Page 68 of Pay the Piper

Poor thing, she’s exhausted. She rolled over while I was on the phone to face the side of the bed, clearly expecting me to come back and spoon her before too long. Unfortunately, from the tone of Teddy’s voice, I don’t think I’ll be back any time soon.

“I have to go, sweetheart. Teddy needs me.”

She doesn’t respond, and I’m not surprised at all that I’ve worn her out so thoroughly. With a kiss to her forehead, I tuck her in and take all the pizza boxes to the trash on my way out. Leaving a quick scribbled note so that she isn’t scared when she wakes, I arm the security system and force myself away from the place I never thought I’d have.

Home.

Chapter 26

“Ugh, do you have to go?”

I jump, startled at Misha’s voice, and look up from where I’ve been tying my shoe.

“Hey, you’re the one who made plans, mister!”

We already said our goodbyes before he got in the shower, and I thought I’d be able to leave before he finished. It’s not that I’m avoiding him per se, but I still feel weird about him having such a close female friendship. I don’t mean to feel such jealousy, but I can’t help it. Despite how incredible he’s been and despite how he cherishes me, I can’t compete with a woman he’s known and loved his entire life.

“Yeah, but I can cancel them. Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you? I promise I won’t bother your girl time with Ellie. I can—”

That’s the other thing. I’m not technically lying…I will be seeing Ellie later today for dinner with her family. But my primary objective in leaving is to see a different Santori. Nikki. I haven’t told Misha about our friendship yet. I shouldn’t feel bad about it, especially after learning that his closest relationship is with another woman. If I feel bad about anything, it should be that I’m freaking married.

“No, you cannot! You promised Thatcher a long ride on your bike, and from everything you’ve told me about him, he’ll be devastated if you cancel. Plus, I already made plans with Ellie, and I, for one, don’t flake on my friends.” Tennis shoe strings securely tied, I stand and bridge the gap between us.

“He won’t mind—”

“Misha!” I chuckle, wrapping my arms around his waist and squeezing. “It’s fine! She and Nonna are going to teach me to make their famous gnocchi, which will only benefit you in the long run.”

Note to self: ask Ellie and Nonna to teach me how to make gnocchi.

“Can I at least give you a ride to their house?”

“Well…I haven’t exactly told Ellie about us yet…I’m going to today, I promise!”

Lies, lies, and more lies.

Misha squints down at me and searches my eyes. I’m not sure what he finds, but he eventually sighs and kisses the top of my head. “Do you know when you’ll be back?”

“I’m having dinner with her family, so it will be after that. I’ll keep in touch throughout the day, though!”

“Alright. Have a great day, sweetheart.” He seems to buy my ruse and sends me away with a long kiss.

I’ve concealed my feelings as well as I can for now. I keep reminding myself that even though it feels as if we’ve known each other for a lifetime, we haven’t known each other long at all. I can’t just come in making demands about a relationship he’s had longer than I’ve been alive. Not that I would make any demands. Just because I don’t understand their connection doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It’s just his female best friend, who he’s been attached to for over thirty years. Literally longer than I’ve been alive. I’m probably just being jealous for no reason, but just in case. I mean, let’s be logical here. There’s no way on earth I could mean more to him at this point than Mila. And if she doesn’t like me, or he has to pick a side…Well, I need to make sure I have at least one super-scary Mafia man locked in to my plan.

My plan. As if I have a plan.

More like I need to lock in Nikki and have him develop a plan for me. He’ll do that for me, right? We’ve been in contact almost every day since the night on the lake, and our relationship has blossomed into something truly beautiful. He’s helped guide me through my relationship with Misha in such a specific manner that he must know who I’m talking about. I mean, he and Misha are buddies after all. He’s also vaguely opened up about some of his own girl problems.

Sigh. Who am I kidding? I need to pray he doesn’t kill me on the spot for deceiving not only him but his family as well. Even though I haven’t told Conor anything, it’s still betrayal. But it’s my only option—a Hail Mary for my life. Because if Nikki doesn’t do the job, I know my husband will. Maybe not immediately, but sooner or later, Conor will go too far.

When I arrive at the Santori Estate, the gates open for me automatically before I’ve even rolled to a stop, and when I pull up to the front of the house, I see why. Nikki waves at me with a grin on his face and jogs over to open my door.

“Abby!” he greets me with a kiss on each of my cheeks. “It’s been too long. Come in, come in!”

He guides me through the house to their quiet family den, waits for me to take my seat, then chooses his across from me.

“How have things been going? Mama told me about your girls’ night last week. I almost—”

“Nikki.” His small talk only worsens my nerves, and I know if I don’t do this now, I’ll lose my courage altogether. “I need to tell you something.”