Page 117 of Mafia King's Secret Baby

A second question, bubbling in a torrent of emotion, flies out of my mouth.

“Why don’t you want Luna to be your daughter?”

I can’t keep the tears from my voice, and I turn away so Elio wouldn’t see them streaming down my face.

I hadn’t ever counted on him being her dad. Not once had I ever gone through and said that I wanted them to meet each other. I had spent the last five years, as a matter of fact, hiding from Elio so that they would never meet.

So, I’m not sure why his rejection of her stings so hard…

But sting it does.

I shut my eyes. “If you didn’t want Luna to be your daughter, you could have just…”

“Caterina.”

His soft voice, filled with so much tenderness, and a touch on my cheek make me open my eyes.

Elio is in front of me. Kneeling between the desk and me, his eyes glued to mine.

“Caterina. No. You misunderstand. It’s not that I don’t want to acknowledge Luna. If you keep reading you’ll see other things. Two bank accounts, one in her name, one in yours. The access only granted to the two of you. A house, in Connecticut. A…”

“What?” I interrupt him. I sniffle, resisting the urge to wipe my face.

“I’ve given you everything to start over. To have a life with Luna that you can choose at your own terms,” he says softly.

“I want you to understand that I will never take her from you. I will never use her against you. I would never do anything to hurt you, or her. When you make your decisions about Luna and me, cara mia, I want you to do so understanding that you are in control.”

I blink. “Why…”

“Because you told me that you were afraid I would take her from you. I do not want you to be afraid, Caterina. Not of anyone. And especially not of me.”

I feel like I can’t think. Elio is so close to me, his wonderful cedar smell weaving through my mind. My head is filled with a thousand emotions, each one bouncing and ricocheting into the others. “Elio, I…”

“You don’t have to say anything, Caterina. Just know that you have nothing to fear from me. I swear that,” he whispers.

I stare into Elio’s grey eyes. There’s so much emotion there, I feel like I could drown in it.

“You don’t want me to be afraid of you?” I whisper. It feels silly to keep repeating everything he’s saying, but I can’t stop myself.

He nods.

“Then what do you want?”

Elio’s eyes glimmer. “If we figure out who is at the bottom of this… thing today, then Caterina, I want you. I have been happier with you and Luna these past few days than ever in my life. I want you, but I cannot have you if you are afraid of me.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” I answer automatically.

It’s true, which is good, because the hope that blooms in his eyes catches my heart by surprise.

“Good,” he murmurs. “So my plan has worked?”

“Yes. No. Maybe,” I say.

Elio’s lips curl, then drop again. He’s dead serious when he looks into my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Caterina. I have been unfair to you. I have judged you. I have made your life terrible. If I have to spend every last penny and every one of my days making up for it, then I will, just at the chance to continue this happiness you and Luna have given me,” he murmurs.

I don’t have words to answer that.