Page 22 of The Don's Secret Heir

“Did you see your mama get hurt?”

“Maybe I dreamed it,” he mumbles, his thumb hovering around his mouth like he wants to suck it. Must be a recently broken habit.

“I fixed your mama up,” I promise him.

He looks up at me curiously, hesitantly.

“Do you want to see her? Make sure she’s okay?”

He nods. “I woke up and didn’t know where I was.”

“Can I pick you up?” I ask, walking closer, and he looks up at me warily.

“Mama says not to talk to strangers.”

“I’m not a stranger,” I assure him. “My name is Dario and I’m an old friend of your mom’s.”

“You are?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

He slowly gives me the once-over, his gray eyes wary and so much like hers it makes my heart ache. Then he slowly lifts his arms.

I scoop him up into my arms, carrying him towards his mother’s room. I creak open the door and he peeks his head in.

“She’s sleeping,” he says, something like hope in his voice. “Mama doesn’t sleep much lately. Doesn’t eat much, either.”

I grit my teeth. “I’m going to make sure you both sleep and eat well. And that no one hurts her or you ever again. Alright, little man?”

“You promise?” he asks, a slight lisp at the end of his words and I smile at him, my heart doing a flip in my chest.

“I promise.”

I slowly let him down and he runs to the bed, climbing into it and under her arm.

Liana snorts awake, just barely, long enough to wrap her arms around him and pull him close.

Sonny nuzzles against her chest and in moments, he’s snoring.

I watch them for a long moment, longer than I should.

Whoever Sonny’s father is should be burning in hell for abandoning them.

He had no idea how good he had it.

7

LIANA

I spend three days in Dario’s house and I see him twice in all that time. Me and Sonny spend our days at the pool or in Dario’s vast library. Dario brought everything in from the car, and to my surprise even the jewelry the guys ripped off me is among my things.

I bite my lip, wondering how Dario managed that. I probably don’t want to know.

“Where’s the guy who saved us, Mama? The hero?”

I snort. “I don’t know if I’d call him a hero, Sonny. He’s just a friend.”

“Well then where’s ourfriend?”he asks sassily. I can’t help but smile as we dangle our feet in the water, sitting on the steps of the shallow end.