My Addiction: Married to the Mob: Fighting for Freedom Teaser

Monday, September 16, 2019

Married to the Mob: Fighting for Freedom Teaser

Sitting in the sleek, modern kitchen of Uncle Jimmy’s restaurant, I sipped some coffee. Sue was in the office, feeding Charlie so I could get some time to talk to my uncle. It had been a couple of weeks since the opening of the restaurant, a month after the christening and he was so busy, making it difficult to connect with him. Inside of that month, the popularity of the Blue Swan exploded. He changed the hours to include lunch service, but closing on Sunday for inventory and deep cleaning of the kitchen.

Uncle Jimmy demanded I come in so I could help him test out some new recipes, daily specials. I eagerly agreed and had Jake drive me and Charlie to the restaurant. “So, I heard from Victoria,” Jimmy said, sautéing some onions.

“There’s a blast from the past,” I snorted, nibbling on some cookies. “What did that slacker want? Did she want to reconcile? Apologize for being a heinous bitch?”

“She read about the Blue Swan and she had the gall to ask for a job,” Jimmy retorted.

“What did you say?” I asked, arching a brow.

“I met with her,” he said, giving me an evil grin.

“What did you do?” I laughed. “Did you torture her?”

“Psssh, no,” Jimmy snickered. “I just wanted to see how much she’d declined. She’s in her early forties and she looks like a woman in her sixties, at least in the face. She’s lost a lot of weight and she … the past two years have not been kind. She looked like she was or is a heavy drug user. Makes me look at what I have now with Sue and I’m grateful for that.” He put some chopped mushrooms into the sauté pan, flicking them with a spatula. “I’m thinking about asking Sue to marry me.”

“What?” I breathed. “You were with Vicky forever and you never even considered it.”

“That’s because, in my mind, I knew she was fucked up,” Jimmy said, adding a few pats of butter to the pan. “She was a user, in more ways than two.” He turned down the heat and looked up at me. “I saw how she treated you and how little she worked. I’m sorry about that, Bells.”

I waved him off. “We both know that Vicky was lazy. Besides, her laziness was my gain. I made more in tips than she ever did.” Leaning forward, I smirked. “So, when are you planning on popping the question?”

“Don’t laugh, but on Valentine’s Day,” he blushed. “I know it’s clichéd, but I love Sue and I adore her children. Seth is a good man and Leah … she’s such a sweet girl.”

“She is,” I grinned. “She loves you so much.” I blinked over my shoulder, ensuring that Sue wasn’t hovering. “Do you have a ring? And what are you planning to do for the wedding? A big to-do?”

“I need to ask her first,” he laughed. “But, I do have a ring. I bought it when I was going Christmas shopping, a total impulse buy. She never expected to find another man in her life, nor did I think I’d find her either. I just know that I want to share my life with Sue. Well, what’s left of it.”

“You’ll live to be a hundred,” I quipped. “Don’t be negative, James Swan!”

“I’m older than Sue. Not by much, but I’m older. With my accident and the residual issues from it … I’m afraid that I may not last as long …” he trailed off, shrugging. I hopped up off my stool and threw my arms around his waist. I don’t know why, but I started crying. I’d already lost my dad. My mom was not in my life. I couldn’t lose the last connection to my family. “Bells, hey … don’t cry baby girl.”

“I can’t lose you. Not yet, Uncle Jimmy,” I sniffled, tightening my hold on him.

He cupped my head, leaning his cheek against the crown of my hair. He held me tightly and swayed us gently. “I’m not going anywhere, Bells. I’m too ornery to die. Hell, I got blown up and I bounced back.” He squeezed me before taking a step back before guiding my chin up. “I buried my brother and that shattered my soul, even more than burying your grandparents. I loved him and he was my hero. Now, I see so much of him in you, Bells. I love you and I’m so proud to be your uncle and surrogate father.”

“I love you, Uncle Jimmy,” I whispered, kissing his cheek.