But Mac wasn’t sure if Luca knew it was one he was now playing with the men.
Shortly after, the men began to trickle out of the diner once Luca had dismissed them. As Mac stood to leave with the rest, the raising of Luca’s hand stopped him. It was only then that Mac noticed a young man—maybe a couple of years younger than him—sitting in a corner booth with his attention on the window.
Mac did a double-take of the kid.
He looked like … Luca.
“I have a request to make of you, Mac,” Luca said once the diner had cleared.
“I’m open to whatever, boss,” Mac replied.
Luca nodded, but his smile was fleeting. He waved at the young man. Mac passed the guy a look, unsure of what Luca wanted from him.
“I want you to take him under your wing and have him work with you for a bit—as an apprentice of sorts,” Luca said.
Mac wasn’t as ready to agree to that as he had previously said once the order was out in the air. Taking on an apprentice to his Capo position and his crew was a great deal of work and time. Time Mac really didn’t have.
“I’m a bit new to my position for that, aren’t I?” Mac asked.
Luca shrugged like it didn’t make much of a difference to him. “But I asked it of you, and of course, I trust you.”
“With what?”
Luca gestured to the quiet young man whose attention was back on the windows like he didn’t have a single damn to give about the entire conversation and day. “Enric Pivetti. My son.”
Well, then.
Fuck.
“So, tell me, how’s married life treating you?” Victoria asked.
Melina smiled at her sister-in-law as they enjoyed their pedicures. “No complaints.”
“You aren’t going to get all boring and sappy on me now, are you?”
“Don’t get it twisted. Just because I’m married, doesn’t mean I’m going to lose my edge.”
Victoria smirked. “We’ll see. Next thing you know, my brother will have you barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.”
Melina’s eyes narrowed as Victoria laughed.
“Sweet sister, you must have forgotten your brother didn’t marry a nice little Italian homemaker. I’d have his balls if he tried that shit.”
The dark-haired woman doing Melina’s pedicure gasped and Victoria laughed harder.
“See. This is one of the reasons I love you, Melina. You’re the perfect woman to keep Mac’s ass in line.”
“Hey, give your brother some credit. He’s a remarkable man.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “Okay. Now you do sound all lovesick and sappy.”
“Don’t be a hater, Victoria. Wedding bells could be ringing for you before you know it.”
“No, thank you. I’ll pass. Besides, I don’t need Ma breathing down my neck for grandbabies. I’m surprised she hasn’t said something to you and Mac about it.”
Melina admired the opaque, dark-blue color on her toes before she answered.
“We haven’t been married that long.”
“You’ve been married long enough to be pregnant by now. Big Italian family, remember?”
“Whatever. Your mom only has two kids.”
“That’s because it became evident sooner, rather than later, that my father is a piece of shit. Ma wasn’t going to bring another child into the world to have to suffer. But Mac is nothing like James.”
“Trust me, I’m well aware of just how little Mac and James have in common,” Melina said.
“So then you see my point. You and Mac are the future of our family and Ma is ready to see that future.”
Melina was quiet as she digested what Victoria had just shared with her.
Cynthia Maccari wanted grandkids.
Preferably, now.
It was a lot to take in.
“Mac and I haven’t even discussed children since we’ve been married. We’ve just been enjoying each other,” Melina confessed.
“Do you want kids?”
Melina swallowed. “Yes, but …”
“But what?”
“Sometimes I’m afraid of bringing them into a world that is so unpredictable.”
“I can understand that, especially with Mac’s lifestyle.”
“It’s not even necessarily that. Life can be a real bitch, all on its own.”
“You said a mouthful there, Melina, but don’t let that get in the way. Mac would move heaven and earth for any child the two of you had and you’d be a great mother.”
“You sure have a lot of faith in my parenting skills. Faith I’m not sure I have.”
Victoria tapped Melina on her forearm. “And why is that?”
“I lost my Mom when I was eight and there’s so much in life that I was left unprepared for. Motherhood definitely fits in that arena.”
“Melina, I’m sure that everything will come to you whenever the time comes. Now, no more excuses. I’ll give you and my brother a little more time and then I’m going to be looking for a niece or nephew that I can spoil.”
“Oh, Lord. More pressure.”
Victoria’s phone rang and she answered it, leaving Melina to her thoughts as she waited for her toenail polish to finish drying.
A baby.
She wondered if Cynthia had said something to Mac about it and if he’d just chosen not to share it with Melina.
She wasn’t na?ve.