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“We just flew home for fall break,” she replies then rolls her eyes. “Daddy wanted me to see his doctor for a checkup even though I have a great obstetrician on the East Coast.”
“Can’t be too careful with my grandchild,” our father remarks. “At least Madison didn’t come home pregnant or with a kid.” Spinning on a heel to study me again, my stomach specifically, he says, “You don’t have any kids and aren’t pregnant, are you?”
“No, Daddy, I don’t have any kids and I’m not pregnant.”
“Thank fuck,” he mutters as if the last thing he needed was proof that I was no longer an innocent virgin.
It’s very tempting to tell him Eli took it on our family’s dining table just to see his reaction, but I prefer to be the only one who gets to shoot the crazy bastard.
Our reunion is a great distraction for the next several hours as we all catch up, even Sophie and Lochlan joining us for dinner on the table where my cherry was popped.
But as soon as everyone goes to bed, my thoughts drift back to Rockland, where I know they’ll keep going no matter how long I’m away.
24
Eli
Icould hear the Salvato family laughing and talking in the second-floor dining room through my open bedroom door on the first level.
Of course, everyone is happy to see Madison back home safe and sound. And Dante seems to have lightened up more in the past few hours than he’s ever been.
Still, it was stupid of me to let my guard down around the mafia king.
“How’s your leg?” his booming voice asks from my doorway. I don’t jump in surprise despite him sneaking up on me fresh out of the shower in my black fleece pajama bottoms and white tee. I know better than to even think about walking around Dante’s house shirtless.
“Dr. Gates said it looks good. She told me I could wrap it up and shower,” I answer him. Propping my foot up on the mattress, I lift the leg of my pants to show him the wound beforeI cover it with gauze. “She gave me an antibiotic to take to prevent infection too.”
“Good. A clean shot, through and through,” Dante remarks as he studies it with a grin. “I still can’t believe Madison shot you.”
“Me neither.”
“All of my little girls have grown up now,” he says, then waves a hand at my leg. “I take it this happened after we spoke on the phone yesterday.”
“It did. I wasn’t sure how she would react to me showing up or how long it would take to convince her to come home. That’s why I didn’t say anything,” I lie.
Rubbing his bearded chin, he asks, “How did you do it?’
“How did I do what?”
“How did you convince her to come home? Killing the PI wouldn’t have motivated her.”
“Oh, well, I just told her how worried you had been and told her things would be different if she came back.”
His blue eyes narrow slightly. “Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything else I need to know about what Madison was doing in Virginia?”
“No. I told you she was living with that guy and baking. That’s about it.” Pausing for a moment, I then ask him, while making sure to use her full name, “What’s your plan for Madison long term?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“I think it would go a long way to patch things up with her if you let her keep her business going. There are plenty of big kitchens in the casino.”
“Right. The cupcakes?”
“Wicked Delights Cupcake company,” I inform him. “It’s like two cupcakes smushed into a jar so they can be stored and shipped. Various flavors that are surprisingly delicious.”
