18. Isabella

Iused to think it was ridiculous when people would say they were so happy their hearts felt close to bursting. But I feel something similar to that as I watch Graham crouch down to give Maria a hug goodbye. He and Matthew fist bump and he ruffles his hair fondly.

"The two of you are officially on my list of favorite people," he tells them.

The twins beam. It's not often they meet adults they like—most adults in their life have a tendency to disappear on them. But one meeting with Graham and I can tell they're attached. And I like seeing them together, maybe a little too much. They run toward the car already waiting for us while I wait to say my goodbyes.

"I won't be able to see you again until next week," Graham tells me. "I've got to go to D.C. over the weekend."

"That's not a problem for me," I say lightly. "You're the one that's obsessed with me."

He doesn't correct me on that. His green eyes are light as he stares at me.

"Thanks for today," I tell him. "I know it can't have been easy moving your schedule around."

"It was nothing, Isa. Let me know whenever they want to see me again, I'll make time."

Something tightens in my throat. "Okay," I agree softly. "Thanks again, Gray." I shift closer, rising on my toes to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll see you next week."

His eyes are stormier when I lean away, and I suddenly want so badly to know what he's thinking. But judging by the dangerous gleam in his eyes, I have an idea.

"Goodbye, Sunshine."

I offer him one last smile before walking toward the car. I called one of the capos to pick up me and the twins from the park to take us home. Which proves to be a mistake because as soon as we walk through the doors, Enzo's waiting for us. His arms are crossed as he looks from me to the twins.

"Don't you all look happy," he comments. "Where are you guys coming from?"

"I picked them up from school. Like I always do," I reply.

"That wasn't what I asked," my cousin retorts.

I roll my eyes before looking at the twins. "Go to your rooms."

They do so immediately while I turn toward the jackass.

"You really need to stop acting like you're our father," I tell Enzo, walking past him and heading for the kitchen. He follows me, and I can practically feel the wave of displeasure wafting from him.

"You were with Graham Steele. Carlos said he saw him at the park."

Fucking Carlos. I should have just called an Uber to take us home. Then again, it's not like I did anything wrong. I have nothing to hide.

"Yes, and?" I press, grabbing an apple from the fridge and biting into it.

Enzo's jaw clenches. "Is there any reason why you and the kids are meeting up with a man who's a brother-in-law to the Mincettis?"

"Sure there is," I state.

"And are you going to tell me?"

I smile, studying him for a couple of seconds. Riling him up is always so fun. He likes to pretend he's this calm, in-control person at all times, but he's just like anyone else. And he has strong emotions, even though he tries to hide it.

"Isabella," Enzo growls.

"Would you relax? Graham and I are friends," I inform him.

His eyebrows rise. "And how exactly did you come about this friendship?"

I shrug. "Naturally?"

He groans, running a hand through his hair. "Enough with the blasé attitude. This is important, Isabella. The Steeles aren't a family to be trifled with. And that's without taking into account their link to the Mincettis. Graham's in line to inherit the entire company."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"It is if the two of you are dating," he retorts.

My smile falls faster than I can blink. My heart stutters a little at that insinuation.

"We're not dating," I say slowly.

Enzo doesn't look convinced. "Isabella. I know you've met up with him a few times. I just didn't ask until today because I was trying to respect your privacy."

"How kind of you," I mutter.

"But this is serious. I need to know if anything's going on."

"We're just friends," I say insistently. "This is the twenty-first century, Enzo. Men and women are allowed to be friends."

He studies me for a couple of seconds. "Are you sure? Nothing's going on between you?"

Flashbacks of our bodies writhing against each other play in my mind for a second. I swallow softly, banishing the memories as I nod.

"Nothing's going on."

And it's such a tremendous lie, I can't even look at Enzo as I say it. The only reason there's nothing going on between us is because Graham and I are doing our best to repress the tension between us. But with every meeting, I feel the rope we've placed between ourselves growing even tauter. It's only a matter of time before it snaps.

"We're just friends, Enzo," I say again to alleviate any worries he might have.

Because at the end of the day, the reason Graham and I are fighting hard against whatever we may be feeling is because we're very aware of the complications that can arise if we simply let ourselves feel. His family would go ballistic, and Enzo would probably lose his shit as well. But not as much as the Steeles.

I've never met the Steele patriarch, but I've heard enough about him to know he would never approve of any form of relationship between us.

If I was smarter or braver, I'd stay away from Graham altogether. But I am so weak. Because I keep wanting to see him and I'm terrified that's never going to go away.

Katerina Mincetti is everything I wanted to be when I was a little girl. Before my dreams were crushed and I realized that little girls like me didn't get to have big dreams or wishes. Before I understood that all I was destined to become was a mother and a wife, and my usefulness extended to that and only that.

I don't believe in that anymore. Those ideologies were destroyed the day my father died and I'll do my best to fight against them till the day I die. But staring at her, I can't help but wonder how my life would have turned out if things had been different. If my father had adopted the same beliefs that Katerina's father had. If he had ever believed I could have been his heir.

Who would I be if I had grown up like Katerina?

That's a question I'll never get the answer to. We're walking through a luxury department store, checking out some clothes. Katerina invited me out a few days ago and I was a little touched when I got the call. She's pretty great, down-to-earth and kinder than I'd have expected considering her position.

"What do you think of this?" she asks, reaching for some black flared jeans and placing them in front of her.

I stare for a couple of seconds before smiling.

"I'm sorry, this is so bizarre to me. I can't believe you're doing something as normal as shopping, considering who you are."

Even now, there are two men surreptitiously following us through the store. She's not a normal woman, she's a badass Don. And while her aura and the fierce look in her blue eyes make that pretty clear, she certainly isn't acting like that right now.

"Who am I right now, Isabella?" she questions.

"Katerina Mincetti," I reply easily, wondering at the question.

"Yes. And Katerina Mincetti is a Don, the boss of a mafia organization. But Katerina Mincetti is also a woman who really likes shopping. My sister and I love fashion shows. It's one of the most normal aspects of our lives, and I refuse to let us lose that. We might be in the outfit, but that doesn't keep us from living our lives."

That's such a profoundly niche outlook on life, especially for people in our world.

"I never got to do that," I admit. "Normalcy was hard to attain when I grew up being surrounded by the reminders that I'm not a normal woman. I had duties to my family."

Katerina smiles. "We all have duties to our families. It's what we're consistently told from the moment we're born. But those duties don't get to keep us from living. That's a lesson I learned too late, Isabella. Don't make the same mistakes I did."

The knowing glint in her eyes has me arching an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Katerina grins, placing the jeans back on the rack. "Okay, I'll be honest. Hanging out wasn't the only reason I invited you here. New York might be a large city, but people like us draw whispers wherever we go. And people are starting to notice that my brother-in-law and you seem to share a unique relationship."

"We're friends," I say blandly.

That's two Dons that have had questions about our relationship in the past couple of days. I can't help but wonder exactly how many people already have an insight into our relationship. Maybe we should have tried a little harder to keep things secret.

"I'm not saying otherwise. And your relationship is your business."

"But?" I question.

Katerina smirks. "But nothing, Isabella. Graham's a great guy. He can be a little immature at times?—"

"Tell me about it," I mutter.

"But he's also smart and charming and kind, even though he likes to pretend otherwise. He's had some struggles, but in the past year, I've watched him mature a lot."

My eyes narrow. "Why are you talking up your brother-in-law right now?"

"No reason. I just want you to know that if anything were to ever happen between you two, I completely support it. Xander and I even have a bet going on."

"A bet," I repeat dryly.

"Yes. But you don't need to worry about that. Just remember what I said. I spent a long time convincing myself that my happiness was irrelevant in the face of duty. I regret that a lot. Don't be like me, Isabella," she says softly. Then she blinks and her expression clears. "Now, tell me which of these shirts you think will look nice on Xander. I think the green will bring out the color of his eyes," she says thoughtfully.

I nod once; the green will be perfect. We shop a little more, talking about anything and everything ranging from our families to college to our hobbies. I'm a little surprised to find out that we're slightly similar. When I tell Katerina that I've never really had any close friends, she immediately announces that we're best friends, especially since she also doesn't have friends apart from her family.

We head to the food court to grab some lunch after shopping. I take a bite of my salad, studying her for a couple of seconds.

"How do you do it, Katerina? Be a mother and a wife and a Don," I ask gently.

She offers me a small, sad smile. "It's hard. Really hard at times. But I have my loved ones—an incredibly supportive husband and a family that will always be on my side. It helps."

"I grew up believing a woman especially couldn't have it all. Not the way you do."

"Listen, Isa, the outfit is a hard place to grow up in. We're constantly surrounded by men who think they can tell us what to do and who to be. But we're strong enough to forge our own paths. No one can control you. And no one can dictate what you do with your life," she says insightfully.

I smile. It's easy to understand why Katerina's the Don. She's smart and fearless.

"I'm really glad we did this today," I tell her.

"Anytime. I have a feeling you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together in the future."

I take another bite of my salad, looking away from the knowing expression on her face. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I mutter.