Filed to story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
â??Youâ??re welcome,â? Ivan replies, his voice gentle. We continue like this for a minute or two, me giving the puppy a snack, Ivan lightly stroking his head. And as we do, my mind turns back to my mother, and the strange events of today.
â??Ivan,â? I say, my voice quiet. I donâ??t look up at him. â??Does sheâ?¦I mean, why does she hate me?â?
â??What?â? he breathes.
â??My mom,â? I say, swallowing against the thickness in my throat. â??Did she say anything? Aboutâ?¦why she left? Why she didnâ??tâ?¦â?
â??Fay,â? he says, and I look up at him, because he sounds so sad for me. He shakes his head. â??Your mom â?? I think she was damaged by your relationship with your dad. I donâ??t think â?? it wasnâ??t good, Fay. Iâ??ve spent a lot of time with her at this point, and I think thereâ??s a great deal of trauma there. I donâ??t think she could have stayed with you â?? it becameâ?¦an obsession. To take them all down.â?
I look down then, my heart breaking a little bit. Because at least when I lost her before, to a car crash? At least then she didnâ??t choose to leave me behind.
But nowâ?¦
I clench my jaw, but I canâ??t help the tears that fill my eyes.
â??Hey,â? Ivan says, and I look up when I feel a hand on my shoulder. Ivan slowly shakes his head at me, and the puppy peers at me closely, shifting in Ivanâ??s lap. â??It has nothing to do with you, Fay â?? nothing to do with who you are. If she couldnâ??t love you, if she had to goâ?¦it wasnâ??t your fault.â?
And I nod, because I know itâ??s true â?? itâ??s the only thing that makes sense â?? I was just a kid. And from what it sounds like, she may not have ever even wanted to have me â?? or wanted to marry my father â??
But god damn it, it still hurts. Tears start to drip down my cheeks.
And Ivan, good guy that he is, reaches out to softly cup my face in his palm.
â??Shit,â? Ivan curses as he watches me cry, looking frantically over his shoulder back at the gas station. â??Should I go inside? Should I get you like, candy? Maybe they have ice creamâ?¦â?
I canâ??t help the laugh that stumbles out of my mouth. â??What?â?
Ivan sighs and shakes his head at me, freaked out and upset, his jaw clenched. â??Well, I canâ??t just sit here and watch you cry, Fay,â? he growls, I think a little pissed that my being upset is upsetting him so much.
I laugh a little harder now, wiping my tears away. â??I thought we were enemies now, Ivan,â? I reply, my voice a little cold, even though thereâ??s still humor in it.
â??Yeah well,â? he sighs, sitting back in his seat, studying me, his mouth twisted with disappointment. â??I guess I donâ??t hate you as much as I thought I did.â?
â??I never hated you,â? I reply, holding his gaze, my voice barely a whisper as I tell the honest truth.
We stare at each other for a long moment when suddenly Ivan gasps, his body going rigid as he stares down at the dog.
â??What?â? I ask, sitting up straight, worried somethingâ??s wrong â??
â??Oh my god â??â?? Ivan shouts, grabbing the dog and holding him up off his lap, â??oh my god, Fay, he peed all over me!â?
I burst into laughter as I reach for the puppy, looking into Ivanâ??s lap to see that his dark grey pants are, indeed, a little bit darker right where the puppy was sitting.
â??Oh noooo,â? I coo, cracking up and taking the puppy back, wrapping him up in my arms. â??Did you have an accident!? Ohh, little babyyyy.â? The puppy scrabbles his paws at me a little, lifting his nose and kissing my chin. I cuddle him close, still laughing.
Ivan grumbles, reaching into the console for some napkins and wiping angrily at his pants. â??This is so ridiculous,â? he mutters, sighing and tossing the damp napkins on the floor at my feet. â??Come on. Letâ??s get you home.â?
My eyes move to Ivanâ??s face as he reverses out of the parking spot and then heads out onto the road. â??Are you really taking me home?â? I ask, wiping the last of my tears off my face, grateful for the little puppy for making me laugh when I was feeling genuinely horrible.
â??Are you surprised?â? he replies, raising an eyebrow at me. â??Where did you think I was taking you?â?
â??Well, I donâ??t know!â? I say, laughing. â??Itâ??s been a day full of surprises, Ivan. You could take me anywhere â?? throw me in a ditch somewhere. Load me on a ferry, take me to mainland Italy, and then elsewhere in Europe.â?
Heâ??s quiet for a moment and doesnâ??t look at me when he speaks next. â??Do you want me to take you elsewhere in Europe, Fay?â? he asks.
I consider him for a moment, my mouth twitching up in a smile. â??Are you asking me to run away with you, Ivan?â?
I hold the puppy tight, genuinely curious about his answer.
â??Well,â? he says, tilting his head as if actually considering it. â??If youâ??re finally starting to regret your idiotic decision to tie yourself to a mafia family and asking me to help you run away, then sure. Iâ??d help facilitate your escape.â?
I smile at him, because even though his voice is sarcastic, heâ??s being sweet. And heâ??d do it, if I asked him.
â??I donâ??t regret it, Ivan,â? I say, my voice soft. He still doesnâ??t look at me, so I look away, letting him feel however he feels about that. â??Butâ?¦thanks for the offer.â?
â??Anytime, Fay,â? he says, his voice equally gentle.
We drive for a long time in silence. I keep my eye on the scenery, looking for anything familiar as I continue to feed the puppy pieces of chicken and give him sips of the water. After about twenty minutes, I start to recognize things from my neighborhood and I sit up straight, pleased that Ivan was as good as his word.
â??Wait,â? I say, turning to him, â??how did you know where I lived?â?
He gives me a rather withering look. â??It wasnâ??t hard, Fay. I just searched for the fanciest rentals in Sicily that have room for a horse and checked to see which were recently rented. There were like, two possibilities.â?
I burst into laughter at this, shaking my head and shrugging. Because, yes, I guess we didnâ??t really go incognito on that one.
â??So,â? Ivan says, a smug little smile on his face as he slows the car down. Weâ??re getting close to the house. â??What are you going to name the puppy?â?
â??Lil Kent,â? I say instantly with a small smile.
â??What!?â? Ivan turns to stare at me, incredulous.
â??You donâ??t like it?â? I ask, trying very hard to keep my face straight and failing.
â??Itâ??s the worst fucking name Iâ??ve ever heard â??â??
â??Ohhh, youâ??re just still mad because Lil Kent peed on you,â? I murmur, turning to smile at the puppy, who looks up at me eagerly and gives a little doggie yawn.
Ivan grins, shaking his head like he canâ??t help it. â??Why are you giving him that terrible name, Fay? Name him something good, likeâ?¦Sparky. Or Firenze, if youâ??re trying to be Italian.â?
â??Nah,â? I say, turning to grin at Ivan. â??I think thereâ??s a better chance of Kent letting me keep him if he knows itâ??s his namesake. He wonâ??t be able to resist.â?
Ivan genuinely laughs at this as we turn the corner onto my street. â??Fay, you can name that dog whatever you want. I think youâ??ve got Kent so wrapped around your finger that it doesnâ??t matter what he lets you do â?? if you want to keep that dog, itâ??s staying.â?
â??Yes,â? I sigh. â??But at least with this, Kent will think he had a choice.â?
Ivan nods, a sad little smile on his mouth as he stops in front of my gate.
â??What to come in?â? I ask, my voice falsely cheerful. â??Thereâ??s about three, maybe four guys in there who would love to greet you with a punch to the face right now.â?
â??Iâ??m going to take a rain check on that one,â? Ivan says, parking the car and turning to me, leaving it running. â??Youâ??ll be okay? To walk from the gate?â?