Page 144 of The Don's Secret Heir

“Nothing, baby.”

“I couldn’t spoil him for five years, gotta make up for it now.”

I put Sonny down on the sand. “Why don’t you show us your best castle?”

“I haven’t built a good enough one yet,” he says, determination evident on his small features. “I’ll be right back.”

He heads to the water with his pail, looking for all the world like a little businessman.

Tears spring to my eyes and I groan.

“I’m like a fucking water faucet,” I grumble, and Liana laughs softly, positioning herself in my lap when I sit down on a beach towel.

I draw her back into my arms. She’s slightly wet but her skin is heated by the sun. Little grains of sand prick my arms.

“A lot has happened. It’s okay to be emotional.”

“I’m not emotional.”

“Okay, Mr. Crybaby,” she teases, and kisses me when I pout.

“It’s time to take Sonny back to Marie,” I say, looking at the sky. “Want to get to the cemetery before dark.”

Liana nods. “Are you... are you sure you wanna do this today?”

I sigh. “I’m not sure if I ever want to do it, but I feel like I need to.”

Per their wishes, my parents’ bodies were flown back to Sicily to be buried in the family plot. I haven’t been to visit.

I told myself it’s because it’s so far away, because I can’t take the time off—any number of lies. But really, I feel like seeing their gravestones is going to break me.

It’ll make it real. Not like they’re on some long, extended trip overseas and just can’t contact me. I used to dream about that, dream they got lost on some island somewhere and just couldn’t get home.

I’d wake up smiling with tears on my cheeks.

Sonny puts up a bit of a fuss about leaving.

“I didn’t finish mycastle,” he whines, and I can hear in his voice that he’s just tired.

I scoop him up into my arms and he wriggles but then settles, his head dropping on my shoulder as I carry him back down the beach.

He’s asleep before I even get him in the bed.

Marie smiles, knitting in the corner. “You two off somewhere?”

“Seeing the sights,” I lie, and Liana raises an eyebrow.

“Sonny and I will be just fine here.”

“Thank you, Marie,” Liana says. We head back out to the car I rented and she frowns at me. “Why didn’t you tell her?”

“I don’t know,” I say honestly in a mumble. “I don’t really know how it’ll go, I guess.”

She reaches over to take my hand and pulls it into her lap. I’m grateful, smiling at her.

“We’ll get through it. Together.”

When I pull up at the cemetery, it takes me half an hour to get out. I’m trembling all over.