Page 100 of Fractured Empire

“It is,” Bastian answers for him, giving me an honest nod.

Hearing it from him makes me feel assured that I haven’t missed any days in my memory. The kids quickly decided that sitting next to me was something they had to take turns with. Taking turns wouldn’t be so confusing if there weren’t also times when I sat in between them. When it’s just us, they often opt for that, but when Leon is around, sometimes they want him in the middle. It’s a complicated process trying to be completely fair to these precious boys. I would never want either one of them to think I favored one of them over the other.

“I suppose it must be,” I hum with a smile shot at Bastian. “Your brother has an amazing memory, doesn’t he?”

“Yep,” Leo replies through a bite of his bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. “He always find my toys.”

“He’s found my reading glasses three times already for me,” I add on, sitting down next to my little blonde buddy. “Where would we be without him, hmm?”

“I no know.” Leo shrugs, setting his sandwich down. “We just not be.”

So stinking sweet.

“I have to agree with you there.” I rub his shoulder in greeting and then nod to his papa. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Moretti.”

“Dante, please.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “Mr. Moretti is far too impersonal. We’re family now, Katya.”

“I’ll try to remember that.”

It won’t be easy.

The man is a legend.

Chapter Forty

Leon

“You wanted to talk?”

My dad faces me, sitting on the non-working side of my desk, despite being fully entitled to take my seat if he wanted to. He’s far too relaxed today for having something pressing to discuss. He ate breakfast with the kids too leisurely for me to be worried about an emergency of any kind, or some sort of tragic news to be delivered.

He’s stopped by on short notice before, of course. I may be an Underboss in charge of my chunk of his territory but it’s still his territory. If he wanted to, he could kick me out of my role completely and put one of my brothers in my place. I have a high, respectable rank and endless responsibilities, but when it comes to hierarchy, there’s no top further than my father. At least within The Outfit. And The Outfit is the only standard we care about.

“I did,” he confirms, dipping his head as he crosses an ankle over his knee. “But now I think I’d like to hear how you’re doing first. Things seem especially cozy around here. I’m glad to see it.”

Dante Moretti couldn’t give less of a fuck about silly personal information about the vast majority of people’s lives. But when it comes to his family? He’s a meddling old bitty.

“Things are going well,” I agree with a grunt. “The boys love her, and she’s become a part of the family much faster than I could have imagined.” Or hoped for.

“And a puppy.” He lifts a brow. “Leo tells me that was your doing.”

“The boys wanted one,” I reply, lifting my shoulders. “I can’t deny them anything.”

Dad chuckles. “A hereditary trait, I think.”

More than likely.

“Katya is a nice woman,” he continues, leaving me room to stop him if I want. “I wasn’t sure how I felt about your methods going into this match. Marrying so soon after Cleo, and making it a strategic match rather than seeking a love match. I was worried that it may go badly, but it appears you picked wisely, my son.”

“It’s still early,” I reply, a hint of warning in my tone. “The kids don’t know anything has changed between Katya and I. I wouldn’t even know how to begin to explain that to them.”

“It won’t be as complicated as you might think,” Dad offers, tilting his head. “They’re smart boys, and they understand that you’re married. They just never experienced seeing what a typical marriage looks like because Cleo didn’t want the affectionate side of things. They see their aunts and uncles, though. They’ll understand if you just expose them to it gradually. They’ll probably be thrilled, Leon. They adore her, and seeing her happy will only make them happier. I don’t think it will be long before they start associating her as a mother figure.”

Cleo wanted that for them, to have someone to be their mom while she couldn’t. She refused to die without my promise to give them someone to rely on in her place, and a part of me feels strange when I think about it. Katya agreed to this marriage for them, and I was completely open about what I needed from her. But now that feelings are growing between us, I almost feel like I’ve used her.

Overthinking is a downfall of too many people, though. And I refuse to allow it to be mine. If Katya expresses feeling any sort of negative emotions toward me or how we came to be, I’ll face it head on. But I can’t invent problems where there aren’t any just to make things harder on myself.

“Maybe,” I agree absently. “I feel like she’s been here longer than she has. The days move slower, and every moment feels like it lasts longer. Even when I’m not here, I’m seeing more of the boys than I ever did before. She sends me pictures and videos of them without even being asked, and she doesn’t make me feel like shit when I have things to deal with outside of the house.”