Undressed By The Mafia God novel Chapter 361

Chapter 361: It’s Weird Between Us

Luca thought immediately of Marco as someone who had spent his life earning space without demanding it.

And then he thought of Veronica. Of the child. It was one thing to want distance for a child.

Another thing entirely to choose the center of the fire for himself.

"I cannot move to Italy permanently, Dad. My life is in New York," Luca continued. "I have—" He stopped, exhaled, then looked at his father. "Dad... no."

"What would you have me do?" Massimo asked. "The only one left is... your cousin," he said reluctantly. "And his father kept him away from all of this. He does not know the first thing about the famiglia."

"Which, frankly, sounds like excellent parenting."

That earned Luca a look.

Luca lifted both hands. "I’m serious. I don’t know, Dad. There is enough time for all of this," Luca said at last. "Can we just celebrate tonight?"

"Of course," Massimo said. "I apologise." He gestured lightly toward the door. "Go. Go prepare."

Luca exhaled and pushed away from the spot where he’d been standing. "See you downstairs." He made it almost to the door before Massimo’s voice stopped him.

"Oh, and Luca?"

Luca turned.

"I truly hope you get your happy ending." Massimo held his gaze. "I will do my best to protect you and Regina and your kid or kids..." One shoulder lifted faintly. "Whatever the case may be."

That pulled a smile from Luca.

"You are getting very soft with age."

"Can’t we talk like men?"

"Dad? We don’t talk about mushy stuff. It’s weird between us. Mom’s gotta go. This version of you is..." Luca made a ridiculous little gesture with his fingers, physically trying to pinch the sentiment out of the air. "It fucks me up." Luca, unwilling to remain in the room long enough for his father to say anything else heartfelt and permanently damage the emotional order of the universe, turned and hurried for the door.

"Pussy..." Don muttered under his breath.

Luca was already halfway into the corridor when he barked back, "I heard that!"

In the quiet that followed, Massimo smiled. It sat strangely on his face. He stood there alone in the suite, jacket settled, tie straight, grief still living somewhere in his bones but no longer the only thing occupying them. There was a funny feeling in his gut—odd, warm.

Luca was happy. And it made him happy. Massimo had spent so many years measuring his sons through strength, resilience, discipline, survival. Pride he understood. Pride had always come easily enough, even in silence, even at a distance. He had known how to watch Luca from afar and think, yes, that one is mine. He had known how to admire capability, how to reward ruthlessness, how to harden affection into expectation until it barely resembled love at all.

But this? This soft, absurd warmth at seeing his son genuinely happy? He was not used to it.

He was so used to them all being constantly constipated emotionally, so used to every expression of feeling in this family arriving in blood, or gunpowder, that he had nearly forgotten there was another way for a man to feel about his child.

*****

The plea came out so quickly and so earnestly that everyone in the room burst into laughter. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞