Page 34 of My Solemn Vow (The Mafia Arrangement #1)

VALOR

I KIDNAPPED ANTONELLA?

“Dad!” Kerrianne squeals, running through the foyer.

When she’s a few feet away, she launches herself at me.

I scoop her up into my arms, spinning her around before one last squeeze and nuzzling my nose in her hair for a comforting breath. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you more.” Kerrianne tightens her grip around my neck.

After a few seconds, I rub her back and set her on her feet. Kerrianne wraps her arms as far around me as they’ll go and squeezes like a little constrictor snake.

“I doubt it.” I stroke her hair, comforting her.

Kerrianne steps back away from me, finally letting go, and her eyes go wide.

The footsteps on the stairs tell me Antonella is dressed and making her way down here.

I turn as she descends toward us. I love seeing her in my clothes. They’re too big for her, but she’s rolled and folded them until they fit her well enough. I want her in my clothes always, as unpractical as that is .

“Ms. Mancini?” Kerrianne tugs on my hand, suspicion pitching her voice higher.

The tension I’d forced myself to forget about is... slowly returning. I wait for chaos to set in. I’m unaware of what it’ll look like, but I don’t anticipate any of this going well.

Kerrianne narrows her eyes at me and then cups her hands up over her mouth, whispering, “Dad, you didn’t kidnap my new teacher, did you?”

I’m immediately drawing a blank. First of all, how does she know I kidnap people? Second of all, how did she jump to the conclusion that I kidnapped Antonella?

Antonella gives a small wave. “Hello, Kerrianne. I’m not kidnapped. I promise.”

Then they both look at me like I’m the problem and need to explain myself.

“Well, there will be a few new things,” I start, looking to my mother, who’s coming into the house carrying grocery bags, for guidance.

Mom pointedly ignores me and my problems. I redirect Kerrianne to give myself time to figure out what to say.

“Let’s go see if we have any food left in this house. ”

“We do!” Kerrianne shouts, running back to the kitchen. “I’m making sandwiches!”

“Take your shoes off,” I call before turning my attention to Antonella.

Antonella offers her arms out to Mom. “Please, let me help you.”

“Oh.” My mother offers a bag out to her. “Thank you.”

Antonella turns and heads through the house, following Kerrianne.

My mother looks at me, raised eyebrows and an approving smile on her way past me.

Does everyone know something I don’t? I assumed it was only a business dealing, but... the way Mom looks... It doesn’t matter. Let it go.

We follow Antonella to the back of the house and find Kerrianne making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the refrigerator door open and beeping. I push it closed and walk around the island to where she’s working.

Kerrianne doesn’t stop making sandwiches. “Ms. Mancini, do you want strawberry or grape? And do you like crunchy or creamy peanut butter?”

“Strawberry and creamy,” Antonella answers as she takes in the big space in the light of day.

The kitchen and living room are open concept and span two stories. Doors off the kitchen lead to the slate patio and modest-sized yard with the fenced-in tortoise run off to the side.

“I’m heading out. Your father wants a pot roast for dinner, and if I don’t put it on now, we won’t eat until ten.” Mom makes a big deal out of appeasing Dad, but I know for a fact she loves every minute of it.

I give her a hug. “Thank you for bringing her home. Jack should be at the bottom of the driveway with an escort.”

“You and your father worry too much. Everything will be fine. We’re with much closer friends now.” Mom looks at Antonella with a smile. “It was good to see you, dear.”

“You as well.”

Antonella’s shoulders are rigid, her spine straight and hands clasped before her, and when she moves, it’s with small, steady steps. It seems like she’s prepared to walk on eggshells, if needed, to navigate the situation.

After I hear Mom close the door behind her and Kerrianne makes three creamy peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches, we head out to eat on the patio. She picks her favorite chair, and I sit across from her, leaving Antonella to sit between us.

The elephant in the room is too big even for our patio, so I try to lessen the blow the best I can. “So, Kerrianne, you like having Ms. Mancini as your teacher?”

Kerrianne nods, her mouth full .

I don’t know how to tell her we’re married, so I start with what I know how to explain. She’s your daughter. Talk to her like you always do. I scold myself. “Well, do you think you’d be okay if she lived with us?”

“Obviously.” Kerrianne sasses.

Antonella snorts, choking on a giggle. I look to Antonella, hoping for some sort of help, and she takes mercy on me. “Kerrianne, do you remember when Sean didn’t come to pick you up?”

“Yeah.” Kerrianne drops her eyes to her plate and picks at her sandwich. “That’s when he got hurt.”

Her words break my heart.

Even though I protect her from most of the death in our world, it still seeps into her life. Not having been here for her afterward hurts. Mom and Dad broke it to her gently, but I’m her father. Maybe the truce will be a good thing after all.

“I’m finding a replacement for Sean.” I reassure her and myself. “We’ll make sure you two get along just as well.”

“Captain too.” Kerrianne’s features slip into puppy dog eyes.

It’s not even something she tries for. It’s natural for a wolf her age to do.

“Captain too.” I agree and then nod to Antonella. Can’t wait to show her the family pet and see how squeamish she is .

“You know how I knew your real name is Kerrianne and not Kelsey?” Antonella continues, circling back to the difficult conversation.

Kerrianne nods but stays silent.

“My name isn’t Ms. Mancini. I’m really Antonella D’Medici.” Antonella’s eyes flick to mine and then back to Kerrianne.

“We’re not supposed to talk to D’Medicis.” Kerrianne sits back in her chair and looks at me.

“Well, the day Sean went away, a big meeting was called between the D’Medici family and the Cavanagh family, and they decided to make an agreement so no one else would get hurt.

We promised to all get along together.” Antonella draws a deep breath before continuing.

“As part of that deal, it was decided that your dad and I had to get married.”

“Like Grandma and Grandpa? They got married a long time ago. There are pictures.” Kerrianne squints at Antonella, studying her.

“A little like that.” Antonella agrees. “Your dad and I agreed that we would live together and be friends so the rest of the families could learn how to be friends.”

“So, it’s okay to talk to you?” Kerrianne looks at me and scoots forward in her seat.

“Yes, you can talk to Antonella,” I answer. “Antonella and I have to spend time together, but you’ll always be my number one.”

“Well, obviously.” Kerrianne giggles.

She’s pushing the respectful line a little bit too far.

I raise an eyebrow, and she self-silences, pulling her lips between her teeth, acknowledging that she’s getting a little too brazen.

She eats more of her sandwich, and I’m mid-bite on mine when Kerrianne asks, “Okay, so can Antonella sleep in my room?”

“No.” I’m quick to answer, swallowing hard. “Antonella and I are sleeping in my room.”

Antonella freezes like we hadn’t talked about this already.

“Oh, okay.” Kerrianne pouts and changes the subject. She gets the expert-level manipulation from me as a learned trait. As much as I try not to lie to her, my ability to redirect has somehow rubbed off on her. “When am I going back to school?”

I lock eyes with Antonella over the table. When can I send them back to school?

“Well, your dad and I talked about that a little.” Antonella takes over from my silence. “Probably not Monday with me but maybe by Wednesday? ”

It’s news to me that Antonella is going back to school tomorrow. But I don’t argue with her in front of Kerrianne.

“Really?!” Kerrianne gets excited and is back to all smiles.

She starts rambling a million miles a minute about a game they’re playing at recess and how Antonella let her play with the new blocks after school until my parents got there to collect her.

I dislike the amount of information I’m missing from the week I was away. But soon, our sandwiches are gone and Kerrianne is bouncing, ready to show Captain off to Antonella.

Hanging back while Antonella helps hold things for Kerrianne to make her tortoise’s breakfast, I fire off a text to Royal.

Valor:

Can you text me the dumbed-down version of what happened while I was gone?

Why didn’t you catch Antonella was a D’Medici?

Need a phone for Antonella. Clothing too. Was that negotiated for at all? Can you investigate that or get Mom and the pack ladies to get her outfitted accordingly?

It doesn’t take long, and I get the line-by-line answer that is probably as bare minimum as Royal can make it while still answering my questions.

Royal:

Sean died. The arbiter was called in. D’Ms demanded you marry A. Funeral planning. Taught K how to play Texas Hold’em.

Didn’t catch because her documents were tight. Now that I found the flaw, double-checking everything else. Won’t happen again.

10-4 phone, negotiations, and lady stuff .

The problem with opening and looking at my phone in this spare second of time is that I see how many people are no longer respecting that I was married yesterday. There is one, however, that can’t wait.

Patrick Doyle:

I’ve sent six Stateside this morning. I’ve sent you and Royal their qualifications. I highlighted my two personal best guesses given Kerrianne’s unique personality. Was good to see you. Best wishes and congratulations again on the wedding. Perhaps for Christmas we’ll catch up again.

I flip open my email and lean against the kitchen island. Kerrianne doesn’t need me there to introduce Antonella to Captain, and as much as I wanted to see her face when she sees the reptile, this is more pressing.

The files take a bit to download, but I start with the two Patrick flagged as his top choices, taking a cursory glance before opening the others.

I close out of the others and return to Patrick’s picks.

The two are the most skilled, and he has always been fond of Kerrianne, never shying away from the endless conversation about whatever subject she’s most interested in.

Valor:

You’re right on the selection. I’ll set something up with them. I want Kerrianne to have a chance to meet them first. Thank you.

Patrick isn’t big on responding to text messages, so I don’t expect to get one back. Which is fine because Kerrianne’s and Antonella’s footsteps are drawing nearer.