50. Luxtyn

50

LUXTYN

I wake before my mom this morning and lay in bed thinking about last night.

When we got back home, the doctor cleared us after cleaning up the cuts on our faces, the ones I had on my back, and a couple shallow ones I hadn't realized were on my palm. I'm just so thankful nothing worse happened to my mom during the time she was at that cabin.

With it being so late and the absolute exhaustion from the night, my mom and I fell asleep in one of the spare rooms. I didn't want her to be alone.

She begins to stir, and my heart tightens as I take in the purple, blue, and yellow of her bruised cheek. Snapping her eyes open, her frantic look tells me she thinks she's still in that cabin in the woods.

I reach for her hand, placing mine on top of hers. "It's okay, Mom. You're safe. I'm here."

Pulling her gaze to mine, the emotion washes over her face as she realizes where she is. "Oh, Lux, sweetie. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Mom. I'm sorry. "

She pushes herself up to a seated position, and I follow suit, sitting across from her with my legs crossed as she sits up against the tufted headboard with her legs outstretched in front of her.

We sit in silence for a few minutes before she lets out a long, drawn-out breath. "I was just trying to protect you," she says, her voice soft as she stares directly ahead. "When Angelo and I met, we were young, and I thought I was in love. When his father arranged for him and Elena to get married, he ended things with me. I voiced my dismay with Angelo, but he didn't care. It was his duty as the next don of the Mancini family to get married and complete their alliance with Elena's family."

She brings her gaze to mine. "I'd explain to you what a don is," she says before glancing around the ridiculously oversized spare bedroom we're in before landing her eyes back on mine, "but something tells me you already know."

"Mom, I?—"

She places her hand on top of mine and gives it a small squeeze, silencing me. "Let me get this out about Angelo first. Then we can talk about everything else." I nod as she pulls her hand back.

"It was when I expressed how upset I was about the marriage that Angelo began to show his true colors. He was cold, not caring about my feelings one bit. That wasn't who he was before."

Tears form in her eyes. "And then I found out I was pregnant with you. It was the happiest and yet scariest moment of my life. I had no one. No family. Only a couple friends I couldn't confide in because I knew it couldn't get back to Angelo. I wasn't one hundred percent certain what he would do, but I knew his family was capable of dangerous things."

Her words tear through my heart. Knowing what she had to endure back then, all by herself. No one to help. No one to even talk to.

"So I did the only thing I could think to do, I ran. I ran and I never looked back." She chuckles under her breath as a tear slides down her cheek before she brushes it away.

"I was worried they'd come after us. It's why I moved us around so often and kept us away from large cities. I wanted to keep you safe."

Rising up on my knees, I lean forward and give my mom a hug. My tender back yells at me for the movement, but I ignore it, knowing my mom needs me right now. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I can't begin to understand what you've gone through. I'm just so sorry."

I pull away and sit on the heels of my feet. "And thank you. Thank you for always being there for me. And for saving me before I was even born."

"I'd do everything all over again for you. I'll always protect you, sweetie." She gives my forearm a squeeze. "Even if you don't need it anymore." I take in the look in her eye and know she's talking about Teo.

"Don't think I didn't notice that ring on your finger last night." She holds up her left hand and wiggles her ring finger as she raises her eyebrows at me. I'm not sure if I should interpret it as support or not, though.

"Or the way you and Matteo embraced one another like you were each other's lifelines." I bring my gaze to hers and recognize the solemn look, then prepare myself for the hard conversation ahead. "He's in the Mafia, Lux. I don't want to see you go down a dangerous path like I did."

"Mom, Teo's not like that."

"But. . ." she continues, holding up her finger. I keep my mouth shut, not realizing she wasn't done speaking. "I know you're an adult, so I'm not going to tell you what to do. I just want to be here for you. So tell me what I've missed out on."

I spend the next fifteen minutes catching my mom up on everything that's happened. The contract, the marriage, how Teo and I started off hating each other, and how it somehow turned into something else.

"Do you love him?" she asks.

The question lingers in the air between us for a few moments as I try to figure out how to answer it. Glancing down, I fidget with the hem of my pajama bottoms before returning my gaze up to my mom who gives me a knowing look. Regardless of what she thinks, I answer her the best way I know how. "We haven't known each other for long, and I know it's going to sound nuts, but I do. I really do."

Brushing my hair back behind my ear, my mom cups my cheek, focusing on me. "Sometimes it doesn't take long for us to develop deep feelings for another person, sweetie. Especially when we're put into dire situations that force us together."

"You don't think I sound crazy?"

She pulls back from me and laughs. "Oh, no. You definitely sound crazy. But I'm here to support you in any way you need me to."

"Okay, Mom." I chuckle as I roll my eyes and change the subject. "Are you hungry? Maybe we should go get some food to eat."

"I could go for some coffee," she says, and we climb off the bed.

"Oh, these people have french presses and grind their own coffee beans here. Just wait until you try it. The coffee is far stronger than the stuff we're used to. You'll think you've been drinking dirty water your entire life."

"I do remember the coffee being better when I lived in the city," she laughs out as she follows me through the already open bedroom door and down the hallway to the kitchen.

It's not long after I make each of us a cup of coffee that Teo comes strolling into the kitchen, dressed in a dark-blue suit and a white button-up that's top buttons are undone, showcasing that beautiful olive skin like he always does. Only he can make a different version of the same outfit look better and better every day.

He halts in his step as he rakes his eyes over me in my new silk pajama set I got when we went shopping the other day.

"Teo," I breathe out, realizing just how much I missed him last night. How I hated not waking up in his warm arms. It's insane to think I've developed these feelings for him so quickly, but I can't deny it.

My mom must notice the shift in the room because she hops off the stool at the island and picks up her coffee cup. "I think I'm going to make myself disappear for a little bit. You know how I've always enjoyed my morning coffee outside."

"Mom," I scold, snapping my attention to hers. "It's way too soon for a disappearance joke."

"Oh, sweetie, I promise I didn't mean anything by that. I didn't even realize." She holds up her hand to her chest as if she's flabbergasted herself.

"Keep making jokes like that and you'll get along great with Enzo," I mutter before pointing down the hallway. "If you go down that hall, you'll run straight into the living room. You can access the back deck from there."

Once my mom leaves the kitchen, Teo walks toward me, and I feel like there's a barrier between us. Like there's an elephant in the room that I'm not privy to.

He leans his back against the counter as I spin on the stool to face him, and folds his arms across his broad chest, tightening his suit jacket around his shoulders. "I guess we should talk, huh?"