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Is it possible to still be in shock? Because it feels like it.
“Did that OB Nicco flew in say exactly how far along you are?”
I nod, thinking about the OB, Doctor Robles, who’s been assigned to be my personal OB from now until I give birth, thanks to Nicco being extremely overprotective and incredibly bougie. Who has a private OBGYN?
“Just this morning, actually. I had a scan, and Dr. Robles said I’m a little over sixteen weeks pregnant, so it happened just before your father…”
“Gabriel,” Giana insists, her eyes downcast to the floor. “Please.”
“Right before I was taken byGabriel. Right around the same time everything happened with Enzo.”
I don’t tell her that Niccolò could absolutely be the father of this baby growing inside of me.
I don’t tell her that I hope it is, despite everything.
Because I don’t want to admit any of it to myself.
That I’m pregnant.
That I’ve fallen for Niccolò Amato.
That maybe I fell the day he pulled me out of that car and brought me to safety.
And if not then, absolutely the other night in my shop.
That my life has changed so much in such a short amount of time, and I’m having trouble processing it.
After we check out, we decide to sit out front on a bench and chat before we go our separate ways. Dom has been assigned by Niccolò to be my personal bodyguard for the foreseeable future, or until his arm heals from whatever injury he has. He’s standing far enough out of earshot but also close enough that he can be at my side in seconds if need be.
And I can’t say it bothers me.
It’s strange, yes. But at the same time, it’s kind of comforting to know no one is going to come kidnap me for the third time in my life. The old me would’ve fought this tooth and nail, but Niccolò’s words keep replaying over and over in my mind.
When did we learn that being strong meant we had to hide our pain?
The wind starts to blow my hair, and I decide to tie it back to tame it, just as Giana turns toward me on the bench.
“How do you think things are going?” she asks, and I know what she’s referring to.
Niccolò, Pietro, and Matteo are meeting with the heads of the DeSantis family to talk about forming a new allyship. Yesterday, Niccolò had some kind of big meeting with the Amatos about how he expects the future to go now that he’s boss. He came home to the house just as I was getting ready for bed and told me a few details, which was surprising seeing as how Enzo always left me pretty much in the dark when it came to mafia business.
Now that Gabriel is out of the picture, Niccolò is the acting boss, and now that Sofia has been returned, he’s trying to come to some kind of agreement or set new terms for allyship to start repairing all of the damage between the Amatos and DeSantises.
I shrug as I look at Giana. “Hopefully good. I overheard Niccolò and Dom talking about it, and Niccolò actually seemed nervous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him nervous…” I shake my head. “Not that I’ve been around him a lot, but you know what I mean.”
A man with a walking hot-dog cart strolls past us, and my stomach churns. At first, it makes me hungry, but now I kind of want to throw up.
“Dante knows how important this is to me, that the families start to resolve their past issues. A lot of hurt has been done, mostly by my family…” She bites down on her lip.
I still find it so odd that she’s Gabriel Amato’s daughter. She is so different from him. So, so different.
“And Niccolò.” She smiles. “My brother doesn’t get nervous easily. You’re right. But he’s wanted to be part of something respectable for a long time. He’s a good person, and I know being under Gabriel’s reign has taken a toll on him.”
Her phone chimes, and she looks down at it and smiles.
“My best friend, Remi, is officially in her ho era.” She types out something and then locks her phone. “Actually,”—she quirks a brow—“she’s always kind of been in a ho era, but lately, she’s juggling men like it’s her job.”
We let out bursts of laughter as we stand up, both of us with bags from the store, and I check my own phone, but there’s nothing from Niccolò yet. We start to walk toward the bookstore, where Giana is parked, and I see Dom follow out of the corner of my eye as I go to cross the street.
