Page 62 of The Boss

“No,” I reply firmly.

“You seem pretty sure of that, Gino.”

“I am.”

“How are you so sure?” He asks.

“Anthony, I’m trying to get him back, and you are not helping.”

“You are looking in the wrong place for this. Like I’ve told you, we have nothing to do with this. If you accuse my son again, I will send someone over to deal with you, because I am not listening to this anymore.” Then he hangs up.

Clearly that idea did not work.

“Gino, Gino,” Juliet’s frantic voice calls.

I rush to the door and yank it open.

“What is it?” I ask.

She’s got a smile, but still has a nervous look on her face.

“Alonso just called— Vanessa’s in labor.”

Before I can think, I’m running down the stairs with Juliet right behind me.

Sixteen hours later, and I’m still waiting outside my sister’s hospital room. I spared no expense, paying for the best care possible and a private area of the hospital.

I can’t bring myself to walk in.

She wasn’t supposed to go into labor yet, but she did. A whole month early. Everyone has told me she’s fine; her children are fine. And I believe that. But the one person who should be here isn’t, and it’s my fucking fault. I sent him to another country, and because of that, he missed something he would’ve loved to have witnessed.

I hear the door to her room open. I’m fully expecting to see a nurse walk out. When I look up, it’s Lucy looking at me with soft eyes.

She sighs and takes a seat next to me.

“Gino—” She pauses. “—she wants to talk to you.”

“Why? Can’t you see I’m not helping?” I ask.

“You sitting out here is not helping, and you won’t know unless you walk in there and ask her if you’re not helping,” she replies.

“The one person who should be here isn’t because of a decision I made,” I say, sounding incredibly defeated.

“You made the right decision months ago, sending him there; we both know that. What happened after was not your fault, not in the slightest,” she replies.

I know she’s right.

“I’ll leave you two alone to talk.”

She kisses my forehead like a mother would and walks down the hallway.

I take a deep breath and stand up, walking into the room.

When I walk in, I’m greeted with a smiling Vanessa.

“Hey, big bro, are you excited to be an uncle?”

I stare at her. I wasn’t expecting her to be so happy.