Page 5 of Hot Momosa
Dahlia
“Okay, spill it.”Maggie handed me a clean diaper. “Why are you late?”
“I made the mistake of answering an unknown number as I was walking out the door.” The memory of the stalker’s voice and the horrid things he’d said made my stomach clench.
The creep had sent another package, but I didn’t want to get into the gory details at her son’s birthday party. I’d been dealing with the stalker for almost a year. Gross phone calls and disturbing gifts were nothing new.
“Oh, honey. I hate this for you.” She drew a deep breath. “Has your father’s private investigator had any luck finding the guy?”
“Not yet, but I’m sure he will soon.” I lied through my teeth. “It’s weird seeing Leo again.”
“What happened down there? And don’t say nothing—he looked like someone stole his favorite toy.”
Leo happened.
As much as I’d mentally prepared myself to see him again, one look into his soulful green eyes and I was back on the battle field playing Switzerland between my head and my heart.
“He asked if I brought Harrison to the party, I said no, and told him I was moving to Baton Rouge.” I took advantage of the squirming birthday boy to avoid her gaze.
“Did you tell him why?” She distracted the baby with his favorite stuffed lizard.
Rocco grabbed the green plushy and hugged it to his chest.
“You know how the Marchionni men are. If I tell Leo about the stalker, he’s going to go all caveman on me.” I popped the snaps on Rocco’s miniature jeans. “I can’t handle that on top of everything else.”
“You need to tell him the truth about Harrison.” She nudged my side.
“It’s none of his business. Leo has made it abundantly clear he’s not interested.” I couldn’t tell her he’d been avoiding me while sneaking around to see our son. No one besides my dad knew he was Gunnar’s father, and Leo seemed content to keep it that way.
Maggie nodded and pressed her lips together as if to keep from saying more.
I finished changing the baby and tossed the dirty diaper into the pail. “Don’t look at me like that. I wasted eleven years of my life waiting for him to decide it was the right time to get serious. If it hasn’t happened by now, it’s not going to.”
“Dahlia, you and I both know why he didn’t want to get involved.”
“It’s been over a year since they got out of the mafia. A year, Mags. What’s he waiting for?” I plopped into a chair and folded my arms like a spoiled child. “He said he was giving me space.”
“Because he thinks you’re involved with another man.” She sighed. “I don’t want to argue. I get it. You wanted him to fight for you.”
Is that it? Did I want some grand gesture to prove that Leo had feelings for me?
“I would have settled for him telling me he loved me. And for the record, I did tell him my father set me up with Harrison as a political stunt.”
“You did?”
“Yes, at Marco’s wedding, but evidently Leo still had it in his head that we were dating.”
“In his defense, you and Harrison have been all over the news since your dad decided he was running for president.” She muttered, “And the man did propose to you.”
“Whose side are you on?” I teased, or mostly teased.
“Yours.” Maggie lifted Rocco into her arms. “If I’ve learned anything from being married to Gabe, it’s that the Marchionni men are stubborn, proud, and hear what they want to hear. Repetition helps, but sometimes, you have to sit them down and force them to listen.”
I nodded because I knew she was right, but that didn’t mean I agreed. I’d wasted a decade waiting for Leo to get his shit together. Now that he had, he’d chosen to sneak around behind my back to see our son rather than risk spending time with me.
“Come on. It’s time for Rocco to smash his cake.” She smiled the kind of smile usually reserved for naughty children. She obviously didn’t like my choices, but she loved me anyway.
“That sounds like fun. Can I go Hulk on my cake, too?” I followed her back downstairs and into an empty kitchen. Some small part of me had hoped Leo would be waiting to finish our conversation, but that part was, and would always be, sorely disappointed.