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Bella snorts as Aria turns back around to us once she is safely across the street. “Why do you call my mom Bella? Her name is Mirabella but everyone calls her Mira. Well, except for me, I call her mom.”

I go to answer but Bella cuts in. “Well, Kilian and I go way back. We knew each other before you were born.” She glances at me and I’m worried she is just going to blurt out the truth. But she doesn’t. “My mom and grandmother used to call me Bella and Kilian just did the same.”

I look at her. I had no idea about that. To me she was always Bella because that’s what she told me. I had no idea it had to do with her mom.

“I like it,” Aria says as we reach the park. “Everyone should call you Bella because it means beautiful and you are the most beautiful mom in the world.”

Bella shakes her head. “Stop sucking up. It doesn’t mean you’ll get ice cream after the game.”

Aria groans before running off to join her team.

“Is that why you chose Bella?” I ask.

She nods.

I cup her jaw but she pushes my hand aside. “Kil, not in public. Just in case.”

I nod at her and let her walk ahead of me. I slap her ass as she walks by and she yelps, turning around to flip me off.

I laugh out loud and throw my hands up like I don’t have another choice.

We end up standing along the sidelines where I saw her yesterday. She’s ignored the other parents except for one named Maria that wouldn’t let her not get the scoop on who I was. I can tell she is uncomfortable I can only guess because she has never had a boyfriend around.

It’s strange thinking of myself as her boyfriend. In my head, we were always so much more than that. That was why I never put words to what we had in Dublin. We weren’t bogged down by titles and relationships. We just were.

Aria is playing well. Her eyes continuously bouncing over to me. I know she’s smart. And I wonder if she has put two and two together. I wouldn’t put it past her. Not after this morning and everything Bella has told me.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I see Matías calling me and I excuse myself from the field. Bella asks me if everything is okay and I nod before walking away.

“Hello,” I answer when I am far enough away.

“I thought I would give you a day or two to cool off,” Matías says.

“Thanks.”

He clears his throat. “Are you really a father?”

I ignore him. “I’m assuming he’s dead.”

“Yeah. Your men took care of everything.”

“Good. I am sure Giancarlo will be in contact soon. My men were instructed to send him Ezio’s head with a warning.”

Matías grunts. I know that isn’t something he would put past The Partners.

“You going to be okay?”

“I’ll be in touch, Matías.” I hang up the phone and look back over to the park. I should tell Bella about her brother. I know she won’t care. I know how she feels about him. But she deserves to hear the truth from me.

I send off a few texts to my associates and then head back to watch the end of my daughter’s game.

23

MIRABELLA

Ipush Kilian’s hands off me as I finish getting ready for work. The man is insatiable but I already knew that. I woke up to his head between my thighs. I had to bite down so hard on a pillow to keep myself quiet as he pulled an intense orgasm from me. Then he fucked me thoroughly from behind. I missed mornings like that. But then I was almost late taking Aria to school as the time got away from me, due to Kilian’s need to be in me at all times.

When I got back from dropping her off, Kilian was waiting for me in the foyer. Naked. I had my clothes off within ten seconds.