Filed to story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
â??Fay,â? Kent growls, taking a step towards me, â??you are days from having a child, we are not raising a puppy and a newborn at the same time â??â??
â??We damn well are,â? I say, lifting my chin and staring up at him. â??I am not sending Lil Kent back to the farm â??â??
Behind me, Daniel bursts into laughter when he hears the puppyâ??s name and Kent freezes, staring at me like Iâ??m some horrible imp sent from the underworld just to torture him. I sigh a deep breath and roll my eyes, turning back to the couch as Kent continues to stand perfectly still.
â??Itâ??s not up for debate,â? I sigh, sitting down on the couch with the dog in my arms. â??This pup is a Lippert now.â?
Kent sighs, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead. â??At least get him off the couch, Fay.â?
Suppressing a smile, because I know Iâ??ve won, I comply with Kentâ??s demand, giving the puppy another kiss on the forehead before settling him gently on the floor.
â??Enough,â? Kent snaps, moving closer and glaring around the room. â??Fay, tell us what happened. Weâ??ve got to know.â?
I take a deep breath then, my mind anxiously turning over how to tell this story. Everyone in the room lets me have a moment to think before I exhale a big sigh and look around. â??All right,â? I say, nodding. â??Butâ?¦you have to let me tell it without interrupting, all right? Because if I have to stop and answer questions, Iâ??ll never get this all out.â?
Everyone nods their consent, agreeing to my terms.
And so I begin â?? telling about how Ivan snatched me off the side of the road, about how he took me to a hotel where a woman from the FBI was waiting. As I continue the story I see Kent grow angrier and angrier, seething as he holds back his true reaction, letting me talk.
But when I lay out the ultimatum â?? twenty fours hours to decide if Iâ??m going to give up Kent or spy on the Bianci clan â?? Kent canâ??t hold it back anymore. He turns away, his hands on his hips as he mutters a long stream of curses.
I bite my lip, looking around at Daniel and Jerome, shocked to see Jerome hanging his head, shaking it as if he regrets every choice heâ??s made in his life. My eyebrows go up in surprise as I study him â?? because what â?? why â??
â??Keep going,â? Kent snaps, turning back to us.
I nod quickly, rushing through the final bit â?? that Ivan drove me home and was really nice to me and the dog. I keep back, just for the moment, the fact that I left the phone in the car, becauseâ?¦well. I know what I want to do with that. And Iâ??d rather run my plans through with Kent alone.
But first?
â??All right, Fay,â? Kent says, shaking his head at me a little. â??Youâ??ve been keeping it back long enough. Tell us, now. Who was the woman.â?
I sigh and look around the room, my eyes settling on my dad. â??It wasâ?¦â? I reach out and take his hand as he looks at me with shock, clearly wondering why Iâ??m focusing on him. â??Dadâ?¦it was mom.â?
His eyes widen in disbelief and he stares at me for a long moment before blinking rapidly. â??What?â? he asks, his voice soft. â??Wait, what?â? Itâ??s almost as if he thinks he must have misheard me.
â??Mom,â? I say again, nodding at him and squeezing his hand. â??I was as shocked as you are, dad. Butâ?¦sheâ??s alive. She must haveâ?¦faked her death, I donâ??t know. Butâ?¦sheâ??s been alive, all these years, working with the FBI to take the mafia down.â? Dadâ??s face goes red before his eyes fill with tears â?? with shock, or regret, or horror â?? I donâ??t know.
â??Iâ??m sorry,â? I say, my voice cracking as I curl up on the couch next to him, pressing my side to his. My dadâ??s arm automatically goes around me as he wipes a shaking hand down his face. He doesnâ??t say a word, processing the information that his wife â?? she didnâ??t die.
She left him, as coldly and callously as a woman could. Left him without a word, faked her death, and left him to mourn her and raise her daughter all on his own.
Itâ??s brutal news, and it breaks my heart to give it, but as I glance around the room a pulse of shock passes through me as I see thatâ?¦
â?¦that my dad is the only one who is truly surprised.
â??Wait,â? I say, slowly sitting up and frowning around the room. â??Wait, whatâ??s going on here?â?
Kent just sighs and turns his head to glare at Jerome, whose head hangs low on his shoulders.
My mouth falls open as I look between Kent and Jerome â?? processing their lack of shock, and the way Jerome hangs his head, and the bruise across his cheek â??
And suddenly the puzzle pieces snap together.
â??Wait,â? I say, sitting up straight and pulling suddenly away from my dad. â??Are you â?? are you serious!?â? I take a deep, shuddering breath, my eyes locking on Jerome first and then moving to Kent and Daniel. â??You â?? you fucking knew!?â?
â??Weâ??ve known for about two hours, Fay,â? Daniel grits out between clenched teeth, glaring at Jerome. â??Obviously I would have told you â??â??
I gasp again as Jerome raises his eyes to me, guilt and devastation on his face. â??Iâ??m so sorry, Fay,â? he breathes, shaking his head at me.
â??WHAT!?â? I shriek, leaping to my feet and crossing the room to him in a second. â??You â?? you knew, Jerome!?â? I whip my hand out, smacking him â?? hard â?? across the arm â?? suddenly fully understanding why Kent punches him so much â??
â??Iâ??m sorry,â? he insists, flinching instinctually away from me but accepting his fate. â??I wasnâ??t trying to keep it from you â?? itâ??s so complicated â??â??
â??Were you â?? were you part of this?!â? I gasp, stepping backwards in my shock as Kent comes to my side, tugging me a little further away from Jerome. â??Were you teamed up with Ivan and my mom â??â??
â??He wasnâ??t,â? Kent growls, tugging me into his arms. â??At least, not that we can tell.â? I look up at Kent, desperate to believe it. He nods as he looks down into my eyes. â??Iâ??ll explain everything, Fay â?? as best I can. But as far as I can tell, right now, Jerome knew about your mother in a different context. He hasnâ??t seen or worked with her in years.â?
My mouth falls open as I stare up at Kent in shock, shaking my head. And then I spin to glare at Jerome. â??But you knew about her,â? I breathe, my lip starting to tremble.
Slowly he raises his eyes to meet mine, and he nods once.
I pull my shaking mouth shut and raise my chin. â??I will never forgive you for this, Jerome,â? I whisper, shaking my head at him. And a thousand other words roil up inside of me but I turn my face away, burying it against Kentâ??s shoulder for a second as he strokes my hair, letting me pull myself back together.
Because, right now? Jerome doesnâ??t deserve another second of my attention. He may never again, for the rest of his life.
â??Iâ??m sorry,â? I hear Jerome say again, his voice devastated and weak. But I ignore it, donâ??t let it reach my heart.
Because of all the ways Iâ??ve been betrayed in the past year? This is the worst.
â??Come on, sweetheart,â? Kent whispers to me, starting to tug me towards our bedroom door. â??Letâ??s take a minute.â?
â??No,â? I protest, spinning away from him and towards my dad, who is starting to get to his feet.
â??Itâ??s all right, baby,â? he says, wiping the tears away from his eyes. I shake my head, stepping away from Kent and moving toward my dad. I wrap my arms around him and he gives me a quick hug, patting me on my back. â??I thinkâ?¦well, baby, I think I need a few minutes alone anyway.â?
â??Are you sure?â? I ask, my eyes roving over his face. â??I can come with you â?? we donâ??t even have to talk â??â??
â??Iâ??m sure, sweetie,â? he says, giving me a tentative smile that I know heâ??s forcing for my sake. â??I want to walk anyway, and youâ??re,â? he forces a little laugh and looks down at my stomach, â??well, youâ??re in no shape for walking, are you.â?
â??Iâ??m plenty good for walking,â? I growl, hoping to make him laugh, but he just smiles at me and pulls away. â??Youâ??ll stay close?â? I beg, reaching out a hand to touch his arm.
â??I promise,â? he says, nodding to me as he heads for the back door. â??Donâ??t worry about me, baby â?? Iâ??m not going anywhere. I justâ?¦need a minute.â?
And then he exhales a deep breath, and turns, and I believe him.
A horrible little sigh forces its way from my lungs as I watch my dad walk away, feeling so horrible for this man who has been so good to me my whole life, whose own life just got turned upside down again. In one day, his daughter gets kidnapped and returned, and his wife comes back to life only to reveal that she pretended to kill herself to get away from him, from usâ?¦
Because she deemed her revenge more important than our family.
I jump a little, totally lost to my thoughts, as Kent wraps his arm again around my shoulders.