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My breath got short even thinking about the birth. These two babies squirming around inside me wanted out. Yeah, it was still three more weeks till my due date—
But hadn’t I just seen how quickly three weeks could move?
“Here, let me get that,” Leander said, grabbing my suitcase from me. “Want to hit the bathroom before we get on the road?”
I just rolled my eyes. Obviously there was only one answer to that. Him just mentioning it suddenly made me have to pee. But then everything did lately. They weren’t joking about pregnant women needing to pee every two seconds. Far too accurate.
I barely made it to the bathroom in time.
When I’d washed my hands and come back out, both Leander and Milo were by the door with all our stuff. Well, the last of the stuff, anyway. Milo had been going up and down for the last ten minutes ferrying our luggage. The twins didn’t travel light. I did. None of the clothes I’d come with fit anymore. I had an entirely new wardrobe, but it was mostly flowy Italian gowns that rolled up and took barely any room at all.
Janus was filming today, so we’d said our goodbyes earlier. He’d stay behind two more weeks to finish up filming, then join us in Florence.
I turned around one last time and said goodbye to the apartment that had been our haven while these babies in my belly grew near to bursting. And while the guys carried the last of our bags, I clutched the rail in one hand and my huge belly with the other to make it down the stairs.
I was tired and my feet ached as Leander and Milo helped me into the back seat of the large luxury van waiting for us. It was set up like a limo inside, with the two back benches facing each other and a good amount of leg room in between. There was a small inlaid bar below the black-out windows. We could see out, but no one could see in.
“Hey, Giancarlo,” Leander called to the driver after buckling me in. “We’re good to head out. If you need us, check the coms first.”
The driver was looking at him in the rearview mirror and he nodded. And then a partition slid up between him and us so we were secluded all to ourselves in the back seat.
I breathed out in relief. I always felt tense whenever any outsiders were looking on. Yes, I was with Leander whose leg was now in a modified cast, and to the outside world, that still meant he was Janus. And Janus was the one I was engaged to, in the eyes of that same world. So it wouldn’t be odd if I showed him PDA, but still…
Considering how complicated everything was, I preferred not to reveal anything when there were other eyes on us.
As if he could sense my tension, Leander took my hand and squeezed. He was seated beside me while Milo took the bench across from us. “It’s okay. It’s private back here. No one can see us or hear us.”
I took another deep breath. “How long will it take us to get to Florence?”
Florence was where one of the best hospitals in the country was located. So that was where Leander and Janus had determined I would give birth. Leander hadn’t been impressed with the doctors in Padua ever since they’d missed the fact that I was having twins at my first ultrasound. No matter how much I tried to contest that there hadn’t been any need to bust out larger imaging equipment since the heartbeat—or now we knew, in-sync heartbeats—were so steady.
No, since it was obviously too late in the pregnancy to fly anywhere and Rome was too far to comfortably drive, Florence it was.
“You look tired,” Leander said, sounding concerned as he pushed some hair back from my face.
“Well, Janus kept her up half the night,” Milo smirked.
Leander rolled his eyes. “If I remember correctly, you were there too.”
Milo just grinned. Oh yes, he’d been a very active participant last night.
“Here, lie down.” Leander moved to the side of the bench and then urged me back against his chest.
And it did feel good to sink against him.
I woke up with a gasp, hands flailing. They clutched my stomach and I almost cried in relief to feel my babies still there inside me.
“What is it?” Leander asked.
I heard his concern, but I was still in the dream world I’d just escaped.
They’re mine! You can’t have them.
But the men in black suits wouldn’t listen. They’d just shoved papers in my face while other men held me back. And my crying babies were taken away. One on the shoulder each of two uncaring, faceless men in black.
I sat up in the seat, hands still on my stomach. I must’ve moved too quickly, because a cramp wrenched my stomach. I winced in pain.
