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“No,” Bruno growled. “You had nothing to do with my father’s death. I lost my father a long time ago. We did what we had to do to keep everyone safe. Neither of us was ever going to be safe as long as my father was still alive. He wouldn’t have let us have any kind of life. I know that you were doing what you thought was right but losing you would have killed me. I wouldn’t know how to live in a world without you, babe,” Bruno whispered. “I can’t lose you. I love you, Gino.” Hearing Bruno say those words to him made everything in Gino’s world feel right. All the pain and misery that he suffered would be worth it if it led to Bruno saying those three words to him.
“I love you too, Bruno,” Gino breathed. Saying it back was easier than he imagined. “So, what now?” Gino asked.
“Now, you press that damn button for the nurse. We need to let her know that you’re awake and then, I’m going to take care of you until you’re well enough to go home. I’m ready to start living the rest of our lives—together.”
“Forever,” Gino quickly added. Bruno nodded as he pushed the button to call in the nurse. He was finally getting his forever with a man he had loved for a long time and Gino was sure that was going to be the best medicine for him.
Bruno
One Year Later
Bruno walked into the nursery that he and Gino had put together for their daughter. Their lives had been such a whirlwind, he couldn’t believe that they were about to bring their little girl home soon.
Once he took over as head of the Gluttony syndicate, he knew that he wanted to make some major changes. He watched his father give up so much of his life as head of the syndicate. His dad missed family dinners and important milestones in both his and his sister’s lives, he didn’t want that kind of life with his own kids. That was weird to even think about—his own kids, but he was determined to make it a reality.
He and Gino had found the perfect surrogate and she instantly became part of their family. Lola was sweet and caring and the perfect woman to carry their daughter. She was almost as excited for them as they both felt about meeting their little girl.
Lola had moved into their guest bedroom during the third trimester. Some complications had put her on complete bedrest and he and Gino insisted that she move in with them so they would be able to take care of her and the baby. It felt right to have Lola close, and Bruno loved watching her belly grow each week. He got to feel the baby move and kick—all things that he and Gino would have missed out on before Lola moved in with them.
“I thought that I’d find you in here,” Gino said, walking into the nursery. He wrapped an arm around Bruno’s waist and tugged him close. He loved how Gino was always touching and loving him as if he couldn’t get enough. Bruno felt the same way about him.
“Yeah, I was just checking on everything to make sure that we’re ready for her. She’ll be here any day now,” Bruno reminded.
“I know,” Gino said, “and, I can’t wait to meet her too. But our daughter isn’t going to be upset if her blanket isn’t perfectly placed over the side of her crib or her diapers aren’t stacked perfectly. She’s going to love the nursery no matter what state it’s in, babe.” Bruno knew that his guy was right, but he was a perfectionist.
“Are you going to come into the office with me today or are you sticking around here to keep an eye on Lola?” Bruno asked. They had been taking turns staying home with her to make sure that she had everything that she needed. She liked to tell them that they were going to spoil her to the point of her not wanting to leave after the baby was born, and that would be just fine with Bruno.
“I’m going to hang back here with her. She’s been having cramps today and I don’t want to take any chances with her being so close to her due date,” Gino said.
“Agreed,” Bruno said, “I’m going to make it a short day. I’ll be home just after my one o’clock meeting.”
“That would be great. We can order from Lola’s favorite place for dinner,” Gino said.
“Sounds good,” Bruno agreed. “You know, I’m going to miss her after the baby is born. I know that she won’t want to stick around and cramp our style, but I wish she would. It’s been nice having her here.”
“Babe, Lola will always be a part of our lives. She’s connected to our daughter and always will be, but she had a life of her own. We’ve been over all this already.” They had been. Bruno had even asked Lola to move in permanently, but she told him that it wouldn’t be fair to any of them if she did that. She wasn’t going to be Lola’s mother and if she stuck around, she would fill that role. Their daughter was going to have two father’s and Lola insisted that she was going to be the luckiest little girl in the world, but Bruno worried that they were going to fuck things up when it came to being parents. He and Gino had no idea what they were doing when it came to raising a little girl. They had bought just about every parenting book and guide ever written and read all of them. But that wouldn’t mean that they were prepared in any way to be fathers.
The guys of the syndicate had thrown them a surprise baby shower, along with their wives. If Bruno had to guess, their wives were the ones to plan the shower and he had to admit—it was a perfect day. It was nice to see all seven of the families come together and have fun. It had been so long since they all could be in the same room without a fight breaking out. They had formed a perfect alliance and each family had lived up to the promises that they had made to each other. It was something that their fathers could never achieve and that thought made Bruno sad. If their fathers had just tried a little bit harder to get along, so many people wouldn’t have had to die. They would have never had to stage a coup to take back his syndicate and maybe, his father would have been a different man. Maybe he’d even be around to meet his granddaughter, but that would never happen now.
Bruno’s mother refused to have anything to do with him or the Gluttony family after he overthrew his father. She blamed him for his father’s death, and she was right. He was responsible for his father not being around anymore, but his old man left him no other alternative. Bruno tried to talk to him and convince him to change his ways, so many times, but he refused to listen to reason. It was painful to think about his daughter growing up without any grandparents since Gino’s parents passed when he was just a teenager, but there were so many people who already loved his little girl, and she wasn’t even born yet.
“I know that Lola will be around for the important stuff, but I really hope that she knows how much we appreciate and love her,” Bruno said.
“I’m sure that she does, but if not, the over-the-top gift we’re giving her will convince her how much we love her,” Gino teased. It was more than just a little gift. In fact, it was a brand-new car and maybe Gino was right, and it was over the top, but Bruno didn’t care. Lola needed a car, and he was going to make sure that she had the best.
“Don’t start with me, babe,” Bruno warned. “You know she was taking the bus to and from work. I couldn’t let her keep doing that, not after everything that she’s done for us.”
Gino held up his hands as if in surrender. “I’m not criticizing you, babe,” he insisted. “I agree with you. I’m just not sure that Lola will be okay with us giving her such an extravagant gift.”
“She’s giving us a daughter. I think that a baby is worth a hell of a lot more than a car,” Bruno insisted.
“Agreed,” Gino said. “Have we settled on a name for her yet?” he asked. That had been a sticking point for months now. Ever since they found out that they were having a little girl, they had been going back and forth on names. It was nearly impossible for them to agree on one.
“I think that we should decide on our top three names and when we finally get to see her, we’ll pick which one suits her best,” Bruno said. “Are we still set for Lola as her middle name?”
“Of course,” Gino agreed. “It’s the least we can do to honor her birth mother—well, that and buy her a car.”
“You’re not funny,” Bruno grumbled. He liked to act grumpy about Gino giving him shit, but honestly, he loved it. Gino kept him in line, just as he always had while they were partners on the job. They were life partners now and that meant so much more to Bruno.
