Page 115 of Fractured Empire

“Okay.” I exhale and lift my chin. “Let’s check out and get out of here.”

“You don’t need to pay for those,” Gino tells me with a chuckle. “Just put them in your purse.”

Scandalized, I rock back on my heels in shock. “I will not be shoplifting today, thank you very much.”

The big man throws his head back, laughing deep and loud. “Sweetheart, you can’t shoplift from your own store.”

“My…” I trail off, eyebrows drawing in. “The Morettis own this place?”

“The Morettis own this whole town, Katya.”

“Oh.” I blink, looking around. “Maybe we should grab some candy then too.”

Laughing again, Gino claps his hands together. “Whatever you want, sweetheart. You’re the boss.”

That’s so weird. I shake my head. But kind of cool.

Shoving my items into my purse like I’m going to be caught if I don’t do it fast enough, I stroll by a display of sour gummy worms and grab a bag. Opening them up like an impatient child, I pop one in my mouth and head for the exit. I guess I own this place, so I might as well walk around like I do.

I feel a lot lighter on the drive home than I did on the way to the shop, feeling like I’ve found an unlikely ally with Gino. He was thoughtful in his response to me, not promising to keep my secret, but assuring me he wouldn’t blab if I told my husband myself. And I’m going to. As soon as I pee on these sticks and the results pop up, I’m going straight to Leon.

I’ve been nauseous for days, barely holding back throwing up more than once. I could be coming down with something, or simply feeling under the weather because it’s getting colder and colder outside. But feeling under the weather wouldn’t explain my period disappearing. Lifestyle changes can affect your cycle, and that’s what I chalked it up to at first, but not that it’s pretty substantially missing, I think another reason might be more accurate.

Leon and I have been fucking like rabbits for almost two months now without protection, and if his father is anything to show for it, fertility is strong with his family. I could have a little Moretti growing inside me as we speak, and frankly I need to know before I start to think about it too much. There’s no sense in getting my hopes up, or even starting to stress about preparing for a newborn when I may not even be pregnant.

Some people take months and years to procreate even with nothing medically wrong with them. I know that. And yet, the feeling deep inside my gut says that something has changed.

Thankfully, Leon isn’t in the living room when we arrive back at the house, and I’m able to hurry up to my bedroom without making an excuse about needing to pee. Not that that would be much of a lie either. I’m definitely going to pee…just on two magic sticks that are going to tell me my freaking future.

A baby is something both of us want, something I’d cherish, but that doesn’t mean it will happen for us right away.

Shutting myself in my bathroom, I dump out my purse and open the boxes hastily. I’m taking both of these tests at the same time, and I’m going to try not to bite my nails to bits as I wait for them to process. They’re the fancy expensive kind that displays the words “pregnant” or “not pregnant” after two minutes’ time.

Two minutes sounds like a short time until you’re waiting for life-changing test results to come in in those one hundred and twenty seconds.

By the time I have both tests taken and resting on the bathroom counter, I’ve calmed myself down a fair bit. I’ve been trying not to feel hopeful so I can’t be let down by the results if they’re negative, but I’m grateful for so much of my life that I can’t help but keep my spirits up. Even if I’m not pregnant now, I could be soon.

Leon and I haven’t been using caution to prevent pregnancy but we haven’t been intentionally trying to make sure it happens either. We haven’t been tracking ovulation, or lifting my legs up when we finish to help move things along. I think if these tests let me down, I’m going to suggest that we do, though. I’m so happy with him and the boys, so completely in love with our little family, that I can’t help but want to see it grow.

Looking down at my phone screen, three minutes have officially passed by, and I can’t wait a moment longer. Stepping closer to the counter again, I pick them up and flip them over, feeling my heart begin to race.

My breath catches as I peer down at the plastic devices, throat tightening up as I read.

“Leon,” I rasp to myself, rushing toward my door with the tests in hand.

I can’t think straight until I’ve found him in the kitchen. He looks freshly showered and his arms are big and bulky in his white T-shirt, making me realize that he was probably working out while I was gone. I would have barged into his bathroom to tell him while he was covered in soap if he hadn’t been finished by the time my tests were.

Hearing my footsteps, he looks up, meeting my eyes before his gaze flicks to my hands. He freezes before looking right back at my face, a question dancing in his expression. My breath comes out shakily as I nod, dipping my chin and feeling my hair sway.

My feet surge forward and I’m running right into his chest before I’ve even recognized that I’m moving. My arms fly around his neck and Leon lifts me up into him, pulling me tight. He spins us around and laughs, inhaling my scent through my hair and cupping the back of my head with one of his hands.

“Fuck, baby,” he whispers, sounding wondrous. “Really?”

He lets me pull back enough to look at him closely. “Really,” I croak, nodding with blurry, watery eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was going to buy the tests. I just wanted to make sure before I said anything. I wasn’t sure and I really really didn’t want to be wrong.”

“Don’t apologize.” He shakes his head, kissing my lips through a smile. “You’ve just given me the best fucking news, tesoro. We’re going to have a baby. Fuck, you’re incredible. You have no idea.”

“I’m so happy,” I confess, allowing a couple joyful tears to fall. “I was worried I might be overthinking it, but I haven’t been feeling well and I just had this feeling.”