But Seb, the Family… they’re a part of her too. A huge part.
I’m not sure on which side of the line her loyalties might lie with this situation.
In the end, I go with half-truths and hope it’s enough to hold off too many questions for now.
“Who the hell knows. Just enjoying the ride while it lasts.” I wink and follow the guys into the flat.
“That may be so, but he can damn well share you sometimes,” she says, loud enough so Theo has no option but to hear. Thankfully, she buys my lie for now, but I’m under no illusion that it’ll last.
“I was starting to get worried he’d locked you in some freaky sex den and was replying to your messages, pretending to be you.”
I damn near choke on my milkshake.
That’s exactly what he’s fucking doing. Well, minus the sex den bit.
My eyes find Theo’s, and a little guilt passes through him.
“Do you want a coffee?” I offer, walking toward him, more than ready to put his balls through the mincer.
“Do you need to ask?” she jokes, falling down on the sofa beside Seb, who’s relieved Theo of the box of doughnuts and has already half-demolished one.
“This is so good,” he mumbles around the treat before holding the other half up for Stella to take a bite.
Groaning at their annoying sweetness, I turn back to someone who’s nowhere near as fucking cute.
“You’ve been texting her?” I seethe.
“What?” he asks, playing it down. “I didn’t want her turning up here looking for you. Or worse, calling the cops, thinking you’d been abducted.
“I have been fucking abducted. Jesus, Theo.”
Looking over my shoulder, I focus on Seb as he starts his second doughnut.
“It’s Seb, isn’t it? My grandfather was a Papatonis?”
Reaching up, he pushes his hair back from his brow, his eyes shooting between me and his best friend.
“Yeah, he was.”
All the air rushes out of my lungs and I lean forward, resting my forearms on the kitchen counter as I process this latest revelation.
“Your grandfather was a capo. A really good one, from what I’ve been able to dig up. He died in a raid.”
“Did Seb ever meet him?” I ask, knowing that he’s experienced more than enough loss for a lifetime in just the past few years alone.
Theo shakes his head. “He never met him.”
I blow out a long breath. “I don’t know if I’m relieved for him or not,” I confess.
“Me neither.”
“Look,” he says, reaching for me and gently turning me so I’m facing him once more. “I know you hate me right now. I know everything is fucked up and this is all a lot to process. But…”
“You don’t want to tell him yet, do you?”
“Fuck. How do you do that?”
“Do what?”