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"Since when have I ever asked anyone what they want? I’m the guest of honor, and I’m sure Ash is quite pleased to honor me, aren’t you dear."
Ashley doesn’t even miss a beat, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Whatever pleases you, Mrs. Greco," she says, the picture-perfect model of a future daughter-in-law.
"I’ve got this seat," Gio says, giving me a smug look as he slips in beside Ashley on her other side, causing her to laugh. I sit across the table from my beloved, and my mother, trying not to ask why I didn’t have all my brothers murdered when I took over the family business.
"You’ve all gotten so big," Mom sighs, leaning back in her chair, and reaching out, her fingers brushing against each of our faces in turn, Ricky, and then Gio, and then Matt who’s given up and grabbed a seat beside Ricky. "And I am ever so proud of you all." Dani sits next to me, and my mother smiles at her, warmth in her eyes. "And the most beautiful flower the Greco’s have ever turned out. Look how stunning you are." Dani ducks her head and it feels good to see the love shared.
Ash is taking all of this in, quiet in her own way, as platters of steaming pasta are brought in, and a large salad heaping with cheese and olives. I grab a plate and start loading it up, watching as the waiters bring in a fresh loaf of warm bread, and garlic butter.
"Now, Ashley, you must tell me all about your family," Mom says, patting Ashley on the hand. "And try the shrimp, delicious—" She piles some high on Ashley’s plate, angel-hair pasta already coiled on it and ready to receive the large pink shellfish.
"That’d be hard, they’re dead," Ricky says— and for a moment silence breaks over the room, and I stiffen, my head jerking up. Ash’s gaze, trained on her plate, lifts slowly until she meets mine. Her throat is tight and she smiles, even as Mom launches into a rapid-fire Italian lecture at Ricky, who looks completely unbothered by the whole thing.
"You’ve always been a tactless oaf," Gio growls, and Ricky just shrugs, helping himself to salad.
"I thought everyone knew."
Ashley gives me a tense, small smile.
"When I was much younger, a long time ago," she says, "I was raised by my aunt for awhile, and now, well," she shrugs. "My best friend, Samantha, is pretty much my family now."
"And your aunt, did you have any other relatives?" Mom asks, her face kind and curious, but not intrusive. "You must have some blood relatives somewhere, perhaps cousins?"
"No," Ashley says, shaking her head. "It’s just me and Sam now. She took me in when things were rough in my teens, it was just the two of us against the world." She clears her throat. "But, it’s been great to meet such a big loving family, I don’t know how you all put up with each other," she says, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she teases. "Especially Ricky." My mother’s eyes are on me, and I can tell she’s got some thoughts to share with me later. Maybe when I’m asking her for the ring.
He opens his mouth, half-way through chewing, and Matt slaps him on the back of his head.
"Christ, Ricky," Matt huffs. "This is why you don’t have a girlfriend."
"No, that’s cause I’ve been doing shit work. Ma, did the patron saint tell you that he had me cleaning out bathrooms?—"
"I get my reports, Ricardo," she says sharply, "and although I love you most out of all your brothers," she says with a wicked little grin, causing the other three of us to groan. She’s always joked that Ricardo was her favorite, but in truth we know she loves all of us equally. "Although that my be true, I approve of how your brother handled you. And did you learn a lesson from it?"
"If Mrs. Greco had her way," Dani whispers to Ashley, in a barely-disguised whisper, "all the bad boys in Boston would be writing letters of apology whenever they offed somebody or took over a new piece of territory."
"Manners go a long way," Mom says primly. "Ashley, do you want more shrimp?" As if to make a point. I take a sip of wine and sit back with a sigh. "And how are things with your shipping magnate?" She asks, and Dani glances at me before answering,
"Son is recovering well, we might salvage the deal. It’s still uncertain."
"Make it certain," Mom’s eyes go steely as she speaks, and Dani stiffens, and then Mom lifts her glass. "To my family," she says, and we chorus our agreement, Ashley’s eyes shining with amusement and wonder as her voice chimes in.
"Why didn’t you say anything?" I have Ash in my bed, laying on her stomach, the sheet pulled up to the small of her back. The lights from the city seem to glow off of her pale skin, the silken waves of her hair spilling over her shoulders. I want to push them out of the way and lay kisses down her back.
"It’s just another sad story in a string of them. You’re a crime boss, Luca, you can’t tell me that you had an easy upbringing or that your world isn’t layered with tragedy," her voice is muffled as her face is turned away from me, and I can imagine the way it looks, her eyes sparkling with reflection of the city below. "I did what I had to do in order to survive, and that landed me with a record. Maybe if my aunt hadn’t been such a bitch—" She rolls her shoulders and then turns her head to look at me, pillowing her cheek on her arm. She’s so beautiful. All I want to do is wrap her up and protect her. Getting her best friend-slash-adopted-family moved into my building was part of it. I’ve also got a lock on the property she used to live in. One of my shell companies is buying it and will be managing and maintaining it, ensuring everyone she used to call a neighbor would have safe harbor housing for as long as they liked.
I trace my thumb along the line of her cheekbone, her heart-shaped face relaxing as her eyes slide shut.
"What makes you say all that," I ask, and she chuckles, one eye popping open in amusement.
"You’re not even thirty-five and you run an entire criminal syndicate. Hello, you clearly either murdered your way to the top or someone important to you died and you inherited the role." She curls closer to me, the blanket shifting off of her hips. I try not to look at her greedily, eating her up. "Grief and pain put us on the path to meet, so how can I be mad at it? And I don’t even have to explain to your mom why I’ve got a criminal record." She exhales as she kisses me, tilting her head up to meet mine. The softness of her lips, the warmth, makes me melt.
"You have nothing to explain to anyone," I murmur, and she smiles against my lips.
"That’s what Dani’s for, isn’t it? She’s your fixer. She’s good at it too."
"Let’s not talk about anyone else right now, but you and me, got it?" I try to chase the annoyance from my voice, and lay her out. "Arms above your head, mia adora." She shivers under me as I move over her body, but she obediently slides her arms up, her fingers grabbing the headboard. "If you let go, I’ll tie you up."
