Page 68 of Shades of Loyalty
“See,” Katya continues, “you don’t have to jump into anything, Jenny. But maybe, when things calm down—even if they never fully do—you could try going on a few dates. See where it leads. Or…” She smirks slightly. “You could keep it sexual and... well, also see where it leads. I don’t discriminate.”
I chuckle softly, grateful for her honesty. “You’re right. It’s only been, what? A month since we’ve met? I should take my time, shouldn’t I?”
She nods approvingly.
A smile tugs at my lips. “Thank you. For the advice. For listening. I think… once this situation is over, whatever it is— I’ll have a real talk with him. I don’t think he can focus on me right now. With all this stress on his mind.”
Katya grins, her eyes glinting with amusement. “Please do. From what I understood, your first ‘talk’ didn’t involve a lot of talking, after all.”
I giggle. She’s not wrong. Not even a little.
“I’ll try to focus on the talking part,” I tease, shaking my head. “But God, he’s just too hot to resist, you know?” I gasp, sitting up suddenly. “Do youknowhow hot my body felt when he was speeding on his Harley?”
Katya bursts into laughter, the sound warm and genuine. “Oh my God, I can imagine.”
“Honestly,” I tease, “I wanted him to give me a baby.”
She raises a brow, grinning wickedly. “Jenny, by any chance, are you ovulating right now?”
“Could be the case,” I reply with a grin. “Or I might be into biker men. Is that a kink?”
We both dissolve into laughter.
God, I love how easy it is to talk to her—how freely I can speak about my body, my feelings and my true thoughts without judgment. I'd be terrified to have this conversation with a man.
Well,maybewith Daniel it could feel freeing as well... but I’m not so sure.
I truly wish I can find out soon. I want to know so much more about him, it hurts to know he’s too busy to focus on me.
Fuck. Is this how my daughter felt? For years?
Am I a terrible mother?
Our laughter fades slowly, and Katya’s expression grows more serious. Ohno. What now?
“Jenny… Did you tell Daniel?”
“Told him what?” I ask, though I already know where this is going.
“About your ex?”
My breath hitches. “No,” I admit softly. “But… he knows I’m single. I’m sure he’s already guessed why Mary’s dad isn’t around.”
Katya hums thoughtfully. “I get it. But... I feel like Daniel’s the kind of guy who’d kidnap and kill Mary’s father if he ever found him. So if you ever want revenge, you should totally know where to go.”
She says it playfully, but the idea strikes something deep within me.
Would he?
Would Daniel do something like that?
I mean… He’s the Don of the Caruso family. Torturing and killing a man are probably one of his favorite tasks. But… would he care enough to do it for me? For Mary?
Would he be so angry that Mary’s father abandoned us that he’d kill him for it?
The thought lingers longer than it should before I shake it off.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to tell him,” I mumble. “He already has enough on his plate. I don’t need to add more.”
