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“No,” he grinned. “You most certainly are not.”
∞∞∞
As I made my way down to the children’s wing, I couldn’t remember a time that I felt happier than I did right now. I knew we still had a lot of shit to deal with but I felt a sense of security and understanding between Gio and I, now that we were open to communicating and on the same page about everything. It was hard to imagine anything coming between us again.
“Signorina Jones, nice to see you back,” Marco nodded at me as I approached the playroom.
“It’s good to be back. And Marco? Thank you. For what you said. You were right. I do need this family,” I smiled up at him from his towering height and a genuine smile crept onto his face. I knew I would do it one day. He is such a big teddy bear at heart. I now understood why Cecilia had chosen him as the children’s main bodyguard.
Pushing open the door to the playroom, I could already hear their laughter. Sitting on the floor on cushions were Sani, Raya and Cami playing a game of fishing with wooden alphabet letters. It was a game I had invented before France and it made me so happy to see them still wanting to play it.
“Liv! Look! We are playing catch the letter game!” Sani shouted as he tossed his wooden fishing rod into the makeshift pond (bowl of water).
“I can see! Well done!” I strolled over and kneeled beside Raya. “Is there a spare rod for me?”
“You can share mine,” Raya smiled up at me and I nodded.
“Thank you.”
“It’s okay. Here, take mine. I’ll leave you guys to it,” Cami held hers towards me as she attempted to stand up. I frowned. She always seemed to feel like she had to leave around all of us. Except the children. They seemed to make her feel comfortable.
“No. Please stay if you would like. I hear you have been spending time with these rugrats. Thank you.”
She gave me a shy smile and sat back down on the cushion. “Yes. We have been having lots of fun.”
“So, do we have two nannies now? You and Cami?” Sani asked as he pulled off the letter m from the end of his magnetic rod. I smiled over at Cami and nodded for her to answer.
“No Sani. I am just a friend who likes playing with you both. I am not a teacher like Liv.”
“Are you Max’s friend? Like Liv is Gio’s?” Sani asked, looking between us both. I chuckled at his boldness. I loved that about him. He always spoke exactly what was on his mind.
“Yes, I suppose I am,” she replied. And that is when I looked down at her hand and caught sight of the stunning engagement ring on her finger. I froze. My immediate thought was had Giovanni given her that to keep up appearances, but then I knew he would never. Which only meant one thing…
“Hey guys! It’s a lovely day. Why don’t we go for a walk around the grounds? We could go on a bug hunt.”
“Yeah!” They both cried and jumped up excitedly.
“Urgh! I hate bugs!” Cami scrunched her nose and giggled.
“They are more scared of you than you are of them. That’s what Liv says. You are a giant and they are only tiny,” Sani held out his hand to her in support and my heart burst with pride. She took it with a smile.
“Ah well, I suppose I need to be brave then.”
The four of us made our way outside and once the children had run off to look for bugs, I decided to broach the subject as Cami and I walked alongside one another. “Congratulations,” I leaned in and whispered in her ear. She glanced over at me in shock and then looked down at her hand as my eyes moved to the ring.
“Oh.” Her pink blush settled on her cheeks as she smiled like a giddy teenager. “Thank you. Max proposed yesterday. I still can’t believe it.”
My heart soared for her and Max. I hadn’t spent much time with either of them but it was clear that they were deeply in love. They had fallen hard and fast. Just like Gio and I.
“You two are perfect together, Cami. I really wish you all the happiness.”
Her smile faded and she suddenly seemed stressed as her shoulders tensed and she swallowed down her emotions. “What’s wrong?”
“I really love him, Liv. But what if love isn’t enough? Salvatore and my papi control our lives. If they do not accept us together, we don’t have many options,” she sighed.
I shook my head as anger bubbled in my chest. How was that fair? In this day and age, people should be able to choose who they want to marry. “I don’t understand that. This mafia culture you all live by. It’s so oppressive.”
She smiled sadly and nodded. “It is. But it has always been this way. The boss of the families has all the control. Everyone below them has to follow their commands and stay in line or they will face severe consequences. It’s been installed in us since birth. To respect the boss above all else.”
