Page 14 of Fractured Empire

“Yeah,” he confirms. Our eyes meet with direct contact and he says something that I’m not at all prepared to hear. “I need a new wife.”

Chapter Six

Leon

“Ineed a new wife.”

My father never shows his hand when reacting to information. He’s always had a carefully crafted demeanor and he doesn’t allow it to crack. I’ve only seen him drop his completely controlled composure a few times in my life, usually out of anger, and almost always in private. But he doesn’t react in anger at my words, nor does his body betray him.

Dante Moretti doesn’t flinch or stiffen, his shoulders remaining still and strong. No, his face is what changes. For the first time in my life, I’m given a view of genuine surprise in his eyes. His shock can’t be concealed, and it doesn’t seem like he’s even attempting to hide it once he recognizes what’s happening.

“What?” he asks, his voice dropping an octave. He can’t believe what he’s hearing, of that much I’m certain.

I understand, of course. We haven’t even buried my wife yet. Three days is a short mourning period, even for a man who wasn’t in love with the deceased. And part of me isn’t surprised that my father is dropping his practiced emotional wall. When he lets go of it at all, it’s always for his children. Usually when we need him most.

“My boys need a mother,” I tell him stiffly, hating the sound of the words. “Cleo herself demanded that I don’t let them grow up with only one parent. She said they need a mother’s softness, and I don’t disagree.”

“I…” Dad blinks, clearing his throat. “I don’t disagree either. I sometimes wish that I had found a woman to play that role for you and your brothers—I think about it more than you know. But are you sure that this is something you want to be thinking about so soon? There’s no rush, Leon.”

“Of course there is,” I disagree calmly. “You know a ridiculous number of eligible women are going to be thrown at me by their fathers. I want to find the right woman to be in my kids’ lives before the decision is made for me.” Again, I don’t add, but I swear he can sense the absent word.

“It won’t be made for you.” The statement is a vow, a solemn promise that I know he won’t break. My father is many things, but a man who lies to his children about such matters, is not one of them.

“Either way,” I reply quietly. “I could use the help with the kids. Having Apollo and Rayna here is good, but Leo and Bastian already love Rayna so much. I don’t want them to get even more attached when she can’t stay forever. Leo already treats baby Vaughn like a little brother. Imagine how sad he’ll be if he’s here for months and then suddenly he’s not.”

Dad can’t hide the small, fond smile that always graces his lips when his grandchildren are mentioned. “I understand. Do you have something in mind? Or someone?”

Well, that’s the complicated part, isn’t it?

I have no one in mind. I’ve been off the market for years, and I haven’t exactly been searching through my world’s single women. I’ve never had any interest in the topic, and I still doubt that I do. What if I end up with another wife who lies to me? Who secretly hates living every day in my presence?

I could handle it again, I think. Perhaps if it weren’t as extreme as the last time.

“I’ve thought about a contract. One that would make being my wife a formality. I want someone who is focused on the kids, but I suppose one who also is open to more…eventually. A wife in name, but a nanny in practice. I doubt that Bastian or Leo will want her to be a mother for quite some time but it might be a good place to start growing that connection.”

“It’s not a bad idea.”

“But?” I ask, sensing it coming.

“But are you sure an arrangement is what you’re looking for? I know it didn’t really work out with Cleo the way any of us had expected⁠—”

“You can say that again,” I mutter.

“But,” he continues, “we could always hire someone to be a nanny while you look for a woman to love. A real partner. Like Apollo has found in Rayna, or Matteo has found in Anya.”

I hold back a sigh, already having considered hiring a nanny, rather than marrying one. It doesn’t solve my problems, and it only creates more of them.

“Hiring someone means trusting someone,” I point out, shaking my head. “Trusting someone who has no stake in our family seems like a poor idea. It wouldn’t get the mafia princesses of the world off my back either. Unfortunately, I’m now one of the highest ranking single men this organization has seen in a long time. Discounting you, of course. Since you’ve made it clear you aren’t looking.”

He huffs, almost chuckling through the noise.

“Not to mention, a nanny is not a mother,” I add, frowning. “Whoever marries me will be acting as a nanny for my children, yes, but as my wife, that relationship is bound to grow. She’ll live with us, and see them daily. She’ll be responsible for them not just because she’s being paid, but because she’d be family. We always treat Moretti wives as our kin, even if there isn’t love sealing that bond. It’ll work, I think.”

It has to work.

“You’ve thought a lot about this,” Dad comments without a hint of judgment. If anything, he seems pleased or proud. “Are you…Leon, are you ready for another partner? We can work something out if you’re not. I can tell everyone to back the fuck off you, and we could hire someone who we could trust completely. Distant family, someone Martha recommends, one of my men’s daughters or wives. Anything if it means not pushing you before you’re ready.”

A warmth radiates in my chest that almost feels painful.