❝ 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒐𝒏
𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎,
𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒆
𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒔𝒐 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 ❞
𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝑨𝒕𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄
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R I O
Watching Thea interact with my siblings is probably one of the most attractive things I could witness. Ellerie absolutely adores her and that genuinely makes me so damn happy.
She's amazing with children and she doesn't even realise it. They can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but all the bad times just fly out of the window when you're blessed with these type of moments.
Watching Ellerie smile and laugh, and Thea mirroring her expressions is something I wouldn't mind witnessing all the time.
"Simp," Knox mutters beside me and I snap myself back into reality, turning my head towards him.
I narrow my eyes at his comment to which he just smirks and rolls his eyes, drinking another mouthful of his banana flavoured shake.
My eleven year old brother actually just called me a simp. The thing is.. I can't even deny it because I know that I fucking am.
Everything about Thea just makes me weak at the knees. All it takes is one look from her and that's it, I'd do anything she wanted. She doesn't even understand how much control she has over me.
I'd do anything for her. Whatever she wanted. I fucking love her with everything I have, and the worst mistake I ever made was walking away from her all those months ago.
Never in my life did I ever think I would experience a feeling like this. A feeling of such warmth and love. I didn't think I was worthy of love. I didn't think that it was possible for me to be loved.
Then Thea came along and changed my whole perspective, my outlook on life. Everything I believed in and everything I told myself I couldn't have, I've somehow got.
From the moment I saw her in my tattoo parlour and she showed me that little attitude of her's, I knew there was something special about her.
Me being me, I was an dick back then and didn't actually think the way I do now. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't the type of bad boy who didn't care about girls because that's not how my mom brought me up.
My mom raised me to be respectful and treat women well, and to me.. a girl like Navy only wanted one thing from me but that was okay. I didn't want the commitment, or the label.
All I wanted was for someone to make me feel good and offer me the amount of comfort I craved when I felt so low. I was in such a deep and dark place after I lost my mom.
I guess all I wanted was some company. I was tired of being alone and just wanted someone to tell me that everything would be okay, even though I knew deep down that it probably wouldn't be.
Thea gives me so much more than that. She makes me feel safe, content, hopeful.
So what if I'm a fucking simp for her. I think I always have been and always will be. I'd do anything for the girl, anything ensure her happiness and whatever it takes to keep her safe.
"With sprinkles!" Ellerie's high pitched voice squeals and I jump a little, snapping myself out of the trance I seem to have gone into, again.
Thea chuckles beside her, her teeth making a rare appearance as she smiles down at her. "We can put as many sprinkles on them as you like." She tells her and Ellerie's eyes light up with excitement.
Both girls have been discussing what they're going to do when we get back to the house, and Ellerie suggested they make cupcakes.
I figured that it might be good while they're busy baking, that I spent some time with Knox. Naturally, I do give most of my attention to Ell purely because of her age and the fact that she's the neediest five year old that I know.
Although he might not realise, I do know that it affects him sometimes. The last thing I'd want is for us to grow apart, so I'm actually really grateful that Ellerie is so smitten with Thea and wants to spend time with her today.
We finish up at the diner and take the short drive back to my house, Ellerie practically wiggling out of her car seat and running straight for Thea as she holds onto her hand.
She looks over at me and we both exchange a soft smile as I watch my little sister and the girl I'm insanely in love with, walk into the house giggling together.
I run my fingers through my long hair that desperately needs cutting, and follow Knox as he srolls along the small pathway, up to the front door.
Shrugging my black letterman jacket off my shoulders, I place it over the stair banister, figuring I'll just pick it back up when I go upstairs later.
I push Knox's head playfully and he looks back at me, staring daggers as he swats my arm away with a growing grin. "Want a kick about in the backyard?" I ask and his eyes almost widen by my words.
"For real?" He asks and I nod at him, watching as the corners of his lips tug into a small smile. "Yeah," he agrees and I tilt my head to the side, gesturing for him to walk out towards the backyard which he does withoit hesitation.
As we walk through the house and into the kicthen, I notice my two girls already hard at work, collecting all the ingredients they need and placing them neatly on the work top.
Thea offers a lopsided grin as I walk towards her and wrap my arms around her waist from behind. "You girls having fun?" I ask, resting my chin on her shoulder.
Ellerie looks up at me, grinning excitedly. "Yes! We're going to make Princess Tiana cupcakes!" She exclaims and I chuckle at her enthusiasm.
"Sounds exciting." I reply amusingly, tightening my hold around Thea as she glances at me from her peripheral vision. "You good if I go outside with Knox for a little bit?" I mumble and she nods, her cheeks lifting into a warm smile.
"Of course," she replies and I press a gentle kiss against the tip of her nose.
"Try not to burn my house down please," I joke and she deadpands me, tickling my side and making me jump a little as I laugh at her.
She arches a brow, watching me curiously. "You're ticklish?" She quizzes and my eyes widen slightly before I quickly shake my head. "Hmm, good to know." She mumbles, clearly knowing that I'm lying, her tone appearing to hold a double meaning as she reaches forward and tries to tickle me again.
I jump back, playfully swatting her hand away from me and making a quick escape out to the backyard where Knox is already waiting for me.
Knox looks exactly like I did when I was his age. He has dark black hair, similar to mine, dark hazel eyes and the same structural features as me. Our noses are the same, our cheekbones, eyebrows, even our mouths are similar.
Ellerie is the same, just the opposite gender. My parents clearly had ridiculously strong genes because we all just look like clones of one another.
"We playing then?" He asks as he picks up the ball and throws it back and forth in his hands.
"You go first," I say and watch him throw the ball onto the grass, kicking it towards me.
I notice that he's created a goal with two plant pots and I chuckle to myself, extending my leg and kicking the ball back to him.
We continue playing together, allowing him to tackle me every now and then just so that I would get to hear him laugh. I very rarely see him even crack a smile, so hearing him laugh means more to me than I think he'll ever understand.
I hope that one day, he feels comfortable enough to open up to me about our childhood and the loss of our parents. He may have only been young, but I know that he remembers things and can only imagine what it must have been like for him too.
I just need to get that tight bond that we had back again and hopefully then, he'll be ready.
"So, what's the deal with Thea now.. is she your girlfriend or something?" He asks and I look at him, snuffing slightly as I wipe my forehead with the back of my hand.
"No." I reply distantly. "We haven't really talked about that yet."
He puts his hands on his hips, one foot resting on the ball. "But you love her, don't you?" He asks and my eyes subconsciously flicking towards the large window leading into the kitchen, where I spot both girls laughing together as they continue to bake.
"Yeah," I tell him and he rolls his eyes with a groan.
"Well then why isn't she your girlfriend? Idiot." He scoffs. "I'm eleven and even I know that if you love someone and they love you back, you usually act on it." He replies sarcastically and I look back at him, raising my brows at his attitude.
Before I get the chance to reply though, he kicks the ball at me and runs back to the goal, beckoning me to carry on playing.
T H E A
Today was actually really fun.
Myself and Ellerie successfully made cupcakes together for the second time and they turned out amazing.
I watched Rio and Knox out of the window every now and then while they played soccer together. I honestly adore watching him with his siblings.
If he's as amazing as he is with them, I can only imagine what he'll be like as a father. His children will be so lucky to have him in their lives.
Ellerie crashed out about half an hour ago and Rio carried her up to her bedroom, careful not to wake her. She's had such a productive day that I think all the excitement eventually took it's toll on her.
Knox left to go and play on his Xbox roughly the same time and actually said goodnight to me before he went.
I know, right.
He seems to have changed a bit since the last time I saw him. He's grown up a little and is finding himself, trying to navigate his way as he approaches his teens. They're hard. Your teens are the best but also the most difficult years.
You learn so much and have to figure out if you're too mature or not mature enough. He'll get there though. He has Rio guiding him.
Speaking of Rio, I glance at him beside me on the sofa and furrow my brows. Something's playing on his mind.
"What's wrong?" I ask with concern and he sighs a little, his eyes flicking up to mine. "Rio?" I press when he doesn't answer straight away.
"Today just made me think.." he trails and I begin to grow increasingly concerned by his lack of response. "I don't really know what we are right now, or what this means for us but, if we do this.. if we continue from where we left off, you have to be certain that you are aware of the risks."
I furrow my brows, wondering what on earth he's talking about as I sit up a little, moving away from him and creating some space in between us.
He runs a hand through his hair as he watches me sit up. "Your father is going to kill me.. but I can't do this if you don't know the truth. I owe you that much."
The truth? What truth? Why would my dad kill him?
"Please, you have to tell me if this is what you want." He continues and I scrunch my nose up in complete confusion. "You want to do this with me? Whatever it is that we're doing right now?" He asks and I nod my head, still having no clue where this is going.
"Of course I do." I reply confidently, knowing that being with him is exactly where I want to be.
He blows a long bust of air through his nose and drops his gaze from mine momentarily. "There's something that you don't know. Something that has been kept from you purely to ensure your safety."
I shift on the sofa again, crossing my legs and watching him as I wait for whatever he's going to say next.
"This doesn't change anything between us or the way I feel about you, I want you to know that." He adds and I feel my palms becoming clammy with how uneasy I'm becoming.
"You obviously know that your father worked alongside my grandfather Alberto, doing odd jobs here and there whenever he was needed." He continues and I nod slowly, still confused by this whole conversation.
He curses under his breath, clearly conflicted about whether to keep talking or not. I feel myself growing anxious at the fact that he's so torn with what to say, but just as I'm about to tell him to stop, he speaks again.
"What you don't know is that.. Alberto was the leader of the.. Italian mafia." He mumbles and my eyes widen in complete shock. "When he died, my uncle Enzo took over as boss."
Mafia? Boss? My father?
What?
"The ma—mafia?" I stutter and he instantly notices my change in body language and expression.
Aren't the mafia like, big scary men with guns and large houses?
Holy shit.
Enzo.. Romeo.. it all makes sense. Enzo has as many cars as I've had birthdays, and Romeo has a luxurious restaurant which is probably only a freaking secret den for all their dealings.
They always wear suits. I don't think I've ever seen them in causal clothing.
When everything happened with Ricky, the first person my dad contacted was Enzo and then he turned up milliseconds later with a whole ass army with him. They initially refused to take me to hospital or contact the police.
How did it not click? Why did I not realise anything sooner?
"Wha— I.. how.." I trail as I feel my heart rate quickening in my chest.
Rio leans forward closing the gap between us as he looks directly into my eyes. "Thea, this was kept from you and your siblings for a reason. All your parents wanted to do was make sure you were protected and the only way they could do that was to ensure that you all had no idea about it."
My parents are associated with.. a mafia? The two men that we've treated as family, that I've treated as family.. are actually leaders of an Italian mafia?
"You— your mom?" I whisper and his eyes soften, his large hand clasping mine.
"They weren't aware of what was happening because she didn't want any of us to have any part in their business. They would check up on us regularly but through my father, if mom wasn't contactable." He replies.
He blows out a short bust of air through his nose. "My mom wanted nothing to do with the mafia so Alberto agreed she could live separately, as long as she maintained omertà."
So.. he hasn't actually physically got anything to do with them?
"Eventually Enzo and Romeo found out about everything, including my mom's death and that my dad lied, telling them that someone had broke in and killed her. They found my bruises and scars and questioned me on them, eventually finding out what had actually been happening." He continues and I feel my eyes becoming clouded with tears.
So.. his dad.. he didn't just die. If they are the mafia then they obviously would have.. oh my god.
"Thea, I love you and would never intentionally lie to you or want to hurt you, but I can't keep this from you anymore. Not if you want to continue this with me." He says and I close my eyes, a tear falling from them and straight onto my lap.
"What happens now?" I mumble and he runs his fingers through my hair soothingly.
"I think we need to talk with your parents." He replies and I exhale deeply, nodding in agreement.
I think so too.
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AN: hey guys, happy easter 🐣🐰🍫
Sooo.. the truth is finally out..
What do you think will happen now?
Thank you. See you again soon 💛
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