Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 151

I laugh harder at Daniel's suggestion, playfully shoving his shoulder. "No, he's not! Ridiculous," I sigh, turning towards my vanity.

"I'm serious, Fay," Daniel continues, still grinning wickedly at me. "I mean, I guess you don't see it the way I do because you've only experienced obsessed Kent. But do you seriously think he's ever, ever apologized to anyone like he did to you last night? Climbed through a secret passage to go see them just because he couldn't stand the thought of them being mad at him anymore?" "Ohhh," I say, tsking and dismissing the idea with a wave. "Don't be ridiculous, Daniel, it's not that big of a deal. It happened once! We were in a fight, he wanted it settled!"

"Fine," Daniel says, giving a little one-shouldered shrug. "But what about you sleeping in his room every night?"

"What?" I ask, turning to him now, confused. "Fiona would -“

"No," he says, raising his eyebrows. "Fiona was by far dad's favorite girlfriend, and certainly his longest lasting. And she was the only one who got a room - the one that's two down from mine - where Natalia is sleeping now." "Well," I say, still frowning, "I have my own room too -"

"Yeah," he says, nodding slowly. "A room with a direct passage to his."

"But Fiona," my frown deepens now as I start to realize...

"Fiona slept in her room every night. If she stayed over in dad's room it was always a special occasion - twice, maybe three times a year," Daniel says softly, smirking at me. "Even nights when she had clearly...spent time with him. He always slept alone." I blink at Daniel, shocked. What did that...

"But you, Baby Fay," he says, smirking and using Fiona's pet name for me. "You sleep over every night. And he can't stand to let you go to sleep angry after your big fight. He's obsessed with you."

My mouth falls open a bit as I struggle to come up with a reply, which just makes Daniel laugh harder at me as he stands up. His laughter just makes me narrow my eyes at him.

"Enough of you, and your theories," I say dismissively, though I'm still a little shocked at what I've heard. Kent, obsessed with me? More than Fiona? "Give me my breakfast sandwich," I demand, extending one hand while I use the other to rustle through my makeup drawer, searching for my mascara.

"That's another thing," Daniel says, moving to the breakfast tray and then reaching out to hand me the little breakfast sandwich. "Before you came to live here? Dad never brought me breakfast. He only started bringing me breakfast because he couldn't just bring you a plate, like he probably wanted."

"What?" I ask, turning to Daniel with shock and confusion on my face as I take my breakfast from him. "So....what did you eat?"

"Whatever I got out of the fridge," he laughs, taking a bite out of his own sandwich. "Not that I'm complaining, though. I eat better with dad's obsession by my side."

"Oh, stop," I say, glaring at him again with a sigh and shaking my head at my sandwich.

"What!" he says, coming to stand next to me at my vanity. "Why are you so glum about it? I thought you'd be glad to hear you've got dad wrapped all around your finger."

"Because," I say, looking up at him, suddenly struck by the sadness that has been haunting me a bit since I went through Lenai's photo album downstairs. "Daniel," I bite my lip, hesitating, wondering if Daniel is the right person to say this to. But he nudges me with his elbow, inviting me to speak.

"Daniel," I repeat, looking up at him, "even if he likes me a lot, he'll never... he'll never love me. Not the way...he loved your mom." I finish my sentence in a rush, looking down in shame. But when Daniel doesn't speak after a long moment, I look back up at him, a little disturbed to see Daniel looking down at me in confusion.

"Fay," he says quietly. "What do you think you know about how my dad loved my mom?"

"I think she was his first and only love," I say promptly, straightening my shoulders and staring at his face, wanting to see his reaction.

But Daniel just glances back down at his sandwich and takes another bite, as cryptic as his dad.

"What?" I ask, suddenly desperate to know. "Is that is that not true?"

Daniel just shrugs, looking at me evenly. "I think...you should ask Kent," he says. "I don't think it's my story to tell."

And as I sit in silence, working through my feelings at this weird non-news, Daniel nods towards the clothes bag. "Should we put those on?" he asks, easily changing the subject as he so frequently does. "Or should we hang out in our pajamas, since we're not allowed to go down until noon?"

"Well," I say, stretching my arms languidly above my head. "considering that my pajamas are on the floor, and that I'm naked under this robe," I say, nodding to where my warm flannel PJ's are laying in a heap where Kent tossed them, "I think I'm going to get changed..."

"Oh, gross, Fay!" Daniel groans, spinning away from the sight of the pajamas and striding towards the bathroom. "I'm going in here for five minutes! And when I come out, I want all evidence of your evening cleaned up, and I never want to speak of it again!" And then he slams the bathroom door shut and I laugh, standing up and working to straighten up the room to better protect Daniel's delicate sensibilities.

Kent hears Fay and Daniel come down the stairs just after noon and smiles a little, moving to the door, wanting to intercept them before they can go into the kitchen.

He leans against the doorframe and watches the two of them as they come down the stairs, lightly holding hands. Kent smirks at this, thinking that he's happy as hell that his son is gay, because if anyone else held her hand like that...

Well. Thoughts for another day. Today is a celebration.

"Hey, dad," Daniel says with a smile, seeing Kent first. Fay looks up in surprise and then beams too when she sees him standing there, sending a little thrill through Kent's stomach that he doesn't let show on his face.

"Hello," Kent replies, standing up and nodding towards his office. "Would you two come in here?"

"Why?" Daniel asks, frowning as he stops at the bottom of the stairs.

"Do you need an explanation?" Kent asks, raising an eyebrow at his son that makes Fay laugh a little. "Or can a father not request that his son join him in his study?"

Daniel holds a hand up in a semi-sarcastic apology and the two of them follow Kent into the room. Kent leads them over to his desk, where a little tray is waiting with three chilled glasses of champagne. "What's this?" Fay asks, looking at him curiously.

"A celebration," Kent answers, handing each of them a flute and picking the last one up himself. Then, he raises his glass and holds it out so that Fay and Daniel can clink theirs against it. They oblige him, but still look curiously at him, which Kent enjoys a little too much.

"And," Daniel says, after taking a sip. "What are we celebrating?"

"The fact," Kent replies, looking between them, "that we're alone."

"What?" Fay asks, tilting her head to the side like a little bird, listening to the sounds of the house, which still hums with people.

"What are you talking about, Dad?" Daniel asks, looking around. "Everyone's...here."

"No," Kent says, giving a little sigh of relief before taking another sip of his champagne. "Not everyone, because the Biancis are gone."