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“I have the one I want.” She drains her wine glass, and I know that I shouldn’t be surprised that she cares more about how I make my money than the fact I was held against my will for a half dozen hours.
“You don’t have to play in those awful clubs.”
“You know nothing about where I play.”
“You took too big a risk,” Nadia blurts out. “You never should’ve played with the arms dealer.” She closes her eyes. “I told you it was dangerous.”
I take a long breath. “I’m going to assume that all of this is coming from a good place, but Nadia, you have crossed a line.”
“Dating made men doesn’t end in a love story.”
“Are you really seeing a man from the famiglia?” Mom asks quietly, disapproval filling her eyes.
“Yes, I am.” I cross my arms and look between them. “Enzo Bianchi is the Don’s cousin.”
“How could you?” Twisting her hands, she lets out a frustrated breath. “I have told you countless times how dangerous it is.”
“Nonno is part of thefamigliaand he and Nonna gave us a very good life after you took off to pursue your dreams.”
“I hated the life. Why do you think I left?” she retorts sharply.
“You knew nothing about it because Nonno never spoke about it, and the only reason you hated it so much was because your heart was broken by a capo.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. “How do you know about that?”
“Enzo looked into me before asking the Don for his blessing. Turns out Nonno is well respected, and the only reason you don’t care for thefamigliais that the man you fell in love with wanted to marry up.”
“Really?” Nadia asks.
“Yes.” I cross my arms. “And my love story isn’t going to end like yours or Mom’s.”
“We’ll see about that,” Nadia replies, her face filled with anger.
“Why are you so angry about this?”
“Because you’re a smart woman making a stupid choice.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just not making the one you approve of.” I stand. “And if that’s how you feel, I want you to leave.”
“You’re picking a man over me?”
“No. But I won’t have you poison my relationship before it begins. I’ve always supported you and hope you can eventually do the same with me.”
“Right now, I can’t.”
I watch her stand and feel a little corner of my heart crack. “I love you, Nadia. But you can’t dictate how I choose to live my life.”
“It’s a mistake.” She walks past me, and I hear the door open and close with a final click.
“What about you, Mom?”
“I don’t like this new you.”
“I haven’t changed. I simply opened my heart to someone who makes me feel like the center of his world.” I pick up my coat and purse. “I’m going to head to bed. If you want to talk about this in the morning, we can.” I shake my head. “But I’m not going to stop seeing this man, and I hope you can eventually find a way to support me.”
I kiss her cheek and head upstairs, knowing that giving this relationship a chance is my only choice. No matter how it turns out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
