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She nods and a flood of relief washes over me and I squeeze her a little tighter. I didn’t know that he would. Each time we spoke, he wavered back and forth about double-crossing her. Now, I get to start planning a future with her without having to look over our shoulders every day.
“Let’s talk about something else,” she says, plastering on a fake smile. “Like where we’re going to live and what we’re going to name our baby. I had an appointment yesterday too, in between all the interviews. Our baby is doing well. We’re going to be able to find out the gender in a few more weeks.”
I laugh and pull her tighter to me, kissing her as I ignore the pain in my torso. She laughs and kisses me back. When she pulls away, the smile on her face is genuine and I can see the happiness shining in her eyes.
“Even after all this shit the baby is alright?” I kiss her again, grinning when I pull away. I was worried about what would happen to our baby from the moment Aria followed me into that warehouse.
“The baby is perfectly healthy. Everything is looking good for where we are in the pregnancy. More blood tests are being run and I’ll find out in a few days if everything is alright there.”
My cheeks ache from the smile on my face as I rub her growing stomach. There is nothing wrong with our baby, even after the stress we have been through in the last several weeks. The baby is healthy and happy.
“We’re going to be parents.”
Aria laughs and nods, putting her hand over mine. “We’re going to be parents.”
“Don’t worry about where we’re going to live. I have a place to show you once they let me out of here.”
She raises an eyebrow. “You have a place?”
“I just might. It’s still pretty new and it will need a lot of work, but I’m thinking about taking some time off. Maybe starting a small security business instead.”
Aria shrugs. “Whatever you want to do. I have shares in my brothers’ companies. There is more than enough money being deposited in my account every month for us to never have to work again.”
“Money runs out eventually. And if those companies aren’t legitimate, you could be screwed.”
Aria rolls her eyes. “I only have shares in their legitimate companies. In addition to that, I’ve made some very smart investments. None of it is money that the government can take.” She scoffs. And then she whispers, “The money gained through less than legal means is in an offshore account and there are protections in place for it.”
“I’m still going back to work eventually.”
“I think I might want to start my own business one day too.”
I run my fingers through her hair, twisting a soft tendril around my finger. “You do whatever you want to do, Aria. We have the rest of our lives to figure it out. You could try a million different businesses if you wanted to.”
“I’m not going to try a million different things, but I think it might be smart to get away from the family business for a little while.”
I nod and continue to work my fingers through her hair. Her head rests on my chest and her eyes start to drift shut. In a few minutes, her soft snores fill the room.
As I look down at her, I smile.
She is the kind of woman that I least expected to end up with. She’s several years younger than me and her family’s criminal background is enough to send most running for the hills.
However, I once heard that you can’t help who you fall in love with.
Aria may not be the ideal partner for everyone, but she is perfect for me.
29
ARIA
Tyson looks up at the Russo estate from the passenger seat of my new car. He sighs and shakes his head.
After all this time, it feels weird to be coming back here. My father is dead and I haven’t spoken to my mother or brothers yet. Agents swarm the front yard, carrying items from the house out in evidence bags.
“You know, when they released me from the hospital this morning, I didn’t think this is the first place we would go.” Tyson reaches across the console and takes my hand. “Are you okay with being here?”
“I have to know what’s going on. You know that there’s a lot that’s going to happen in the next year, and I want them to know that I’m still with them, no matter what happens.”
“Your brothers look like they’re ready to kill me,” Tyson says. He nods to the front porch where my brothers are standing. All four of them do look ready to kill, though they don’t have any weapons visible.
