Sewing Bullets (Sorrentino Mafia 1)

Way To The Heart

Stella

Last night's date went unexpectantly well.

I was freaking out going into it but after a while I found myself laughing and talking with Max without a single care.

We didn't spend the night talking about what our future is, instead we talked about Arrow and that we will be teaching our child archery. Not sure how that helps me figure things out but maybe that's the point, I need to stop thinking.

But the feeling of ease around Max is gone and now my stomach is in a tight knot for date two.

"You're cooking?" I couldn't help the surprise in my voice when I walked into Maximus's apartment to find him in the kitchen. "Are you making the food truck a thing?"

Maximus rolled his eyes, spun his dry towel and whipped it towards me. A laugh bubbling out when I dodging the hit that would have snapped my ass painfully.

Putting the towel over his shoulder he motioned for me to sit down at the kitchen island. "I'll have you know I'm an excellent cook."

I hummed taking a cup of tea he passed me. "And who told you that? Ex mistresses?"

He scowled and grabbed a knife to chop up mushrooms. "My mother actually, she taught all her sons how to cook."

Taking a sip, I smiled. "Sounds like my type of woman. You've never spoken about her other than that she was killed, what was she like?"

His movements stopped for a few seconds until Maximus cleared his throat tossing the mushrooms in with a pan with other veggies. "She was the warmest person you would ever meet. Dad used to joke about her taking home strays, she would find people on the streets than argue for them to join the family and take care of them. Think half our mem are strays she brought home."

I didn't say anything watching the small smile on Maximus's face from remembering his mother. "In the mafia world, having sons could be dangerous, similar to royal families I suppose. Only one can inherit the power." He chuckled cutting up a scallion. "Mother would take us to the kitchen where she would teach us how to cook. Get us to bond as brothers to make sure we don't ever turn on each other. Family is first, mafia second. Mother used to say cooking is the way to someone's heart."

I smiled. "She sounds like she was an amazing woman."

He nodded putting a tomato mixture into the pan with basil. "She was, would have loved you." His comment made my heart warm and I took a sip of the tea to cover my smile. "What about your mom?"

I choked on my tea, my hand going on my chest trying to get air back in my lungs. Waving Max away I sat up. "Uh, my mother well the nicest way I could describe her is that she is a gold-digging whore."

His eyebrows shot up. "That's the nicest thing?"

I leaned on the counter watching him cook. "We were never close, she hated me since I was a mistake and ruined her life. Growing up, she married multiple different men before my grandmother took custody of me when I was sixteen. Monica took men based on their bank account, not personalities."