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He must’ve caught me looking, because he slowed and said, “It’s almost hard to believe people live like this.”
I glanced at him. “What do you mean?”
“All spread out.” He shrugged and gestured around. “I know I’m a stupid city kid. I only know pavement, and grass seems like an absurd luxury. But man, I don’t know why anyone would choose this over the city.”
“I know what you mean,” I said, smiling a little. “But wouldn’t it be nice to have so much space?”
“I got plenty of space,” he said, shrugging, and turned down a quiet, shady driveway that snaked through a path of trees.
I sucked in a breath when the house itself came into view. It was massive and gorgeous, with columns and a porch and I’d genuinely never seen something like it before, except on TV. I knew rich people lived better than almost anyone else, but it was absurd, that castle tucked away in the forest.
“Stare as much as you want,” Matteo said, parking and killing the engine. “I think the Don likes it when people stare.”
I laughed stupidly. “This is crazy. Even Colm doesn’t live like this.”
“Welcome to the Valentino family.” He pushed open his door and got out.
I hurried after him. The house was gorgeous and even the shrubs were perfectly manicured. I glimpsed the enormous back yard with its long, rolling grassy fields, and wondered how long it took their landscapers to maintain this pace, and how much money they were dumping into it.
Matteo knocked on the door and an older woman answered. She had a kind smile and reached out to take my hand as we stepped into a gorgeous foyer with a large chandelier glittering near the ceiling.
“My name’s Bea,” the older woman said. “And you must be Sam. It’s very lovely to meet you.”
“Hi,” I said, a little flustered by the wealth and opulence around me. I knew my family had money, but not this kind of money.
“I know it’s all a little much,” Bea said, gesturing around. “But don’t let it distract you.”
“Right, I won’t,” I managed.
“Come on, dear, this way. The Don’s waiting.” We followed Bea down a side passage and in through a set of double doors. The office beyond was spacious with lots of wood paneling and bookshelves, and two chairs sat in front of a massive wooden desk, behind which the Don himself sat, puffing on a cigar.
“Don Valentino,” Matteo said.
I came in behind him. Bea quietly shut the doors behind us and disappeared back the way we came.
The Don leaned forward. He was younger than I would’ve guessed and much more handsome. His eyes narrowed and his head tilted, and he took the cigar from between his lips, gesturing at me with it.
“This is her?” he asked.
“Don Valentino, meet Sam,” Matteo said.
“So you’re the Healy girl Matteo knocked up.”
I felt a sudden stab of panic and I stared at Matteo. We hadn’t talked about keeping my pregnancy a secret from everyone, but I assumed he wouldn’t want to talk about it.
Clearly, I assumed wrong.
“That’s me,” I said, smiling a little. “I’m the pregnant Healy girl causing so much trouble.”
The Don laughed. “Nice to meet you then. Sit down, get comfortable.” He stubbed out his cigar. “I guess I shouldn’t smoke around you.”
I shrugged slightly, surprised that he’d think of that. I didn’t expect a mafia Don to give a damn about smoking in front of a pregnant woman, but he got up and opened a window to help let in fresh air.
“Thank you,” I said.
“I’d offer a drink, but.” He shrugged and sat. “I’m sorry you had to come here under these circumstances.”
“It’s okay.” I looked at Matteo, who nodded at me slightly. “I don’t think this is what anyone wanted.”
“No,” the Don said softly. “Least of all you. Pulled from your family, stuck in your enemy’s house. I can’t say I’d be happy in your position.”
He was surprisingly perceptive and empathetic. I expected him to be more aggressive, to push me to give him all my family’s secrets, and instead I felt like he genuinely seemed to understand what I was going through and felt bad about it. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to tear all those secrets out of me by the roots of my hair, but at least he seemed to care.
“I have to apologize for the delay,” Matteo said. “We ran into some trouble, but things are squared away.”
“What sort of trouble?” the Don asked.
“My friend betrayed me and sold me out to my dad. Matteo had to rescue me.”
The Don’s eyebrows raised high. “Sounds unfortunate,” he said. “Your best friend? Can’t trust anyone in this business.”
“I didn’t think I was in this business at all. This is my family.”
The Don nodded. “Gets murky, doesn’t it? The lines between business and family, friends and colleagues, sometimes you don’t know where one relationship ends and the other begins. Tragic that way, in a sense.”
