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Sure, we have unbelievable chemistry in bed, and we have a son together. But how much do I really know Matteo? I’ve just found out that he can cook this morning. All I know about him is what he has chosen to share with me.
In contrast, I haven’t chosen to share any information with him. He snatched that choice away from me when he looked me up and tracked me down.
He has already stolen my information. What’s stopping him from taking even more from me—my son, my life?
What if I go home, and they take Jack away from me, then kill me in front of my family? That may sound crazy to a normal person, but my family is neck deep in blood and violence. So is Matteo’s family.
I study Matteo’s gorgeous features. His dark eyes, full of secrets. The rough hair along his strong jawline. He’s capable of violence even if I’ve never seen that with my own eyes. It’s easy to tell.
“Well?” Matteo asks. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know.”
“What’s on your mind? What’s making you reluctant to go home?”
Images of Jack being raised by Matteo and his family plague my mind. Jack’s young enough to forget everything he knows about me.
What if Matteo marries another woman for Jack to call “Mommy?” What if he raises Jack to hate my family—or worse, to kill my family?
Still, no matter how bad of a man Matteo is, he won’t hurt his own son.
Maybe Jack will be better off with the Guerrieros. They have money and resources. Jack will eat like a king, get educated by the best minds in the world, and literally have power over people’s lives.
With me, he’d live in hiding, possibly moving from town to town to avoid detection from dangerous, violent men. What kind of a life is that?
I’m using Jack as an excuse not to do what’s right by him. Does that make me a bad mom?
Matteo
I watch as Grace swirls her fork on her plate, biting her lip like she often does when she’s thinking. “What’s on your mind? What’s making you reluctant to go home?”
She stares at her stew and remains silent for a few tense seconds. “I’m worried about Jack,” she says finally.
“Why?”
Grace glances up to meet my gaze but quickly looks away again. Is she hiding something from me? “I think he needs more time to adjust to having you around.”
So far, Jack seems to be doing well. I think he even likes me although he did spray some piss on my shirt this morning. I’m trying not to take that too personally.
“Are you sure you’re talking about Jack and not yourself?” I ask as gently as I can, ignoring the surge of impatience rising in my chest.
Grace’s disappearance gave the war new life, and now Franco is lying in a hospital bed, fighting against death. I don’t have time to play around. Actual human lives are hanging in the balance here, but Grace doesn’t seem to understand that.
Something flickers in her eyes, but it’s gone almost as soon as I notice it.
Is she surprised that I guessed correctly? Is she afraid of me? I wouldn’t blame her if she is—I wouldn’t hurt Grace or Jack, but I’m not a good man.
Or am I looking at this wrong? Is there a particular reason why she wants to hang on to her life here? So far, it doesn’t seem like Grace has any reason to stay even if Lily appears to be a good friend. Is there a man here she’s seeing? The mere thought of it makes me want to punch something.
“Okay. You’re right,” Grace says on a sigh. Is she about to admit her attachment to another man? I don’t know how I’d react to something like that. “I’m nervous about going home.”
“Everyone will be happy to see you. Your family will be overjoyed to see you’re still alive, and my family will be too distracted by how cute Jack is to even remember about the feud.”
“Everything is happening so fast, Matteo.” Grace lifts her gaze and gives me a peek into her anxious soul. “Last week, I thought I was going to live as Ashley for the rest of my life. My biggest concern was getting my business to make money so I could send Jack to college.
“Since you found me, everything I know about my options has changed. Now, going home doesn’t seem like a suicide mission. In fact—” her cheeks brighten with genuine embarrassment “—I think I’d like to be with you.”
I reach across the breakfast bar and take her hand, stroking her smooth skin with my fingers. It would be my honor to go through life holding this hand in mine. “Then be with me, Grace. I want to spend my days with you—and nights too.”
A smile. A playful glimmer in her eyes. A flash of fearful hope across her features. “Do you have any idea just how much my life has changed, Matteo? Now, I don’t have to worry about hiding my real identity anymore—or money.
