Coming Home For Christmas

Lacey's

P.O.V.

"Nonno and I have offered Logan a position as a capo in our mafia, principessa"

Klayton cuts Logan off and my eyes widen in horror.

"WHAT?"

This has got to be a f*****g joke.

"What the hell, Klayton?"

"What the hell is right, Logan"

I said as I glared at my cousin.

"Have you lost your goddamn mind?"

"No, I haven't, Lace"

Klayton says with a sigh whilst looking and sounding bored.

"Well, you must've lost your marbles somewhere, Klayton if you're offering Logan a position in the mafia when I specifically told you that I don't want my family involved in it"

"It's for your safety, cugina"

Klayton growled at me.

"And like I told Logan, you're all in it anyway whether you like it or not, so what's the problem?"

For f***s sake.

"The problem is that there's a big, massive difference between being in it and being involved in it, Klay"

I tell him and he scoffs.

"You sound just like your husband"

"Because he's right, Klay...you may not see it because you've always been in it and you were groomed from a very young age to take over from our grandfather but there's a huge astronomical difference between being a mafia member and being a member of the family who runs it"

"Well, I don't care, I want Logan to be a capo and I think he'd be a great asset to our famiglia, not to mention I want you guys to always be safe and secure"

He says and I look at him baffled.

"Are you saying my husband can't keep his own family safe?"

"No, principessa, that's not what I'm saying"

Klayton threw his head back exaggeratedly and I felt like smacking him on the back of his head because he's acting like a child right now.

"Then what are you saying, Klayton?"

I ask annoyed.

"Logan has hired the best of the best in security to keep our family safe and protected, we don't need the mafia to protect us"

"What? like you didn't need us with GiGi three years ago, Lace...you weren't against asking for our help back then, were you?" He says shocking me.

"You can't just pick and choose when you need us, cugina, it doesn't work like that"

"Klayton"

Cassie says in shock.

"You're a prick, do you know that?"

I say and Klayton closes his eyes while sighing.

"Lace..."

"No, don't Lace me, Klayton Antonelli, you were called in one time by Logan to do us a favour because GiGi was a f*****g psycho who was a genuine threat to my family and me, she was determined to have Logan in one way or another and tha included harming and killing me and my triplets to get him, that's why Logan called you in to help us and now you're throwing that back in my face because I don't want my husband to be a part of the mafia...are you freaking kidding me right now?"

"I'm not throwing anything back in your face, kid, I'm just making a point that you can't pick and choose when you need u and when you don't"

Wow.

"Then don't help us in the future, Klayton...consider GiGi a one time thing"

I said before heading back towards the patio but Klayton stopped me by grabbing my arm.

"Lace, don't be like this...."

"Like what?"

I ask annoyed.

"You're the one who said I can't pick and choose when I need the mafia and I've already said I don't want my family involved in it, so what's the problem?" "I'm trying to protect you, principessa"

"From what?...from what, Klayton? who or what do I need protecting from, hmm?"

Klayton looked at me with a shocked and conflicted look before narrowing his eyes to Cassidy and Logan who were looking at him with a look that I couldn't decipher. "Yeah Klayton, what or who does my wife need protecting from?"

Logan asked with a tight smile on his face but it was the tone of his voice which heightened my feelings that something else was going on here.

"Are you two keeping something from me?"

"No, we're not"

Klayton said while glaring at my husband.

"Whatever, I don't really care anyway, what I do care about is you and nonno pressuring my husband to be a capo...it's no happening, Klayton, so drop it"

I say before heading back out to the patio.

"Is everything ok, principessa?"

My grandfather asks me when I sit down in a huff.

"It will be when people learn to stay out of my marriage and realise that Logan is perfectly capable of protecting his wife and children all on his own without the mafia for back up"

I said in a harsh tone and I felt kind of bad for it when I saw the guilty look on my grandfather's face but at the same time, I stand by my comment.

Logan and I live a pretty perfect life.

We've got an amazing family, we're all happy and healthy and we've got our jobs which we love but most importantly, we haven't got any enemies and as far as I know, neither of us have done or said anything for us to gain an enemy, so why are my family so determined to make Logan a member of our mafia? and why is Klayton so determined to keep us safe?.

You'd think there was some crazy and deranged motherfucker out there who is after us the way my family are acting. "Klayton and I are just trying to look out for you, principessa"

"I know that, nonno and I appreciate it, I really do but we don't need it, my kids and I are perfectly safe with Logan and his security"

I tell my grandfather whose jaw clenched tightly at what I said.

"If you say so, my darling"

He said and the subject was thankfully dropped after that.

After breakfast, I hung out with my kids as well as my parents and my parents-in-law in the garden and we had a picnic when lunch eventually came around.

Later on, when my younger kids were napping and my elder kids were busy doing their thing in the gaming room with some of the other kids, I went up to my room to check on my emails and do some work.

I've been working on a new series for around a year now but I've had to put it off several times because of other things which needed my attention, so I'm hoping a few hours alone with my laptop will be enough to get my juices flowing again.

Unfortunately, I was either suffering from a really bad case of writer's block or my mind was still focused on my earlier argument with Klayton because I couldn't focus at all and I could barely get passed writing notes down.

"F**k"

I groaned in frustration as I slammed my laptop shut and put my head in my hands.

"Damn babe, what did your laptop ever do to you?"

"Nothing"

I sighed as I rested my entwined hands against my mouth.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine"

Logan sits down behind me and rests his hands on my shoulders massaging them.

I instantly relaxed and rested my head on his shoulder as I moaned from how good his hands felt as they relieved me of all of the tension in my upper body.

"Are you sure you're ok, my love? you're so tensed and wound up"

"Wouldn't you be if you had a cousin like mine?"

I asked and he chuckled.

"He's just looking out for you, babe"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

I shout whilst throwing my hands up in the air in frustration as I turn my head to look at my husband.

"Ever since the moment I was born, Klayton has always gone above and beyond to protect me, I remember when I was a kid, he wouldn't let me learn to ride a bike because it was quote on quote 'dangerous' and when I asked him why he was being so mean, he said that he was protecting me because it was his job as the future head of our family because I'm their only principessa"

I said with a sad sigh.

"At the time, I didn't know what he meant but then I learned about this mafia stuff when I was seventeen and that's when realised what he meant by him being the future head of our family"

"How did you find out?"

Logan asks me and I grimace at the memory.

"It was after Dylan and I had defied our parents who wanted us to stay at home for reasons we didn't know about at the time and they even went as far as grounding us thinking we'd listen to them but we didn't because we were determined to go to this festival so we snuck out"

"I always knew that boy was trouble"

Logan groaned and I rolled my eyes.

"Babe, I was a troublemaker just as much as Dylan was"

"If you say so, babe"

He says and I chuckle.

"Anyway, we weren't at the festival long because our parents had snitched on us to my nonno who was in town on business and he ordered Klayton and his mafia goons to track us down and in the words of my nonndrag us back by our hair or our feet if they had to" "Sounds like Giuseppe"

Yeah, it does.

He's one of a kind my grandfather.

"That night we both learned about the mafia and the reason why our parents wanted us to stay home was because there was a threat against our family including us kids and they were trying to keep us safe"

I said as my eyes narrowed.

I then looked up at Logan and I started to feel concerned for him when I noticed he had a look of distress on his face.

"What's wrong, Logan? why do you look like someone has shot your puppy?"

Logan looked down at me and he still looked distressed but he also looked hesitant as well.

"I was just thinking about this whole thing with Klayton, that's all"

"What about it?...you're not seriously considering being a capo, are you?"

"What? of course not"

He says with a scoff.

"I'm already walking a fine line every day by being a father to our kids, I don't wanna sign my death certificate by being a member of the mafia as well"

He says and I chuckle.

"No, I was just thinking about what Klayton was saying earlier...maybe it's not a bad thing that we're under the mafia's protection, love"

"But why would we need protection, Logan? we're not in any danger, are we?"

I ask and Logan snaps his head to me.

"No...no, of course not, I'm just saying, that's all love"

He says but I didn't believe him and to be fair, I don't even think Logan believed what he said either.

Anyway, I decided to leave it alone for now because I'm feeling so mentally drained and I just want to enjoy the rest of my time here without any drama or fighting.

Logan's P.O.V.

For the past hour or so, Lacey and I have been sitting out on our balcony, not talking, not doing anything actually except just being in each other's embrace.

At first, I thought Lacey's silence was because my little queen was lost in her thoughts but no, it turns out she had fallen asleep on me.

I don't know if her exhaustion was because of today or because we had barely got any sleep last night but I was gonna take advantage of it and use this time to go and speak to that hardheaded cousin of hers. Lacey deserves to know the truth and I'm determined to put my foot down and make this i***t see sense.

I gently picked my wife up bridal style and took her into our room where I placed her on the bed and covered her with a throw.

"Logan"

"Go back to sleep, babe, I'm just gonna go and check on the kids"

"OK"

Lacey murmured as she drifted back off to sleep.

I lightly kissed her forehead and left our room making a beeline for upstairs because I knew that's where he'd be.

I headed up to Klayton's office to have it out with him but I wasn't expecting to see a whole group of people in there when I arrived.

Knock!!, knock!!.

"Hey Logan, what's up?"

"What's going on in here?"

"Oh nothing just my annoying cousin over here getting on my a*s for nothing"

Cousin?.

Who's his cousin?.

"It's not nothing, i***t, it's actually very important, you just don't want to accept that I'm right in this situation and you are wrong"

A smug Katherine says confusing me.

"Wait...you guys are cousins?"

I ask them.

Klayton looks up at me in shock while Katerina just smiles and giddily nods her head at me.

"Yeah, we are"

Klayton groans as he rubs his forehead in frustration.

"Klayton, do you wanna explain this to me?"

I honestly had no idea Klayton and Katerina were related and I'm guessing Lacey doesn't know either because she's never mentioned it to me and I think she would have if she knew.

"Logan...Kat is Trevor's sister"

"Trevor"

I say whilst glaring at Katerina.

"Trevor as in the asshole who is threatening my wife, Trevor?"

"Yeah"

"And this woman is his sister?"

I ask while pointing at Katerina.

"Yes, I am but I'm not a threat, I promise you"

Katerina was quick to say and to be fair, she did look like she was all sweet and innocent but I don't know if she actually is because I don't know her and I don't wanna take that risk with her, especially not when it comes to my wife and kids. "Well, no offence Katerina but I don't know you except for the fact that you're related to the piece of s**t who is currently threatening my wife's life"

"Technically...Trevor isn't threatening Lacey, Logan, he just wants her, that's all"

Katerina said in a flippant tone.

"Klayton..."

I growled feeling my anger start to rise.

"Look Logan, If you can't trust her then trust me, ok... Kat's my cousin and I would never EVER have her around my wife, n kids, my famiglia and especially not my principessa if I couldn't trust her"

Klayton said and I could hear the conviction and the promise in his voice as he spoke which made me relax a little bit but it was the next voice that spoke which made my heart start to race even faster than I ever thought was possible. "What the f**k?" I spun around and my eyes widened when I saw my very confused wife standing in the doorway of Klayton's office.

s**t.

How long has she been standing there?.

Actually, the better question is how much has she heard?.