Marked by Crime Rivalry Book2 [✓]

P32

They made it into the house, showered and Teresa came downstairs to see Dante cooking. She almost had a sense of deja vu. Often, she came down and saw Luciano cooking, so it was different.

He glanced at her as she sat on the stool at the countertop. "I'm no chef like Luciano but I know you can't cook so I gave it a try" Her mouth dropped. How?! He chuckled.

She smiled as she stared at him. He wore a normal grey t-shirt and blue joggers. It was odd to see him in casual clothing. Normally he wore a suit just like Luciano. Adriano hated suits, he was black jeans, shirt, and coat kind of guy. "Can I hear more about your family? You're children?"

Her head lowered onto her folded arms and he glanced at her for a short moment. Teresa was a curious woman and she cared to be invested in the ones she loves lives. Teresa hoped it wasn't too much of a sore subject for him. She wanted to know him better.

He couldn't help but grin had she said it in a way that was adorable, cute, and caring. He sighed and nodded.

Talking about his family was a sore subject because truthfully it wasn't his family when he spent less than four years in both of his children's lives. It hurt to know he couldn't be the father they hoped for.

"Well," He began. "Malaya is ten now, will be eleven soon and Cedric is nine. I haven't gotten Kristen's name tatted on me yet, feels wrong too." Teresa's eyes fell to his chest which was covered up, she remembered the tat there. His eldest daughter and he had a cub for Cedric but Kristen?

"The youngest." He clarified. Her eyes widened, he had three children? "Yeah, I told you I stopped being an assassin 6 years ago. I may have left when Malaya was three, seven years ago, but it hadn't meant I was completely done with my ex-wife. I still loved her and letting go proved more difficult than I thought. The year before I chose to end being an assassin, we had a moment. She told me she was pregnant and...and that now it was best to stay away. I've never seen Kristen before. Not even a baby picture when she was in the stomach. So why do I deserve to claim her as mine? Etch her onto my body?"

Teresa knew it cut him deeper than his physical scars. To know he had another child, but never to see her, talk to her. He barely had a relationship with Malaya or Cedric with them being so young. They wouldn't remember him and Kristen wouldn't have any memory of him.

Dante felt as if he was only a deadbeat. To produce his children but not to do the actual father part and be there for them. Not even financially supporting them made him feel as if he was being a man, a father for them. They would never know who paid for their college tuition, or who would pay for all the gifts they've gotten over the years. Who funded their private schools and their home, their future cars. They would look at their stepfather as the provider and he would take the credit not because he wanted to but because Dante made it strictly a rule for his children to never know he exists.

In their eyes, their stepfather was their real father.

There wasn't much to say about his children, he didn't know them. Didn't know their favorite color or what made them laugh or cry or if they had any defense skills as he did. Did they stand up for themselves at school or got bullied?

It felt silent and he didn't like it. Not liking being stuck in his pitiful thoughts. He nudged her elbow with a faint grin. "Tell me what's on your mind"

Teresa sighed. What wasn't on her mind? "What do you think Laura's doing right now?"

His pity left and in fled his sympathy for Teresa. In truth? It was nice to forget about his bad feelings and focus on hers instead. She was his escape route.
"You're afraid of her" He stated. It wasn't a question, but he noticed it. When she said Laura's name her face seemed as if a bunch of shadows faced her. Scary shadows. A scary past.
He set the spoon down as he faced her. "Teresa, what happened between you two?"