Page 111 of Bad Bishop

It was a cross pendant. The type her flashy brothers would wear with their fucking ten-thousand-dollar dress shirts and diamond earrings. I closed it, handing it back to her.

“I’m an atheist.”

“I’m not.” Her brows creased. “And I want you to wear it and remember there is someone in this world who prays for you.”

I didn’t wear jewelry and didn’t consider myself Catholic any more than a bleeding coffee cup. However, I didn’t know the etiquette to refusing a birthday present, since I’d never been offered one before.

“I’m not gonna wear it.”

“Never say never.”

“I’m saying it right now.”

“So grumpy.” She pouted.

“So pushy.”

She tried to produce an airy smile, but I could tell she was disappointed.“Fine. Don’t wear it. But keep it.”

I shoved it into my nightstand drawer and stood up, getting ready for the day.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

LILA

For a few short weeks, life was almost blissful.

Imma and I did some nesting, went to doctor’s appointments, and cooked. Tierney visited me twice a week with tea. Both herbal blends from exotic places, and Mafia gossip about key players in the underworld. Mama still hadn’t answered my message from weeks ago, but I no longer sat and stared at it like a kicked puppy.

Sleep and I finally got reacquainted. All thanks to my husband.

He spent every night worshipping my body, sucking my nipples, kissing and licking between my legs, sometimes putting his fingers there, too, and bringing me to soul-destroying orgasms after which I slept like a baby. Something about the way he exhausted my body awarded me with a peaceful slumber no brisk walk or a workout ever managed.

Tiernan still showed no interest in the baby, in his kicking, ultrasound pictures, or well-being. The pregnancy was a black cloud hanging over our heads. It seemed to serve as the thickest, most indestructible wall between us. But it always boiled down to the same thing—if Tiernan truly cared about me, he’d accept my child, too.

Because me? I’d welcome everything and anyone he brought with him.

My brothers visited me often enough. I took lunches with Enzo and Luca, who practiced their ASL with me. Even Achilles dropped by whenever he checked in on his so-calledinvestmentnext door. Every time he popped up at Tierney’s apartment to look for signs of a lover, he made sure to bring me something from the deli. Calzone or gelato. His visits surprised me the most. Because I knew Achilles didn’t try to impress anyone, myself included, so if he chose to spend any amount of time with me, it was because he truly wanted to get to know me.

As for Mama, she sent things with Enzo. Books she thought I’d like, cookies she’d baked, and maternity clothes she’d bought for me.

“What is she trying to achieve by not speaking to me? My secret’s already out,” I vented to Enzo one day, when we were both watchingParks and Recreationon my couch.

“You were the only thing she could control.” Enzo shrugged, looking fifty shades of the golden boy that he was. The prettiest of the brothers. The kindest.The most secretive.“You know she loves you. She just doesn’t know what to do with herself, now that you have a life of your own.”

“Is this because I didn’t want to marry Angelo?”

“Doubt it,” Enzo admitted. “She dropped the subject like a hot potato after her talk with Tiernan.”

“How’s the search for my attacker going?”

I knew Tiernan was working on it, but I didn’t ask about it. I didn’t want to poke my own raw wound. But I also wanted to know when they found him. I needed that closure.

“There’re a few roadblocks in Tiernan’s way,” Enzo said vaguely, rubbing the back of his neck. “But he’s working on it. He needs some hard evidence before he calls in more people for interrogation. Anyway, back to Mama.” He changed the subject. “Just remember she loves you to death, yeah?”

“She should be happy for me.”

“She thinks it’ll blow up in your face. Tiernan doesn’t have the best reputation.”