High Voltage (Ramsey Security #3)

Smiling easier now, I look at the house. “We did have some fun times here.”


“Here’s what I think,” he says, stepping behind me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders. “You need to forgive your mom. She’s a loser, sure, but she’s who she is. Just let it go. Stop hoping for her to be more. I’m not saying I want to see her again or have her over for the holidays, but you need to let go of that bad feeling inside.”

“She’s embarrassing.”

“Mostly because you’re Romani and she’s a grifter. If you were French, would this even be an issue? She’d just be the loser in your family.”

“True.”

“Let’s go back inside and let her cry for us. We’ll say we’ll call her when we’re back in Houston and make plans for her to visit. She’ll think you fell for her bullshit. You’ll get out of there without too much drama. Hell, you can even hug her again while I snag that picture of your dog.”

Turning around to hug him, I stare into his dark eyes. “Will you snag a few pictures of my siblings and me too? I like that one where we’re eating ice cream.”

“Consider it snagged.”

“I love you.”

“As you should.”

Laughing again, I kiss him gently. He returns the kiss without pushing for passion. I’m vulnerable, and he’s my anchor. Sex isn’t what I need. His heart is what keeps me sane and brave. Dino talks a lot of bullshit, but he knows me better than I know myself now.





31


Dino

The Best Women in the World

My mother doesn’t cause the same kind of drama as Minka’s. A month after we return to Houston, I invite Mom to visit. She hates to fly and thinks Texas is full of cowboys, but she’ll go anywhere to meet her son’s future wife. I can’t wait to show Minka off, but my woman isn’t sure how to feel about the meeting.

“I’m not Italian,” she says as we wait at the airport.

“What? This is the kind of info you should have fucking told me, woman.”

Smiling at my teasing, she crosses her arms. “I’m nervous, okay?”

“Look, Apples, I love my mom, and she’s an amazing woman, but I’m marrying you even if she thinks you’re the worst person in the world. I want what I want, and nothing is changing my mind.”

Minka’s smile grows, and I wrap my arm around her shoulders.

“Feel better?” I ask, kissing the top of her head.

“Extremely.”

My mother is one of the first people to appear past the checkpoint. I bought her a first class ticket, and I know she plays up her hip to get out of long lines. Gilda isn’t the only sneaky mother I know.

Mom’s gray and brown hair is wrapped into a stylish bun. I know she went to the salon before the flight. She’s as nervous as Minka about making a good impression.

I hug Mom tightly as soon as she’s in reach. I’m careful with her prim red dress, knowing she put a lot of thought into this get-up. I spent an hour earlier with Minka choosing clothes.

“Mom, this is Minka.”

The women smile nervously at each other.

“Hello, Missus Bellomi,” Minka says, going the formal route.

“Call me Carla.”

“Isn’t she beautiful?” I ask Mom.

“An absolute doll.”

Smiling, Minka takes a deep breath. “I learned a little Italian.”

Terror strikes me, and I pray she doesn’t do her Mario accent. Instead, she says in nearly perfect Italian that I’m the best man she’s ever met and hopes to make me as happy as my mother did my father. That’s the breaking point for Mom. She hugs Minka tightly and murmurs about how she never thought I’d meet anyone or fall in love.

By the time we’re at the baggage claim, Mom is talking grandkids. “If I ever had a girl, I wanted to name her Elisabetta. I knew a girl with the name back in Naples. She was as beautiful as a movie star, and I always loved the name. Of course, Luciano and I agreed to name the children of the same gender. With no daughters, I never had a chance to use the name.”

“Mom,” I mutter. “Let her be.”

“It’s fine,” Minka says, taking Mom’s hand. “I think the name Elisabetta is beautiful. If we have a boy, Dino’s already picked the name.”

Mom looks at me hopefully. I take her suitcases and set them on a cart.

“After Dad of course.”

“Such a good boy,” she says, taking my face and kissing my cheeks.

I ought to be embarrassed. As a teenager, I’d most definitely be horrified by her display. Not now with Minka smiling at us. Mom leaving lipstick kisses on my cheeks makes my woman smile bigger than I’ve ever seen her smile before.

I know Minka loves me. I’ve known she would all along, but I still marvel at how she went from fucking hating me weeks ago to the ball of smiles and joy I see now.

All I needed to do was visit Honky-tonk Hell, kill a few people, eat a lot of bland spaghetti, and listen to way too much shitty music. Every single horror I suffered was worth just one smile from the sexy minx I’ve made mine.





Epilogue


Dino