Page 99 of Ice & Steel

“See, we’re all good,” he said. “We made it back.”

“I trusted you, son,” he said.

Marco pulled the hatch of the SUV open. The back was piled high with presents, already gift wrapped and tied with ribbon.

“I see your mother was busy,” I sighed.

“You let her do what she wants, so I figured it wasn’t a problem,” he said, taking a stack out.

“You’ll learn that when you’re married,” I said. “There’s a time to fight and a time to give your wife whatever the fuck she wants.”

He laughed, shaking his head. We carried the gifts into the front living room and Olivia arranged them how she wanted them around the tree. Atlas and Ettore scrambled around, trying to guess what they were. Hugo sloped in and hugged Olivia and plopped down on the couch.

“Hey, dad,” said Marco quietly. “Can we talk before tomorrow?”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just want to pick your brain,” he said.

I nodded. Marco was a cautious person and he often ran over his decisions with me in detail before making them. He’d earned top grades at school and graduated as valedictorian. His college of choice was an Ivy League and he made it in on merit, rather than his last name.

Perhaps he was too strait-laced to be the future boss of the city.

I watched him head off to the lounge to play video games with Hugo. The twins turned on the TV in the living room. I followed Olivia upstairs and shut our bedroom door.

She bent to take her shoes off and I watched her ass in those tight jeans sway.

“Is Marco okay?” I asked.

She nodded, bending her head to take her earrings off. “He has a girl. That’s the surprise. Isn’t that great?”

“What?”

“He’s been seeing this girl,” she said, tugging her hair free. “I met her and she’s really nice. Very, very sweet.”

“You met her?” I echoed. “Who is she?”

“She’s the daughter of the university’s president,” Olivia said, cringing. “I know, she’s from old money and her family’s proper and nice. I looked them up online.”

“I’m familiar with the university’s president,” I said. “It’s not smart for Marco to fraternize with them. Given who is and where he’s from. Her father is a former presidential cabinet member.”

“I told him to talk to you about it,” she said. “He wanted to ask her to be his girlfriend tomorrow. They only live a short drive away, I think he wanted to visit in the afternoon.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Fuck.”

She wriggled out of her jeans and sweater. “I think they’ve been together for a while, but he’s worried it’ll blow back on them both if he makes it official.”

“It probably will,” I said. “I hope he’s being careful.”

“What do you mean?” She pulled on a soft beige sweatsuit.

“I mean, I hope he doesn’t knock her up.”

She waved a hand. “I’m sure they’re not sleeping together. They’re not even official.”

She moved past me and I snatched her around the waist. Her big, dark eyes looked up into mine, fluttering shut as I kissed her mouth.

I pulled back. “You’re so sweet, Liv.”