Vengeful Vows: A Forced Marriage Mafia Romance (The Burkes Mafia Book 1) by Kira Cole

Author:Kira Cole [Cole, Kira]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-14T00:00:00+00:00

19

DECLAN

I spend the night in the guest room, and it’s all I can do not to go to Bree in the middle of the night.

I don’t sleep.

It’s not her fault that her father is the way he is. It’s not her fault that she didn’t know.

God, I think I am in love with her.

What am I going to do? She probably hates me for telling her what her father has done, probably hates me for kidnapping her.... Do I even deserve to want her love back?

The next morning, she isn’t at breakfast when I go down, and I stand up from the table, huffing out a breath.

Lara reaches up and touches my arm. “Don’t.”

“I have to check on her." I need to make sure she is okay.

“I’ll do it.”

“But I need to see her.”

“You don’t need to see her. You want to see her. She doesn’t want to see you.”

I let out a long breath. “But... she needs to know that I’m thinking about her.”

“She knows.” Lara pats my hand reassuringly and walks up the stairs. I watch her go for a moment and then start to pace around the kitchen.

“I’m coming with you and Gray next week,” my father’s voice comes from the open kitchen.

I glance over to see him eating a piece of bacon, walking into the dining room.

“You’re coming with us?” I ask, surprised and for once, distracted from thinking about Bree.

He nods. “It’s time I made an appearance.”

My father isn’t one of those bosses who makes everyone do his dirty work. He likes to be with his men, to be in just as much danger as he’s putting them through. I respect him for that.

“Are you sure?” It’s been a while since Da has been in the shit, as we call it, and he nods.

“I’m sure. Monday.”

We always do our visits on Mondays, so I’m not surprised.

“All right, Da.”

“How’s your girl?” he asks with a twinkle in his eye.

I sigh. “I don’t know.”

“She’s got a lot to think about, boyo. Don’t push too hard.” He claps me on the back as he walks away, back into the kitchen.

Marisol laughs at something he says.

I smile a little. I’ve always thought that Da and Marisol should start dating, since she’s single and childless, but I guess that’ll never happen.

He’s still married to Ma, in his heart, and I can’t blame him for that.

They’d been so in love.

I still remember a day when they’d been dancing. Ma giggled as Da swept her off her feet, kissing her throat, and little me stood in the doorway, watching, covering my mouth with my hand.

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to cry, and I wasn’t sure why.

Now I know what that feeling was.

Longing.

I’d wanted, even at six years old, what my parents had. I’d wanted someone to dance with in the kitchen, someone to come home to.

And now that I had a taste of it, of what it could be, I want it even more. Want her even more.

But now, after all

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