“I love you too, Winter,” he said softly, then kissed her.
It was a feeling.
A wave that washed over him.
Consuming him.
It was her.
He could feel her eyes on him, following him, as he left the cabin. But he couldn’t give her anything right then.
He was too raw.
Too exposed.
And fuck if he knew how to fix it.
As he walked to the truck, for the first time since he had walked out of Dominic’s office, he was alone, and he allowed himself a moment to wallow in what was now his life.
He could still feel the pain like it was shattered glass and someone had rubbed it on his skin, the slivers festering.
It was his family.
Or more aptly Dominic.
Honestly, he sort of understood it. Now that he’d had a moment to step away from it all. The man was terrified that Alice would suffer the same fate that his mother had.
Death.
Dominic’s mother had been gunned down in a fight.
It didn’t make the feelings of betrayal any easier.
But at least he understood it.
Even now, although they were supposed to be out of the Mafia, out of the Familia, that life was still ingrained in them. Almost like a living breathing entity that was a part of them.
Something tangible.
It clung to them.
And like with Dominic, it often clouded their judgment.
Or was that him?
He still hadn’t gone over the folder that Rick had given him, it was one of the many things that he needed to do. Like figure out where they were going to live.
He didn’t even know what his balance in his accounts were right now.
He knew he had plenty to live off of. The Familia, despite everything, was a lucrative operation, but it was tied up in stocks and other accounts. He didn’t just keep it all in one checking account.
He braced his hands on the back tailgate of the truck, his head dropping in defeat.
Other than Winter, this whole last year had been a cluster fuck. Between trying to get her settled and get her to a place that she could heal, then with everything else going on with Dominic. He felt like he was going backward.
He needed to keep his head on straight and focused on the future right now. He could figure out his own shit later.
Because she was depending on him.
