“Here we are, home sweet home,” I say, and Ryan looks up at me with a hesitant smile.

He’s a sweet boy, brunette with deep green eyes and a cute little face. He’s quiet though, very quiet, but I was told he can talk if he wants to. It’s just that he doesn’t want to, and I don’t really blame him.

I have no clue what he’s been through. I know my cousin was mixed up in some bad stuff, even worse than her family normally gets mixed up in. She was on drugs, traveling around, maybe even living in Mexico for a while. I’m not really sure, to be totally honest, but she dragged this little boy around with her all that time. I don’t know how she did it, or why, or who the boy’s father is.

I don’t think I want to be, to be totally honest. Harper and I were close when we were younger, but my family and her family never really got along. My parents don’t approve of the Gallo family and everything they do, and so I drifted away from Harper. Eventually she moved away, and I thought that was it, I’d never hear from her again. I went on with my life, got my nursing degree, graduated school, and got a job.

And then suddenly, I get a phone call. It’s from a hospital saying that I’m Harper’s emergency contact, and I’d better come right away. I had no clue she was in town again, but I rushed out there, and sure enough, there’s Harper and her little boy Ryan.

She died not long after from a horrible infection. It was tough to watch, but I’ll never forget one of our last conversations.

She looked up at me and smiled. She knew she was dying at this point and she knew she didn’t have long left.

“Keep my family away from him,” she whispered. I had to kneel down next to her and put my ear near her lips to hear what she was saying.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

She nodded, her face pale, her eyes haunted. “Keep them away, Leah, please. You know what they are. They’re monsters.”

I frowned but didn’t argue. The Gallo Crime Family is a lot of things, but “monsters” probably sums it up.

“But what can I do?” I asked her.

“Lawyer,” she says. “Adoption.”

I stared, unable to find the words, but it all happened fast after that. She had a guy in mind already, had apparently drawn up most of the papers without me realizing it. There were a bunch of steps to go through, and it almost didn’t happen, but in the end, I gained custody of Ryan and officially adopted him after Harper passed. It wasn’t easy, but because Harper basically made her desires known before she died, that made the process go smoothly.

I still don’t know why I did it. I guess it was to grant the dying wish of my cousin. She knows I don’t get along with her family, and maybe she doesn’t have anyone else that would take her son. I tried to ask about the father, but she wouldn’t talk about him. She just kept insisting it had to be me.

Maybe it was the fever, the sickness, making her go crazy. I don’t know. Maybe I was a little crazy too.

But I adopted him. I took in her son. I’m not ready to be a mother, not even close, especially not to a shy, quiet, strange little boy that I barely know at all, but it’s too late for that. It’s too late for second guessing.

I did what I thought was right. The little boy needed someone, and his mother wanted it to be me. It’s a crazy, irresponsible, hard thing to ask of someone, but she asked it of me, and I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t turn away. If someone needs my help, I try and help them. That’s why I became a nurse.

And it’s why I became a mother.

I show Ryan to his room. It’s small and in the back of my apartment, but it’s all his. I have a little bed for him, some toys, a little desk. He lights up when he sees it and looks back at me, a little unsure.

“Go ahead,” I say. “It’s all yours.”

He runs in there, grabs an action figure, and starts to make shooting noises. It’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him. I’ve only known him for a few months, but he’s barely said ten words in all that time. This is the most noise he’s ever made.

There’s a knock at the door that pulls me away from Ryan. I didn’t even realize I was smiling so much, watching how happy he is.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” I say to him. “Stay right there.”

He nods but doesn’t look over. He’s engrossed in his new toys in his new room.

I leave head back through the living room. Someone knocks again, a little more insistent this time. “I’m coming,” I call out before opening the door a crack.

Enzo Gallo stands there, grinning at me. He’s about my height, so short for a guy, but he’s broad. He’s almost as wide as he is tall, and most of that’s muscle. He’s a little Pitbull, with dark eyes like a Pitbull, and way more dangerous.

“Hiya, Leah,” he says. “Long time no see.”

“Enzo.” I frown at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Just came by to say hello, I heard you were coming home today.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m sorry, I should explain. I heard you were bringing our son home.” He grins at me even wider.

I flinch. I didn’t even know the Gallo family knew about Ryan, but of course they do. They have their fingers in everything that happens in Philadelphia. I had hoped that because Harper was in a hospital out in the suburbs, maybe they wouldn’t hear. But of course they did, I should have known when I saw her obituary in the paper. I don’t know who else would have written it, and I know I didn’t do it. That should have been my warning but I was too busy trying to iron out the legalities surrounding Ryan’s adoption to really think about it.

Frankly, I haven’t had much time to think about anything but Ryan these last few whirlwind weeks.

Enzo’s smile is so slimy I almost want to puke. “He’s not your son,” I say to him.

“Oh, but he is.” Enzo goes to step forward, but I block his way. He laughs softly, but he doesn’t press.

“He’s my son now,” I say. “Don’t you think there’s a reason why Harper left him to me?”

He just shrugs. “Doesn’t matter to us, we just want him.”

“What do you mean, want him?”

“He’s a Gallo,” he says softly. “It’s in his blood. You don’t have to do anything now, I know this is new and hard. But we want him, Leah. We can make your life easier.”

I stare at him, totally at a loss for words. “You… want to take Ryan?”

“We’ll raise him in the family, give him a good life.”

He almost sounds like he believes it. I can’t imagine the kind of existence they’d give Ryan. He’d be a criminal his whole life. They’d bring him up to know nothing but crime and fear and violence, and I don’t want that for him. Harper didn’t want it for him, either.

“I don’t think so,” I say. “He’s my son now. I’m sorry, Enzo. Maybe you guys can visit him sometimes, but… he’s staying with me.”

Enzo nods a little bit. “Sure, whatever you say. We’d love to see the boy soon.”

“Soon,” I echo.

“Let him get settled and all. But Leah, when it gets hard, and it’s going to, you think about what I said. We want him.”

Enzo smiles at me, turns, and walks away. I watch him disappear down the hallway, down the steps, and out of view.

I shut the door slowly and back into my apartment. I walk through the living room and lean up against the wall outside of Ryan’s room. He turns back to me and smiles, and I think it’s the first time I’ve seen him smile since I met him. He’s sitting on the floor, toys spread out around him, looking like he’s never been happier before.

I smile back at him but Enzo’s words are ringing in my ear. When it gets hard… when it gets hard.

I know it’s going to get hard. I know I’m on the way there. So far things have been easy, mostly out of momentum. I haven’t had time to stop and think about what I’m doing, what this means for my life, and for Ryan’s life. But now here we are, alone in my apartment, and suddenly it feels so real.

I take a breath and let it out. I know I’m in over my head. But I can’t let the Gallo family have this boy. Watching him play, so innocent and normal and free, I just can’t do it. They’ll corrupt him, destroy him.

Although I wonder what he’s going to end up doing to me.