Filed to story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
I look up at him and he runs his knuckles down the length of my cheek. â??Come on,â? he whispers, nodding his head a little to our bedroom. â??Letâ??s take a minute, Fay. You need it.â?
â??Okay,â? I say, giving a shaky nod. But before we can take a step I whip my attention to Daniel. â??You,â? I say, pointing a finger at him. He looks at me in surprise, clearly wondering if heâ??s in trouble. â??You get Janeen on the phone, now. She needs to know, and she needs to be on call in case dad needs to talk, okay?â?
Daniel nods to me fervently, pulling his phone from his pocket and beginning to dial even as Kent and I start to walk away.
I bend down to scoop up Lil Kent on the way, pulling him up into my arms and giving him a little snuggle. Kent just sighs and glares down at the dog as we move towards our bedroom. But I do my best to smile at the pup, not wanting his puppyhood to be all scowls and frowns, and give him a kiss on the head.
He turns and playfully snaps his little teeth at a strand of my hair as Kent pushes open the door to our room, which makes me genuinely smile.
â??Such a brave little puppy,â? I murmur to the pup, scratching his ears.
â??I canâ??t believe,â? Kent murmurs, closing the door behind me as I walk to the center of the room. â??That today, of all days, you decide to bring a dog home.â?
â??I didnâ??t decide, Kent,â? I say, turning to him as he comes close. â??The universe gave him to me. Weâ??re meant to have Lil Kent, just like weâ??re meant to have the baby. Itâ??s fate.â?
Kent glares at me, putting his hands on my hips and pulling me close so he can look down into my face, the puppy between us. â??We are not calling him Little Kent.â?
â??Lil Kent,â? I correct, unable to keep from grinning up at him. â??Not little â?? lil.â? I scrunch my nose at him. â??Itâ??s cuter.â?
Kent laughs with me and shakes his head and a sudden wave of gratitude rushes through me, because Kent â?? heâ??s indulging me right now. I know that all of his instincts are screaming at him to interrogate me about the details of what happened today, to come up with a plan, to figure everything out.
But instead, heâ??s standing here, joking with me about puppy names.
Because thatâ??s what I need right now.
And so I smile at him, and stand on my tiptoes, and tilt my head back, seeking a kiss. â??We can name him whatever you want, Kent,â? I whisper, smiling.
Kent takes wraps an arm around my waist and presses his mouth to mine, giving me a long, desperate kiss that shows me how worried he was, how much he missed me, how incredibly grateful he is that Iâ??m now back in his arms.
I look up at him with half-lidded eyes when he pulls away.
â??I was so worried, Fay,â? he whispers.
â??I was too,â? I say, raising my eyebrows. â??I thinkâ?¦honestly, Kent, youâ??re not going to like it â?? but I think weâ??re lucky Ivan was involved. My mother â?? she was ruthless. I think sheâ??d tear the world apart to get to her goals. But Ivan â??â??
â??Has still got a soft spot for you,â? Kent finishes for me, shaking his head and pulling me tight.
â??And me for him,â? I say, truthful, which just makes Kent glare down at me, jealous. I laugh a little, shaking my head at him. â??Donâ??t worry, Kent. We have a family now â?? a baby, and a puppy â??â??
â??And is that the only thing keeping you in my arms?â?
â??Well,â? I say, screwing up my face a little, â??considering that youâ??re broke now-â??
â??Iâ??m not broke,â? he growls, his arms tightening around me.
But I just smile at him, and shake my head, because I know heâ??s well aware of the truth of it. Kent and I? Weâ??re end game.
â??Iâ??d never let you go, Kent,â? I murmur, reaching up a hand to cup his cheek. He leans into my palm, the action soft and animal.
A moment passes as we study each other.
â??Does that mean?â? he asks softly, â??that youâ??ve made up your mind about which side of your momâ??s deal youâ??re going to take? Bianci or me?â?
â??Well,â? I reply, my eyebrows going up. â??Someoneâ??s got to go down, Kent.â? I start to shake my head. â??And itâ??s not going to be us.â?
Kent looses a breath, staring at me, and then slowly he nods.
Kent and I take a few more minutes to sit quietly together on the bed, petting the puppy and genuinely just check in on each other ensuring that we feel right and prepared or what is coming next.
And then the rest of the night?
It’s way, way busier than I expected it to be. Honestly, you’d think that the night after a kidnapping you’d be content to just curl up in bed and relax, happy to be home, but with this ultimatum on the line? And the plans that I’m brewing in regards to it? There’s a great deal to do.
Kent storms through the house, bossing everyone around, which I think makes him feel centered as much as it ensures that everything that needs to get done is done. He gives Daniel the most instructions, sending him out for takeout for dinner and dog supplies apparently Lil Kent needs a crate as well as puppy food? Who knew.
Jerome Kent completely ignores, which I think devastates Jerome more than being bossed around, because it’s very clear that Kent hasn’t decided that he’s still part of the team. Still, Jerome makes himself useful, cleaning up and ensuring that everyone has what they need.
My dad comes home after a long walk and mostly wants to sit quietly, though Jerome sits with him for a while. I notice them talking softly after a long bit and, as much as I want to know what they’re saying, I’m still not ready to speak to Jerome with anything like civility. So, I turn away.
Gio is the hardest, when he finally gets home. He wraps me in a big, relieved hug that makes me smile as he murmurs his gratitude for my safety before admiring the new puppy, calling him a very handsome specimen. Kent and I fill Gio in on…about half the story, letting Daniel stand close and catch what we’re saying. We tell Gio about my mother’s threat against Kent, but we keep out the second half of the ultimatum, that offers his grandfather as the second choice.
It’s not that we don’t trust Gio or want him to know. It’s just…well, Kent and I haven’t ironed out the details, have we?
And until we do, Gio can stay lightly in the dark.
Me? I spend a lot of my time…walking around. Not because I am idle, but because these labor pains…they’re getting sharp. I do my best to disguise it as wanting to take the puppy out, ensuring that he doesn’t go to the bathroom inside the house. The contractions are still not very close together, and they’re really short but still, I don’t want anyone to know.
There is…too much at stake right now.
And, luckily, my busy house full of men seems quite willing to lose themselves in distractions at the moment, no one really noticing the regularity with which I step outside.
When the night grows late and I get off the phone with my sister who is pissed as hell at my mom Kent nods solemnly to me, letting me know that it’s time.
And so I say a quiet goodnight to my dad, doing my best to ensure that he’s all right. He laughs a little sadly to me, patting my cheek and saying not to worry about him it’s his job to worry about me. So, I give him a big hug and tell him not to hesitate to wake me up if he wants to talk, and my stoic, quiet dad nods and makes his way to his room with a beer in his hand.
I sigh as I watch him go, Kent coming to my side to wrap an arm around my waist. “He’ll be all right, Fay,” Kent murmurs softly to me.
“I know,” I say, resting my head on his shoulder. “I just…it’s a big shock.”
“As a big a shock for you as him,” Kent says, making me look up at him. “If not bigger. And yet you’re so concerned about taking care of everyone else?”
I just shrug, not having an answer, not really willing to plumb those depths of my psyche right now. Because Kent’s right I’m not really letting myself feel Janeen’s anger, or dad’s sadness. I’m locking it all away because…
Well, because I’ve got a job to do.
“Come on,” I say, turning towards our room and taking Kent with me. “We’ve got to talk.”
Kent and I wave our goodnights to the three boys who still sit in the living room, drinking quietly and talking amongst themselves. They call their own goodnights before I give a sharp whistle and hear the puppy scamper across the room to me, eagerly coming to my heels.
“How did you teach him that?” Kent asks, frowning down at the dog.