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By nine this morning, though, the room had filled with family. Hunter sat in a chair across the room, holding our little boy and whispering words he wouldn’t understand for a long time. I couldn’t look away from them as I considered how amazing a father he’d be one day. He’d been like a father to me for so many years that I couldn’t wait to see that side of him as he looked down on my child. “He’s beautiful,” he said for what felt like the fiftieth time. I couldn’t fault him, though. Our little one was perfect in every way. “Thank God he looks nothing like Carlo.”
I snorted a laugh because the statement was far from true. He had Carlo’s nose and the shape of his eyes. I had a feeling this child would be a carbon copy of him, but that was perfect, especially when I thought about the name we’d chosen to give him. We hadn’t told anyone yet, and I waited for Carlo’s brother to arrive before spilling the news. I heard them long before they made it into the room. The stampede of footfall came, and a distant nurse shouted, but I couldn’t make out the words. Side by side, Louis and Tommy skidded into the room, their eyes fixing first on me and then on the sleeping bundle in Hunter’s arms.
“If either of you fuckers wakes the baby, you’ll have another thing coming,” Carlo said, grinding his teeth as he stared at them.
Neither of them said anything as they took hesitant steps toward the baby. Louis finally turned and looked at me first. “Has anyone told you you look like shit?”
Carlo moved to stand, but I tightened my grip on his hand, and he didn’t move. “At least I have an excuse. What’s yours?” I asked.
Louis stared for a long moment before chuckling deeply and offering me a fist to pound. I smiled and did just that as he looked at the baby again. “Did they cut him out, or did you…you know?”
“Push him out of me?” I asked, raising my brows. I’d never seen Louis look so uncomfortable, and it was Carlo who chuckled this time. “The second option.”
“Is that why his head is an oval? Did he not fit?”
I couldn’t contain the belly laugh this time, even though the feeling of laughing caused a small tinge of discomfort. “You really know nothing about babies, do you?” I asked.
“Do I look like a fucking doctor?”
“You’re going to give this kid a potty mouth before he’s out of diapers,” Frankie said from the doorway. We all turned and looked at him. He leaned into the doorframe, and a part of me was surprised to see him there. He’d been distant since the situation with Bella, but he’d become more vocal over the past few months, especially when the topic veered toward the expectant baby. It seemed to be the only thing that would lighten his eyes, so I used it as much as possible. Now he stared at the little boy and smiled slightly. “I expected that Carlo would give me my first nephew,” he admitted, looking at Louis. “You would’ve been my second guess.”
“Why me?” Louis scoffed.
“Yeah, I’m interested in hearing the same,” I commented, looking between all the brothers. Tommy had wide eyes and Carlo appeared disgusted as Louis smirked, finally seeming to understand what Frankie was saying. I, on the other hand, had no idea. “Hello? Is anyone going to explain?”
“I promise, it’d be best if you didn’t ask,” Carlo whispered. Curiosity ate at me, but I trusted him enough to nod slowly and let the situation go, despite the laughter that bellowed from Louis.
“So, this is him?” Tommy asked, kneeling beside Hunter.
“I assume now is when I’m supposed to hand him over, right?” Hunter asked, disappointment oozing from his tone.
“How about to me first,” I suggested, opening my arms. Hunter seemed almost relieved to hear my request as he passed the baby to me and I gathered him to my chest. The way he burrowed deeper into my arms melted my heart even more than I thought possible.
“We wanted to share the name,” Carlo said, looking at me as if to ensure I was ready. I nodded, and he smiled down at both of us. “We named him Johny Frank Bonanno Junior.”
The only one who moved was Frankie. He stepped back, shocked to hear that part of the name came from him. I hadn’t expected the reaction, but it warmed me nevertheless. “Frankie,” I said softly, “Neither of us would be here today if it weren’t for you.”
“You named him after me,” he stated, shaking his head as if the idea still surprised him.
“You and Johny,” Carlo replied. He stood, striding toward his brother and patting him on the back. It wasn’t a difficult decision. Carlo had mentioned his lost brother to me, which was the only logical thing to do. When I’d suggested it, he’d dropped to his knees before my belly and spoken to Johny as if it was his brother incarnate. All the brothers deserved this, and I couldn’t help but notice how Louis had a tear in the corner of his eye before blinking it away.
“This little guy has no idea how many protectors he has,” Tommy whispered, reaching forward and running a thumb over Johny’s head.
Frankie and Louis came to the other side of the bed as Carlo reclaimed his spot beside me, wrapping an arm around my back. Hunter stood at the very end of the bed and chuckled, shaking his head as if considering how absurd this entire situation was. Four of the most brutal, notorious mobsters stood around the hospital bed, looking down at an innocent babe as if they’d all lay down their lives for him.
“Can I teach him about computers?” Tommy asked. I nodded.
“I can teach him about guns,” Frankie said, and I shot him a look. “I’ll do it safely.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “I guess that’s the life he’s going to live.”
“You can teach him how to fix up houses,” Louis commented. “It’s always good to be handy.”
“Unlike any of you,” I remarked, rolling my eyes as I recalled the few times I’d asked for help in their kitchen renovation. Louis didn’t know the difference between a water line and a sewer line, and Tommy had somehow not realized that you had to flip off the breakerbeforeworking on outlets. Frankie hadn’t made any ignorant mistakes, but he was the only one.
“Frankie, why don’t you take him into the waiting room for a few minutes,” Carlo suggested, and I hesitated as I handed my baby to his uncle. In Frankie’s large, calloused hands, Johny looked even smaller. Almost as if it had been planned, everyone else trailed after him, leaving me and Carlo alone in the hospital room.
“I don’t think the baby’s supposed to leave the room,” I said, running my tongue over my teeth as the lack of Johny’s presence made my chest ache. But Carlo filled in well enough as he leaned over me.
