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We pulled up to Gianni’s family home, which looked even more extravagant than his own. Climbing out of the car, I shouldn’t have expected anything less. Gianni laced his fingers into mine and made our way to the door.
Their home was even more beautiful on the inside. The walls were filled with artwork, just like Gianni’s. I was so busy studying the walls that I didn't notice that he dragged me to the kitchen.
“Hey, mom,” Gianni temporarily left my side to greet the woman who’d given him life. Though he didn’t get his looks from her, she was stunning. Xora exuded elegance and grace that helped me relax a little.
“This is my mother, Xora. Mom, this is Hailo.”
“Hi, sweetheart. It’s nice to meet you finally.” Xora’s voice was cozy, like your favorite warm blanket.
“Thank you.”
“You’re going to make a beautiful bride. By the looks of it, we need to get started on a baby shower.” Xora began rattling things off her checklist, ripping off the cozy blanket her voice initially provided.
“Relax, woman,” Gianni replied, bouncing his hand to signal her ass if she couldn’t hear his words.
“I can’t be excited that my only child is giving me a grandbaby.” Xora smiled, and every alarm went off in my body as she reached for my stomach. Some pregnant women loved the attention that came with it, but I wasn’t one of them, and I didn’t like people in my space.
“Where’s your restroom?” I asked, using my bladder as an excuse to escape.
“Gianni, show her to the restroom,” Xora ordered, and Gianni obliged.
He smirked, leading me around the corner. “You don’t have to pee,” Gi chuckled, pushing the door open.
“I’m pregnant. I always have to pee.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Is she always like that?”
“She’s just excited. Now go and pretend to piss.”
By the time I sat on the toilet, I did need to pee. My bladder was paper thin these days, another side effect I could do without. Gianni waited and introduced me to the rest of his family despite already meeting his cousins the same night I met him.
Everybody was friendly, especially his father, who seemed genuinely remorseful for how we met. It didn’t matter because he and Tyson were both on my shit list. The only difference was that Tyson didn’t seem to care, while Ross went above and beyond to make me comfortable in their home.
Solana and Gi didn’t seem as friendly as the night we met. He didn’t say much to her, and she looked like she had a lot to say but chose to keep it inside- a look I knew well because I often did the same.
“Have you guys thought of baby names?” Solana asked across the dinner table, and my eyes skirted to Gianni.
“Not yet.”
His family seemed genuinely happy about the baby. I still had reservations about them, but they seemed a lot more normal seated around the oversized table than when I met Tyson and Ross.
Sophia took a sip of her champagne before cutting into everybody’s congratulations. “A baby girl. We know who was in control that night.”
“Sophia.” Mia chastised while she hunched her shoulders, living up to the disclaimer Gianni had given me in the car.
“I can’t wait to spoil her,” Solana replied, sounding just like Niyomi and Denim.
“That spoiled baby will be sitting on your doorstep,” Gi chimed in.
“That’s fine,” Solana lapped her eyes.
“Another girl to have Gi wrapped around her finger,” Tyson chuckled, making my skin crawl.
“I guess we know what you’ll be having when it's your time,” Mack added, who had been quiet until this point.
Tyson flipped him the bird, and his father warned him not to let it happen again.
