Family Ties (Morelli Family 4)

If Mateo ever realizes what Mia knows, there’ll be no saving her.

It’s for the best that they broke up—at least for her.

Reaching over to give him a little side squeeze, I tell him, “I’m really proud of you, you know. It was the right thing to do, and I know it hurt you to do it.”

“Speaking of doomed relationships,” he deadpans, glancing over at me, “aren’t you supposed to be with Castellanos tonight?”

I nod, grabbing the cupcake and moving it to the floorboard, tired of balancing it on the tops of my legs. “I was, but this was more important.”

“I didn’t realize you two had gotten serious enough for him to do your dirty work for you,” he remarks a bit dryly.

I can’t help grinning. “He’d commission a hit if I asked him to.”

“Nice.”

I nod, feeling a little moony. “It is.”

“Maybe you should issue a hit on Mateo,” Vince mutters. “Solve all our problems.”

“It wouldn’t solve all mine. His dad doesn’t like our family, and he probably wouldn’t issue a hit on his own dad.” Then, because I have to, I raise my eyebrows severely. “And you shouldn’t joke about that. Mateo’s sixth sense will whisper to him that someone’s plotting his death and we’ll all be in trouble.”

“Obviously I wouldn’t really plot his death,” he says, rolling his eyes. “He’s just a pain in my ass.”

“He is a pain in all our asses,” I agree. Then, more because I feel like cheering him up than because it’s a likelihood, I add, “And hey, look on the bright side. If this Mia girl is your soulmate, maybe you’ll cross paths later. A couple years from now, she’s in college, enough time has passed that this wouldn’t cross anyone’s mind—you can date her then. It could be worse.”

Vince grunts. He’s not blessed with excessive patience, so the scenario is probably not appealing to him.

I wish my obstacle had an end date. If I only had to wait a couple of years to be with Sal out in the open, I’d happily do that. Unfortunately, I think I’d have to wait for his dad to die, and then hope Mateo wanted to cooperate.

We fall silent for a few minutes. Vince broods and I check my Sal phone. Seeing he sent me a text, I can’t stifle a smile. I type back, wishing I wouldn’t have canceled on him. I see him every couple of days, but it’s not enough. I want to see him every day. Days without Sal are dumb.

“Where are we going for dinner?” I ask Vince as I slip my purse back into my handbag.

“I dunno,” he mutters.

“We should probably figure it out. Wanna grab a pizza?”

“No, not pizza.”

“We should just go to Sal’s,” I say, only half-joking. “He already has everything there for dinner, and I’d love for you to meet him.”

Vince shakes his head, glancing over at me. “That’s a terrible idea.”

“I met his sister,” I tell him.

Vince knows about Sal, since I had him come pick me up that first night we met for drinks. I don’t worry about Vince knowing though; he’s extremely loyal, and I know he’d never sell my secret out to Mateo.

“Well, that’s pretty ballsy,” he remarks.

“She’s nice. Too old for you, otherwise I’d hook you up.”

Vince rolls his eyes. “Yeah, that’s exactly what we need. Two of us chasing after Castellanos offspring.”

“Hey, we all know what it’s like to live in whacky families. She is single. Her ex was a huge douche.”

“I am not back on the market yet, but thanks anyway.”

“She’s not there tonight anyway. Wanna go meet Sal?”

“I do not.” He glances at me briefly. “No offense, but I’ve done enough to cross Mateo lately. I think I need to refocus my attention, maybe stop doing things that could get me killed for a little while.”

I smile faintly, even though it’s not a joke. “Yeah, that’s probably a good call. Let’s go to that farm-to-table place we went to last time. They had good pizza.”

“You and your damn pizza,” he says, shaking his head.

“They have other stuff, too,” I defend. “Why are you suddenly anti-pizza? I’m not sure we can be cousins anymore.”

His voice rises a little, and I rear back, surprised. “I just don’t want pizza, okay?”

Blinking a few times, I turn my attention away, looking out the windshield. “Okay, sorry. It was a joke.”

“Well, I’m not in the mood to joke, either,” he mutters.

I guess I wouldn’t be, either. If I would’ve just had to dump Sal today, my heart would be split in half. I glance over at Vince, wishing I knew something to say, but there’s nothing. Only time will ease the ache.

—

My hand doesn’t even make it to the doorbell and Sal’s already wrenching the door open, a grin on his face.

My heart swells at the sight of him. I go right into his arms, peace enveloping me as he hugs me. “I don’t have long,” I tell him, even though he already knows. Sal has a tendency to try to get me to stay longer when I slip away from the bakery, and I have a tendency to want to let him.