Exhaling: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

whirled on Vince with dominance she usually wasn’t confident enough in his presence to display. She shoved her finger in his face, feigning authority. “You. How much of a deathtrap is your house? Pregnant women can’t have seafood. Did you know that? And she should go to a doctor, like, yesterday. Get on the ball, man.”
    Vince postured, staring down at her as if to ask her who exactly she thought she was talking to. “I put in a call to a company that does baby proofing this morning. I’ll make sure she sees a doctor this week.”
    “Good.” She turned back to Fallyn and resumed jumping. “A baby! A baby! Oh, man. Your brothers are going to go ballistic. You think they hover now? Wait until they find out. I know you haven’t told them, otherwise they’d be camped out in the kitchen, making sure you don’t sneeze too many times.”
    “They don’t know, and I don’t want them to know anytime soon.” Fallyn picked up the rag and cleaning solution off the floor, but before she could take it to the cupboard, Jen whisked it away from her. “Jen, honestly. I can clean the floors.”
    Jen put away the cleaning supplies, a light scolding in her tone. “So can I. In fact, isn’t the point of owning a business not having to do every little thing? Go home. Get a massage. Take a load off.”
    Vince shot Jen a look of pure gratitude as his hand rubbed his wife’s spine. “Yes. A massage. That’s a great idea. Pick a salon, and I’ll drive you there.”
    “You really don’t even need to come into the shop, hun. We’ve got this. Loretta keeps everyone working hard. Go home and put your feet up.”
    Something indignant rose up in Fallyn as the two ganged up on her. She clenched her fists and kept her chin high, her voice shaking in anger. “I am not a kept woman! I have two degrees, and this is my business. If I want to clean the floors, I should be able to scrub the floors, dammit! There’s nothing wrong with me working, and I won’t let the two of you take my bakery away from me!”
    Jen held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, Fal. Calm down. No one’s taking anything away from you. Just slow down, is all. Vince is right; you shouldn’t be around cleaning chemicals.”
    Fallyn inhaled deeply, unsure of where the sudden rage came from. She pressed her hand to her chest, chagrinned. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I shouted at you both! I’m so sorry.”
    Jen grinned. “Gotta love those mood swings.”
    Vince’s eyes were wide before he broke down in silent giggles. “Say it again.” He raised his fist in vindication. “‘I am not a kept woman!’”
    Fallyn shook her head at herself, shoulders deflating. “Oh, I’m so embarrassed.” She tilted her head up at Vince. “Were we supposed to meet up for lunch or something? Did I forget?”
    “No. I wanted to make sure your brothers weren’t bothering you. I need you to call me if they stop by.”
    Fallyn waved Jen off to go back to the storefront and give them a bit of privacy. She kept her voice quiet. “Vince, I can handle my brothers. I don’t want you to intervene or set anyone straight. If you come to see me, make the reason be that you wanted to give me a kiss, not check in on me.”
    Vince smirked at her stubborn streak that matched his own. “I love that you think you can control me. It’s almost cute.”
    Fallyn reached up on her toes to kiss him. “I love that you think you can control me . This’ll be interesting.” She nuzzled her nose to his. “What time are you coming home tonight?”
    “Eight. Maybe later. I’ve got a lot to catch up on. I’ll bring home dinner.”
    A smile teased her lips. “Look at you saying sexy domestic stuff like ‘I’ll bring home dinner.’ Next thing I know you’ll be asking me to bring you your pipe and newspaper, complaining about the length of the lawn.”
    Eyebrows furrowed, Vince wrapped his arms around her waist. “What’s wrong with the length of the lawn? I think it