Page 154 of Mafia And Maid
My muscles bunch, and I remind myself that despite the kind of man I am, I’d never hit a woman. Though Reagan’s grating demands are pushing me closer and closer to reevaluating that sentiment.
“Reagan, can you please just give us a minute?” Rosa grits out in a firm tone.
“Fine. But don’t take too long. You know there are more important things to deal with.”
I exhale as I listen to the sound of her heels clicking on the floor as she walks away. When I glance back to Rosa, her bottom lip is caught between her teeth, and I can see her body shake just slightly. Rage surges to life inside me.
“Rosa?”
“It’s fine. C’mon, we can talk on our way to the backyard. Ethan’s there.”
I nod as she threads our fingers together, and I squeeze her hand. As we leave the hallway and pass the office, I note the men patrolling the ground like clockwork. Ethan is outside quietly playing in the grass. On the porch, a stern-looking woman watches over him.
“I can take it from here, Hildie,” Rosa murmurs softly.
“Of course, Miss Rosa.”
As she passes, Hildie narrows her eyes at me, and I arch a brow. Is everyone in this damn house so fucking stuck up?
“Momma, when—” Ethan’s question halts as he jumps up from the grass. “Uncle Millo! You came.”
Tiny arms wrap around my leg before I bend and wrap him into a huge hug. “Hey buddy. You’ve been having fun, I see.”
“No.” His admission is small and quiet, and I shoot a confused look to Rosa. “Can we go back home now?” he asks in his small piping voice.
“Not until this weekend, honey.”
“I can take Ethan out of your hair for a few hours if you need me to.”
Rosa shakes her head. “No, it’s okay. There’s not much else for me to do today.”
“Rosa!”
She sighs. “Hold on.”
I nod as she goes and sees what her sister needs.
“I don’t like it here,” Ethan murmurs.
“Yeah, me neither,” I admit, watching Rosa in the doorway as Reagan animatedly waves her arms around until Rosa nods. My eyes narrow when Reagan’s glare lands on me.
Rosa walks back over and slides back into her chair carefully.
“Everything okay?”
“Fine. It’s just that there’s some more stuff I have to handle now. Thank you for bringing the clothes, though.”
“I snuck in a few toys too,” I tell Ethan, smoothing his hair back from his forehead, “including Bernie Bear.”
“You brought Bernie?” He flings himself into my arms and looks up at me with a wobbly bottom lip. “Thank you so much, Uncle Millo. I’ve missed Bernie as much as I’ve missed you.”
His big brown eyes are identical to Rosa’s, and his tiny voice pulls at the fragile strings that are barely holding my heart together.
“Rosa!” Reagan shrieks again from thedoorway.
“I should probably go,” I say.
“But—” Ethan starts.