Mafia Heir

Chapter 23

Luca

"You've got to drop it in like this." Noah instructed as Charlotte and I stood at the edge of the cliff, watching him lower the crab net into the water.

"Wow!" Charlotte gleamed, appeasing her little brother. The two of them were enjoying their time together, and as hard as I tried, I couldn't seem to shake the anxiety tumbling around in my brain. I couldn't avoid Elena forever, but the thought of our impending conversation had me on edge. She obviously was quick to recognize me, but recovered from her initial shock and acted as if nothing was amiss. At least we were on the same page there.

Charlotte introduced us, we spent a few minutes small talking, and then Elena ushered us out of the kitchen so she could clean up the glass and lemonade off of the floor. A few minutes later, she came out onto the deck and had been watching us ever since. Her gaze was locked on me, and every time I glanced back, our eyes met. I could only imagine what was running through her mind right now—not only had she not seen me in nearly 18 years, I showed up on her doorstep with her daughter, who introduced me as her boyfriend. I was sure she was thinking I had some kind of ulterior motive, and that I was here to wreak havoc on this peaceful, idyllic life she worked so hard to build.

"Here, you try." Noah thrust the rope of the catch net into Charlotte's hands.

My mind was clouded with so many questions that it was hard to focus on anything else. It was time to bite the bullet, and get this over with. The sooner we hashed it out, the sooner it was over and I would feel better moving forward with Charlotte. Not great, of course, because I still didn't have Antonio's blessing, but at least if I could convince Elena that I could take care of Charlotte that was a step in the right direction.

"Hey, I am going to go find a bathroom."

"Do you want me to come with you?" She asked.

"No, you stay here. I'll be fine. Spend some time with your brother." I kissed her forehead and turned toward the back deck. The entire way, I tried to prepare myself for the conversation I was about to have, and it made the walk the most daunting walk of my life. Despite having stared down murderers and confronted drug dealers for the better part of my life, this was one of the scariest things I had ever done.

Elena's hair was blowing in the wind as she watched Charlotte and Noah laughing together at the edge of the yard. A gentle smile pulled at her lips, and the faintest of tear stains ran down her cheeks. She didn't look at me as I walked up the stairs to her side, just kept her eyes fixated on her children. She was just as beautiful and regal as I remembered, and now that I saw her next to Charlotte, their resemblance was striking. If I had any inclination that the two of them were still alive, I might have seen it before.

I leaned against the railing, waiting in silence for her to speak first. Mostly, because I had no clue where to begin

"It's really you." She finally said, taking a deep breath.

"I should be saying the same thing to you." I answered. "I didn't think I would ever see you again."

"You look so grown up." She smiled, reaching over and giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "I heard that you took over for your father when... I was so sorry to hear about it. I should have called your mother. I so wish I could have. How is she doing?"

"She's doing well." I nodded. "After dad died, she moved back to Salerno and is living on the Estate. I think she likes it well enough. Wishes I would visit more."

"Of course, she does. God, I've missed her." Elena said. "And Angelo and Carlo? How are they doing?"

"Good. They're with me in New York. Crazy as ever." I smirked.