. . .
LILY
Dante was sitting at the corner of the restaurant, still somehow able to loom over me with just his gaze. There was not a single moment when I wasn't aware of his presence - of his pretty green eyes on me.
But, I was not paying any mind to him, because of two reasons.
First - I finally knew what Leyla meant when she said Dante was without heart.
Second - my mothers looked seconds away from twisting my ear till I cried.
My non-biological mother, Chelsea, who I called Ma most of the time, blew on her coffee, as her one pale hand grasped the back of my biological mother, Amanda's, jacket to keep her from attacking me.
"So," Mom said, left eye twitching with barely restrained rage. She had anger issues, and she looked too much like me. Her body just happened to be curvier and I couldn't find curves on me even if I looked with a magnifying glass. "This is what you've been up to? What is your longer-term plan? Ignoring your mothers your whole life? Why are you even here?"
I spit everything out, and with each word that left my lips the tension in my shoulders lessened. Suddenly, I could breathe. No matter how much I grew up, they'd always be my safe space. Sometimes a yelling, ear-twisting, safe space - but a safe space nonetheless.
Ma was the one who spoke up first, twisting a strand of her snow-white hair around her tiny finger. "Which one is he?"
"It's that punk, isn't he?" Mom nodded her head toward where Dante sat. He looked ridiculously out of place in this run-down restaurant.
I couldn't look him in the eye.
"That's what you come up with?" I asked her, trying to lighten up the mood. "You've written several bestsellers and the only insult you can come up with is punk?"
"Comedy isn't going to get you out of this one," mom said, her slim face covered with a sheet of anger and...fear. "Lily, this is dangerous. Just...we will figure something out, as a family." She took my hands in hers and caressed my knuckles with her thumb. "This whole marriage thing with Sebastian...it doesn't sit well with me."
"Same," Ma said. "There has to be a different way."
"I..." I hadn't told them about Dante's murderous tendencies. I left the story after I said yes to Sebastian. I needed to figure out what I was going to do before dumping it on them.
"Why is he even here?" Ma asked, doe eyes narrowed at Dante who smirked in return and raised his mug in greeting. "Doesn't he have a fiancee?"
"Not anymore. He came to...check up on me."
I took a sip of my coffee.
"Do you love him?" Ma asked and I choked.
"W-what?" I asked. "Ma, you're fu- freaking crazy. I hate the guy." I tugged at the end of my hair. "Why are you even here? This isn't safe."
"We're safe," mom waved my concern away. "Let me tell you - your plan is shit. Not going to work. What rank does Sebestain even have in the mafia? Is he even strong enough to keep you safe from Pietro's deranged family?"
"Um - he is a captain-"
"So Pietro's family is above him?" She asked.
"Ah- I supp-"
"That's not good," Ma said. "I don't think he'll be able to keep you safe. That's why we should try to come up with a better plan together."
"Ma-"
"Honey, there are places in Italy where the mob doesn't have much influence," mom said and then glanced at his wife "We all can live there as a family."
"Mom-"
"Oh, that'd be great! We have enough money to settle down and even hire a bit of security. We can live in the countryside."
"They might still follow-"
"From what you tell me," mom said, tapping her black fingernails on the table. "Pietro's bitch pack is losing influence. It will be gone soon. We're not helpless, Lily. We can keep our daughter safe."
"Mom, listen-"
"And," Ma said. "We know how hiding works. Do you not remember Bloom?" Bloom was another book they had written together, about a girl on the run.
"Yes," mom backed up his wife. "We're not scary, huge mafia men, baby, but you getting stuck in this world is..." She blinked rapidly. "This will eat you alive. You have to get out."
I remembered Leyla saying something similar.
Maybe I should listen, then. Two women who knew the mafia were saying the same thing.
I ran a hand over my face. "That sounds like a dream. And that's all it can be, a dream. I am not going to allow you to put your lives in danger because of me. And yes, I said to allow, mom. This is a mess I created. This is a mess I will figure my way out. The mafia world may be brutal-"
"But she has me, don't you, Little Blue?"
I froze as his large body settled on the chair beside mine and his arm curled around my shoulders casually. He smelled of peace and trouble.
I glared at his smug face. But I knew there was a bit of fear in my eyes. I couldn't get what he had said in the washroom out of my mind.
Ma leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "You're a natural blond?"
"Yes." I noticed a defensive spark in his eyes. "What about you?"
"Natural," Ma muttered and then leaned back. "What products do you-"
"Chels, seriously?!" Mom's eyes narrowed.
"His hair is pretty, love. Look, it's like gold."
I covered my face with my hands. "Ma."
"Why are you here?" Mom asked Dante, her voice steel, but I could hear it wavering. Dante was intimidating. There was no denying it. The Creeds liked keeping their doings a secret. Valentinos made no such effort.
"I am here to keep your daughter safe," Dante said. "No one can do it better than me. Not Sebastien. Not Elliot."
"But isn't she marrying Sebastian?" Ma asked innocently, still eyeing his hair.
Dante's jaw tightened, anger flashing on his face, and then he faced me, a cruel smile lifting his perfect lips. "She isn't, now. Maybe she forgot to mention it." He squeezed me tighter. "She is never marrying Sebastian."
They looked at me.
I lifted a shoulder. "Um - yeah, I will maybe not do that-"
"So you lied?" Mom asked.
"You can make me a list of the products," Ma said to Dante, putting her elbow on the table.
"I didn't lie," I said.
"So what's the plan now?" Mom asked.
"How about I text it to you?" Dante asked Ma with a smile as he slid his phone toward her.
Mom and I stared at them.
"What?" Ma asked, typing her number on his phone. "Blondes need to stick together. Don't we, Dante? Can I call you Dante?"
"We certainly do and yes, of course, you can call me Dante." He gave her a dazzling smile.
"What's the plan now?" Mom repeated, tapping her fingers on the table.
"She will live with me," Dante said smoothly. "She'll be safe."
"From everyone except you," she said. "I don't trust you."
"That's a pity," Dante said, putting his elbows on the table, a slight smirk lifting his lips. "I'm the only option you have. And I'd be happy to help."
"Out of the goodness of your heart?" Mom asked.
"I have a little bit of goodness in me," Dante said. "Reserved just for your daughter."
I frowned at the tug in my heart.
He is just playing your mothers, Lily.
"I don't trust you either," Ma said softly, rubbing mom's arm.
Dante leaned back in his chair, putting a hand on my thigh. "But Blue trusts me, hm?" He looked at me, wanting clear in his eyes.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I trust him to keep me safe," I said, truthfully. "He won't hurt me." He'd hurt others. He'd hurt Sebastian who had just wanted to keep me safe.
And then Henry would hate me forever.
I looked away from his, swallowing back tears. "I need to go to the washroom."
I walked away fastly, fishing my phone out of the pocket of my dress. I clicked on Henry's number.
"Hey, bug. How is it going with your mothers? Are you alive?"
"Henry..." I walked inside the washroom, sighing in relief as I discovered that it was empty. "Dante....Dante isn't happy about the Sebastian thing."
"What?" Happiness left his voice. "I thought he didn't care."
"Same but...but apparently he does and now he-" I squeezed my eyes shut, tears spilling out. "He said he is going to kill him," I whispered.
There was silence. "Lily..." I could hear the tears in his voice. "I-I have to go. I'll call you, yeah?"
"I'm so sorry, Henry. I am so sorry-" I couldn't breathe.
"It's not your fault. It's Dante's. I'm not going to have you apologize for that bastard."
I nodded. "Okay," I whispered. "I'll talk to him."
"I need to go find Sebastian."
"Okay. I-I love you."
"I love you more, Lily."
I hung up and took in deep breaths.
When I walked out after collecting myself, he had already won over my mothers.
. . .
Happy New Year, loves ❤️