Page 13 of The Hidden Heir

"Well, yes," she concedes.

"And now, what? I'm supposed to marry him instead?"

"Yes."

Michael runs over with a yellow rose petal in his cute little hand, holding it up for me. "Mama, for you!"

"Oh, thank you, honey," I say, tearing up as I accept the gift. But it's not the rose petal or my son's adorable gesture that makes me cry. It's the hard reality that has rushed in and smacked me right in the face. I give Raquel a long, hard look.

"So it's really happening," I tell her.

Raquel doesn't seem too happy about it either, and she gives me quite the judgmental side-eye. "I was just as surprised as you are. I can't even begin to imagine how Miss Mancuso must feel, being thrown aside for the lesser sister."

"Excuse me?" I manage.

"Well, you know," she chuckles lightly, trying to brush the comment off.

Everything gets infinitely worse when Luca joins us. He has a stern, then confused look on his face as he checks out our expressions—gauging the temperature. My head tilts back so I can look at him, and I'm briefly annoyed by how handsome this bastard looks, particularly in the golden sunlight.

"What's going on here, ladies?" he asks, then focuses on Raquel specifically. "You were supposed to wait for me."

Raquel shoots up from the bench. "Oh, my apologies, Mr. Petrucci. I had no idea."

Luca sees the bridal catalogue in my lap. His eyes turn cold and dark.

Fortunately for him, I keep my game face on because my son is gleefully clinging to me, delighted by the rose petal he plucked for his momma. Michael is the only reason I'm not flipping the hell out, the dangerous mob boss being present or not.

"Care to explain?" I mutter, seething beneath the surface.

Luca looks around. He sees Susie by the front door, wiping one of the windows. "Susie," he calls out. Immediately, she leaves the spray bottle and cloth on the windowsill and rushes over with a tense smile across her face while Raquel looks like her head's about to explode.

"Susie, be so kind as to look after Michael while I speak to his mother," Luca says. "You can take him to the swing in the back. I had it installed for him earlier this morning."

Susie is petite, blonde, blue-eyed, and she has already told me once, quietly, that Luca is different from his brother. A good man, she said. The jury is still out.

I had no idea Luca did this for Michael. It softens my heart at the worst possible moment. I give my son a kiss and let him go off with Susie while I try to get my bearings. My knees feel weak, so I stay seated on the bench for the time being.

"Raquel was supposed to wait for me to tell you before presenting you with a bridal catalogue," Luca says.

"Oh, sure, like that makes everything better," I spit.

"My apologies, Miss Peroni," Raquel chimes in.

All I can do is scowl at her angrily.

"You may leave now, Raquel."

The way Luca says it sends a shiver down my spine. It's not just an order. It's a promise of worse things to come. My guess is Raquel will get an earful of the boss's fury later on.

Raquel nods at Luca before departing.

"What the hell are you up to?" I ask Luca.

"The only thing I can do is keep you and Michael out of Mancuso's reach," he says. I notice the muscle twitching in his strong jaw.

"You were going to marry Caroline?"

"Part of a peace deal. It felt like the sensible thing to do at the time."