Romeo The Mafia Casanova

Naz started scribbling something and looked over. “Mama! Where were you? I looked! I got scared, and then Uncle Romeo said you needed to put on lipstick!”

Leave it to Naz to be the only human in existence capable of putting a smile on my face during my husband’s funeral reception. “Uncle Romeo was right,” I pointed to my mouth. “What do you think?”

“Pretty,” Naz giggled; his jet-black hair fell around his ears, and his clear blue eyes were identical to his father’s; it was ridiculous how gorgeous he was at five years old.

Ridiculous and terrifying.

“Do I get kisses then?” I knelt.

“Only two.” Naz crossed his arms. “Because I’m a man now.”

“True.” I winked and pointed to my cheek.

He reached up with his grubby hands and held my head, then kissed my cheek twice. “Okay, Uncle Romeo’s turn!”

My eyes widened in horror.

Romeo’s coloring crayon broke in half falling from his fingertips and rolling onto the ground.

Was he thinking about it too?

That night so long ago.

Where I’d finally snapped.

Getting shot would hurt less than the words Romeo had said to me. I would never forgive him for stealing my heart and then, in one fell swoop, breaking it in half like it meant nothing to him.

He didn’t know I hadn’t slept with Tristian yet.

Just like he didn’t know how he took more than my heart that night. One day I would show him the damage. One day it would be impossible not to.

“Um, buddy.” Panicked, I forced a smile. “Uncle Romeo doesn’t give Mama kisses, silly.”

Naz frowned up at me. “Course he does, he gives Nana kisses, and Papa, and he gave Daddy kisses on his cheeks sometimes, Daddy says it’s r-r-resp-” He stopped talking. “It’s responsible?”

“Respectful,” I corrected before I realized I was agreeing with him by correcting him.

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“Yeah! Dad said so! He’s in Heaven with Uncle Louis now, and he’s watching. Don’t make Dad sad, Mama.”

Motherfucker.

I half expected Romeo to repeat, yeah, don’t make Dad sad. Instead, he’d completely paled like the idea of kissing me on the cheek was right up there with a beheading.

Seriously?

I smiled at Naz and slowly walked over to Romeo.

He stood, part of the broken crayon still in hand.

“See?” Naz grinned. “You’re making Dad happy now!”

Romeo coughed under his breath. “Not so sure about that…” And before I could stop him, his full mouth was pressed against my cheek, once, twice.

I was lost all over again.

To the man who had loved me only to destroy me.

To the man that had fucking given me to his brother like a consolation prize.

It was over before it even really started, but the linger of his lips felt like branding on my body-my soul.

And something told me this was just the beginning of the carnage he would leave in his wake because how could he not?

He was Romeo Sinacore.

His brother had been my best friend.

And by marrying him…

I’d lost my soul mate.

“Yay, Uncle Romeo!” Naz did a little cheer. “Does that mean Dad gets to come back now?”

I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped from my lips.

“Little man.” Romeo got down to his level.

“I know it seems that kisses are magic and while powerful sometimes even the best kisses can’t bring back those that we love. Right now, your daddy’s in Heaven, and he’s gonna stay there a bit, but that doesn’t mean you should stop kissing your mama; it just means you need to kiss her more since your daddy can’t right now, all right? You see, she’s going to miss his kisses, and now that you’re the man of the house, he’s handed you that job; you’re such a big boy that he thought you could handle it, so you think you can do it? Can you give your mama kisses for your daddy? You know she was his soul mate, right?”

I winced, I couldn’t help it. Those words stung.

“What is a soul mate?”

“It’s when you meet your other half. The person you’re meant to spend the rest of your life with.”

“Oh… so who’s your soul mate, Uncle Romeo?”

I winced yet again, and so did Romeo. However, he quickly recovered while I stood there, frozen in the spot I was standing in. Wanting him to continue. To answer Naz’s question. To make me feel something when I felt nothing.

“I don’t have a soul mate, Little Man.”

I jerked back, winded.

“Why not?” Naz questioned with his eyebrows raising, reminding me so much of his father.

“Because you have to have the heart to have a soul mate.”

“Well, then maybe Mama can be your soul mate now that Daddy is gone?” His little hand scratched his head, and I swear my heart was beating out of my chest.

Pounding & Thrashing.

Proving that I wasn’t dead after all, from my husband’s untimely death.

I was alive, with my heart in Romeo’s hand.

Naz excitingly shouted, “Mama has a heart, a huge one! Maybe her heart can be your heart too?”

Naz and Romeo had always had a special relationship. A strong bond between them. I think a big part of that was Romeo knowing he’d never have children of his own, so he made sure he was the best uncle to his brother’s kid.

Or at least that was what I told myself…

I couldn’t wait for Romeo to answer Naz and hurt me more than he already had.

Getting down to his level, I chimed in, “Naz, a soul mate is someone your heart belongs to, not just someone who is in your heart.”

He eyed me curiously, trying to follow along with what I meant.

“One day.” I ruffled his hair. “When you’re older you will understand the difference.”

I could feel Romeo’s heat burning a hole in my back. He didn’t like my response, and he wasn’t trying to hide that fact. I silently cheered.

Good, take that, asshole.

I felt the loss of his emotions the minute he walked away from us, I felt it in my soul.

Twisting in my gut as he walked away to join the others.

I barely survived his indifference the first time and I wouldn’t survive him twice.

The only way to protect my heart was to let him go along with Tristian.

I was officially done with the Sinacore brothers.

My best friends and My family.

Because loving them only ever brought pain, In every aspect of my life.