Hers [Book #2]

Chapter 4

The house was stark quiet, Tristan nor any of his family in sight. I was left with Cyrus, who refused to leave my side. Although his hovering annoyed the hell out of me, he made a mean omelet, which I devoured in minutes.

"Hi, bambino(baby)," I greeted Mateo with a smile. He was using Katya's phone to video call me.

Beast barked when he heard my voice, his ears perked up and his head tilted in curiosity. He couldn't quite understand how he could hear me, but couldn't see me.

"Hi, mommy," Mateo chirped excitedly.

I chuckled at the sight of him. His face was so close to the screen.

I heard Katya's voice in the background before the phone was being adjusted so I could see Mateo's full face.

"Are you and Beast being good boys?"

He held his open palm to his chest, nodding his head at my question. "I am." He then points to Beast. "Beast isn't. He keeps peeing on nonna's(grandma's) flowers." He's still learning how to pronounce certain words so his "flowers" comes out like "fowers."

I glare at Beast, who's finally stopped looking around and has realized that I am trapped in the tiny rectangle us humans call a phone.

"Bad dog."

His ears drop, his tongue disappearing back into his mouth. His wrinkled face is riddled with guilt.

"How many times have I told you to leave nonna's(grandma's) flowers alone? Do I need to tell daddy you're being a bad boy?"

He begins to whine when he hears me threaten him with "daddy". He knows Tristan's the boss and will reprimand him for his bad behavior. Less treats and more kennel time, which Beast absolutely hates.

I glance over my shoulder at the sound of the front door being opened. I can hear Tristan's voice echoing throughout the foyer, followed by another male voice.

Beast hears Tristan's voice too and makes a run for it. Mateo tries calling him back, but Beast ignores him.

Laughing, I feel Tristan's presence behind me long before his touch. Placing his fingers under my chin, he tilts my head up so I'm looking at him.

"Good morning, Mrs. Lucci." He bends down to kiss my lips and murmur an apology for leaving me alone this morning. "I promise to make it up to you."

"Later," I say, pulling away from his kiss. "Your son's on the phone."

The phone is snatched out of my hand at the mention of Mateo, Tristan's face lighting up. They start a rapid conversation in Italian about the toy cars my dad bought him the other day.

Seeing them interact is like watching not one, but two toddlers laugh and squeal with one another.

It becomes easy to forget Tristan's the boss of an entire mob. You wouldn't even know he's killed a man before if it wasn't for the fear his name and title brings.

I decide to just leave the two of them to talk once I came to the conclusion that Tristan's in a hogging mood, and go introduce myself to my new family.

A handsome older man with a head of thick salt and pepper hair, and kind amber eyes that look more russet or copper than golden brown, stood in the foyer.

He smiled when he saw me, the crease lines on his forehead and under his eyes indicating his age. His lips were partially hidden under the thin bush of hair on his upper lip and around his chin.

He was a little shorter than Tristan, but his physique was almost similar in appearance. Broad shoulders and muscluar arms covered in tattoos. You could tell they were related, the features of both Tristan and his late father displayed in the man before me.