Luca didn’t want to overstep. This wasn’t his house, and at the end of the day – Johnny was a fucking boss. Retired or not, Luca needed to watch what he said. But Paityn’s father was crossing lines, upsetting his own daughter and, in turn, upsetting Luca, too. And then Paityn looked at him, and Luca didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t fix this, couldn’t force her father to love their child no matter how badly she wanted it. Luca wasn’t looking to challenge anyone, but he stood up, mainly out of sheer frustration. He looked at Johnny.
“That’s your fucking daughter,” Luca said, voice harsher than intended. He couldn’t even his voice out, finding it difficult to keep his emotions in check. There was a lot going on inside of him. Even if he didn’t feel like a father yet, Luca felt the need to protect Paityn and their child.
“She’s pregnant with your grandchild. Costello or not.”
A child belonging to both sides could’ve changed everything for the better, but Johnny didn’t give a shit. Luca could tell.
“It’s fine. I’m always gonna take care of my family. And I know that no matter how tough things get, I won’t ever be a piece of shit dad like you.”
Luca should’ve tried harder to be levelheaded, but it was fucking impossible. Her father was an asshole. And Paityn didn’t deserve this. Neither did their baby.
When Luca stood up, Paityn knew things were going south fast; though, she didn’t want to stop him. In that moment, Paityn wouldn’t care if Luca shot him between the eyes without a word. She covered her mouth, avoiding her father’s fury and gaze.
Johnny stood when Luca finished his outburst and Jack took a step forward, ready to intervene should the conflict escalate too much. Paityn locked eyes with her brother and he gave her a reassuring nod. He promised he wouldn’t let anything happen to the father of her child. Paityn could see in Jack’s eyes how angry he was; he didn’t think it was fair for his father to project his hatred onto Paityn and her baby. Even if that child was part Costello, it was also a part of his sister, Johnny’s daughter.
Paityn’s father approached her husband slowly but as soon as Luca was in reach, Johnny’s hand clutched his throat. He squeezed just hard enough to bruise. “Fuck you,” he spat. “She’s not my daughter anymore. You made sure of that.”
“Dad, stop!” Paityn shouted as she stood to her feet. “Let go of him,” she begged as Jack stepped in. Touching Johnny’s shoulder, the man’s reflexes meant Jackson got an elbow to the nose before Johnny sucker punched Luca.
As the three men fought, Paityn just watched at a distance crying and she pleaded for everyone to calm down.
“Please, let’s just leave, Luca, he’s not gonna stop!”