Page 21 of Bobby

“I can do whatever the fuck I want.” He pulls back, disgust on his face.

I nod. “True. But that also means I can as well. And so can Marco. Who is personally offended by foul language in front of impressionable kids.”

Marco doesn’t speak, but the growl coming off him is loud and clear. I don’t see him, but I know he’s right behind the girls, ready to barrel through all of us and deal with Willow’s ex. A man who tries hard to present himself as something of note, when in fact he’s nothing more than some country bumpkin from Tennessee. He might have been the hotshot back there, and seems to have grabbed a young, gullible woman here who has a family name tied to the stock market, but that doesn’t excuse him still being a pissant. Someone with very little integrity, based on the fact that he cheated on his wife after six years together just for the chance to be someone worth more than what he was born into.

He’s the type of man I absolutely detest. He clings to those who get him places. He’s a climber, of all things. Climbing corporate ladders, climbing over people, climbing to the top of whatever he thinks will make him look big and powerful.

I eat men like him for breakfast.

His eyes find Marco, and his lips pinch shut with a glare. He definitely doesn’t like being told what to do, and I find myself smiling that he can at least listen to reason.

“As for who I am, I’m Bobby Leone.” I hold my hand out and shake his. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me.” I let the part of me I usually keep locked away—unless I need it in a corporate takedown or just while doing famiglia business—show in my eyes. The glint of evil isn’t something I can hide, and he can see it. I squeeze his hand harder than necessary, and my grin darkens when he flinches in pain and pulls away.

“I heard you were concerned about Willow and the girls getting to school on time?” I move my hand to Willow’s back and move a centimeter closer. The sight of us together could mean a dozen things. The only one that matters is that clearly she and the girls are under my care now.

“Yes, Trevor was deeply concerned for the girls’ education and worried they might have missed something vital by arriving fifteen minutes late today.”

Willow is either too focused on her anger to feel the undercurrent between me and Trevor, or she’s embracing it and wanting to push my own anger just a bit. Because what she just said is beyond ridiculous.

I let out a low laugh. “Seriously?” I look at her and then back to Trevor. “You’re worried about a kindergartener and a second grader missing, what? Play time?”

“It’s actually early-morning sharing.” Ivy’s voice has us all turning to look down at her. She doesn’t look at her father but at me, and I hold her eyes with an encouraging smile as she continues. “We just share what we did over the weekend. I wasn’t too late. I was able to share about my project and the dinner we had.”

I give her a quick nod before blocking her from her father once more and looking at him with a smug smile, knowing he understood we’ve seen each other over the weekend. Let his imagination fester over what that means.

“I’ve arranged transportation and after-school care for the girls going forward. You won’t need to trouble yourself in the least with them. I’ll handle it.”

His mouth drops, and I take it as my cue.

“Shall we?” I gesture for Willow and the girls to walk to the car. Willow grabs the girls hands, and I walk on the other side of Ivy to make sure he doesn’t even get a second to see her.

“Is my giant coming?” Lily looks back around but keeps walking forward as her mother leads.

“Of course,” I say as I continue to walk and not look back. I’m not worried about what Marco might say or not. He’ll make sure the message is clear that Trevor is not to pull this shit again. Even if he never utters a word and just glares at the pathetic excuse of a man as he runs away. “Did you by chance finish his instruction manual?”

“Yup. I’ll have to explain it to him because I can’t spell yet.”

“I’m sure he’ll love that.” I open the door and let the girls climb in.

They both thank me as they get in, and when it’s Willow’s turn, she turns and puts her hand on my arm. Nothing flirtatious in it, but when she squeezes my bicep, I feel her thanks. She gives me a smile that makes me feel like I just won something I didn’t know I was chasing.

Marco takes the door for me as I slide into the seat next to Willow. The girls have taken the one on the other side and are facing us.

“Your car is so cool,” Ivy says in wonder.

“Yeah, I’ve never ridden backward before.” Lily jumps up and down in her seat as Marco climbs in up front.

“Where to, sir?”

I look at Willow. “Your call.”

Chapter 9—Willow

“What are the plans, ladies?” Bobby asks as we settle into the car once more after our sixth stop at after-school programs. They were all extremely impressive and reputable. It’s hard to choose.

“I want to do gymnastics,” Lily says, bouncing in her seat, and I think that might be good for her. She needs to get some energy out.

“But I want to do STEM.” Ivy pouts with her arms crossed. She’s been saying the same thing since the second stop. She fell in love with all the possible learning opportunities, but for Lily, that just seemed like more school. School after school? Not fun for a five-year-old at all.