Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 118

Jerome and I stay at my father's house for the next few hours, until dark begins to encroach on the day, mostly because...well, I can't think of a graceful early exit that doesn't make it look like I'm not scurrying off to Kent to tell him everything my father just said. Which, quite frankly, is exactly what I want to do.

Instead we stay for the next few hours, drinking Aperol spritzes with my father and my step-mom, chatting lightly and watching as the Romulus runs around the back yard. The sun has already started to fall when Jerome looks worriedly at his phone and taps its face, asking me, silently, if I've checked mine at all today.

I shrug, silently letting him know I didn't bring a phone. Jerome's eyes go wide and he exhales a huge, exasperated breath, so I make my excuses and get us out of my father's house as quickly as I can.

"Are you serious, Fay?" Jerome hisses, taking me by the elbow as we head down the front steps.

"You sure as hell sound like a Lippert now," I whisper, giving him a little glare. "Why? What'd I miss?"

"Apparently Daniel's been trying to reach you for hours," he whispers. "You were supposed to be home, and dressed for dinner, 45 minutes ago!"

"Well nobody told me!" I protest as we arrive at the car, quickly climbing in.

"Yes, Fay, they did!" Jerome retorts, sliding into the driver's seat and slamming the door behind him as I fasten my seatbelt. "You just didn't bring the very tiny, very handy communication device they used to tell you!"

"But you're my communication device," I tease, pouting a little.

Jerome rolls his eyes at me, not buying my cute act, and peels out of the driveway, clearly eager to get us home as fast as he can because he knows that he'll get blamed because...well. He's sleeping with one of the bosses, but not the right one. We're on the road for a few quiet minutes before Jerome surprises me.

"What the hell are you getting into, Fay," he asks, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

"Huh?" is my brilliant reply.

"Why did you come here?" he asks, turning to me. "Are you like...getting information?"

"I'm seeing my dad," I murmur, turning to look away out the window.

"Fay," Jerome sighs, shaking his head.

"What?" I ask, spinning back to him, a little pissed now at being countered. Jerome, at least, I thought was on my side.

"Why can't you just chill out?" he asks, gripping the steering wheel tight in his hands. "Just... be a mafia bride? Dress in pretty things, go ride your horse, buy...literally anything you want?"

"Do you really think I'd be happy with that?" I ask, my voice soft and a little incredulous.

"Kid," Jerome says, turning to me and staring at me like I'm an idiot. "Who wouldn't be happy with that?"

"Do you want to be a mafia princess?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"Well, no," he replies, frowning and staring out the windshield. "But I'm a -"

"A boy?" I ask, interrupting, a little miffed at his implications. "Is that the difference?"

Jerome glares at me a little, but I can see in expression that I've caught him a bit. "Not born to it," he corrects.

"Jerome," I say, sighing and slumping down in my seat. "I'm...I'm playing this day by day, as you are. We're both mixed up with someone it's impossible to be with. Can we just be allies on this? Support each other? I mean, neither of us has chosen the easy path. Can you please stop criticizing me for making the exact choices you have?"

My friend glances at me, a little chagrined, and I know he knows I'm right.

Jerome is silent for a moment before he speaks again. "It's not good, Fay," he whispers. "I know you're figuring it out too."

"What?" I ask, sitting up, suddenly alert.

"Alden," he says, glancing over at me. "He asked me, today, if I would be...interested in joining his ranks," he confesses. "He said he asked because you're clearly so fond of me and he wants you to have someone you like when you come back into his fold." "What?" I gasp, shocked. I mean, I don't know what the rules are, but I'm pretty damn sure it's not okay to go poaching other boss's men.

Jerome just shakes his head, looking forward again, his whole body tense. "He wouldn't be doing that if he didn't know he could get away with it," he murmurs. "And...soon."

"Soon?" I ask. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Jerome continues, "that he doesn't really seem to care if I go back and spill that to Kent. He's not being careful anymore, which implies that even if Kent wants to retaliate for that kind of insult..."

"... my dad doesn't think he'll have time to do anything big enough to hurt him."

Jerome nods quietly and my head turns towards the windows as I start to notice, out of the corner of my eye, that we're drawing close to home. As we pull closer I notice that the limousine is waiting in the drive out front, which I know only means trouble. I swallow deeply, wondering what the hell I'm in for.

"Are you going to tell Kent?" I ask in a whisper, my whole body now as tense as Jerome's.

"Nope," he says, shaking his head as we pull through the automatic gate. "You are."

"What!?" I gasp, appalled at the idea.

"Tell him when you're naked," Jerome suggests, sending me the start of a smirk that I can tell he can't quite bring to its full strength. "Kent's much less likely to smack you for getting close enough for Alden to make the offer."

"Don't count on it," I murmur, my hand unconsciously moving to my ass as my worried mind spins through everything we learned today.

I only realize what I'm doing with my hand when Jerome bursts out laughing and then I blush and smack him, telling him to shut the hell up, though I can't help laughing myself.

The result, of course, is that by the time we both spill into the house we're laughing hysterically at our new inside joke. But we both fall silent as we turn the corner towards the main entry of the house, where Kent, Daniel, Natalia, and Alessi are all dressed in formal wear, glaring at us.

Well, Daniel isn't glaring. He smiles at both of us and gives a little wave.

But Natalia takes the lead in scolding.

"Fay," she starts, crossing her arms and shaking her head at me. "Can you not learn to read a clock? Honestly. We are so late."

Usually I'd blush and hurry and apologize to the end of me. But something about it - about the smug way Natalia shakes her head at me, like she expected no less and actually thinks I might not be able to read a clock - makes me go cold.

"So sorry," I say cooly, finding a coy smile on my face as I wrap my arm around Jerome's, not letting him get away. "We simply...lost track of time. Jerome," I say, looking up at him. "Will you help me upstairs? I need to get ready."

Jerome, anxious, steps forward eagerly but I don't let him go too fast, holding him back a little. Then, I begin to walk towards the family, and then past them, and up the stairs, at an almost too-leisurely pace. Kent's face, from what I can see, is totally blank. But Daniel grins, enjoying it.

"We are waiting!" Natalia calls after me, angry at my sluggish steps.

"Oh, go on without me!" I say, waving a hand after her. "I'll catch up! Jerome can drive me!"

"Why do you keep wrapping me up in this shit," Jerome hisses between his teeth as we get to the top of the stairs and he's relatively sure the Italians can't hear us.

"Because," I reply, smiling up at him. "You look so good all tied up in the Lippert drama. Besides, you secretly like it."

And then, as soon as we're out of sight of those standing below, I dash into my room, pulling him with me so that I have someone to help me get ready in record time.