“You can stay with me. I’m in the market for a new roommate,” Trace adds with a smug grin on his face, only getting in the conversation to piss me off.

  “She has a place with me,” I tell him as my lips curl on the last word.

  “If you say so, brother.” He smirks.

  “New topic,” Ma says, stopping me from bringing up Beau. “Adaline, do you want to color some more?”

  “Yes!” Adaline screeches.

  “Maybe after dessert, we can do it together. Would you like that, sweetie?” Ma smiles down the table, and her eyes move to me. She’s making moves for me, and no matter what she says, there’s no denying it.

  Adaline’s eyes are so damn big. “Really?”

  “I’ve always wanted a little girl around to draw with me.”

  “Let’s go now,” Adaline says, shoving one more spoonful of whipped cream into her mouth before leaping out of Rebel’s lap.

  My mother slides out of her seat before Adaline makes it to her. “You guys enjoy. We girls are going to color.”

  “And so it begins,” I mutter, shaking my head.

  If my mother has her way, Rebel will never leave. And if I’m being honest with myself, I’d be okay with it too.

  But is it because I still have feelings for Rebel, or is it the tragedy of that day that draws me to her?

  12

  Rebel

  The men have gone outside, and Adaline followed them, leaving his mother and me alone for the very first time.

  “Come sit.” Rocco’s mother pats the couch cushion next to her.

  I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear as I move toward her, praying her lovely behavior wasn’t just a ruse she played out in front of her boys.

  My bottom barely makes contact when she starts to speak again. “How are you really doing?” she asks, studying my face with her mesmerizing blue eyes.

  “I’m well,” I lie, swallowing immediately but somehow plastering a smile on my face.

  She tilts her head, continuing her appraisal as she moves her eyes across my features before connecting with my gaze again. “I see a lot of me in you. The tough façade. The tamped-down emotions. As women, we sometimes feel we have to portray strength even when our insides feel anything but.” She reaches forward, taking my hand in hers. “I don’t know everything you went through, but Carmello’s told me enough for me to know you’re in the right place.”

  “I…” My words die in my throat, along with the fake smile I’ve somehow maintained until now.

  What do I say to something like that?

  First, I make a mental note to kick Carmello in the balls. He talks more than any girl I know. Chatty Cathy’s going to be his new nickname from this day forward. Second, Rocco told Carmello, so he’s on my shit list at least a little bit too.

  She squeezes my hand lightly. “The men in this family are extremely protective, Rebel. If you’re in trouble, they will make it their mission to keep you and that sweet baby girl of yours safe. A woman with such pride and strength as you have wants to push against it, but don’t. Don’t fight it. Don’t push away the help. I see the fire burning in your eyes. You think you need no one, especially not the protection of a man, after everything you’ve been through, but this is the time you lean into it instead of pulling away.”

  I gawk at her for a few seconds, blinking, and let her words settle. “It’s not easy, Mrs. Caldo.”

  She raises an eyebrow.

  “Izzy.” I smile genuinely.

  “I was the same way when I met James. I thought I didn’t need anyone at my side to protect me or to lean on. I grew up with four brothers…”

  My eyes widen. “Four brothers?”

  She nods with a small laugh. “They’re still a pain in my ass, even after all these years.”

  “I always wanted a brother,” I admit.

  Her face softens. “I complain about them a lot, but my life wouldn’t be as full without them. They taught me early how to take care of and protect myself. For a long time, I thought that was enough, and then I met James and he blew that out of the water.”

  “I’ve never had anyone to lean on. I learned, at an early age, no one would look out for me except me. Then the accident happened.” My gaze dips, and I take a deep breath, but I keep going when she tightens her hold on my hand still clutched in hers. “I’d hoped Beau was going to be my saving grace.”

  “Was he always bad?”

  I lift my head with a slight shake. “No. He was wonderful for a little while. Everything I ever dreamed of. He was attentive and loving, but then he changed and…”

  She scoots closer to me and slides her hand up my arm until it is on my shoulder. “You can stop running. You have us.”

  My nose tingles, and I blink away the water pooling in my eyes. The sentiment is as sweet as the woman sitting in front of me, but how can I ask a man I’ve spent so little time with to deal with the bullshit I created? “Rocco and Carmello are making it pretty damn hard for me to run from them at this point.”

  She chuckles. “My boys are a bit much.”

  “Ya think?” I laugh too.

  “Take this time to regroup and figure out your next move. You can do it without someone watching or breathing down your neck. There’s no urgency to move on. A child needs stability as much as they need love, Rebel. You can’t be running from city to city to avoid your ex. Let the men figure things out while you get your plan together. Promise me you won’t run.”

  “I promise. I only want what’s best for Adaline.”

  She smiles warmly and moves her hand to my face like we’ve known each other forever. “Don’t forget about yourself in the process. Children can feel our emotions, no matter how hard we try to hide from them. They’re little sponges, soaking up the good with the bad. She seems happy right now.” Izzy gazes out of the window behind the couch, and my eyes follow the sound of laughter. “She looks happy too.”

  Rocco and Carmello are chasing Adaline around the backyard as she squeals with her arms flailing about. I haven’t seen such joy on her face in ages, and it warms my insides.

  “On Sunday, the entire family is getting together for dinner as we do every week. I’d love for you and Adaline to come. There will be other kids there for her to play with too. She’d enjoy it, and I think you’d better understand my boys if you met the other pain-in-the-ass men in my family too.”

  Weekly family dinners? I don’t even know what to say or do with that. I have no family besides my miserable aunt who wrote me off the day I graduated from high school. We never had dinner together. We never had anything together except misery.

  “Wouldn’t that be weird, though?” I ask, glancing her way as she stares out the window at her boys and Adaline with a big smile on her face. “I mean, I’m not family.”

  Her blue eyes move back to mine. “Family is more than blood. It’ll be good for you and Adaline. Plus, my mom makes the best food you’ll ever eat. And…” she says, moving her head back toward the boys and Adaline outside, “I don’t think Rocco will be comfortable leaving you at home alone. Not yet, at least. Come for his peace of mind if nothing else, or at least the homemade sauce and meatballs.”

  “We’ll go if Rocco wants us to,” I reply, leaving an out just in case. It’s great for his mother to ask me, but until I hear the words from his mouth, I can’t guarantee I’ll just tag along.

  She smiles as her hand drops back to mine, and she gives the top a quick pat. “He’ll ask.”

  The lamp on the side table casts a soft glow on her face. She’s completely and absolutely stunning. The boys have a few of her features, but they look more like their father, who is hot as fuck for an older man. Their wide bodies, broad shoulders, and the strong jawlines all clearly come from him.

  Adaline runs into the house, giggling and gasping for air with Rocco right on her heels. She doesn’t make it to me before he leans forward, scooping her into the air and turning in a circle, only making her scream louder.

  “Ready, babe? We should get home,” he asks, still holding Adaline in his arms and moving her around like she’s her own personal airplane.

  My belly flutters with his words. I like the sound of them coming out of his mouth way too much.

  “Yeah,” I answer, tamping down the butterflies that have no place being inside my body.

  The man is just being nice.

  “You can stay a little while longer,” his mother offers, standing from the couch and moving toward Rocco and Adaline. “It’s been wonderful to hear the sound of laughter in the house again.”

  “Ma,” he warns, but he is smiling at her. “Come on.”

  “What?” she asks, looking innocent.

  “The kid has to go to bed, and it’s getting late.”

  “Where’s Rocco, and what have you done with him?” she teases him as I watch in awe once again at the easy way they love each other.

  “Babe,” Rocco says again as I sit there, watching him and his mother, while he still has Adaline in his arms. “You ready or you stayin’?”

  I move from the couch, finally finding my legs. “I’m ready.”

  “Bath and bed,” he tells Adaline as she sits in his arms.

  “Story,” she negotiates with him, giving him big pouty eyes.

  “Fine. One,” he tells her because the guy is a sucker for the kid, and she has gotten him wrapped around her little finger in under a day, and she damn well knows it too.

  “Two,” she replies.

  He stares at her, and she stares right back.

  “One.”

  “Three,” she says, upping her game.

  “Two.”

  She smiles and nods. “Two.”

  “Damn,” he mutters, shaking his head.

  “Walked right into it, big guy.” I cover my mouth to hide my laughter.

  Rocco leans forward, placing his hand on Adaline’s back to keep her steady, and kisses his mother’s cheek. “Thanks for dinner, Ma.”

  “See you Sunday, yeah?” she asks as soon as he backs away. “All three of you.”

  His eyes move to me, and mine widen. “You good with that?”

  “I…uh… I guess, but only if you…”

  “We’ll be there,” he tells her, but he winks at me. “Adaline will love having the other kids to play with.”

  “I’ll let your grandmother know to expect two more for dinner,” his mother tells him, brushing her fingers against Adaline’s cheek. “Sleep well, baby girl. See you at dinner, yeah?”

  “Bye,” Adaline says, moving into her touch like they’ve been doing this forever.

  Adaline loves so easy and so fast. That’s the thing about kids.

  Before making it to the door, I stop and place my arms around Rocco’s mother. “Thank you for everything.”

  She squeezes me, making me feel so many emotions, ones I’ve never felt so quickly. “You’re welcome, Rebel. It was wonderful to have two more girls under my roof. I hope it’s not the only time. Don’t make yourself a stranger.”

  “I won’t. I promise.” I pull away from her slowly, loving the way the entire family loves.

  “If you need a sitter—”

  “Ma,” Rocco interrupts her. “If we need a sitter, you’re the first person we’ll call.”

  “Good.” His mother nods. “Sleep well,” she tells Adaline and gets a giggle in response.

  I follow Rocco out as he carries Adaline, holding her by the waistband of her pants and letting her pretend she’s a bird flying through the air. Her arms are extended and flapping as he lifts and dips her in dramatic fashion.

  “You’re going to make her throw up,” I warn him.

  “She’s good,” he tells me. “Relax.”

  “Your funeral.” I shrug.

  As he lifts her, straightening her body to put her in the SUV, her mouth opens, and every ounce of whipped cream, ice cream, and apple pie flies out, splattering on the ground near Rocco’s feet, barely missing his leg.

  He tips his head down, blinking at the puddle of the remnants of dessert near his boots. “Fuck,” he hisses, but he’s not mad. Surprised, yeah, but mad…no.

  “Told you,” I say, giggling.

  His gaze snaps to me, and I cover my mouth, trying to kill my laughter. “Could’ve been worse,” he says easily before turning his attention to Adaline. “You okay, kid?” He swipes his thumb across her chin and lip, capturing the little bit that is left behind.

  She nods but is barely moving. “Sorry,” she whispers.

  His face softens as he smiles at her. “Not the first time a chick has puked on me. Probably won’t be the last,” he tells her, to which I roll my eyes.

  “You’re not mad?” she asks.

  “No, baby. I’m not mad. Ready to get home and read a story?”

  “Two,” she reminds him as he places her in her car seat.

  “Mind like a steel trap. It’s genetic.”

  “What?” I ask, moving to the passenger side door.

  “Women.”

  I stand by the door, watching him as he buckles her in carefully and gently. “What about us?”

  “Even at a young age, you forget nothing.”

  “It’s a gift.”

  He ticks his head toward the front seat. “Ass inside, Reb.”

  “Bossy much?” I reply but do as I’m told anyway.

  He is bossy, but not in the way that pisses me off. For some reason, the words sounded sweet, although they were short and gruff.

  “Let’s get the princess home and tucked in,” he tells her before closing the door.

  “Mommy,” Adaline calls out from the back seat while Rocco walks around the SUV.

  I turn to look into her cute little face. “Yeah, baby?”

  “I like him,” she says, smiling at me.

  “Me too, baby. Me too,” I say honestly, returning her sweet smile.

  13

  Rocco

  The kid smells like strawberries when she climbs up on my bed and snuggles into my side with a book in her hands.

  One book.

  Not two, but one.

  She places her head on my shoulder and stares up at me with those big blue eyes. “Ready,” she whispers, pushing the book in my face.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Rebel says from the doorway, watching us.

  “We’re fine. Come back in ten,” I tell her.

  “Twenty,” Adaline insists. “Not ten.”

  “Twenty what?” I ask, peering down at her, and I wonder if she even has a clue what we’re talking about.

  “Minutes.” She smiles.

  I’m a total goner between this little girl’s smarts and beauty.

  How in the world can any man turn his back on someone as sweet and pure as her? When she looks at me with those blue eyes, I’ll move heaven and earth to see the smile on her face and keep the pain away.

  “Fifteen,” I tell Rebel, meeting Adaline in the middle.

  Adaline yawns and I know she doesn’t even have ten in her, but I’ll give her a few more minutes to make her happy.

  “I’m going to jump in the shower. Is that okay?” Rebel asks me.

  “Sugar, do whatever you want to do. Take a bath. It’s way better.”

  She stares at me for a moment, biting her lip. “I don’t know…”

  “Lots of bubbles,” I tell her and wrap my arm around the kid as she gets restless at my side. “Take your time. I got this.”

  “Okay,” she says, walking into the room and leaning over Adaline. “Night, baby.” She kisses Adaline’s cheek, peeking up at me. “You too.”

  I wink at her. “Enjoy your bath.”

  She gazes at me for a moment, her cheeks turning pink, before she turns around, stalking out of the room quicker than she entered.

  “Story,” Adaline says, tapping on the hard cover with her pudgy little index finger.

  “What’s this one about?” I lift up the book and study the cover, spotting the girls with their frilly dresses, and somehow hold in my groan. “Princesses.”

  Adaline cuddles closer, running her finger over my T-shirt as she stares at the first page. She’s a captive audience as I read.

  She barely moves, and she’s paying careful attention with each passing page. The book is ridiculously short, with twenty pages that have no more than a few sentences each.

  “The end,” I say, closing the book when I reach the final page.

  “More,” is her immediate response.

  I peer down at her, and she doesn’t even look remotely tired, but I am. “Do you have another book?”

  She shakes her head. “I’ll tell you a story,” she says.

  What the hell? Why not? I wouldn’t even know where to begin with telling her a story out of thin air. I’ve crafted some crazy shit in my days, but they were mostly lies to cover my ass and nowhere near a bedtime story unless I had a stripper snuggled in my arms.

  “Sure, kid. Tell me a story.” I smile down at her, and she smiles back, making my heart squeeze with her cuteness.

  “Once upon a time,” she says, repeating the same words from the start of the story I just finished, “there was a cow…”

  I close my eyes, letting her babble on about a cow and a horse. I have no idea what’s going on or what she’s talking about, but she goes on and on and on. I cover my mouth to hide my yawn.

  “Are you listening?” Adaline asks.

  “I am.”

  “Okay. So, the cow…”

  I tune out again, thinking about Rebel in the next room, the sound of the water soothing.

  I’m comfortable. More comfortable and content than I’ve been in a while.

  The house is no longer quiet but filled with a little girl’s voice and the soft whispers of Rebel as she sings to herself in the shower.

  “Rocco.” Rebel’s soft voice echoes. “Rocco, wake up.”

  My eyes snap open. “Shit,” I whisper.

  Rebel puts her finger against her lips before pointing at Adaline, still snuggled against me and fast asleep. “Move slowly,” she tells me.

  At least this time, I have clothes on. I can’t believe I fell asleep while Adaline told me a story, when I was supposed to be doing that very thing.