by Cassia Leo
“Sounds fab.”
The car stops in front of the twelve-story building on the Lower East Side where Gabriel and Lita enjoy a beautiful view of the New York harbor. Knox and I still live in the townhouse, but we spend summers with my mom in the Hamptons.
My mom was more than willing to leave Bensonhurst, and all the memories, behind after my father’s death. Sometimes I feel like she’s happier now than I’ve ever seen her in my life. This makes me sad for my father, but also glad for my mother. After everything my father put her through, she deserves a quiet, peaceful life.
When Lita exits the car, Knox joins us in our car with Ella and Junior. Ella sits primly between me and Jade, and my two handsome men sit in the middle row of seats in front of us. The ride to Grandma’s house in East Hampton is quiet until Ella turns to me.
“Are we going to see Grandma Ella?”
We visited Ella Leone’s gravesite a few weeks ago on the anniversary of her death. I was reluctant, but Knox insisted on bringing Junior and Ella with us so they could pay their respects. I was afraid the graveyard and the story of Grandma Ella would scare them; especially Ella, since they share the same name. But it had quite the opposite effect on her. She was fascinated by the graveyard and absolutely giddy at being named after someone. Since then, she’s been asking when we’re going back to visit Grandma Ella.
The innocence in her eyes melts my heart. “No, sweetie. We’re visiting Grandma Marie today. And Grandma’s making you some cupcakes, and you’re going swimming. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?”
She nods her head, though I can see a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
Ella’s baby sister Jade looks like her father, and she also has his fiery temperament. Three-year-old Ella, on the other hand, is my angel. Always so peaceful and agreeable. When she first started walking on her own, she used to fall asleep at my feet while I was blow-drying my hair.
Two hours later, the car pulls into the gate at Grandma Marie’s house. I lift Jade gently out of the car seat and Knox carries her inside. We find my mom in the kitchen. And she’s not alone.
Chapter 3
Rebecca
There’s a man in my mother’s kitchen, standing at her shoulder, watching her pipe frosting onto a tray of cupcakes. And she’s smiling. They’re both smiling.
“Mom?”
She jumps at the sound of my voice and a large squirt of white frosting shoots out of the piping bag. Not the image I wanted to see right now.
“Rebecca! You scared the hell out of me.”
“I scared you? What’s going on here?”
She looks down at the messy pile of frosting on the counter and looks up innocently. “I’m making cupcakes for the kids.”
I narrow my eyes at her then glance at her male companion. She can’t help it. She’s smiling like a schoolgirl with a crush.
Oh, no.
“Sweetheart, this is Kyle Mayer. Dr. Kyle Mayer.”
She looks so proud of her doctor friend. But I feel like her pride is an affront to my father. As if now that he’s gone, she can finally be with a better man.
“So nice to meet you, Rebecca.” Dr. Kyle stretches his hand across the kitchen island toward me. I begin to reach for his hand, but Knox beats me to it.
“Nice to meet you, Kyle. I’m Knox Savage. Rebecca’s husband.”
Kyle looks taken aback by this, but I can’t hide my smile. Knox has a weird thing about men who introduce themselves to me first. He hates it. Kyle is going to have to do something really nice to get on Knox’s good side.
As if on cue, Kyle looks Knox in the eye and smiles. “Knox Savage? The same Knox Savage who just bought a piece of the Yankees?”
My eyes widen as I turn to Knox. His lips curl into the signature half-smile and I smack his arm.
“You didn’t tell me you were buying the Yankees!”
He shakes his head. “Just a piece.” He turns to me and nods toward his shoulder where Jade is asleep and slobbering all over his shirt. “Can you put her down so Kyle and I can chat?”
I reach out and he lays her gently in my arms. He kisses Jade’s forehead and me on the lips. Then he takes Junior and Ella by the hand and coaxes Kyle outside so they can talk.
My mom looks worried as she watches them leave through the back door. She knows Knox is going to have a man-to-man talk with her new boyfriend, and there’s nothing she can do about it. Finally, she tears her gaze away from the door and follows me upstairs.
I lay Jade down in the crib in the baby room. Smoothing her hair away from her forehead, I lay a soft kiss on her sweet baby skin and her wispy eyebrows shoot up. That’s one of my favorite things about babies; when their eyebrows shoot up while they sleep. What are they dreaming about? Knowing Jade, she’s probably dreaming about her daddy.
I pull up the rail on the crib and turn on the baby monitor before I meet my mom in the hallway. “You want to tell me who the hell Kyle Mayer is? I mean, it would have been nice to know you were having company before we brought the kids over.”
“Oh, please, Rebecca. Kyle isn’t spending the night here. He’s just having dinner with us.”
I watch her descend the curved staircase ahead of me and she’s swinging her hips like a bell. “Mom! I’ve never even met this guy and you’re inviting him over to spend time with my kids? Don’t you think you should have introduced him to us first? At least let me decide if I want to leave my kids here with a strange man?”
“For God’s sake, Rebecca. Listen to yourself. Do you really think I would let anything happen to my grandchildren?”
We reach the bottom of the stairs, then I follow her back into the kitchen where she proceeds to finish icing the cupcakes. If my father were here, he would take a taste of the frosting and proclaim it too sweet, all the while smiling as he took another swipe at the frosting.
My stomach aches whenever I think of my father. Six years and I still miss him. I still regret never saying goodbye to him.
I know my mother’s relationship with my father was very different, but I know they loved each other at some point. She deserves to move on and find happiness, but I don’t know if I’m ready to watch it happen.
I observe silently as she continues piping the frosting onto the tiny cakes, thinking of the trip we took to Italy six years ago to scatter my father’s ashes in Lago Di Bilancino. My father swam in that lake as a kid and his will was very short with explicit instructions. He left everything to my mother and he wanted his ashes scattered in the lake where he spent the happiest moments of his childhood.
After the ceremony on the lake, Knox and I spent some time in Florence where Knox tended to my every whim. He would walk down to the corner pasticceria every morning to buy me pastries and sandwiches to fatten me up. My job was to lie in bed and look pretty while he fed me and fed on me. I was only one-month pregnant with Junior at the time, so we were both pretty nervous about me overexerting myself.
But we learned how durable I was when I was pregnant with Ella. And I’ve actually enjoyed being pregnant for most of the past six years. Sometimes, Knox will just look at my pregnant body and he’ll get an instant erection. It feels good to have that kind of effect on him. But I’m looking forward to having more energy after this one is born. This is definitely our last child.
“Is Lita still coming next weekend?”
My mom wants to change the subject. I don’t blame her. I don’t really feel like talking about her boyfriend either.
People breakup and they move on and there’s always something bittersweet about it. Even when August got a new girlfriend, I’ll admit I was a bit jealous. Until I found out how they met. August will be getting married in East Hampton this summer to a professional sailor.
Sarah commented on August’s blog post about vintage nautical fashion a couple of years ago, to berate August on his shitty taste. Sarah has sailed around the world twice; once when she was just fifteen and again when she was twenty-two. She’s strong and beautiful, and she calls August
out on all his hoity-toity bullshit. In other words, she’s perfect. So, yeah, I was a little jealous of her. But only for a few minutes. It’s difficult to envy anyone when I have Knox.
“Yes. Lita’s staying the night on Saturday,” I reply. “But I wouldn’t bank on her staying longer than that.”
“She’s still treating that baby like a bubble boy?”
I shrug, not willing to speak ill of my best friend with my mom today. “Mom?”
She looks up from the last cupcake she’s icing. “What?”
“Don’t forget Dad loved you.”
She’s silent for a moment, then she looks down at the cupcake. “I know, but your father had a strange way of showing it. And I think he would want me to be happy.” She looks up again. “Don’t you want me to be happy?”
I nod because I can’t bring myself to say the words aloud. She sets down the piping bag and rounds the island so she can wrap her arms around my shoulders. I hug her back, swallowing the knot in my throat so I don’t cry.
She uncoils her arms from around my shoulders, but her hands still grip my arms. “How could anyone forget your father? He was a great father. And, at one time, the best husband I could have imagined for myself. Your father and I lived a fairy tale when we were first married. I could never forget that. I will never forget that. I promise.”
I look into my mother’s brown eyes, and I realize she is not the same person she was six years ago. Six years out of Bensonhurst and she looks and speaks differently. Everything about her looks lighter. I guess you can’t carry the burdens of the past around forever.
Knox walks in with Kyle and the kids following closely behind him. “You ready to go, baby?”
I nod and we say goodbye to the kids. Junior is totally uninterested in us, as he’s already gone straight for the video game console in the entertainment room. Ella is a little more difficult to leave behind.
“When are you coming back, Mommy?” she asks, clinging to my leg.
I scoop her up in my arms and hug her hard. “I’ll be back in the morning, sweetheart. Daddy and Mommy are going to spend some time together for our third anniversary. It’s a very special day.”
“Can I come with you? Please?”
This is always the hardest part.
“No, sweetie. Not this time. But I’ll take you to the park tomorrow, and we’ll spend all day there. Okay?”
She’s still pouting, but she nods reluctantly. I squeeze her so tight she giggles, then I set her down and kiss her forehead. I leave the house quickly, before I can change my mind about leaving the kids behind. Knox and I hop into the back of the car together and the driver sets off out of the driveway and through the gate.
Knox drapes his arm over the back of the seat and I pull it down around my shoulder so I can snuggle up with him. “It’s just one night,” he says, squeezing my shoulder. “They’ll be fine.”
“I know. But this better be a good surprise or I’m never doing this again. It’s too hard.”
He chuckles. “Oh, I wouldn’t say it’s a good surprise.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll see.”
Chapter 4
Knox
Rebecca lays her head in my lap and settles in for the two-hour drive back to Manhattan. All I want to do is touch her. I want to grab her breasts. They’re so plump with pregnancy hormones. I love her body when she’s pregnant. But I have to be patient. Sex is always better when you draw out the payoff.
And I have a huge payoff planned for tonight.
As we pass through Brooklyn, I can’t help but think of my mother. Which inevitably leads to thoughts of Geneva and Tony. I haven’t heard from Geneva in six years. Not that I expected to. But she’s been a good girl and she’s kept quiet about my identity. And in return, I’ve kept my word and I haven’t had Tony murdered in prison.
I also set up an anonymous trust fund for Geneva’s son. My nephew, who will grow up without a father because of me. I still partly blame Tony for that. I never would have taken out Geneva’s boyfriend, Nico, if I knew Geneva were my half-sister.
I thought I might have second thoughts about having Tony killed in prison after finding out the bastard is my biological father. But I don’t. I still want to watch the motherfucker burn. But I’m nothing if not extremely patient.
I went for the long game when I attempted to reel Tony down. It took me ten years to find him, and I never regretted a second of it. And I’ll wait another ten or twenty years, or however long it takes, until I think Tony has suffered long enough. Then I’ll order the hit. I just can’t stand the thought of Tony dying of natural causes after what he did to my mother.
I brush a long lock of hair off Rebecca’s face and see her eyes are closed. She’s always so tired during the first few months of pregnancy. When she was pregnant with Junior, she fell asleep at Billy’s funeral. She was so embarrassed, but I thought it was adorable.
And she wasn’t the only one who was out of it at Billy’s funeral. Bruno was hopped up on pain meds after spending six days in the hospital for the gunshot wound that nicked his carotid artery and shattered his clavicle.
But Bruno’s a tough kid. He was back at work a couple of weeks after the funeral. His aim isn’t as good as it used to be, but he’s still the only guy who knows what needs to be done before I say a word.
By the time we get to the Brooklyn Bridge, Rebecca is snoring softly. I almost consider telling the driver to take us home for a quiet evening alone, but I know she’ll be pissed as hell tomorrow morning when I tell her what she missed out on. And I’d rather she save her anger for the bedroom.
Rebecca likes to complain about my temper sometimes, but she’s got quite a bite herself. And she secretly loves the way I keep her on her toes. Three years ago today, two months after she gave birth to Ella, I had Rebecca abducted and flown to Paris for our surprise wedding. It took her four hours to forgive me for scaring the shit out of her and for me to convince her to meet me at the altar. But it was the best decision she ever made. And how many women would die to say they were abducted by Knox Savage for a surprise wedding?
I reach forward and place my hand over Rebecca’s abdomen, holding it there as she breathes in and out. Ultimately, Rebecca knows I’d never do anything to hurt her. And I’d never let anyone else hurt her. My world changed the day I proposed to her on the bridge. New York City became a different place.
Suddenly, everywhere I looked I saw something or someone who could hurt Rebecca or my children. I tried convincing Rebecca to move to the country with me, but she didn’t seem interested in milking goats or learning to cook. She’s too fucking spoiled. But that’s what I love about her. She’s my city girl, through and through.
And Junior’s in a good private school. She said she’d consider moving to the Hamptons if the school turns out to be a dud. But she doesn’t want to leave the city. She loves working for me.
Yes, Rebecca works for me now. Her law enforcement background came in handy when I created a new position for her at Knox Security: Research Analyst. She’s supposed to report to my security analyst, but she reports to me instead. And by reports to me, I mean she comes into my office every now and then and drops her reports on the floor. Then I help her pick them up. We have a great working relationship.
I shake her shoulder gently as the car pulls up in front of the Knox Security building. She sits up and lets out a long sigh. Blinking a few times, she looks out the window.
“Why are we here?”
“I want to show you something before I give you your anniversary surprise.”
Her shoulders slump. “Can it wait? I really don’t want to go in there right now. I’m so tired.”
“Can it wait?” I repeat her words back at her. “Is that the way you talk to your boss?”
She glares at me then steps out of the car. I try to suppress my smile as I step out after her.
Chapter 5
Rebecca
Knox rarely chastises me in
the office. And he never reprimands me in front of anyone else. He believes that everyone at Knox Security should respect and fear me the way they do him. But in private, he can sometimes be a prick.
I know you don’t become successful without having some form of perfectionism. You have to be really good at what you do to be in high demand. And Knox is extremely good at what he does. His ability to hide and protect people is unmatched by anyone else in the industry. He continually reminds me of this every time I screw up.
But he hasn’t reprimanded me at work in months. Heck, it may even be more than a year since he last chewed me out over a mistake. So whatever I did to deserve a talking to before our anniversary surprise must have been pretty bad.
Somehow, I can’t bring myself to care. But that’s not what Knox is going to want to see. There is nothing that pisses him off more than apathy—and chasing people.
By the time we reach his office, I’m teetering between extremely nervous and supremely pissed. I stand in front of his desk in my black halter dress and silver sling backs waiting for my scolding, trying not to look too annoyed.
He stands behind his silver and black desk chair, eyeballing the tablet on the glass desktop. His smile reappears briefly as he reaches for it. He taps in his passcode and turns the tablet around so the screen faces me. A mugshot of a heavyset Puerto Rican guy pops up next to the stats for a guy named Carlos Rivera.
“Do you recognize this guy?”
I try not to roll my eyes. “No. Who is he?”
“This is Carlos Rivera. He’s been on the run for two years for conspiracy to commit murder. Do you know who he was planning on killing?”
I grit my teeth. “No. Who was he planning on killing?”
His nostrils flare as he begins losing his patience. “Me.”
I let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah, right.”
