Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 185

"Oh, by the way," he says, glancing over at Daniel and Jerome with a friendly smile as he flattens out the empty boxes of the pizza that he brought all the way from the city. "I think I let a little something slip this morning when I probably shouldn't have. Sorry about that. I thought he knew." Daniel sits up straight in his chair, staring at Ivan. "What are you talking about?"

"WHAT!?" Daniel shouts, jumping to his feet.

"Whoa," Ivan says, pretending to be surprised and stepping back with his hands up, though I just sigh because I know he's faking it. "I said I was sorry - could have happened to anyone -"

"Bullshit," Jerome snaps, glaring. "You knew precisely what you were doing."

"I promise -"

"Welp," my dad says, getting to his feet and slapping his hands loudly against his thighs, interrupting everything. "I guess it's about time to get to bed." And then he gives Ivan a hard look, letting him know without any further words that it's time for him to make himself scarce.

Ivan gets the message and cheerfully says his goodbyes. I walk him down to the driveway in silence.

"Did you have to do that, Ivan?" I ask quietly as he turns to me at the driver's-side door.

"I didn't do anything," he protests, but then he just laughs a little ruefully when he sees the knowing look on my face. Because he didn't fool me - or frankly any of us. Not at all.

"I actually didn't mean to do it," he says, slipping his hands into his pockets and leaning back against his car. "This morning, when I said something to Kent? It really was innocent. I thought he knew - it's so obvious."

"Not to Kent," I murmur, glancing up at the house where I know Daniel is probably flipping out. "But you didn't have to do that to Daniel. It was mean."

"Yeah well," Ivan says, looking down at his feet a little guiltily now. "You shouldn't lean on them as much as you do anyway, Fay. They're going to leave you at some point, after all."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"They're together," he says, looking up at me. "I mean, I get why you married Daniel - for the baby - but eventually? Those two," he says, pointing up at the house, "are going to leave you."

"So, what's your advice," I ask dryly, crossing my arms and staring at him. "Put all my eggs in your basket? Hang out with you?"

"Well, obviously, yes," Ivan says, giving me that smile, the one I can't resist returning. But then his face gets serious again. "But really, Fay, why do you trust this Jerome guy?"

"What?" I ask, confused. Jerome...I trust Jerome completely. He's never given me a reason not to - has always been there. He's my best friend and husband's boyfriend - my literal partner in crime now. Why wouldn't I trust him?

"That guy, Fay?" Ivan asks, standing up now and moving close to me so he can talk quietly. "He's shady as hell. He's always looking to get higher - always clinging on to the most powerful person he can and telling them whatever they want to hear. I've done my homework on Jerome Rosello, Fay - he was born with nothing, and now he's shacked up in a million-dollar shore house, living for free, sleeping with the heir to the Lippert and Bianci fortunes? I mean, come on."

I frown at Ivan, shaking my head, completely unwilling to believe it.

"I mean," Ivan says, truly asking now as he glances up at the house, "is he even actually gay?"

And my mouth drops open as I remember, quite suddenly that...that Jerome hit on me - like a lot - before I found out he was with Daniel. Part of my shock at them being together was because I was thoroughly convinced that Jerome liked me.

I say nothing, but when Ivan looks back at my face he grins a little, shaking his head. "See?" he says, reaching out to put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm onto something there. Don't trust him, Fay."

But I frown and pull my shoulder out from beneath Ivan's hand. "You should go." I say, hard. Because even if Ivan has a point? Jerome has done nothing but be good to me, and help me, and prove himself a good and loyal friend. And I'm not going to let Ivan shake that faith now not when he directly benefits from it.

"Fay," Ivan says, his face suddenly sad. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean to -"

"Yes, you did," I snap, glaring up at him. "You were deliberately nasty up there tonight, to Daniel and to Jerome - you threw that in their face and couldn't keep the smile off your mouth. And now you're trying to drive a wedge between us. You're being deliberately manipulative, Ivan," I say, shaking my head at him, "and it is not a good look on you. So would you please go, and stop trying to destroy what's left of my life?"

Ivan purses his lips as he looks at me, but I can see that he's well aware that what I've said is fair.

"I am sorry, Fay," he murmurs, and then he sighs and looks down again. "You're right. I...wasn't trying to be nice."

"Well at least you admit it." I sigh, stepping away from him.

"Can I at least -"

"Good night, Ivan," I snap, glaring at him. And Ivan sighs and meets my eyes again.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" I don't respond, and after a few seconds he climbs into his car and drives away. I stand alone in the driveway for a few minutes after he's gone, thinking through what he said. Because even if he was just trying to rattle me?

Well, it worked. I am rattled.

Should I be trusting Jerome as much as I have been?

I turn when I hear the house door creaking open behind me.

"You coming inside?" Daniel asks. "It's cold out here."

I blink at him for a second and then slowly walk over to where he's waiting with a blanket. He wraps it warmly around my shoulders and I smile up at him, touched that he's so thoughtful.

"Thanks, Danny," I murmur, stepping closer and letting him wrap his arms around me.

"He shook you up, didn't he," Daniel murmurs.

"Yeah," I reply, sighing deeply. "He's good at that, isn't he?"

"The best," Daniel replies. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope," I reply, knowing that it's true. Because even if he did sow a seed of doubt in my mind...it doesn't matter. Jerome's so thoroughly a part of my plan now that even if I did decide not to trust him...well, everything would fall apart. I need him, and if he decides to betray me? Well, then I guess I'm going down.

My only option now - at all is to trust the guy who bought me my pregnancy test, who has always been kind to me. And not the one who put my baby daddy in jail.

"Come on," I say, pulling away from Daniel and smiling up at him. "Let's go inside. I've got a lot to tell you."

"What?" he says, his eyes going wide. "You're - you're actually going to fill me in on part of the plan?"

"On the whole plan," I say, grinning up at him. "And then tomorrow? We're going to a bar."

"Patience, Lippert," I laugh, pulling him up the stairs. "All will be revealed in due time. But I think you're going to like it."