Paris wants bigger and better things that I can’t offer her.”
“Can we get back to where some chick purposely doped you and then got pregnant? Are you even sure it’s yours?” Luca asks Drago, crossing his arms over his chest again. “The last person I want to talk about is London.” Luca turns his eyes on Drago, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Man, I don’t know what else you want me to tell you. I don’t remember it, but yes, Gabriel is mine. The only other thing I was told is that Dad was the one behind it. I’m not for sure that’s a fact, but it probably is. Why? I have no idea other than I guess he thought a kid could control me. Fuck, I don’t know. I can’t see how that would have worked in his favor.”
“And we won’t know unless he admits it,” Eric chimes in. “So, we need a plan to get him back on U.S. soil. Anyone got any ideas?”
“He left in the first place because he thought the Feds were closer than ever to nailing him for one of his many crimes,” Luca adds.
