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ChapterOne
Amother will never stop worrying. The day I became a mother, my whole world changed. It wasn’t just me and T anymore. We were now responsible for keeping a tiny human alive.
A baby boy who depended on me to meet all his needs. And I loved every minute of it. Soon, that one baby turned into four. Four sons who resemble my husband and me, a mixture of our qualities. Four amazing men I couldn’t be more proud to call mine.
Our little family of six has grown exponentially with the addition of my daughters-in-law and eight grandchildren.
The family I’ve created with T is everything to me. I wouldn’t change a single moment of our lives. Well, maybe those few days when I thought he was dead back in the beginning—I could live without ever experiencing that.
A thought that brings me back to the present moment. The news I’ve just received isn’t good. It’s going to change my whole family, and I’m really not sure how to tell my husband. I’ve never kept anything from him before but this… it’s going to destroy not just us, but everyone around us as well.
Nothing is ever going to be the same again.
I still have time, though. And I want to enjoy a family holiday before I bring our world crashing down around us. I want to make some lasting memories for us all.
The door to the library opens and my eldest son walks in. Just the sight of him right now brings tears to my eyes. Theo is an exact clone of his father in every way possible. Looks, personality,perception…
“Ma, what’s wrong?” he asks, his steps quickening when he observes me wiping the tear from my cheek.
“Nothing. It’s the book,” I lie, closing the cover and flicking my eyes up to meet his gaze.
“You sure? Did the twins do something stupid again? I can go beat some sense into them if you need.” He gives me that devilish smirk all the boys seem to have mastered.
“No, and don’t beat up your brothers, Theo,” I scold him.
Those twins he’s talking about are my youngest two, Romeo and Luca. They’ve always been the more troublesome of my four children. Even with this in mind, I worry most about Theo. Which is ironic, considering he’s never given me a reason to worry. He’s always been the responsible one. Clear-headed. But he has his father’s propensity for going in guns blazing without a care in the world if he thinks his family is in danger.
He also has the weight of the world—this world—on his shoulders. He’s set to take his father’s position as Don when T retires. It’s not something I would have chosen for my children. Being raised within a mafia family. But behind the ugliness this line of work has to offer, there is even more beauty. I not only married the love of my life. T is also my best friend. There isn’t a day that I don’t thank God for giving him to me. And to love him is to love every part of him, even the parts that others would find terrifying.
He does his best to keep me out of the business, but that hasn’t trickled down to our children. We discussed it as they were growing up and decided to let each of them choose their own path, choose if they were going to join the “family business” or go off on their own adventures. We decided we would support them, no matter what they chose. Theo, he has never once shied away from working with his father. He lives and breathes the Valentino name, relentless in everything he does.
The other three have various pursuits outside of the family; however; each also took the oath, and although I might not be aware of everything they do, I’m also not naïve or stupid. I am well aware that my sons are just as ruthless as their father.
Matteo became a criminal defense attorney; he loves his job but I know the career choice has more to do with who his family is than anything else. Like everything he does, though, he puts his all into it and is known as the best defense attorney in the country. My middle son is merciless in the way he fights for his client’s freedom.
Romeo was a child prodigy; he could have skipped a lot of years in school with his brains, but he refused to leave his twin behind. My boy is currently the mayor of New York. He tends to distance himself as much as possible from the illegitimate side of our family business. Although he’s been dubbed soulless, mostly by those who don’t know him, those of us who do are able to look beyond his dark eyes. They’re able to see the good inside him that very few are privy to witness.
Then there’s his twin, Luca, my athletic child. He had his heart set on playing professional football. During the very first game of what was set to be a promising career, he was shot saving a pop singer from the bullet with her name on it. Luca is my most reckless son, always has been, and I don’t think that will ever change. After his short-lived football career ended so suddenly, he decided to change course and started a record label with his now wife—that same singer—who is one of the country’s biggest recording artists. That talent has trickled down to their children too.
I’ve been lucky enough to watch all of my boys grow up into men. I’ve seen them get married, been there when they’ve become fathers. I’ve watched my grandchildren grow into the young adults and teens they are now.
“Something else is wrong,” Theo says, kneeling in front of me and shaking me from my thoughts.
“Nothing’s wrong, baby. I was just thinking we haven’t had a family holiday for a while. I’m going to talk to your father about visiting the estate in Italy for a month. I want all of you to come.”
“A month, Ma? That’s a long time to be away,” Theo counters.
“Theo, we only get to experience today once. Tomorrow will always be a new day. I need a month with my family, all of you, in Italy. I want the memories.”
“What’s going on?” he presses, his brows knit with concern.
“Nothing. I just… we’re getting older, Theo. Your father and I are getting older and we aren’t always going to be around. I don’t want to waste time we might not have later,” I tell him.
“That’s morbid, Ma, and you’re not that old. Pops maybe, but not you.” He smiles.
I laugh. “Thanks. Make sure your brothers work out their schedules. I want you all there, the grandkids too.”
“All of them? Can’t we leave Matteo’s kids behind? They’re going to be nothing but trouble—trouble that I’m going to end up having to bail them out of.” Theo laughs.
