Page 116 of Mafia And Maid

Warmth.

Family.

Another crack of the ball hitting the bat snaps me out of my thoughts, and I smile. A new lyrical cheer hits my ears as Rosa’s voice mingles with the guys’ cheers, pulling my attention from Ethan’s little dance. The look she sends me makes my heart race.

“Did you see that, Momma?” he squeals.

“I sure did.”

“Kid’s a natural,” Alessio chimes in.

“We’ll have you running bases in no time,” I add.

“Really?” he says with wide eyes. The pure joy on Ethan’s face as my family continues to praise him settles into something hot and thick in my stomach.

We continue practicing with Rosa watching us. And Ethan’s tense, tiny shoulders relax more and more as time passes. And his laugh bubbles through the air when Marco hauls him up and runs the bases piggyback style, high-fiving Lorenzo once he’s back on solid ground.

Comfortable. He’s comfortable—or more comfortable—than he’s ever been in the last few weeks. And that makes standing out in the blistering heat, burning my neck to hell, completely and totally worth it. The smile on his face is worth it alone, and the hot, syrupy feeling through my body is something I’m not ready to give up.

But beneath the joy simmers my anger. How could anyone ever make such a small, precious person feel so fearful and distrustful? How could anyone ever take someone so sweet and break them like they’re worthless?

My fist clenches at my side. But I don’t have time to think about that. Right now, I just need to focus on Ethan. “Do you want to keep going?”

“Please?”

“As long as you want, Ethan. As long as you want.”

“Do you think Momma will try?” he asks with hope in his voice.

“I can ask her.”

And his wide grin warms my gut as I make my way to where Rosa sits.

“He’s laughing,” she says in a voice full of wonder. “Actually laughing.”

“Yeah, he is.”

She shakes her head with a small, dreamy sigh.

Tugging her closer, my arms wrap around her waist as I stand behind her, watching Ethan hit another ball a few inches further than the last time. His fan club goes wild, causing him to break out into another little dance.

“He wants you to try,” I say softly.

“To try? What, baseball?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know the first thing about what to do.”

“I can show you.”

“Okay, but in a few minutes. This is his moment to shine.”

With my chin resting on her head, Rosa leans into my chest like she belongs there. She does, whether either of us will admit it or not. Her fingers thread with mine.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”