AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Paulo had cleaned up the mess and covered for Gregor’s death. As it turned out, he had been terrorizing so many people across the city that he had virtually nothing in the way of actual allies, so the chances of someone coming to take a swing at Alex for killing him off were slim. He had threatened the location of the safehouse out of an old ally of Alex’s father before he’d killed him so he couldn’t spill. Nobody cared that he was gone; they were just glad to finally be rid of him, and I couldn’t blame them. The world was better off without a monster like that in the midst of it, and Gregor’s reign of terror over my family was finally over.
And now, Leo and my mom were safe to do exactly as they wanted. More than that, though, they were free from the remnants of everything my father had left behind. Alex had paid up the last of the debt he’d owed, turned over the mortgage on the house I’d grown up in, and freed my mom from the shackles of his addiction. I could already see it in her face, how much freer she felt, how the world had just opened up in front of her. I couldn’t wait to see what she was going to do with her life now she was finally released from those bonds.
And Leo could go back to his studies, too, finish off the master’s degree he had been working on before all of this had kicked off and forced him to drop everything. I was so proud of the two of them, but more than that, I couldn’t wait to see what they were going to do next; it felt as though my family had never truly been free from the weight of my father’s addiction, but now, we were truly the masters of our own destiny, and that was all that mattered.
I had suggested we get Leo and my mom around this weekend so we could break the news to them about the pregnancy; I’d visited the doctor, and it looked like everything was going great. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sit on the news for much longer without accidentally blurting it out. I was just so excited to share it with them, especially my mom. I knew this would be the little push she needed, something to look forward to that would let her leave behind the horrors of what had happened with Gregor before.
I had already made a pot of coffee—I had checked, and I could have one every day, nothing more than that. I was going to savor every sip. I was still getting used to exactly what it meant for me to be pregnant, but I knew I would figure it out as I went along. Alex had been helping me every step of the way, all but laying his coat down over a puddle for me to walk across. I had tried to tell him that I wasn’t that helpless, but he wasn’t having any of it. He wanted to do everything for me, and I had to admit, I kind of enjoyed it. Knowing that he was willing to do anything he could to take care of me, it made me feel … special, in a way. As though I was the center of his universe.
"So, did you come here just so you could show this place off?" Leo joked as he sipped on his coffee, sitting on the white leather couch that looked out over the huge picture window that dominated the living room. Before Gregor had been taken care of for good, I’d kept the shades down, so scared about letting the world see me like this, but now, I didn’t feel the same kind of fear. I had thrown them open, letting the light flood in and fill the place.
And, I supposed, it was a good metaphor for what we were about to tell them. I exchanged a look with Alex, and he reached over to give me hand a squeeze, silently telling me he was ready whenever I was.
I closed my eyes for a second, a smile crossing over my face. I wanted to remember this moment, commit it to memory. I glanced between my brother and my mom, took a deep breath, and then came out with it.
"I actually did bring you here for a reason," I confessed. "I wanted to tell you that … that I’m pregnant."
My mom let out a shriek so loud, I was surprised the glass in the window didn’t shatter from the sheer intensity of it. She clapped her hands over her mouth and then pounced on me, diving towards me and wrapping her arms around me tight.
"You mean it?" she blurted out. "You’re really …?"
"I’m really pregnant," I replied, laughing at her reaction. Leo got to his feet and extended his hand to Alex.
"Well, I never thought I’d be congratulating a guy for knocking up my baby sister," he joked. "But if it had to be anyone …"
"Leo," Mom scolded him, but I could tell she wasn’t really mad. She couldn’t be mad at anything right now. She slid into the seat next to me, shaking her head and dabbing at her teary eyes.
"Oh, darling," she murmured, shaking her head. "I’m so happy for you."
"I’m really happy, Mom," I replied, taking her hands and giving them a tight squeeze. "I … I know this must come as a shock, but …"
She shook her head.
"It’s not," she replied as Alex and Leo headed off to the kitchen to open a beer to celebrate. "When I … When Gregor had your brother and I, and Alex came to help us, I saw it written all over his face. How much he loves you. How protective he was of you. And I knew there had to be something more to this than just the two of you. I knew it then."
My heart blossomed with warmth at the sound of those words. It made me so happy to know other people could see it, too—other people could see how much he cared for me. I adored that man, but what really made me happy was feeling, without a shadow of a doubt, just how much he adored me, too. I had never been with someone like him before, never been with someone who was so open and happy about letting people know just how he felt about me. I wouldn’t have had it any other way, not a chance in hell.
"I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that, Mom," I whispered to her, and she shook her head.
"If it’s what had to happen for you to be free from that man, so be it," she replied, gritting her teeth and lifting her chin slightly. "You were brave for us when you needed to be … We could be brave for you, too."
I kissed her on the cheek, and she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight.
"Hey, you need to be careful with her," Leo joked as he came back into the room. "She’s pregnant, you know."
"I was pregnant twice," Mom reminded him, laughing. "I think I know what she can handle."
"I’ll be the judge of that," I protested, but I was smiling. I couldn’t stop smiling, actually. It felt as though everything was falling into place. A few months ago, when I had been walking down the aisle to marry Gregor, I never could have imagined I would have ended up here. Never could have imagined that I would find a way through the other side, to a life that I actually wanted to live.
A life that I couldn’t get enough of.
We spent the rest of the afternoon celebrating, my mom interrogating me on baby names and nursery ideas, and eventually, Leo and Mom headed home for the evening, leaving Alex and I alone together once more. I reclined on the couch as he drew my feet into his lap, easing off my socks and working his thumbs along my aching arches.
"I heard that pregnancy can be tough on your feet," he remarked, and I giggled.
"I think that only really becomes a problem when you’re a few months into it," I pointed out, and he shrugged, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of my feet.
"Maybe I just want an excuse to be close to you, then," he replied, flashing me a grin.
