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He follows me down the stairs, trying and failing to defend himself. We find Ava and Nate in the kitchen, and Nate now has a Mickey Mouse bandage around his thumb. He grins at the sight of me and I get the feeling he likes me. His grandmother runs a hand through his curly brown hair.
“You’re probably hungry, sweetie. What do you want to eat?” she asks.
“Lasagna,” Nate pronounces happily.
His grandmother nods in agreement. “Alright.”
“I can help you prepare it, Ava,” I say, happy to help.
Ava looks at me for a second in confusion. “Oh, honey, I’m not going to make the lasagna. I was about to call one of the private chefs we have on reserve. Unfortunately, I don’t cook.”
A deep sigh escapes me. Behind me, I hear Graham snort.
“I see where he gets it from,” I mutter before looking into Ava’s brown eyes. “You don’t need to call any chefs, Ava. I can make the lasagna. I’m a pretty good cook.”
“That’s wonderful, darling.”
The four of us spend the evening together, each of them assisting me as I prepare us some dinner. Unfortunately, I have to go home that night, something Graham is not at all happy about. Enzo asked to see me and normally I would ignore him, but he sounded pretty serious over the phone.
I’ve also barely seen him in the past couple of weeks. I think there’s something brewing in the New York mafia, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to care all that much about whatever it is. Graham follows me out of the building, looking completely put out that I won’t be spending the night.
“I could come pick you up later,” he suggests.
“No, thank you.”
“Come on, baby. I want to wake up next to you tomorrow morning,” he says earnestly.
I think my favorite thing about Graham is how he always so whatever’s on his mind. Without hesitation. He says the sweetest things without a care in the world and it’s extremely endearing. That being said, he can never find out just how much I enjoy hearing him say stuff like that.
I reach up to place a hand on his jaw. “You’ll see me tomorrow, Gray. We’re still on for our date, right?”
He looks a little skeptical at that. “Sure. Are you going to tell me exactly what it is you have planned?”
“You wish,” I say on a laugh. “This is payback for all those surprises you’ve planned in the past few weeks.”
Granted, I really loved every single one of them, and there’s a slight chance he’s going to absolutely hate what I have planned for our date. That being said, I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he realizes I’m taking him to a petting zoo. Maria gave me the idea, and honestly, I’m only doing this to see his reaction. I bet it’ll be hilarious.
Graham looks at me like he can tell I’ve planned something weird. But since he can’t read minds, he simply sighs before pressing a kiss on my forehead.
“See you tomorrow, Sunshine.”
“Bye.”
He hails a cab for me and I get in, heading home. One of the capos informs me that Enzo’s waiting for me in the home office as soon as I get home. Which immediately raises red flags because he never calls me in there. My hackles are raised as I climb the steps to the hallway where the office is located. I intentionally open the door without knocking.
Jason and Enzo are in the middle of a huge argument that immediately comes to a stop as soon as I open the door. Both men look furious.
“For fuck’s sake, Isa, knock,” my cousin yells.
I arch an eyebrow as I stroll inside the room, stopping in front of his desk. I look from my cousin, who’s still seated, to his second-in-command. Jason is doing his best to avoid my gaze. He hasn’t said a word to since I asked him to stay away weeks ago. Which has honestly suited me perfectly.
I drop down into the chair in front of Enzo and cross my arms over my chest. “What is this important matter you had to discuss with me?” I prompt.
My cousin leans back in his chair. His blue eyes rest on my face and his expression is completely blank. Okay, now I’m starting to get worried.
“Is something wrong? Denise?” I ask, scared that something’s happened to the twins’ mother.
This is the longest she’s ever stayed away from them. And it’s possible her condition has gotten worse.
