Thank God Drea hadn’t made me promise not to tell my brothers about the baby because the first thing I did the moment we sat down for our weekly business meeting was blurt, “I’m going to be a dad!”
Both Rafe and Gianni stared at me in disbelief for a few moments. “Drea’s pregnant?” Gianni asked.
“Of course she’s pregnant. Who the hell else would I have knocked up?”
“Sorry. You just took me by surprise. You guys have only been married like what, five weeks?” Gianni replied.
Before I could reply, Rafe said, “Wait a minute. Did you two lie to me about fucking around before the wedding?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, asshole, we didn’t.” Turning to Gianni, I said, “And for your information, it happened on our honeymoon.”
Gianni grinned. “You’ve got some hella fast swimmers.”
“Tell me about it. Good thing I wrapped my shit up tight all these years, or there might be a lot of little Leos running around.”
“Do you know the sex yet?” Rafe asked.
“Not yet. But we’re going to do a blood test in two weeks.”
Smiling, Rafe shook his head. “I can’t believe it. You’re going to beat me to being a dad.”
I laughed. “Like it matters.Yourson will be the Neretti heir.”
“You know I still like to be first,” Rafe teased.
“Then get busy with Maeve.”
“While that hasn’t been a problem, we still need to get married.”
Gianni groaned. “Great, you’re going to be an old married fart, too. With both of you jackasses married, everyone is going to be on me to do it too.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” I countered.
“I think I'm good.”
“Come on, G. If a total player like Leo can be shouting the merits of marriage from the rooftops, maybe you ought to consider it.”
Gianni slowly shook his head. “Jesus, you two belong in your own pussy-whipped cult.”
I laughed. “Just wait. We’ll get you to drink the Kool-Aid when you least expect it.”
For the first time in a long time, fear radiated in Gianni’s eyes, which was hilarious considering the men we were.
***
Four days later, I was no longer laughing about Gianni’s fearful reaction to marriage. I experienced what I imagined was the look in G’s eyes when I entered the OBGYN’s office with Drea. No, there was nothing remotely humorous about the situation I currently found myself in.
As I sat next to Drea in the waiting room, I tried reasoning that I was a member of the underworld. I’d taken down men twice my size. I’d maimed and tortured. I’d seen a body turned from the inside out.
Yet I was pissing my pants about being around so many vaginas in a medical sense.
Turning to Drea, I said in a low voice, “Remind me again why we’re at a doctor’s in Jersey under an alias?”
“Because I want to protect the baby as long as I can. You know how I feel about the dangers it faces in our world.”
“I don’t think it’s that risky to see a doctor in Manhattan."
“Do you seriously not think my father has eyes on us there? While I might tell him I’m pregnant, I don’t want him having any clue where he could hack my medical records.”
