Page 100 of Cassio

“I own HC.”

“Hmmm.” Wow, he has been so close all this time and I never ran into him. Not once! “I guess we could carpool next time.”

I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. It felt a bit stalkerish. Strike a bit. It was all the way stalkerish.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Bianca muttered. “It is Cassio’s way of protecting you. Trust me, Nico was no better.”

“What?” Nico growled, feigning discontent on his face though his half-smile kind of ruined it.

She rolled her eyes. “Birth control,” she scolded him. “Do I need to say more? Because there is more.”

Nico offered her the most bedazzling smile and would have made me fall for the man if I wasn’t already so wrapped up into Cassio.

“But that’s what you love about me, Cara,” he drawled.

I shook my head in disbelief. Bianca had that man wrapped around her little finger.

My eyes darted to Margaret and Mom. They were still bickering back and forth in hushed tones. Maybe placing Margaret next to Mom wasn’t such a grand idea after all.

“Well, if you didn’t-” My mother’s voice rose an octave too loud, attracting everyone’s eyes back to the two of them.

“What the fuck is going on?” Jack gritted. Yeah, wouldn’t we all like to know. My guess was that my mother went all protective over me and now was blaming Margaret for the situation I found myself in. Though, somehow it all worked out for the best, and Margaret wasn’t to blame. Cassio lived in my apartment building. Maybe I could get him to tell me another thing tonight, over dinner. Well, we are having dinner now. Over drinks?

I turned to ask Cassio when Margaret’s voice stopped me.

“Tell your wife to get off my case,” Margaret hissed at my mother. “Yes, we know I fucked up. And Áine wouldn’t be in this situation if I hadn’t fucked up. But here we are. What do you want me to do about it?”

The twins stopped playing, their eyes darting around each adult in the room.

“Margaret Callahan,” Jack’s voice held a note of warning. But knowing that Cassio would have never married her lifted all the blame off my cousin. A thought snuck into my mind. Cassio said he never would have married Margaret, but he didn’t clarify how he was going to ensure he didn’t. What if-

No!That would be a step too far.

“Áine, you-” My mother tried to explain, but I cut her off.

“Mum, whatever it is,” I spoke in a low voice, “... this really isn’t the time. And let Margaret be,” I warned. “You can’t blame her for your damn decisions over twenty-five years ago.”Nor the possible set up by my future husband, I added silently.

My mother could be quite protective and overbearing sometimes, but I wouldn’t let her attack my cousin. If she needed someone to blame for this arrangement gone wrong, she just had to look at her husband.

“Fucking fantastic that your family is just as messy as ours,” Luca announced with a wide grin.

I narrowed my eyes on Luca. “I wouldn’t bet on it, Luca,” I said, bringing the glass of wine to my lips. “After all, my family doesn’t deal in human trafficking.”

“Kiddo, what has gotten into you?” Jack growled, but I just shrugged unperturbed.

“Not much,” I answered. “In fact, I’m having a grand time.”

I smiled sweetly and he shook his head. “Stubborn woman. It must be the Irish in you, I guess.”

My eyes snapped to him. It wasn’t the first time he’d said that. Except, it was the first time that it held the truth. Before I’d take it as his adoption, but now, it meant more. Damn it! He’d been giving me signs all along, and I just never read into them.

ChapterThirty-Two

CASSIO

Iwatched as Bianca and Áine hugged each other for the third time, promising they’d see each other more frequently. Each time I thought of Áine back in Turkey, that scene playing out in my mind, the punch in my gut was abrupt. I’d lose my goddamn mind to lose her now.

Another hug and the two women that meant everything to me chuckled. “We act like two old ladies,” Bianca remarked with humor in her voice.