Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 255

About half an hour later, freshly showered and more appropriately dressed in pajamas and a robe, I push open my bedroom door and give a little squeak of joy to see most of my family already awake gathered in the kitchen and living room. Dad and Kent are the

only ones absent - but Kent's just a minute or two behind, since he got to the shower second.

Janeen sees me and smiles, opening an arm for me, and I quickly scurry to her side, wrapping my arms around her waist. I blow kisses to Daniel and Jerome, waving to Gio before standing on my tiptoes to whisper in Janeen's ear. "Where's dad?" I ask.

"Out for a walk," she replies. "Said something very boring about nature and the countryside."

I nod eagerly, moving on to the real question on my mind. "So?" I hiss. "Did anything happen with Gio after he found out about Janiel!?" Janeen pulls away, grinning at me with glee. "What is Janiel!?"

I cock my head and study her, smiling. "What, is Derome better?" I ask, blinking innocently, which makes her tilt her head back and laugh.

"Tell me!" I insist, tugging on her robe, dying with anticipation.

Janeen heaves a long, sad sigh. "Hate to break it to you, sissy," she says, smiling at me. "But the man is impervious to my charms. I threw everything I had at him last night and he just went to bed!"

"Did you offer to take him with you?" I ask, my eyebrows raised.

"I practically laid rose petals on the ground to show the way," she grumbles, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, Fay, I'm very depressed - I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Poor sister," I murmur, patting her cheek consolingly. She sighs and nods, accepting all of my pity. "We have to get you to town, find you a nice local guy to take care of you."

"Or six," she corrects, but otherwise she nods at my sage assessment of the situation.

I laugh and kiss her on the cheek as I move to the coffee machine while Kent comes out of our room. The series of hello's go around to him as well as I start to push the buttons on the machine, trying to figure it out. "Let me," Kent says, his voice a little scornful as he knocks my hand aside. "You'll break it."

"Hey!" I say, frowning up at him. "The coffee I'm supposed to be able to do! It's not my fault that you got this machine that makes no sense."

"Go," he says, flicking a hand at me, though he's unable to keep the smile from his lips. "Spare the poor machine your insults. I'll bring you your cup."

I sigh and walk away, my arms crossed, joining Gio at the end of the counter.

"I take it that you are not particularly domestic, Fay?" he asks, sipping at his own cup of coffee that I look at with envy. Seeing the direction of my gaze, Gio slowly slides the cup out of my reach, which makes me laugh.

"I am plenty domestic," I say, giving him a playful little glare as I prop my chin in my hands, leaning forward on the counter. "They're all just fancy snobs."

"There's nothing wrong with appreciating the finer things in life," Gio murmurs and I groan as I look him up and down.

"Oh no," I moan. "You're one of them too. I should have known."

Gio laughs again, shaking his head at me and I smile and stand up straight as Daniel comes to my side, dropping a kiss to my cheek.

"Hello, my horrible, unfaithful little wife," he murmurs, slipping a hand around my waist and pulling me close to his side.

"Hello, gorgeous cheating husband," I say, beaming up at him.

We both laugh and then together turn to Gio, who looks between us in confusion.

"Wait," Gio says, frowning. "So, you two are...actually married?"

"Mmhmm," I say, wrapping my arms around Daniel and resting my head against his chest. "It was a hasty wedding aimed at legitimizing my child so we could trick your grandfather into agreeing to our terms to release Kent from his familial obligations," I say, giving a little shrug as if it's the oldest story in the book.

"You speak...very quickly," Gio says, smirking at me as he sips his coffee. "Even without your caffeine."

"Which makes me doubt giving you this," Kent says, coming over to the three of us and sliding my cup of coffee over to me, which I drop Daniel eagerly to grab. I take a sip as I move to Kent, giving a little hum of happiness as I lean my back against his chest as he wraps his arms loosely around my waist.

"This is a very strange little family," Gio says, narrowing his eyes at us and making me laugh. But Gio smiles too, letting me know he doesn't mind it.

"You get used to it," Jerome says, coming over and hopping up to sit on the counter. "So," he says, leaning forward eagerly to Gio. "When did you figure it all out?"

"Figure what out?" Gio asks, taking another casual sip of his coffee.

"All of the deep dark secrets of this strange little family," Janeen says, joining the group and sipping her own cup of coffee that matches mine, which I grin to realize that Kent made her without her having to ask.

"Oh, almost immediately," Gio says with a smirk.

"Lies," Daniel says, grinning at him. "You're not that clever."

Gio laughs and puts his coffee down. "All right, not immediately," he says, looking around. "Though Fay was the most obvious piece that didn't fit."

My jaw drops open and I give a squawk of protest. "Excuse me!" I say, holding up a finger, "I am not the weak link in this family!"

"No, you played your role very well," Gio says, leaning his weight back into his hind foot as he crosses his arms - a move so like Kent and Daniel that it makes me smile. "But the baby," Gio says, gesturing towards my belly, "with Daniel as the father?" Gio clicks his tongue, shaking his head. "That, I knew, was impossible."

"It's not impossible," Daniel scowls, narrowing his eyes at his cousin. "Your dad bought it."

"Dad does not know you like I know you," Gio says, smirking at Daniel. "Do I need to go into detail about the midnight meetings with the boys from town you thought were so secret? Or should we..."

"Yup." Daniel says, nodding sharply, a quick blush rising to his cheeks. "Moving right on from that."

"So, the question of who was the father of Fay's child," Gio says with a shrug, "was pretty easily answered."

"It could have been any random guy," Kent protests, a little tense behind me. I give another squawk, protesting his language as I turn my head to glare up at him. Kent ignores me.

"It could have," Gio says, smirking at him. "Until you passed her the salt at dinner, Kent, before she asked for it."

"What?" Kent breathes, a little shocked.

I give a little wiggle of triumph. "The Lipperts were the weak links this time!" I say, unable to stop my broad grin, "not the Thompsons!"

"You're a Lippert now, Fay," Daniel reminds me with a little glare.

"What does a little salt have to do with it?" Kent asks, his eyes still on Gio.

"You watch her, Kent," Gio says quietly, holding his uncle's stern gaze. "Without even realizing it. More than I've seen you watch other women - even those who were your...uh girlfriends? Paramours?" He shrugs. "I don't know the word."

I wiggle again, a little smug, but Kent just laughs. I look up to see him shaking his head.

"You're good, Gio," Kent says, smiling at his nephew. "I'm impressed."

"All right, but what about me?" Jerome says, smirking at Gio. "When did you figure out me and Daniel?"

"That one was almost instant," Gio says, his face bursting into a grin. "You are - ah - what is the phrase in America? That you are his type."

We all burst out laughing at this and Daniel covers his face with his hands to hide the blush that reddens his entire face.

"New subject!" Daniel insists, the words blurred by his hands as Gio pats him on the back.

"So, the only one of you with any mystery left at all," Gio says calmly, looking around at all of us until his eyes fall on Janeen, "is this one."

"Who, me?" she says, perking up a little and pressing a demure hand to her chest. "I don't have a secret in the world."

"We'll see," Gio says, turning his head and looking her over, assessing. "That's just what you want everyone to think."

"Damn, Gio," I say after Janeen drops her hand, looking at our newest familial addition in surprise. "Are you sure you shouldn't have gone into psychology? Or like, fortune telling? You read us all like a book."

"Maybe it's what I'll do next," Gio says, giving a little sigh. "Once this next job is done."

"Speaking of which," Kent says, heaving a little sigh as he steps away from me, gesturing towards the dinner table. "I think it's time that we all sat down and had a chat about this. Because there's one last job Bianci has asked me to do, and I'd like to ask each of you for your help."

He pauses a moment, looking around at each of our faces. "And I'll tell each of you precisely what I'm asking of you so that you can decide whether or not you want to do it."

"Kent," I say, stepping closer to him and pressing a hand to his chest. "Of course we'll do whatever you need - you know that -"

"No," he says, interrupting me even as he puts a hand over mine, pressing it tight. "This is different, Fay - that last plan? They did that to help you. This one?" He shifts his eyes from mine now, looking around in the room. "I'm asking you to do it for me, and I'm well aware that that's different. I will understand if you want to say no."

"Okay, Kent," Janeen says, more serious than she usually is. I turn to look at her in surprise. "Let's hear what you've got."

Kent nods and as one we all move to the table.

I leave my coffee behind, my heart beating fast enough now that I don't think I'll need it.