Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“I know Andrey was a piece of crap, but that’s on him, not you. Neither of us is him, nor will we ever be. You want to live your life alone? Fine. But don’t judge those of us who are trying to find a sliver of light here.”
Dominick shocks me—and I’m sure everyone else—when he pulls his brother into a tight hug. “I love you, Matteo, but you have got to stop blaming yourself for what happened to Brielle and Mom. We did everything we could, but Andrey was a sick bastard who got what was coming to him.”
He pulls back but keeps his hands on his brother’s shoulders. “If you only believe one thing I tell you, believe that you deserve to be loved. My son loves you, I love you …”
“And so do I,” Brielle says, stepping into the dining room.
She’s dressed in yoga pants and a tank with her face makeup-free and her hair up in a loose ponytail—more than likely having just gotten home from the Pilates studio where she attends classes several times a week.
“And I don’t blame either of you for what happened to me,” she adds. “So, stop blaming yourselves. You’ve protected me your entire lives.”
Dominick backs up, and Brielle gives Matteo a hug.
“I was in love once,” she chokes out. “And it was the best feeling in the world. Don’t knock it until you try it.”
“Even after everything you went through, you’re telling me you would be okay with falling in love again?” Matteo asks incredulously.
“In a heartbeat,” Brielle says, making my heart hurt for her because all she wants is to find love. She might have a rough exterior, but deep down, she’s a hopeless romantic. “I want a man who will love me with every ounce of his being, and I won’t settle for anything less.”
Matteo sighs and shakes his head. “I’m happy for you guys,” he says, looking at Dominick and then Lorenzo. “But I just can’t do it. It’s not for me, but I promise, I will do whatever I can to keep your families safe. Whatever happened to Bri and Mom will never happen again if I can help it.”
“Thank you,” I say to Matteo. “That means a lot to me.”
Matteo clears his throat and nods. “I need to head to the gym. Can we go over shit later?”
Dominick nods, but I can tell he’s not ready to let his brother go, so I say, “Hey, Dom, why don’t you go to the gym? Damien and I are good here.”
“You sure?” he asks.
“Yeah. Just try not to ugly up your face too much.” I shoot him a playful wink, and he chuckles.
“You got it.” He gives me a quick kiss, then kisses Damien on the top of his head. “I’ll be home later. Be good for your mom,” he says to Damien before he and Lorenzo follow Matteo out, leaving Brielle and me alone with Damien.
“So, you’re looking for love, huh?”
She rolls her eyes. “In this town, it’s pretty much impossible. Everyone knows who I am, so they either want to date me to get an in with my brother or because they think it’s a challenge.”
“You could try online dating. They have sites for everyone. I’m sure they have a site for Mafia princesses.”
Nobody ever says that word, preferring to use the term organization, but I think it’s safe to assume that whatever their family is part of, it’s related to the Mafia.
Brielle snorts out a laugh. “Right, and what would they call it? Mafia Dating ‘R’ Us?”
I laugh. “Plenty of Crime.” When she looks at me in confusion, I add, “You know, like Plenty of Fish … Plenty of Crime.”
“There’s a site called Plenty of Fish?” She laughs.
“Yeah, I joined it when I was looking to date a couple of years after Damien was born.”
“And how did it go?”
I scrunch my nose up in disgust, remembering all the losers I went on dates with. “It was filled with a bunch of smelly fish.”
33
Dominick
“So, based on the numbers, we’re looking at about two years to finish,” Lorenzo says, sliding the papers over to me.
We’re sitting at North Harbor Point Country Club, in the private bar that’s only available to VIPs, having a drink.
I went a couple of rounds with Matteo at the gym, and to say he’s ready for his fight is an understatement. When he clocked me in the jaw and I stumbled back, I tapped out. I have several business meetings with investors this week, and the last thing I need is to look like I was brawling.
So, we came to the country club to get a drink and go over the business plans for the South Harbor Point expansion. Everything is coming together, and with the bids Lorenzo has gotten, the investment will be well worth it.