We duck behind the couch together, strategically positioned so we can keep an eye on Felicia while still giving her a bit of a search. Arin’s thoroughly invested in the game, practically climbing over me to stay out of sight. When she peeks over the cushions, her breasts brush up against my face, the sweet scent of her skin filling my nose.
I wonder if she’s doing this on purpose.
“How did I get roped into this?” I mumble. “I’m a grown man, Arin. I don’t play hide and seek.”
“Oh, shush,” she says playfully. “Look how happy she is.”
I’ll admit there’s something wonderful about playing with our daughter. I can’t remember the last time I felt this at ease. For years it’s been crunching numbers, collecting payments, negotiating business handoffs, protecting financial interests, constantly at Lorenzo’s every beck and call. This is… nice. Domestic. A taste of what I’ve missed out on.
A taste of what my future has in store.
I press my lips to Arin’s chest, just between the valley of her breasts. I reach up and grasp her gently by the waist, nipping at the fabric of her shirt. Arin glances down at me, her cheeks flushed.
“Seriously? You’re doing this now?” she whispers.
“Oh, shush,” I throw her response right back to her. My hands lower to her hips, encouraging her to move against me.
“D-Dominic—”
“Come to my room tonight,” I tell her, palming her pussy over her jeans. “Wear something pretty.”
“Stop it. Felicia’s coming.”
I remove my hands but life an eyebrow. “Is that a yes, dolcezza?”
“Yes, now keep quiet or else—”
“Found you!” Felicia squeals, jumping into Arin’s arms.
We’re a certified dogpile turned ticklefest, but I can’t say I mind. I’m quickly realizing that getting to hold these two close is the absolute best feeling. They’ve only been living with me for a week, but if anything ever happened to either of them, I’d set the whole world ablaze.
All the more reason to resolve my problems. Quickly.
Felicia jumps around the perimeter of the coffee table, an untamable ball of energy. “Your turn!” she declares, pointing one of her little fingers at me. “You have to count to ten. Mommy and me are gonna hide—”
There are three sharp knocks at the door, followed by the sound of muffled voices. Arin shoots me an anxious look. Getting up quickly, I head to the door. I’ve had Johnny stationed on door duty every day this week, and he knows not to let any uninvited guests in without my prior knowledge. When I get closer, I recognize the voices. One of them is my associate, and the other…
My mother bursts in like she owns the room, fury in her eyes. “Dominic Alessandro Teodore Costello! Why is this numpty at your door telling me I cannot enter? What’s all this about you getting shot at and nobody informing me? And what’s this I hear about a woman moving in to—Oh!” She eyes little Felicia, the biggest of smiles stretching across her face. “And who might this little darling be?”
I clear my throat, waving Johnny away. “This is Felicia, and her mother, Marina Wilson.”
My mother’s face lights up like the Fourth of July. “Marina?” she echoes. “As in Marina, the girl from five years ago? The one you obsessively searched for? The woman who you proclaimed was the love of your—”
“You’re being dramatic, Mother,” I cut her off quickly. It’s true I spent a great deal of my free time looking for her when I returned from my trip to Italy, but I don’t recall ever saying something like that.
Arin walks over, smiling bashfully. “Hi, lovely to meet you. Just call me Arin.”
“And you may call me Isabella,” Mother says, shaking Arin’s hand. “So, you’re the woman I’ve heard so much about.”
Arin’s face goes from a light pink to a bright red. “You… have?”
“I happen to make rumors my business now that I’m retired. When I heard my boy was shacking up with a young woman, I knew it had to be serious.” Mother smacks me across the arm. “When were you going to tell me, cuore mio? Were you going to keep this lovely little bird a secret all to yourself?”
I grit my teeth. It’s one thing for rumors to be floating around. I can’t have Arin and Felicia’s safety compromised. The fact that these rumors have gotten back to my own mother is a problem in and of itself. “I was definitelytrying,” I grumble.
My mother glances between me and Felicia, and then between Felicia and Arin. She squints at the three of us, going back and forth until her expression shifts, a realization dawning on her. I can practically smell the gears burning inside her skull.
“You two… Which means she’s…” There’s a question in her eyes, unsaid but loud and clear.