AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He chuckles. “We’ll see.”
The conversation ends when there’s a knock at the door. Roman and I both turn to the opened doorway where Maria and Rosa are standing. Rosa smiles as she walks in, heading straight for the crib.
“Don’t mind me, I just wanted to hang out with my niece,” she says.
Before I can utter a word of protest, she’s grabbing Cassie from the crib.
“Say bye, Mommy and Daddy,” Rosa says, mimicking a baby’s voice.
She waves Cassie’s hand at us and then they’re gone. Roman and I exchange a look as Maria takes a seat on our bed. Her eyes immediately meet mine.
“Elena, come here. Come sit,” she says softly, patting beside her on the bed.
Maria has been much nicer to me since the incident occurred. I guess the guilt from losing my child has made her want to start treating me better. Which is ridiculous because she shouldn’t be feeling any guilt at all. None of what happened is her fault and I’ve told her as much.
But De Lucas are notoriously stubborn.
I sit beside her and she takes one of my hands, placing it between hers. She looks at my face with a smile before looking back at her son, who’s watching us with a curious expression.
“When do you two plan to get married?” Maria asks.
My mouth drops open. Of all the things I expected her to say…
Roman clears his throat and fixes her with a stern look. “We’ll get married when we’re ready, Mother.”
I can’t even tell the man I love him and she’s already expecting us to walk down the aisle. This is just perfect. Roman’s gaze cuts to mine and I can tell he’s a little amused as he looks back to his mother.
“There’s no rush,” he adds.
“No rush?” Maria presses. “Cassie will be one soon. Don’t you think it’s time you both tried for another baby? And I’d really like for you to do so once you’re married.”
My jaw slackens even further. This time, Roman disguises his laugh with a cough. He’s enjoying the dread running through my veins.
“Mother, take things slow. Like you said, Cassie’s going to beonesoon. We have plenty of time.”
“I just want more grandbabies,” Maria says sadly.
“You could marry Tony off,” Roman suggests. “Or Michael.”
“As if I could get those heathens to marry,” she mutters. “The two of you are my only hope.”
“Alright, Mother. We got it.”
Maria turns to me, hands gripping mine a little tighter. “You’re so much more than I could ever see, Elena. And I’d be honored to have you as my daughter-in-law,” she whispers.
Her hands squeeze mine once more and then she gets to her feet.
“Rome,” I whisper once she’s gone, “is it just me or did I just get your mother’s approval?”
“A red badge and glowing endorsements,” he agrees with a nod.
Then he does something that surprises me. He gets down on one knee, staring up at me with concern.
“What my mother said… you know there’s no rush, right? We’ll do everything at your own pace. I don’t really give a fuck.”
I smile, placing my hands on his jaw. “I know. And thank you for being so amazing.”
“Thank you for being mine,” he returns.
