The Mafia's Heirs

36. These Italians Do This A Lot

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It was some eleven in the night when they landed on their destination.

"Welcome to Wyoming!!" Adam sang. River narrowed her eyes at him. Her two babies were fast asleep in her arms and she did not want to deal with two tired cranky five-year-olds right now.

"Your parents have been informed that you have reached the safe house." Mateo said as he joined them as they walked towards the cars waiting for them.

River sighed.

"Want me to hold them for you?" He asked, as if granting her a favor when in truth, he just couldn't wait to hold them in his arms.

She raised a brow. "I think the words you really want to use are, 'Can I hold our kids now?'"

He rolled his eyes.

"Here." She turned towards him. He closed in, making sure their heads were comfortably rested on his chest before snaking his arms around them, taking them off her arms.

River stretched, feeling an electric shock kind of pain shoot up her back. She winced, slightly massaging her lower back.

"It hurts?" He asked, looking concerned.

"It's been only two days, right? That's why. P.S. My biking skill has gotten a bit rusty." She pouted. "Once I was known for perfect landings, no matter how rough the terrain."

He pursed his lips, nodding thoughtfully and then finally said, "I think we can keep the boasting for later."

She narrowed her eyes at him while he gave her a stupid grin. She would have punched him in the face if it wasn't for their children in his arms and his fine features that she didn't want to ruin.

"Are we going to live in a ranch?" She asked, the possibility popping up in her, exciting her.

"Yep."

"Do you have a shooting range?"

"Why?"

"Because my shooting skills are also rusty."

"Alright, I get it; you know a lot of stuff. Stop showing off."

River rolled her eyes and pulled the kids back to herself so that he could settle each one of them on to the car seat.

"Are you not going to say anything?" He asked after he settled both of the sleeping babies down.

"Translate bud." She rolled her eyes. She made a mental note to learn to slowly learn Italian, now that she had a lot of free time in her hands. It doesn't hurt to know an extra language anyway.

"Welcome to the club, sister-in-law. These Italians do this a lot." Adam said as he got on the seat between the kids.

"Sister-in-law?" She scrunched her face up. What the hell was he talking about? Maybe he shouldn't have drank all that scotch on the flight.

"Wait so you both aren't married yet?" He asked, acting all naïve and clueless. "Then when did these happen?" He pointed at the babies and gave her a creepy grin.

River rolled her eyes as she got into the passenger's seat while Mateo gave his best friend a death glare.

"Ricardo is right, you are a man-child." River said and then gave him a smug look. "And to answer your question, if you had paid attention in Biology class, you would know that marriage is not exactly a requirement."

"Jesus woman, how could you say something so scandalous?" He threw his hand over his mouth while Mateo and River rolled their eyes.

"Know where you are going?" Mateo asked as he buckled up his seat belt.

"Pretty sure it's same place your other cars are going." She gestured to the cars with his men.

Mateo smiled, nodding.

And he followed them through the otherwise deserted roads for some forty-five minutes until they entered the gates, to Lesio Ranch.

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The house - or should I say some Victorian era mansion - was made of rocks. And it was built around a huge tree, which had a platform built to it with rope ladders hanging down.

In short, add a dog and this was Kiara and Lucas' dream home.

It was midnight when they got there, but the whole place was well lit and there were the prettiest yellow fairy lights decorating the tree.

It was just gorgeous.

"Aren't you hungry?" Mateo asked. "You haven't eaten since lunch."

River shook her head. She was used to lack of food. "The kids are going to wake up some five in the morning today so I better get as much as sleep as I can." She said.

He nodded.

He carried the babies to the room which looked like it was hastily put together and cleaned. They tucked them in, taking off their foot-wears and jackets and covering them with the duvets.

"I will take you to your room." He said.

River nodded and kissed her babies on their foreheads and left the room.

Her room was just on the other side of the stairs and Mateo's was across from hers. "Get some rest. I need to check some things out." He said.

She nodded mumbling a "Good night Mateo."

River walked into her room and it had all of her and the kids' luggage in there.

Probably because the staff didn't know whose was which so they must have left it for her to handle.

River sighed as she pulled a duffel bag off the floor and kept it on the bed.

"It's okay River. It's completely okay to not have control over this situation." She said to herself, feeling the panic return. "It's dangerous but it's not something that will change because you wish it does."

She could feel the lump in her throat and a sickening weight on her chest.

"They are going to be fine. They are going to be just fine!!"

The wetness of her cheeks confirmed that she had resorted to full-blown crying but all of her senses were shutting down and all she could really feel was the increasing need for oxygen.

She clenched her teeth and tried to block out her thoughts.

River pushed the bag off the bed; she could live a day without changing into pajamas.

She quickly kicked off her shoes and got under the covers, trying to focus on the throbbing on her back and the tingling on the back of her head.

It was fine.

Everything was going to be just fine.

Nothing was going to happen to her little monkeys.

At least not as long as there was life left in her.

She just needed to figure all the shit out.

And she was positive that Mateo Adesso would do anything in his power to protect their kids too.

Mateo was a nice guy. He was just born into the Mafia. He was a compassionate dumbass. He will be able to protect their children even if she wasn't.

They were going to be fine.

And with all that security, no one was getting anywhere near their children, it was going to be absolutely alright!

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