Page 173 of My Treasured Obsession

“To church!” I yelled, half joking, but half meaning it. “You both obviously need a trip to the confessional. I’m sure Father Domenico would be delighted to help you cleanse your sins. Afterwards, you can renew your vows!”

Bewildered, Mamma sputtered, “C-cut it out! We are not getting married just because you caught us. It was a mistake. This slip-up won’t happen again.”

Yeah, right. Now I was certain they’d had more slipups than I could count on two hands.

Papà arched a dark brow in her direction. “You don’t want to marry me?”

A slight hesitation on Mamma’s part. “No, Enzo.”

“Why not?” There was a note of unmissable yearning in his words and my previous anger softened at the edges. I felt bad for both of them. Mamma knew exactly who Papà was whenshe married him. The mob was part of his blood. Compromises and sacrifices were needed to make any relationship work. Somewhere along the way, they both forgot that fact.

Papà should have made an effort to reduce his long working nights, and Mamma should have communicated her feelings more.

“Please.” Mamma scoffed, but there was no weight to the sound. “There are better men out there. I just need to keep dating until I find the one for me.”

Well, shit.

I exhaled a long breath.

Not only were they crazy for one another, but they were bothplain crazy.

At her statement, Papà went from her besotted lover to the ex-husband who loved riling her up. His posture straightened, his chest puffed, and he wiped the lovesick expression on his face with a casual hand across his stubbled salt-and-pepper jaw, his signature scowl taking its usual place.

Forget the confessional. These two needed couples’ therapy to solve their issues.

“Hey, guys.” I tried to defuse the situation before it escalated. “How about we pretend like this never happened? Hunter will be here in less than two hours. I’ll start setting up the table and you can go get dressed. I promise, you’ll love him. He’s such a sweetheart—”

“What did you say, Lucia?” Papà drawled in a low voice. “You want to keep dating until you findthe one for you?”

I rubbed my temple. There was no use pretending that a battle wasn’t about to break out in this household. I already knew how it would go down: with kitchen utensils and a passionate screaming match. They were doomed to be together, just like Nonna said, and I should leave them to untangle their own mess.

“Yeah.” Mamma crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s exactly what I said.”

“Even after your last boytoy ran away with his tail between his legs?”

Horror splashed over Mamma’s features. “How would you know Neal ran away with his tail between his legs?”

Papà’s silence spoke volumes.

She connected the dots, red-faced. “Are you…Are you telling me that you threatened Neal so he’d break up with me?”

Papà leaned against the kitchen doorway, entirely too relaxed for a man who was about to have his ass whooped. “I told him I’d kill him if he didn’t break up with you and he pissed his pants like a pathetic fool. Is that the kind of man you want to date?”

Mamma inhaled long and sharp, then spat through gritted teeth, “Is this why every single man I date breaks up with me abruptly? Because of you?”

“We both know you only dated those men to piss me off. Luckily for you, it worked.” Papà’s chin jutted and he smirked arrogantly. “I’ve threatened every single boyfriend of yours since we divorced. If a hefty cheque didn’t get the job done, then my fists did. Think of it, Lucia. If they really loved you, they’d never leave you, regardless of what I did to them. But they did and the truth remains that the only man who loves you with his entire heart, mind, and soul is me.Itake care of you,Iprovide for you,Iwould die for you. You know it too. You’re just being stubborn because it’s easier than admitting that you want to give us another try.”

Wow.

I almost wished I weren’t surprised. Papà always appeared so blasé when Mamma got a new boyfriend. Now I realized it was because it didn’t matter who she dated. Mamma would never sleep with them—like she’d sleep with him—and within sixty calendar days, her current boyfriend would kick the curb.

Papà had ensured it, in his own unorthodox way.

Mamma picked up a spatula from the utensil crock and whipped it in his direction.

“Enzo,” she spoke with an eerie calm. “I’m going to fucking kill you.”

“I’d like to see you try, Lucia. You love me too much to see me dead.” Still, he backed away as she advanced towards him. “Just remember, I did this for us. You’re mine and I’ve always been yours.”