Page 38 of Always: A Legacy Novel

“More,” she admitted.

Her father nodded like that was what he’d been waiting to hear. “You’ve been messaging him since the beginning of the school year.”

“Took me a while to make friends.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Dante blew out a slow breath. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t tell your mother or me about him, that’s all. I worried something was not right because you felt the need to hide it.”

Catherine frowned. “No, I didn’t. There wasn’t anything to tell.”

“We haven’t put rules on dating or boys, reginella, but the least you could do is tell us when there is a boy, okay? You tell us so that we know—you tell us so we can set boundaries, or make sure you’re safe. You tell us so that should something happen, you’re not afraid to tell us then, either.”

“Like what?”

Dante shook his head. “Anything, Catherine. It doesn’t have to be something bad, it can be anything. That’s why we’re here; to listen, to talk, or whatever.”

“I’m sorry.”

She hated disappointing her parents, but especially her father.

Dante smiled as he stood from the chair, and patted his daughter’s head on the way by. “As for this … Cross …”

“Yeah?”

“Invite him over to dinner next week. I’ll let your mother know.”

“So, I’m not in trouble?” she asked.

Dante turned slightly, waving her concern off. “Never lie to me, mia reginella. Never hide things from me. I may not always approve, but I would rather be disappointed than lied to.”

Yeah, but disappointment was just as bad.

Catherine hated that.

“Are we still going to dinner at Grandmamma and Grandpapa’s later?”

“Sure are.”

“But your sentencing is tomorrow, right?”

Dante’s shoulders tensed. “It is.”

“Shouldn’t we stay home? You told us before to stay quiet.”

“I want to have dinner with my family, Catherine, like I always do.”

Her father’s trial had extended a couple of more weeks beyond what her parents expected it to. They continued to tell their children not to worry, that things were being handled. It was hard for Catherine to listen and do that, even if she had been able to pretend like nothing was wrong when she was outside of her home. She had overheard her mother mentioning a bribe of some sort that her Uncle Giovanni—her father’s lawyer and brother—had tried to offer, but there was little to no news on whether it would be taken.

She didn’t talk about her family, even if her father was on the news a lot lately. Her friends from school had asked if it was true that her father was a mob boss, or if her whole family was somehow involved with organized crime.

Catherine said nothing.

Not about family.

Not about the business.

Not even to Cross, though he never asked.

It was a rule.