22. Isabella

Graham and I are eating ice cream in his kitchen when we hear the elevator open. A few seconds later, his mother strolls inside hand in hand with Nathaniel Steele. The little boy's green eyes widen when they land on me. He looks at me for an unnerving amount of time before turning to Graham.

"Uncle Gray, when did you get a girlfriend?" he asks bluntly.

Graham snorts out a laugh. I also can't fight a smile. It's cute that he immediately landed on that conclusion without asking any questions. Then again, it's pretty obvious we're dating. It's 4 p.m. on a Saturday and I'm in his kitchen wearing Graham's T-shirt and leggings.

"Hi. You're Nate, right?" I say, standing and walking over to the little boy. I stretch my hand toward him. "I'm Isabella."

"My uncle's girlfriend?" He doesn't really say it like a question, more of a fact. He's incredibly perceptive and sharp.

"Yeah," I reply.

He shakes my hand, offering me a toothy grin. "It's nice to meet you. I've never met any of my uncle's girlfriends before. You're really pretty."

"Aw, and you're so charming."

"He gets it from me," Graham calls out. "Hey, Mom."

There's no longer any animosity in his tone as he greets his mother and I'm so glad. I look up at her. Ava Steele is a little quiet as she takes it all in, a pensive expression on her face. She offers her son a quick grin before looking at Nate.

"You can go play in your old bedroom, honey. Your uncle's left all your toys untouched."

Nate grins and lets out a whoop before rushing in that direction. And after a few seconds whereby mother and son share a few loaded looks, Graham leaves as well. My heart sinks as I watch him go. Since she arrived in town a week ago, I have yet to have a conversation with his mother.

Graham's been busy all week. There was some issue at one of the company's warehouses. According to Graham, a fire broke out and a couple of people got injured. He flew out to D.C. to take care of it and was there for a few days. Since he wasn't in town, there wasn't any reason to be here.

I clear my throat, feeling a little awkward. I've never met the parents of anyone I've dated before so this is an entirely new experience.

"You don't have to feel weird, Isabella," Ava says with a warm smile. "Have a seat. We need to talk."

Well, that sounds foreboding. I take a seat on one of the stools and she takes the one opposite me. There's nothing menacing in her expression, but I can't be too sure. What if she tells me that she doesn't approve of our relationship or something? I know how much Graham cares about his mother, so her approval is absolutely vital.

"Did Graham tell you what happened last night?" Ava questions.

I nod. Apparently, they finally had a conversation about her choices.

"He said he was in a better place now that he's talked to you about everything," I tell her, wondering if she's uncomfortable with the fact that he discussed her marriage with me.

"We should have talked about it a long time ago," Ava says on a sigh. "But I think I was scared. Graham can be so headstrong sometimes. And he was carrying so much anger in his heart. I couldn't find it in me to be angry at him, though. Because I knew he was mostly angry at himself. He needed that outlet and I guess I unwittingly allowed myself to become it."

"He cares about you a lot," I tell her quietly.

"I know he does. But out of everyone, he's had the hardest time coming to terms with what happened in the past. I'm not proud of my actions, Isabella, but I've made my peace with them. And yesterday, I managed to convince Graham to make his peace with them, too. I know that would never have happened without your help. You have no idea how grateful I am, honey."

She places a hand on mine, her gaze soft. My throat tightens.

"I only got him to pull his head out of his ass. He tends to place it there a lot," I say jokingly.

Ava smiles. "Don't I know it," she states. "I'm so glad he has you now. Growing up, I think he always felt like there was no one on his side. I tried my best to raise him to be a great man, I always felt like my efforts weren't enough. I lied about how I met his father because I was ashamed to tell him the truth and I guess I waited too long. "

"I'm sure you did the best you could."

"Yes, but maybe I could have done better," she says. "But that's all in the past. Graham managed to change all on his own. He found the right path eventually, and now he's in such a good place. He's matured a lot and I know I have you to thank for that."

"I only gave him a little nudge. He did it all on his own, Ava."

"Despite all that, I have no doubt that you were a huge factor. You're good for him."

"I'm not going anywhere," I assure her. "That big doofus is stuck with me for the foreseeable future."

His mother laughs, her eyes becoming glassy. "That's great, sweetie. He also told me about your family."

My heart sinks slightly at that. I understand that my family being in the mafia could be such an issue. I know very well that his family, especially his father, will have serious problems with it.

"Well, we can't always control the desires of the heart, honey. Even people in completely different worlds somehow find each other, and there's no way to extinguish the light, so you may as well ignite it."

Ava states. "I'm just happy that Graham's happy. But I am worried that he's being slightly delusional. When his father finds out about this, I'm sure he'll raise hell."

"I'm surprised he hasn't already found out," I mutter.

"Maybe he has. I'm not going to pretend to understand Richard's motivations. I've been married to him for almost three decades and I'm not in any way closer to figuring him out. I just hope the two of you are strong enough to weather the storm ahead."

That makes me a little nervous. She's right in thinking that Graham and I aren't taking what his father could do seriously. He's working so hard to become CEO, but what if it's taken away from him because of me? I want to believe that his father wouldn't do that to him. But I can't be sure.

I stare at Ava for a second, wondering if I should ask something.

"Go ahead, honey," she prompts, seeing the question in my eyes.

"I'm sorry if this is intrusive and you don't have to answer," I start. "I was just wondering. Did you ever love him?"

She lets out a soft sigh. "I know Graham thinks I only married Richard because of him, but that's not true. I was young and dumb once, too. And when I first met Richard, he wasn't completely awful. He was quite charming in his youth, and handsome. He was also relentless, and when he set his sights on me, I actually did fall for him. Which is embarrassing because I knew he was married. So yes, I loved him once. And even now, some parts of me still care about him. And while I'll never be able to forgive him for how he's treated our children over the years, I also can't regret marrying him. Because he gave me my children, all three of them."

There's a fierceness in her eyes as she finishes. Graham thinks his mother is being a coward by staying in a marriage with her husband, but I think it shows how brave she really is. How strong she's had to be by enduring it all for so long.

"I think you're pretty amazing, Ava," I tell her.

And somehow, I see bits of the mother I never met in her. Because just like her, my mother was also married to a monster. Although sometimes I do wonder if my father became a monster after her death or whether the man I knew was the man she fell in love with.

I used to hope that wasn't true. But I suppose being a part of my world means conforming myself to the idea that sometimes it's possible fall in love with a person's darkness just as well as the light they might possess. I've seen it happen time and time again.

"Does that mean I can give you a hug?" Ava asks hopefully.

My eyes are a little misty as I nod, getting to my feet. My mother passed away due to complications at childbirth so I never got to meet her. When Ava wraps her arm around me, I feel motherly warmth for the first time.

"Mom," we hear Graham yell from upstairs.

The two of us pull apart suddenly at that. Ava shares a look of confusion with me for a second before we both hurry toward the steps. We find them inside Nate's former room. The door's wide open and Graham's standing over his nephew. I arch an eyebrow at the expression on his face. He looks slightly green, like he's about to puke.

When he sees us, he lets out a sharp breath of relief.

"Nate has a paper cut," Graham announces, with complete seriousness.

He says it in the same tone he would use if Nate was bleeding out on the ground from a bullet wound. My eyebrows rise. Ava and I step into the room. She immediately lowers herself in front of the kid, who's sucking his thumb into his mouth. At his grandmother's insistence, he removes it so she can inspect the wound. It's barely anything, a slight cut, with a meager amount of blood pooled outside of it.

I turn to my boyfriend. "You're joking? Is that why you were yelling?"

Graham makes a disgusted noise, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but here. His mother answers my question, a note of amusement in her voice.

"Graham gets a little squeamish at the sight of blood."

My mouth falls open. "No way," I say, looking at the six-foot-tall man standing at my side. "Dude, you're thirty years old and you can't handle the sight of blood?"

He rolls his eyes as his gaze meets mine. "I wouldn't say I'm squeamish. I'd just rather not deal with it."

My eyes shut briefly for a second and I rub my forehead. "I'm so embarrassed on your behalf right now."

Nate giggles at that, looking okay for someone with the life-threatening injury his uncle was screaming about. His grandmother leads him out of the room to fix up the wound. I cross my arms over my chest once she's gone, and Graham chuckles at the expression on my face.

"You look fucking hot when you've got that sexy scolding look on." He reaches for my arm, but I shift out of his grasp.

"You're a big baby," I tell him teasingly.

His expression darkens. "Hey, I can usually handle blood. Today just caught me off guard. One second, he was flipping through a book I got him, the next, his finger was bleeding. Plus he's a kid you know so… I freaked out."

I make a tsking noise as I walk out of the room, turning my back on him to hide the smile on my face. His squeamishness is actually the most adorable thing I've ever heard.

He follows me down the stairs, trying and failing to defend himself. We find Ava and Nate in the kitchen, and Nate now has a Mickey Mouse bandage around his thumb. He grins at the sight of me and I get the feeling he likes me. His grandmother runs a hand through his curly brown hair.

"You're probably hungry, sweetie. What do you want to eat?" she asks.

"Lasagna," Nate pronounces happily.

His grandmother nods in agreement. "Alright."

"I can help you prepare it, Ava," I say, happy to help.

Ava looks at me for a second in confusion. "Oh, honey, I'm not going to make the lasagna. I was about to call one of the private chefs we have on reserve. Unfortunately, I don't cook."

A deep sigh escapes me. Behind me, I hear Graham snort.

"I see where he gets it from," I mutter before looking into Ava's brown eyes. "You don't need to call any chefs, Ava. I can make the lasagna. I'm a pretty good cook."

"That's wonderful, darling."

The four of us spend the evening together, each of them assisting me as I prepare us some dinner. Unfortunately, I have to go home that night, something Graham is not at all happy about. Enzo asked to see me and normally I would ignore him, but he sounded pretty serious over the phone.

I've also barely seen him in the past couple of weeks. I think there's something brewing in the New York mafia, but I haven't been able to bring myself to care all that much about whatever it is. Graham follows me out of the building, looking completely put out that I won't be spending the night.

"I could come pick you up later," he suggests.

"No, thank you."

"Come on, baby. I want to wake up next to you tomorrow morning," he says earnestly.

I think my favorite thing about Graham is how he always so whatever's on his mind. Without hesitation. He says the sweetest things without a care in the world and it's extremely endearing. That being said, he can never find out just how much I enjoy hearing him say stuff like that.

I reach up to place a hand on his jaw. "You'll see me tomorrow, Gray. We're still on for our date, right?"

He looks a little skeptical at that. "Sure. Are you going to tell me exactly what it is you have planned?"

"You wish," I say on a laugh. "This is payback for all those surprises you've planned in the past few weeks."

Granted, I really loved every single one of them, and there's a slight chance he's going to absolutely hate what I have planned for our date. That being said, I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes I'm taking him to a petting zoo. Maria gave me the idea, and honestly, I'm only doing this to see his reaction. I bet it'll be hilarious.

Graham looks at me like he can tell I've planned something weird. But since he can't read minds, he simply sighs before pressing a kiss on my forehead.

"See you tomorrow, Sunshine."

"Bye."

He hails a cab for me and I get in, heading home. One of the capos informs me that Enzo's waiting for me in the home office as soon as I get home. Which immediately raises red flags because he never calls me in there. My hackles are raised as I climb the steps to the hallway where the office is located. I intentionally open the door without knocking.

Jason and Enzo are in the middle of a huge argument that immediately comes to a stop as soon as I open the door. Both men look furious.

"For fuck's sake, Isa, knock," my cousin yells.

I arch an eyebrow as I stroll inside the room, stopping in front of his desk. I look from my cousin, who's still seated, to his second-in-command. Jason is doing his best to avoid my gaze. He hasn't said a word to since I asked him to stay away weeks ago. Which has honestly suited me perfectly.

I drop down into the chair in front of Enzo and cross my arms over my chest. "What is this important matter you had to discuss with me?" I prompt.

My cousin leans back in his chair. His blue eyes rest on my face and his expression is completely blank. Okay, now I'm starting to get worried.

"Is something wrong? Denise?" I ask, scared that something's happened to the twins' mother.

This is the longest she's ever stayed away from them. And it's possible her condition has gotten worse.

Enzo's expression softens. "She's fine," he assures me. "I talked to her doctor and she should be coming home soon."

Denise was diagnosed with schizophrenia a couple of years ago, and she's been getting treatments since then. We've all tried our best to help her and be supportive.

"Okay," I say relieved. "Then what's wrong? You look like someone died."

Enzo scratches the scruff of his jaw. "I'm not sure how to begin what I'm about to say," he informs me.

"How about from the start?" I say impatiently.

"How about you tell me where you're coming from," he retorts.

My lips turn down in a frown. "Is this an interrogation?"

"No. Not exactly. I'm just wondering. Because the last time we spoke about this, you said you and Steele were friends. And now you're spending nights at his place. Of course I'm curious, Isabella."

I consider not telling him anything, but he's asking respectfully so I decide to open up.

"We're dating," I announce without blinking.

If Enzo has a problem with that, then he can go fuck himself. I look up at Jason, and the way his eyes fill with hurt causes my gut to twist.

Whatever. I don't care.

Enzo's expression, however, doesn't so much as flicker. He nods like we're discussing a business arrangement.

"Is it serious?" he asks after a couple of seconds.

"What kind of question is that?" I snap.

My cousin takes a deep breath. "There's a new family in town. I guess they've always been around, but recently they've been gunning for more power. And getting it. They're almost as strong as us."

I'm not sure how that concerns me. "Their name?"

"Caliari," Enzo replies somberly.

My eyebrows rise. "I recognize that name."

"Yeah, they had business dealings with your father when he was Don. Our families had an alliance."

My gut tightens. "What does that have to do with anything? From what I remember about the Caliaris, their Don was a piece of shit just like mio padre," I state.

"Well, that piece of shit died earlier this year," Enzo informs me. "And since then, his son has been leading the family. And doing it well. He's smart, calculated. And a few weeks ago, he reached out to me, in hopes of an alliance."

I stare at Enzo unblinking. "I'm still waiting for you to tell me what this has to do with me."

"He asked for a marriage alliance, Isabella," Enzo says with a grimace.

My eyes widen as I let that sink in. And then I'm calling my cousin every single Italian swear word I know.

"What the fuck, cugino? Are you really suggesting I marry some cazzo I don't know?"

"It was just a suggestion, Isabella. Chill out. I just wanted to mention it to you. But I already turned Caliari down."

I relax a little at that. "I'm never going to marry to secure any sort of alliance for this family," I tell my cousin, my gaze hard. "It'll never happen, Enzo."

It's what my father would have wanted. And I'll die before I ever do something that would make him happy in hell.

"Understood," Enzo says easily and I feel a deep sense of relief and gratitude for him in this moment.

Because I know without a doubt that if my father had been alive, if it had been any other Don, I probably wouldn't have had much of a choice. Hell, he married his wife to secure an alliance with the De Lucas. And while he and Rosa eventually fell in love and are now happy together, I doubt I'd ever be so lucky.

"Thank you, cugino." I get to my feet, ready to leave, but Enzo stops me.

"Does this mean you're contemplating marriage with Steele?" he asks.

My eyebrows rise. "We just started dating, Enzo."

He rolls his eyes. "Bring him to dinner one of this days. It's high time we had a conversation."

"Fine," I mutter before leaving the office, making sure not to look at Jason as I do so.