Page 52 of Scarred Heir

Mr. Franchi hobbled off, stopping at the bar, probably to order that refills of our drinks be sent to our table..

“He’s charming.” Sable pressed her martini glass to her lips and took a dainty sip of the lemon-flavored drink. “I take it you’ve been coming here a long time?”

“For as long as I can remember.” I glanced around at the walls adorned with pictures of Sinatra and Frankie Valli. “My mother loved it here.”

“You still celebrate her birthday here. That’s a beautiful tribute.”

“Marchello and I do. We didn’t come here for years after her death, but a few years ago, we decided it was time to stop mourning, for at least one day, and celebrate her.”

She took my hand. “Your dad doesn’t come with you?”

“He doesn’t even know we do it,” I said. “He has to grieve in his own way.”

“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for the three of you.”

“It was rough. One day we were this happy, contentfamily with a new sibling on the way, and the next, the future was ripped from us. We were never the same.”

“A new sibling?” She squeezed my hand. “Your mother was pregnant?”

“With another son.”

“Oh, that’s… Who would do something like that to her?” The color drained from her face, leaving her with a pained expression.

“My father has many enemies.” I released her hand and picked up my glass. “I’m sure you can imagine why he’s never gotten over her death.” I finished my drink. “And why we don’t discuss it often.”

“Of course.” She took a long sip of her drink. “Whoa, this is strong.”

“It’s mixed with the housemade limoncello. Jojo concocts it himself in the wine cellar.” I laughed. “You might want to take it slow, or I’ll be forced to carry you out of here, take you home, and have my way with you.”

“Then maybe I should have another.” She bit the corner of her bottom lip. “It’s delicious.”

“Be careful.” I slipped my hand under the table and ran it along her thigh. “In my experience, the lower your inhibitions are, the more you’ll want.”

She raised her glass to me before finishing what was left.

“Keep teasing me.”I’ll give you everything, Sweet Sable.

“I’m not teasing you,” she said. “I’m just thirsty.”

I had to steer this conversation in another direction or we would leave before eating. “You’re Italian?”

“Half.”

“How didn’t I know that?”

“It’s rather surprising considering you know what kind of birth control I take.”

“True, but I guess I didn’t have time to dig into your heritage.”

“My mother is Italian, and my father is Irish.” She motioned toward her face. “In case my hair, skin, and freckles didn’t give that away.”

“You do seem to favor that side of your family.”

“In looks only.”

Sore subject.That didn’t surprise me considering she and Chance left home at a young age and never looked back.

“My mother left when I was fifteen, so I didn’t get much of a history lesson about her family. She has two sisters who live in Delaware, and I think my mother went to them after she left my dad. We kept in touch for a few months, but once they divorced, the communication stopped.”