Page 9 of Single Mom's Mafia Daddies

LILA

He’ll come back.I told myself that for months after Alessio left me. It brought comfort then but agony now. Leo skipped from the school building and straight over to the car. His black hair flopped over his forehead the same as Alessio’s. My heart stuttered and skipped with a new surge of panic. A teacher on duty helped him into the backseat and gave me a quick grin while Leo chattered away, telling me all about his day and thanking the woman for helping him.

The threat of Alessio’s return hung over me. It dogged my steps throughout last night and well into this morning to the point that Alexis had asked if I needed to close early because I fumbled my coffee—almost spilling it on a new handbag—and hung a dress on the wrong rack, both mistakes I’d never made before.

“I want waffles.” Leo fidgeted with the seatbelt and leaned forward. “And chicken.”

“Sounds good to me. Help me make them?” I’d learned early on to let Leo be part of my life from morning until night. We learned together, and our bond had strengthened to the pointthat he took one look at my face and his nose scrunched until little furrows cut into the skin.

He gripped the seat and pulled as close as the seatbelt allowed. “Why’re you sad?”

“It’s nothing.” I concentrated on the drive to our small two-bedroom house tucked into the backside of a cul-de-sac away from the bustle of the city.

Leo stared at me, the heaviness of his gaze as intense as lasers. He had Alessio’s determination, and he’d stare at me until I gave him an answer he believed.

I always tried to shield him from the darker side of life, but this was one of those times when a half-truth saved us both some grief. “I saw an old friend yesterday. It made me sad.”

“Oh.” He kicked one foot back and forth. “Like that time when I saw the stray kitty and you wouldn’t let me bring it home?”

“Something like that.” We’d taken the cat to the vet and got the help it needed, and the vet had reassured me that they’d find the animal a home where it would be loved. That was enough for Leo, my tender-hearted little man who wanted to save the world, even if he did it single-handedly. “Which do you want to make tonight? The chicken or the waffles?”

“Waffles.” He wiggled side to side in his seat, his whole body moving to the rhythm in his head. “I looove waffles. Not as much as I love you, though.” He turned serious in a heartbeat. “Will you always be my mama?”

“Of course.” I pulled into the driveway and parked. “Why?”

He shrugged one shoulder and climbed out of the car. “My best friend has a new mom. He says she’s not as nice as his old mom. I wanted to make sure you didn’t give me to a new mom who didn’t let me cook waffles.”

Even at six, his independent streak shone with Alessio’s confidence. Add in his height and most people mistook him foreight or nine years old. I’d hoped Alessio did the same when he saw the picture, but the look in his eyes said he knew the truth. He’d fathered a son. Would he have stayed if he’d known? Probably. And I never would have known if he loved me or stayed because he felt responsible.

I scooted from the car and wrapped Leo into a hug. “I’m never, ever, giving you to anyone else. You’re my Leo, and I’m your mom. Nothing can ever change that.”

Satan himself would have to come up from hell and drag me away, and even then I’d fight and claw my way out of the pit to come back to Leo. Nothing mattered more than making sure he knew he was loved and cared for.

“Good.” Leo squeezed my neck tight enough to choke off my air then let me go and rushed to the door. “I’m starving. Let’s cook and eat now.”

It took me a little longer to regain my composure, but by the time we walked into the kitchen and I handed Leo the waffle mix, I’d managed to sniff back the tears and paste on a smile. “How many waffles do you want?”

“Five.” He held up five fingers. “And you can have five too. And three chickens.” He dumped the mix into a bowl and scurried over to the refrigerator for eggs and milk while I set the oil on the counter where he could reach it.

I used to try and pour things for him, but he’d become adept this last year and insisted on doing things himself. My smile turned genuine when he cracked the first egg and whipped it into the batter. Pride stunted my breaths and tangled my thoughts. He’d grown up so much.

“You’re an amazing kid.” I ruffled his hair.

“Mama, not over the counter.” He tossed his head back so his hair fell the other direction. “I don’t want hair in my waffles.”

“Ew, me either.” I bundled my hair into a loose ponytail. “Maybe you should wear a hairnet.”

“It itches.” His tongue poked out in the gap where he’d lost a tooth last week.

We worked together to fix our food and carried everything over to the kitchen table. Leo hopped into his seat and decorated his waffles with strawberries, banana slices, and syrup.

I dunked my chicken into the syrup and popped a bite into my mouth. I’d be willing to live this day on repeat for the rest of my life. But that would mean Leo never grew up, and I wanted the world to know my son, the wonderful man I knew he’d become.

“You’re sad again.” Leo scratched the side of his nose and lifted a whole waffle to his mouth to bite a chunk from the edge. Syrup dripped down his chin, and he swiped it away with the back of his hand.

“Not sad. Thinking.” I’d done enough thinking for one day. Time to concentrate on what really mattered. “Want to go to the park this weekend? They’re having a boat race at the lake.”

“Yes.” He answered so fast he almost spat waffle back out but caught it with his lips and sucked it back in.