Chapter 30 Luca #2
The relief that floods through me is overwhelming, and I have to blink back tears. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” She cups my face, making me look at her. “I’m not saying this is going to be easy. We’ve got a lot of damage to heal from, a lot of trust to rebuild. But I want to try. I want us to be a real family.”
“A real family,” I echo, the words foreign but right.
“Okay. Then we do this right. Complete transparency from here on out. No more secrets, no more games. You want to know about the business? I’ll tell you.
You want to be involved in decisions? You’re involved.
You want your own money, your own independence? It’s yours.”
“Just like that?” She sounds skeptical.
“Just like that.” I mean it. “You’re not my prisoner anymore, Gigi. You’re my wife. My partner. The mother of my child. That means we’re equals in this.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, processing. “What about your world? The violence, the danger—how do we keep our baby safe from that?”
“I’ll scale back.” The decision sounds right as I say it out loud.
“With the alliance, Viktor can take on more of the day-to-day operations. I’ll stay involved in strategy and in the legitimate businesses we’ve been building, but the street-level stuff?
The violence?” I shake my head. “I’m done with it. ”
Gigi’s mouth drops open as if she can’t believe it. “Can-can you do that? Just…walk away?”
“I’m not walking away entirely. I’m just shifting my focus.
” I run my hand through her hair, needing the contact.
“Marco used to tell me that real power wasn’t about how much damage you could do.
It was about creating something that lasted.
I didn’t understand what he meant then. But now? With you and our baby? I get it.”
“He would have liked knowing about the baby,” Gigi says softly.
“Yeah. He would have.” The grief is still there and probably always will be. But it’s softer now, mixed with gratitude that Marco’s death led me to this moment, to this woman, to this future. “He would have been a great uncle.”
We fall into silence again, but it’s comfortable this time. Peaceful. The kind of quiet that comes from being with someone who understands you completely.
“Luca?” Gigi’s voice is hesitant. “There’s something I want.”
“Tell me.” I’ll give her anything. Everything. “Whatever it is, if it’s in my power to give you, it’s yours,” I promise, drawing her closer to me, relishing the feel of her body against mine.
She bites her lip. “I want to see Katie.” The words come out in a rush. “I want my best friend back. It’s been ages since I’ve talked to her and I miss her badly.”
“You’ll see her.” The decision is easy. “As soon as we’re home from the hospital, I’ll call her myself.”
Gigi’s eyes go wide. “Really?”
“Really.” I press another kiss to her forehead. “You shouldn’t have to lose your friends because of me. If Katie wants to see you, if she’s willing to forgive, or at least try to understand, then I’m not going to stand in the way of that.”
“She might hate you,” Gigi warns. “She wasn’t thrilled about this marriage thing when I told her about it.”
“She should hate me. I’d hate me too if I were her.” I shrug. “But if she makes you happy, if having her in your life means you smile more, then I’ll deal with whatever anger she throws my way.”
“I love you,” Gigi whispers. “Have I told you that enough today?”
“Never enough.” I hold her closer. “But you can spend the rest of our lives making up for it.”
“The rest of our lives,” she repeats, smiling. “I like the sound of that.”
“Good. Because you’re stuck with me now, Giuliana Marchetti. You and our baby both.”
She laughs, the sound bright and beautiful and everything I never knew I needed. “I can think of worse fates.”
“Yeah?” I’m grinning like an idiot, but I can’t help it. “Name one.”
“Being married to that werewolf billionaire from the book I was reading,” she teases, her eyes dancing with mirth.
I groan. “Don’t remind me. That writing was a crime against literature.”
“But it woke you up,” she points out.
“True.” I press another kiss to her lips, soft and sweet. “I’ll forgive the terrible prose in light of the excellent results.”
We spend the rest of the evening talking about everything and nothing.
Baby names and nursery colors and whether we want to know the sex or be surprised.
How involved her father will be, what role Viktor and Danny will play, that she doesn’t want Dimitri near our family.
The logistics of running an empire while raising a child.
It’s mundane and ordinary and absolutely perfect.
A week later, they finally discharge us both from the hospital.
I’ve healed faster than expected. The shoulder’s going to need months of physical therapy, but the other wounds are closing well. Gigi’s gunshot wound is healing beautifully, and the baby is still showing strong and healthy on the ultrasounds.
Viktor sends a convoy to bring us home with three armored SUVs, eight security personnel, and the full protective detail. Overkill, maybe, but with Gigi pregnant and both of us still recovering, I’m not taking any chances.
The estate looks different somehow as we pull through the gates. Maybe because the last time I was here, Gigi was my captive. Now she’s my wife in truth, carrying my child, coming home because she wants to.
Danny has the household staff lined up to greet us. The staff look tearful and relieved, the security team standing at attention, even the gardeners pause their work to watch us arrive.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Marchetti,” Flora says warmly, and I see Gigi’s surprise at the genuine affection in the housekeeper’s voice. “We’re so glad you’re both safe.”
“Thank you, Flora.” Gigi’s voice is soft. “It’s good to be home.”
Home. She called it home.
I help her out of the SUV, keeping one hand at her back even though she’s perfectly capable of walking on her own. I can’t help it. The need to touch her, to make sure she’s real and safe, is overwhelming.
We make it up to our bedroom and Gigi immediately heads for the windows overlooking the gardens.
“It’s beautiful,” she says, and there’s wonder in her voice. “I never really looked at it before. I was always too angry or scared to appreciate it.”
“You can change anything you want,” I tell her, coming up behind her and wrapping my arms around her waist. My hands rest on her stomach, still flat but not for much longer. “Redecorate, renovate, tear it all down and start over. This is your home now. I want you to feel comfortable here.”
She leans back against me. “I want to turn one of the spare rooms into a nursery.”
“Done. Pick whichever room you want.”
“And I want to open a new veterinary clinic. Not right away, but eventually. Maybe when the baby’s older.”
“Also done.” I press a kiss to her neck. “Whatever you want, Gigi. It’s yours.”
She turns in my arms to face me, her face soft and full of emotion. “I want you. That’s all I really want. You and our baby.”
“Then that’s what you’ll have.” I seal the promise with a kiss. “I swear it.”
Later, after Gigi has taken a nap and I’ve caught up on a week’s worth of business calls, I pull out my phone and dial a number I had Danny track down for me.
It rings three times before a woman answers. “Hello?”
“Katie Carmichael?” I ask, keeping my voice neutral.
There’s a pause. “Who is this?”
“My name is Luca Marchetti. I’m Gigi’s husband.”
The pause that follows is longer, loaded with all the things she’s probably thinking but not saying. When she speaks again, her voice is ice-cold. “If you’ve hurt her—”
“She’s fine. She’s safe. She’s here at home with me.” I cut off whatever threat she was about to make. It’s cute she thinks she could actually hurt me. “And she wants to see you.”
Another pause. “Why would you let me see her?”
“Because she’s my wife, not my prisoner.
And because she loves you and misses you, and I’m not going to be the reason she loses people who matter to her.
” I take a breath. “I know you have no reason to trust me. I know what you must think of me based on what you know. But Gigi is choosing to be here. And if you care about her at all, you’ll come see that for yourself. ”
“How do I know this isn’t a trap?” Katie’s voice is suspicious and protective. Good. Gigi needs people who will protect her, even from me if necessary.
I shrug, tapping my pen against the desk. “You don’t. But I’m giving you my word that no harm will come to you while you’re in my home. You’ll be my guest, and guests are sacred.” I pause. “Tomorrow afternoon, two o’clock. I’ll send a car for you.”
“I can drive myself,” she says sharply.
Christ, she’s stubborn. No wonder why she and Gigi get along so well. “The estate is hard to find,” I tell her patiently. “The car will make it easier.” Also, it’ll give my security team advance warning, but I don’t say that part. “Please, Katie. She needs this. She needs you.”
I can hear her breathing on the other end and can practically feel her internal debate. “Fine. Tomorrow at two. But if this is some kind of game—”
“It’s not a game. It’s me trying to give my wife something she wants.” I end the call before she can argue further.
Gigi appears in the doorway, wearing one of my t-shirts and looking sleepy and rumpled and absolutely perfect. “Who was that?” she asks groggily.
“Katie,” I tell her, watching with amusement as she startles, her eyes growing wide. “And she’s coming tomorrow at two.” I get up and pull her into my arms. “I figured you’d want time to prepare and figure out what you want to say to her.”
She’s trembling and crying again. But when she pulls back, she’s smiling through her tears. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“Anything for you, cara. Always.”
The next day, I’m more nervous than I have any right to be.
Gigi has changed outfits three times, practiced what she’s going to say at least a dozen times, and is currently pacing the living room like a caged animal.