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“Callisto, we should talk first—”
He holds a finger to my lips. “Nothing else matters right now.” He pins me with a stare. “Nothing.” He tucks my hair behind my ear. “Tell me you want this, too.”
I’m about to have his child. We’ve spent every night for the past few months together. This is simply his way of saying all future sleepovers will be at his place. It’s logical. My mind knows that.
But he’s speaking to my heart. And my heart knows that doing this means moving on. Officially. Letting go of my house, of all of Reid’s things, of the past. And he knows this.
The truth hovers between us in unspoken words. I haven’t clung to the past in a long time. And I know without a doubt that my heart wants the same thing—This. Him. All the time.
“I want this, too.”
36
Callisto
In Palermo when a man is made, there’s an initiation ceremony. We stopped doing that in America a few years ago. There aren’t any elaborate displays of hierarchy when someone comes into the family or moves up in the ranks. But apparently, having your son take your place as the boss is a big deal in my father’s world, so here I am, straightening my tie in a hotel room in Italy, getting ready to take the reins.
Makenna walks out of the bathroom, her eyes darkening the second she sees me. I fucking love the way she reacts every time I look at her. It makes me want to spend every minute of every day buried inside her. And I will, now that she’s agreed to move in with me.
“You ready for this?” she says, her voice husky and low.
I run my fingertip under the shoulder strap of her black dress and breathe her in. “Are you asking me to fuck you before dinner?”
She smiles and smooths my tie, taking another step closer. “I’m asking if you’re ready for the ceremony.”
I grab her ass and pull her against my dick. “I’m ready to fuck you.”
She giggles and rolls her eyes in that innocent way she has of telling me we don’t have time. She thinks by doing that she’s throwing me off, but all it does is make me want to hear her scream.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…We should go. You don’t want to be late for your own party.”
My stomach flips, and I take a deep breath to relax. I’m not nervous. My father and I have talked about this night since he got out of the hospital. I’ve already taken full control of the restaurant, and he’s been teaching me the books and showing me the ropes of the other side of our business for months.
This is it—a destiny I’ve spent my whole life fighting has finally taken control. And I’m at peace. Sometimes it’s not about the light overcoming the darkness. Sometimes, on those rare occasions, like a blue moon or lunar eclipse, the two can actually coexist.
It’s time for me to stop dancing with the devil.
I’m about to take his seat on the fucking throne.
37
Makenna
The best feeling in the world is waking up deliciously sore in the arms of the man I love. The worst feeling is knowing I’m keeping a secret from him that will change our lives. The past week has been hell. Today is his initiation ceremony. In a matter of hours, the truth I’ve kept buried deep inside will break free. I’ll tell Callisto he’s going to be a father.
I just met Vincenzio Costa, the man who made Callisto who he is today. I’m not supposed to be here, but Callisto wouldn’t have it any other way. Franco is here, too. A group of men in suits are all gathered in a hidden room behind Vince’s office. Soft amber light glows from a single overhead chandelier. The walls are lined with bookshelves full of hardcover books. In the spaces in between, black and white photographs of men I assume to be part of the family are displayed. There are no windows. Other than a round table in the center, there’s no other furniture in the room. It’s dark and ominous, but everyone here is joyful and laughing.
Carlos stands on one side of the round table. He raises a glass and smiles, then motions for Callisto to stand next to him.
“Twenty-seven years ago, I looked down at you for the first time, and I knew. I knew you’d be strong. I knew you’d be kind. I knew you’d be special. And I knew what it meant to love someone more than you love yourself.” The lingering chatter in the room stops as the room goes silent, reverent. All eyes turn to Carlos and Callisto. “When you were nine, you won student-of-the-year at your school. You stood on that stage, and I watched you accept your award. And I was proud. When you were fifteen, you placed first in state for track. You stood on the field, and I watched them hang the gold medal around your neck. And I was proud. When you were seventeen, you graduated in the top five percent of your class. You walked across the stage, and I watched you accept your diploma and praise. And I was proud. When you were twenty, your team won in the playoffs at the college World Series. You stood on the field, and I watched them hand you your gold ring. And I was proud. Then when you were twenty-two, you graduated with an engineering degree. And even though I knew that meant you were walking away from this, from your name, I was proud.” Carlos cups Callisto’s cheek in one hand. He clears his throat before he continues. “And now… today… this… I’m not going to stand up here and say how proud I am because I’ve always been proud of you, son. Always. You’re going to lead with dignity and strength. And you’re going to make me proud. You’re going to make your mother proud. Just like you always have.”
My breath hitches and I blink back tears. I lift my eyes to Callisto’s, finding his already burning through me with a gaze so intense it makes my chest ache.
Vince hands Carlos a knife, and my heart leaps to my throat. Another man walks over holding some sort of card. The room is so silent, I can hear myself breathe. Carlos brings the blade to Callisto’s mouth and pricks his bottom lip. Tiny droplets of blood immediately appear. I squint to see the image as the man hands Callisto the card. It looks religious, like some sort of saint maybe. Callisto takes the card and brings it to his mouth, placing a simple kiss on the image, then hands it to Carlos, who then sets it on fire before dropping it into a bowl in the center of the table.
“Most holy Archangel, Saint Michael, we humbly thank you for petitioning our protection. For making us invincible against our enemies.”
Callisto repeats his words. “Santissimo Arcangelo, San Michele, vi ringraziamo umilmente per aver presentato una petizione alla nostra protezione. Per renderci invincibili contro i nostri nemici.”
