Mafia Casanova - M. Robinson Page 0,19

while powerful—sometimes even the best kisses can’t bring back those that we love. Right now, your daddy’s in Heaven, and he’s gonna stay there a bit, but that doesn’t mean you should stop kissing your mama; it just means you need to kiss her more since your daddy can’t right now, all right? You see, she’s going to miss his kisses, and now that you’re the man of the house, he’s handed you that job; you’re such a big boy that he thought you could handle it, so you think you can do it? Can you give your mama kisses for your daddy? You know she was his soul mate, right?”

I winced; I couldn’t help it. Those words stung.

“What is a soul mate?”

“It’s when you meet your other half. The person you’re meant to spend the rest of your life with.”

“Oh… so who’s your soul mate, Uncle Romeo?”

I winced yet again, and so did Romeo. However, he quickly recovered while I stood there, frozen in the spot I was standing in. Wanting him to continue. To answer Naz’s question. To make me feel something when I felt nothing.

“I don’t have a soul mate, Little Man.”

I jerked back, winded.

“Why not?” Naz questioned with his eyebrows raising, reminding me so much of his father.

“Because you have to have a heart to have a soul mate.”

“Well, then maybe Mama can be your soul mate now that Daddy is gone?” His little hand scratched his head, and I swear my heart was beating out of my chest.

Pounding.

Thrashing.

Proving that I wasn’t dead after all, from my husband’s untimely death.

I was alive, with my heart in Romeo’s hand.

Naz excitingly shouted, “Mama has a heart, a huge one! Maybe her heart can be your heart too?”

Naz and Romeo had always had a special relationship. A strong bond between them. I think a big part of that was Romeo knowing he’d never have children of his own, so he made sure he was the best uncle to his brother’s kid.

Or at least that was what I told myself…

I couldn’t wait for Romeo to answer Naz and hurt me more than he already had.

Getting down to his level, I chimed in, “Naz, a soul mate is someone your heart belongs to, not just someone who is in your heart.”

He eyed me curiously, trying to follow along with what I meant.

“One day.” I ruffled his hair. “When you’re older you will understand the difference.”

I could feel Romeo’s heat burning a hole in my back. He didn’t like my response, and he wasn’t trying to hide that fact. I silently cheered.

Good.

Take that, asshole.

I felt the loss of his emotions the minute he walked away from us.

I felt it in my soul.

Twisting in my gut as he walked away to join the others.

I barely survived his indifference the first time.

I wouldn’t survive him twice.

The only way to protect my heart was to let him go along with Tristian.

I was officially done with the Sinacore brothers.

My best friends.

My family.

Because loving them only ever brought pain.

In every aspect of my life.

CHAPTER NINE

“If you have a gun you can rob a bank, but if you have a bank you can rob anyone.” —Black Mask

Romeo

Then: The wedding day

I had no words to describe her as she floated down that aisle. In the sickest, darkest part of my mind, she was walking toward me, smiling at me, minutes away from saying she was mine. Taking those vows and uttering them for the world to hear.

And yet… I knew.

Those footsteps only led toward him.

That smile? Wasn’t for the sinner standing next to the saint.

I rubbed the back of my neck. The scratches from her nails were still there, ugly, raw, red, and like the sick fuck I was, I left them full-on display. Wearing them like a badge of honor. Was it selfish to want something today? Anything that showed that I had a part of Eden’s heart that he would never get? Fuck it, she was marrying him, at least give me the blood, the tears, the pain, give me the sin over and over again—let me have one fucking thing.

“Nervous?” I asked as the music started.

My brother shot me a knowing grin only to have it falter when his eyes flickered to the side of my neck and back again. “Not really. Because today…she’s mine.”

“Lucky man.” The words tasted like acid. If only he knew that my cock had been inside her less than twelve hours ago, her thighs wrapped around my legs, shouting she was