For a long time, I wanted him to walk. I thought, if only he could walk, things could be so much easier.
But now I wished he would go back to crawling.
“How’s it going down here?” Gian came down the steps and paused at the look on my face.
“That boy’s a terror,” I said, looking back at him.
He laughed and held up his hands. “What can I say? He’s my boy. Of course he’s a terror.”
I walked over to kiss him as Danny teetered over, squealing with delight. Gian scooped him up and held him against his chest as the boy hugged his daddy as hard as he could.
Watching Gian interact with Danny was the greatest thing I’d ever experienced. It was something magical, watching that tough-as-nails mafia killer melt down for his little baby, and I thought that I’d get used to it sooner or later.
I still hadn’t gotten used to it.
“Go play,” Gian said and put Danny down. He teetered over to the couch, climbed up, and flopped onto his side. “I’ve got to talk to your mother.”
I hovered nearby, waiting for him to fall on his head.
“What do we need to talk about?” I asked.
Gian stretched. “Dean’s on the way over,” he said. “The Don has news.”
I chewed on my cheek. I hadn’t seen Dean in a while, not since Danny was born. He visited once or twice, but he mostly spent time with Gian and kept a low profile. The city was heating up again, and the ceasefire with the Healy family only lasted for about six months before Colm finally broke it.
We knew it would happen, sooner or later. There was a dark time there, those few weeks before Danny was born. Gian fought a bloody, merciless battle with the Healy family, but eventually forced them back onto their side of the bridge and retook his territory.
I had a feeling that was his plan all along. I heard rumors from the other guys when they stopped by—Gian was testing the Healy soldiers, constantly harassing them and pushing the line little by little, goading them into attacking first. When they finally did, he seemed elated to finally get to push them back.
Dean showed up not long later. I carried Danny with me and unleashed him in the little back yard as we gathered around the patio table. Danny dug in the small dirt patches near the tree and laughed as he got his fingers covered in mud.
“You two look happy,” Dean said, stretching his legs.
He looked exhausted. Still handsome, but tired, and like he’d aged ten years overnight.
“It’s the boy,” Gian said. “He’s a lot of work, but the good stuff’s so much better with him around.”
“Maybe I’ll have to get one of them sometime soon,” Dean said, smiling a little. “Guess I’ve got to find a wife first.”
“I’m sure you could if you tried,” I said.
“I barely have time to run this family, let alone find a woman willing to marry a bastard like me,” he said and laughed. “But I’m not here to talk about my domestic troubles.”
“Why are you here?” Gian asked.
“I’m here to let you know that the police department is officially closing their investigation into the death of Stuart Plight.”
My heart leapt into my throat. Stuart’s murder hung over our heads ever since it happened, and we knew his family was pushing hard for a serious investigation. With their resources and reach, I was terrified they’d eventually find us and this happy little life that I built with Gian would come tumbling down around me like snow from a tree.
“That’s fantastic,” Gian said and grinned at me. He took my hand and kissed it. “That’s great, right?”
“Right,” I said, and felt tears roll down my cheeks, tears of pure relief. “I didn’t think this would ever happen.”
“The Plight family made a stink,” Dean said, shrugging. “But we nudged the cops in the right direction and eventually they let it all go. Time heals wounds and whatever.” He stretched his legs as little Danny came running over and wiped his hands on Dean’s nice slacks. Dean made a face then laughed and scooped Danny up into his lap.
Danny struggled, hopped off, and teetered away.
“Only one more problem left,” Gian said softly. “Colm Healy’s still out there.”
Dean nodded slowly. “I know it,” he said, and glanced toward me, then to Gian. “You two don’t need to worry about that.”
Gian raised an eyebrow. “Considering he’s been gunning for my turf for over a year now, I think I definitely do.”
“Well, yeah, you do, but something’s going to change soon,” Dean said, and cleared his throat. “Listen, I haven’t told anyone else this yet, so I need you two to keep your mouth shut, all right?”
“Whatever you need,” I said, glancing at Gian, who nodded along with me.