“I would actually prefer to avoid it altogether, if at all possible.”
Shaking his head, he says, “So high maintenance.”
“Yep. Sorry.”
He lowers me back to the ground, but he’s not too disappointed, because then I grab the black elastic band off the sink, pull my hair up in a bun, and climb into the tub. Luckily it’s a huge tub. He climbs in on the other end and stretches his long legs out. I scoot to accommodate him, then reach behind me for his champagne and lean across to hand it to him.
“Thank you.”
“Mm hmm. Remember when I had only known you for like 35 seconds and you already had me fetching your wine?”
Rafe smiles, taking a sip of the champagne. “I do. Remember when you had only known me for 35 seconds, but you were eager to serve me? Maybe I need to wipe your memory and start over.”
Shrugging unapologetically, I reach back and grab my champagne glass full of water. “I wanted a ride on the Rafe train, what can I say?”
“You got one.”
“I sure did. And a bonus baby—I didn’t even check that box.”
“Getting involved with a Morelli usually means getting much more than you bargained for.”
I nod my head, taking a sip of my water. “Carly tried to tell me that, but I was blinded by your general hotness and didn’t want to believe her.”
“A common blunder. Pretty sure every woman who has ever gotten involved with one of us has been warned off at least once. We were designed to make women ignore good advice and pursue relationships with us anyway.”
“And if that doesn’t work, kidnapping?”
“I’ve never kidnapped anyone,” he says, slightly confused.
“According to—” I stop short of saying Sin and amend my statement. “From what I’ve heard, kidnapping is an accepted part of Morelli relationships.”
Nodding, he acknowledges, “True for some. I’ve never had to, but I have more difficult relatives.”
“Like Vince?”
He regards me curiously, but nods. “Like Vince.”
I’m not sure I actually want to know, but with this opportunity to learn more about an integral part of my life, I can’t resist asking, “Did he kidnap Mia when she was already married to Mateo?”
“Not married, no. They were engaged.”
I look down at the water in my glass, hesitating before I ask the rest. “Did he hurt her?”
Rafe clearly knows the answer to this question, but instead of answering me, he watches me for a moment. “Do you care for Vince? He’s married to your sister. You like him?”
“I do.”
“Then why don’t you leave these particular skeletons in the closet,” he suggests. “He and Mateo did some not-so-nice stuff to one another, and Mia was often caught in the crossfire. Mia and Vince both got hurt, they both hurt each other, and they’re better off apart. That’s the important takeaway. That’s all you need to know.”
“I don’t want my sister to get hurt,” I tell him.
“She won’t,” he says. The confidence in his tone, like there’s no chance of that happening, makes me feel a little better. “Trust me, your sister is scrappy as hell. She handles Vince like a pro. She’ll be just fine. If he ever crosses her, she can just kill him and keep all his money.”
Laughter bubbles up and I take another sip of water. “I don’t think my sister would murder anyone.”
“She wouldn’t have to,” he says, dryly. “If Carly ever wants Vince dead, all she has to do is make a single call. If she has your ruthlessness, Vince better treat her well.”
“That’s good to know, I guess. Maybe not so good for Vince.”