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n to tell me you’re afraid of my sister? She’s tiny.”
“Your baby sister is freakishly strong when she wants something. If you think you can take her, I welcome you to try. As a matter of fact, hold that thought and let me get some popcorn.”
Noah ran off, and Diana could only laugh. It never failed to amuse her how those guys communicated. They were all so big and gruff and obviously badass, but then they’d do and say the funniest things. It was nice to see a different side to Rafe as well, one he only allowed to emerge around those he trusted most. The human side.
Rafe glanced at her. “What do you say? Pizza?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He held out a hand, and she accepted it gratefully. Despite the long nap, she still felt exhausted and a little unsteady. They walked down the hallway toward the living room, the sound of voices getting louder and louder as they approached. Diana clutched his arm tighter. It was hard to know where she fit in with this bunch. They were all really nice to her, but she figured Lucia had to wish her brother had met someone without so much baggage. After everything he’d been through, now he was getting dragged back into the mud because of her brothers. Lucia probably wished he’d never met her.
As soon as they entered the room, Oskar gave her a quick grin before going back to his conversation with Matthias. Diana felt her nerves dissolve a little bit as JJ appeared and grabbed her arm.
“We need to get you some pizza before Lucia eats it all,” JJ declared.
With a chuckle, she let the vivacious blonde lead her away. Self-conscious over how tired and haggard she must look, Diana pushed her hair back, wishing now that she’d taken a little more time on her appearance. JJ was also blond but the type that looked like she belonged in a music video, straddling the back of a Harley. She was all sex and spice, while Diana suddenly felt about as enticing as dry toast.
Diana accepted the plate Lucia handed her and took one piece of pizza, praying the smell wouldn’t upset her stomach. She glanced over her shoulder at Rafe. They hadn’t discussed when they wanted to announce their news, and she definitely didn’t want to have to explain a vomiting fit to his sister right now. Luckily, the smell didn’t bother her at all. Her stomach rumbled, and Diana suddenly realized just how hungry she was.
“Ugh, I’m starving! As usual,” Lucia declared before snatching three pieces of pizza onto her own plate. “Everyone talks about pregnancy cravings, but I never realized that you’re just as hungry when you’re nursing. I’m probably never going to fit into my old clothes again.”
JJ rolled her eyes. “Says the tiny girl who still wears a size that I couldn’t fit one leg into.”
“You look amazing and you know it.” Lucia smirked at her friend. “I’m sure Jonas lets you know exactly how much he loves your curves.”
Diana was struck with longing as she watched the two friends banter back and forth. With no mother or sisters, she’d always been on her own to figure things out growing up. Now that she was pregnant, it would be nice to have someone to talk to. She wished she could confide in Lucia and ask all the questions that were banging around in her head, but this was Rafe’s sister. Would she be happy that her brother was going to be a father? Or upset that he’d knocked up some random chick with a psycho family?
She took a tiny bite of her pizza.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Lucia put an arm around her. “I’ve been meaning to check on you. It can’t be easy being holed up with no one but Rafe for company. You know you’re always welcome to hang with us if you get bored.”
JJ rolled her eyes. “Um, I know this is weird since it’s your brother, Lu, but no straight woman would be bored with Rafe. I’m sure he’s keeping her… busy.”
JJ made an obscene gesture, and Diana choked slightly. Lucia burst into giggles.
“JJ, stop. Don’t mind her, Diana. We still haven’t gotten her completely house trained.”
“No, it’s fine!” Diana wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Everything is fine. I’ve just been tired. But Rafe has been taking good care of me.”
Ignoring JJ’s raised eyebrows, Lucia nodded. “He’s good at that. Taking care of people. Even though he seems all gruff and scary, my brother has always been the caretaker type. I mean, he practically raised me, along with Nonna, of course.”
“He loves you so much. I can tell how proud he is of you when he talks about you.” Diana glanced behind her to where Rafe was standing with the other men. As if he could sense her eyes, he turned. The air between them crackled with electricity, and she blushed and turned around.
Lucia regarded her with a kind smile. “I’m proud of him too. He’s had a hard life, but he’s never given up. Now all I can do is pray that he learns to relax and enjoy life before it’s too late. But I can see I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“Oh?” Diana asked.
“With the way he looks at you, my brother is clearly thinking about a lot more than work lately. You’re the first girl he’s ever introduced to us.”
Although everything inside her thrilled at the thought, Diana cautioned herself not to get too excited. Rafe was an extremely private man, and his life was a dangerous one. Of course he’d probably never introduced anyone to his family. But that didn’t mean he’d been a monk over the years.
Don’t think about that.
Her stomach churned slightly at the thought of Rafe with other women. But he wasn’t with those women now. He was with her. He loved her. No matter what was going on around them, the two of them together was a good thing. And as much as he was determined to protect her, she felt just as strongly about him. She glanced over at Lucia and JJ, playfully bickering over the last slice of pizza.
All of them. They were his family, and they would be her baby’s family. The very thing she’d always wanted was so close she could taste it.
She wouldn’t let anything get in the way.
