Chapter 54
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
HANNAH
If there’s one thing my upbringing prepared me for, it was meeting new people.
I’m an anxious girl in almost every single aspect of my life, but meeting new people isn’t one of them.
After years of being paraded in front of every business contact my grandfather saw fit, and being the sweet little princess my mother dressed me up as for every high society event she could find, I’m never nervous to meet someone new.
Up until now.
The doorbell rang a few minutes ago, and Rowan got up to meet Camilla and Crew while Asher and I remained on the couch.
He squeezes my hand, giving silent reassurance as Rowan walks into the room with two people on his tail.
Crew, I recognize immediately. It’s hard not to at six feet something with perfectly styled copper hair, but it’s his two different colored eyes that make him one of the most recognizable men in the city.
Camilla laughs at something he says, her dark hair pulled into a high ponytail.
She’s much shorter than he is, coming to below his shoulder, and wears a set not dissimilar to my own, just in dark gray.
The hand not clutched in her husband’s rests on her swollen stomach, and I don’t miss the hint of jealousy that makes itself known.
The fact that I decided for sure less than three hours ago that I want to have a family doesn’t seem to matter.
She meets my eye, and her smile grows, as if she’s excited to meet me. Which is crazy…right? Why would a Mafia queen have any interest in meeting someone like me?
Most people say Camilla De Marco is the sweetest person they’ve ever met, but if you get on her bad side, she won’t hesitate to end you just as quickly as one of her men would.
Perhaps that’s what I was expecting to see, but I can’t reconcile the woman who runs the De Marco family with a ruthless hand and the one standing in front of me in a lounge set and no makeup.
“Hannah, this is Crew and Camilla,” Rowan introduces, and I squeak out a quiet hello.
God, what is wrong with me today? Between the tears in the kitchen and this, I feel so out of my depth.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you!” Camilla sits on the other side of me, turning her body toward mine. “I’ve seen you at the club a few times, but you were usually in the middle of a scene.”
“Oh.” I blush. One of the strange things about being a member of a sex club and loving a bit of exhibitionism is seeing people outside the club who have watched you be fucked on stage.
Thankfully, I’ve only had to deal with it a handful of times before, but that also means I don’t really know what to say.
Crew chuckles. “Little Menace, you’re embarrassing the poor girl.”
She rolls her eyes at him before turning her attention back to me. “I’m so happy you’re here with the guys! They’ve been talking about you for as long as I’ve known them, and I’m just so happy for you all.”
Her husband squeezes her shoulder before meeting my eye. “Cami has become a bit sentimental the further along in pregnancy she gets,” he explains.
She shrugs, not bothering to refute what he’s saying. “Pregnancy hormones are wild. Wait until you’re knocked up. It’s like a roller coaster all day, every day.”
My eyes widen slightly because, although I’ve spent my morning daydreaming about having kids running around the house, I haven’t really considered pregnancy and all that will come with it.
Camilla watches me closely for a second before turning to Rowan. “Off you all fuck. It’s girl time.”
I choke on a giggle because I’ve never seen anyone talk to Rowan Cane like that, let alone a five-nothing pregnant woman, which is the exact moment I decide I really like Camilla De Marco.
“Don’t argue with her. She’s stubborn at the best of times, but I swear she’s even more so right now.
” Crew smiles down at her lovingly. The man standing in front of me is a completely different person from the one I’ve seen at the club and have heard stories about, but I guess that makes sense.
Showing the outside world your hard persona would be far safer.
“It’s because there are two girls’ worth of stubbornness in the one body.” She rubs her belly lovingly.
“You’re having a girl?” I ask.
“Yes! We found out last week, and I swear the guys have been in meltdown mode ever since.” Camilla laughs. “I’ve never seen Kovu bring home so many weapons in a single week.”
“She’s going to be a badass like her mom,” Crew says, brushing his hand over her stomach. “But even if she can take care of herself the way Camilla can, she’s still going to have four dads ready to end anyone who hurts her feelings.”
Camilla meets my eye with an exasperated look, and I can’t help but giggle at the image of parent-teacher conferences with all of them. “I’m expecting at least one of them to get kicked out of the hospital when I’m in labor.”
Crew groans. “Which is why we’re looking into home births with a full medical team.”
Rowan laughs softly and pats his friend’s shoulder. “It’s not even your first rodeo,” he points out.
“I was a kid last time. I was too freaked out by the whole experience to be protective of anyone.”
“I have money on Kaos passing out,” Asher interjects.
Camilla looks at him around me and bursts into laughter. “So do I! I think that big fucker is going down like a sack of bricks.”
They high-five over the top of me, and I can’t help but giggle. This is not what I expected when they told me who was coming over.
Rowan kisses the top of my head. “We’ll be in my office if you need us.”
I nod as Asher presses a kiss to my cheek and pushes off the couch, trailing after the other two toward the stairs, leaving me alone with Camilla.
“I really am so excited you decided to give the guys a chance. They were worried that being with more than one guy would be too much for you.”
“It is a lot,” I admit. “I don’t know how you do it with four.”
A laugh slips from her throat. “They’re a handful for sure, but I couldn’t imagine my life without them now.”
I nod thoughtfully.
She watches me for a beat, her eyes sweeping over my face a couple of times before she leans back into the soft cushions.
“You know, it didn’t always come easy. It’s a lot of work to have so many people in a relationship, a lot of people’s feelings to consider in every decision that’s made, and a lot of room for mistakes.
But it’s worth the extra work. To always have someone home with me.
To know that our baby will always have at least one parent who can drop everything to be there for them.
To feel true love with more than one person. ”
“But doesn’t it scare you? Having four people you could lose?
” The question is morbid, but she’s in a unique position to give me insight I desperately need right now.
Crew and Rowan went to high school together, for god’s sake, and although I’m a few years older than she is, there’s still a good age gap between Rowan and me.
“It does. It’s fucking terrifying, to be frank.
But if I lost one of them, I wouldn’t be left completely alone.
Our baby wouldn’t be left with only one parent.
It’s morbid to think about, and I try not to let myself focus on it too often, but it’s a practical worry to have, especially when there’s an age gap involved.
” She glances over her shoulder, checking that none of the men have reappeared before continuing.
“Early on in our relationship, Crew struggled with what he brought to the table, and what he could offer long term when it came to kids and a future, but at the end of the day, any of us could die at any time. His age doesn’t ever occur to me…
except when he starts playing his music.
Then I’m more than aware of our age gap. ”
A laugh fills the room, and it takes a moment for me to realize it’s coming from me. In just a few sentences, Camilla has put one of my main concerns to rest and has squashed others before I had time to consider them.
“It’s normal to have doubts when you enter a relationship like ours because there are more people to consider, but don’t let those fears be the reason you lose your perfect future.”