Arranged Mafia Marriage

Seb

She still doesn’t trust me. Oh, she trusts me with her body; just not with her child. What does that say about me? Am I wrong in asking her to trust me so quickly? And if she didn’t trust me, why did she marry me? Our entire union is based on the fact that she trusted me to find a way for her to get full custody of her daughter. Did she ever mean it? Did she get married to me simply because she wanted to stay close to me, because she wanted to feed information to her ex? Is that all our relationship means to her?

Avery stands up and begins to walk toward us. She holds out a toy and warbles.

Elsa is instantly beside her. She lifts up the toddler and holds her close. “Hey, baby, what’ve you got there, sweetheart?”

She says something in her baby speak and Elsa laughs. “I know, that’s your favorite bunny, huh?”

She kisses the child, and my chest heats. She rubs noses with the toddler, who giggles, then squeals when Elsa blows a raspberry on her tummy. The bunny slips out of the toddler’s hands and falls to the floor. I close the distance between us, pick up the bunny, which is frayed at the ears and hand it back to her.

Avery accepts it, and her blue gaze falls on my face. She stares, unblinking, then reaches for me. I glance at Elsa, who asks, “You sure you’ll be able to carry her? Your arm is in a sling.”

When I don’t reply, she waits for a beat longer, then hands the child over to me. I carry her with my free arm as she continues to stare at me with her big blue eyes. So innocent, so clear. My heart stutters in my chest. Our staring match continues, then she smiles. A big smile that lights up her features and makes her seem even more like her mother. The band around my chest tightens. She grins, showing her tiny baby teeth, then offers me her doll.

“You keep it, sweetheart,” I chuckle, “it’s all yours.”

Avery frowns, then thrusts the ragged doll in my face again.

I huff, then peek around the doll and waggle my eyebrows at the little girl, who laughs. She warbles again.

“She wants you to have her doll,” Elsa says in a surprised voice. “It’s her favorite toy.” She shakes her head.

I glance at her, and she holds my gaze.

“I’m sorry about what I said earlier, Seb. It’s just, when it comes to Avery, I’m constantly second-guessing myself when it comes to what’s best for her.”

“You can share your thoughts with me; it’s why I’m here. I can help lighten the load… if you’ll let me.”

Her forehead furrows. She bites down on her lower lip, and my gaze drops there. I want to reach over and release the plump flesh from between her teeth, but my hand is in a sling, goddamnit. I glance around, then walk over to the settee and drop into it, then balance Avery in my lap. The toddler wriggles around and settles herself, then reaches up and pokes her finger into my cheek. She warbles again, and I bounce her a little.

Elsa walks over to sit down next to me. She reaches out and circles Avery’s wrist with her fingers. “Hey, Bubu, whatcha doin’? You like Seb, huh?”

Avery turns her big blue eyes back on me. She stares at me with solemn intent, then blows a spit bubble. I laugh, then can’t stop myself from kissing her cheek. The fresh scent of her baby’s skin, combined with the faint cherry scent I’ve come to associate with Elsa, fills my lungs. A fierce protectiveness grips me and I lean back.

Avery glances up at me, then pats my cheek, before digging her fingernails in.

“Avery, don’t hurt Sebastian.”

“She’s not.” I smile down at the child, who presses her tiny palm into my cheek. I turn my face and kiss her little fingers, and she laughs at me.

A tiredness washes over me, and I lean back into the settee, and with my arm around Avery, balancing her on my chest. She bounces a little, then smacks my forehead.

“Avery,” Elsa scolds her.

“She’s fine,” I laugh a little as the toddler warbles again, then thrusts her bunny in my face.

“I think she wants you to kiss her toy.” Elsa smiles at her daughter.

“Is that right, hmm?” I lean forward and kiss the bunny, and Avery laughs again. She bounces on my chest, then blinks a little, before she turns to Elsa.

“You hungry, Bubu, or thirsty maybe? Want some water?” Elsa coos.

Avery blinks at Elsa, who rises and walks into the other room, returning almost immediately with a sippy cup. She sits down next to me and holds it up to Avery, who sips from it. Some of the water drops onto my shirt.

“Oh, sorry.” Elsa tries to brush off the water that’s dripped onto my skin in the opening between the lapels of my shirt. The touch of her fingers on my chest sends a trail of goosebumps down my spine. The blood drains to my cock, and goddamn it, this is wrong, isn’t it? I’m holding her child, and I’m also turned on.

As if she senses the impact of her touch, she flickers her gaze up to my face. Whatever she sees there makes her breath catch. Her throat moves as she swallows. The tension in the air ratchets up. She flicks out her tongue to touch her lower lip, and a groan rumbles up my chest. This is wrong, so wrong.

“I think you need to take her.” I lean over to bring Avery close to her. She places the sippy cup on the side table, then takes Avery from me. Her fingers brush my chest, and my cock perks up. Cazzo, how the hell can I go from caring for her daughter to being turned on by her in such a short period of time? How can I ask her to trust me, when even as I’m holding her daughter, all I can think about is also holding her mother in my arms.

I rise to my feet and put distance between us, as she holds the sippy cup up to Avery’s lips. Avery takes a few more sips, then turns her head in my direction again.

I watch as Elsa places the cup on the table, and rises to her feet with the toddler in her arms. The sippy cup overbalances and hits the floor; some of the water spills out.

“Oh, god, I’m so sorry,” Elsa gasps as she stops halfway to the play area.

“Stop apologizing, for fu- please.” I stalk over to the settee, snatch up the sippy cup and place it on the side table, then pull out a few tissues from the tissue box placed there, and mop up the water. I walk into the kitchen and deposit the used tissues in the wastepaper basket. By the time I re-enter the living room, she’s placed Avery in the play area, and the little girl is playing with building blocks… Or rather, crashing the blocks into each other.

Elsa rises to her feet and glances at me. “I’m sorry we’re messing up your space,” she murmurs.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop saying sorry?” I say through gritted teeth.

“I thought it would be a good idea to be back here when you returned from the hospital, but now, I’m not so sure.”

“Because some water spilled on the floor?” I scowl at her. “You have a child Elsa, these things happen.”

“It’s just…” She wrings her fingers together and sighs. “I got so used to apologizing for every noise, every mess. Really, anytime Avery’s presence became noticeable in any way. I never knew when he was going to blow up. And now…”

I growl and she looks up at me. “I’m just really confused about what to do, Seb.”

“What do your instincts say?”

“I… I’m not sure.” She shakes her head. “When Axel and Theresa went to pick up Avery from Fabio, I was so sure he wasn’t going to hand her over. Each time I return her to him, after the weekend is over, it’s like I lose a piece of myself. Every time, I’m scared senseless that this is the time he’ll decide he’s not going to let me pick her up again. Every single time, I worry that this is the last time I’m going to see her. It’s killing me, Seb.”

I close the distance between us. “This is how he continues to abuse you, Elsa. And I’m giving you a way out. I told you, I’ll make sure that tes- man will never get close to your daughter again.”

“I know.” She shuffles her feet. “But how will you do it? Will you bribe the courts? Is that what you’re thinking?”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Why don’t you leave that to me?” I take in her pinched features. “I’m part of the Cosa Nostra; my family has owned this town for decades. I admit, the fact that Fabio is the police commissioner means things could get messy, but I’m not going to shy away from it.”

“He already tried to kill you, Seb, and that’s my fault. It’s not something I’ll ever forgive myself for. If something happens to you again… I’ll… I’m not sure if I can take it.”

“I survived, didn’t I?” I nod toward my sling. “I’m a little battered, but I’m fine. I’m not going to be that easy to get rid of. Also, when it comes to choosing between my life and the future of your daughter, I know what’s more important.”

“Seb,” she tilts up her chin, “you’re both important to me.”

“And you are more than important to me. You’re my heart, Princess, and nobody comes between my heart and me.”

“Do you mean it?”

“Of course I do.”

“So, you’ll do anything I ask?” A strange look comes into her eyes.

The hair on the nape of my neck rises. What is she up to? Whatever it is, I’m not going to be happy about it. I hesitate.

“You said I could trust you, Seb,” she reminds me.

Am I going to regret the words? Am I going to regret asking her to do so?

“Elsa,” I warn, but she shakes her head.

“You said I could trust you. Surely, you can return the favor?”

I blow out a breath. “Fine,” I say, knowing I’m going to regret it. And it’s not that I don’t trust her. It’s just… I’ll do anything to take care of her, and knowing how much she loves Avery, and how she’ll do anything to protect her daughter… Somehow, I know she’s planning to do something that’s going to make it very difficult for me to keep her safe.

“Okay.” She blows out a breath.

“Okay,” I nod, “what do you want from me?”

“I want to meet Fabio.”