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“They’ll keep their mouths shut, if they want to keep their lives,” he says, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
I blink. “See, now this is the kind of behavior we’re going to have to talk about, in relation to Cassie. Tone down on the psychopathic Don behavior.”
“She’s mine to protect.”
“Ours,” I correct, an edge to my voice.
He rolls his eyes. “The guards will be here later today. I’ll make sure they understand discretion. Neither you nor the baby are allowed to live this building without security.”
I clench my fists. “That’s too much. Chill out.”
He glares at me. “Nothing’s too much when it comes to her. I’m going to leave now,” he announces.
“When will you be back? To see her?”
He hesitates. “It might be a good idea for me not to come around too often. Just in case our family gets suspicious. I’ll come see her this weekend. Maybe Sunday?”
“Alright.” I nod. “Bye.”
He leaves without another word. My head falls back onto the couch and I sigh softly. I’m not pleased about the security situation. But Roman and I are stuck together. And right now, he’s doing his best to work out a terrible situation. The least I can do is not fight him at every turn.
* * *
Kiaraand I take Cassie to the hospital for her monthly check-up, and I’m glad when the doctor informs us that she’s perfectly healthy. Eating and sleeping well enough for her age.
We’re leaving the hospital when Kiara suggests she take Cassie home while I go visit my dad.
“Didn’t you have that meeting with those fancy execs today?” I ask her as we head for the car.
She shakes her head. “They canceled on me. Guess they’re not too keen on meeting a novice jeweler. My brand is still up and coming; I can’t expect a huge company like that to be taking me seriously.”
My eyes narrow. “Nonsense, your brand is amazing. And they’re dumb for not taking you seriously.”
She smiles. “What’s even more annoying is that dad is close friends with the CEO of the company. One phone call and they’d be in a meeting with me instantly.”
“But you’re not going to ask him.”
“Nope,” she states, shifting the baby in her arms. Cassie is extremely curious about all the people milling about in the hospital lobby, her blue eyes big and wide as she tries to look around.
“But you—”
“I’m not calling him, Lena. End of story,” Kiara says firmly.
She and her dad had a huge falling out a few months ago, which, according to her, has been a long time coming. I’m not sure exactly what the details are because Kiara can be infuriatingly private about her family life. Mr. Coleman can be extremely overbearing, but I haven’t spent nearly enough time with him to gauge his relationship with his daughter. He’s always struck me as a stern man, a little controlling.
I thought I had issues with the way my father and brother tried to control me, but then I met Kiara’s dad. He has always tried to micro-manage her life, down to the outfits she was allowed to wear in public.
Kiara has much more control than she used to have, but it’s clear he hasn’t truly let up. She hasn’t spoken to him or her mother since their last fight.
“Okay,” I tell her, dropping the issue. “I guess I should go see my dad.” He asked me to come over a few days ago, but I told him I was busy.
“We’ll take the car home. You can catch a cab, right?”
“Yeah.”
I watch as she heads over to our car, pretending not to notice the big, hulking man trailing after them. Once Kiara has Cassie situated in her car seat, she gets into the driver’s seat. And our bodyguard, who I secretly call Todd in my head because we have yet to be introduced, heads into the black Escalade he uses to follow us everywhere. I appreciate him giving us space, though. We usually don’t notice his presence.
When they’re gone, I hail a cab and head over to my family’s home, where I find my dad in the living room. A surprise awaits me in the form of Ivan De Luca, who seems to be watching a game of baseball with my father. They both look up when I arrive, rising to their feet. My father’s face splits into a grin.
