27. Gabriella
27
Gabriella
T hey say bad things happen in threes and I’m keeping a running list in my head.?
Dimitri is engaged to marry Sophia Mikailhov.
My car is totaled.?
And I’m pregnant with Dimitri’s twin babies…see number one.
Although, I guess I can’t really count that last one as something bad because it’s not. It’s more like a miracle. But I suppose it makes the list because the father is unavailable.? I should never have opened that door again, inviting him back into my life. I just couldn’t help it. Seeing him again was like breaking the surface of the water to take a deep breath of fresh air. And my stupid heart was hopeful there for a while. Enough to trick my brain into believing that this time could be different…that it was different.Until it wasn’t.
“Do you want to call him?” Lily asks. She means well, and I should say yes, but I just can’t.
“Not yet.”
Rose hands me a cup of water with ice chips. As I take a sip, she adds, “The sooner the better, Gabriella.”
“I know,” I tell her with a gentle roll of my eyes and a heavy sigh. Setting the cup down, I lean back into the mountain of pillows behind me, stare up at the ceiling and chew on an ice chip. “I’m just not ready to share the news with him, or anyone else, for that matter. You heard the doctor. I could still lose the babies.”
“I also heard her say to stop stressing and enjoy the pregnancy,” Rose reminds me, earning a look from me. The damn woman is good at acting like the older sister she’s going to be to me soon. Calling me out as effortlessly as my brothers do.
“As a doctor, I understand your concerns about the risks and that you want to be careful,” Lily says. “But as a mother, I agree with Rose. The more you stress about it, the more likely your body is to abort the babies.”
“Exactly. Listen to Doctor Lily, Gabriella,” Rose says matter-of-factually, which makes the woman laugh and shake her head.
“I’ll talk to him. I promise. I just need some time to process the news myself.”
“Okay.” Rose smiles at me and then squeezes my hand. “I can’t believe there’s going to be two new babies in the family soon.”
I return her smile, feeling a small weight lift from off my heart. A ton of it still remains, but at least for now, the pressure eases.
“I wonder if they’ll have his eyes,” Rose ponders with a dreamy, far-off look.?
I eye her. “Should my brother be worried about you fantasizing about Dimitri’s eyes?”
Rose snorts and waves her hand like my question is a bothersome fly. “Of course not. But that doesn’t mean a girl can’t appreciate a handsome trait like that.”
I can’t argue with her there because I’ve fallen for those damn blue eyes myself more times than I care to admit. They hold a depth as captivating and mysterious as the ocean’s abyss they resemble.
A knock on the door interrupts us and a second later, Michael’s muffled voice asks, “Everything okay?”
Rose walks over and opens the door, revealing my two brothers and Enzo. My oldest friend has been a little more depressed lately because Evie had to return to England for some family function and he misses her fiercely. I’ve never seen him so entranced with a woman and I’m happy to say the feeling appears mutual. Evie is equally enamored with my tall, blond, Viking friend.
“All is well,” Rose announces before placing her hands on Michael’s chest and rising on her tiptoes to press her lips to his. Like magic, my brother is immediately under her spell and before she can pull away, he wraps his arms around her and deepens the kiss.
“Some of us would like to not wait outside in the hall.” Enzo grunts before he shoulders his way past the lovesick couple and through the doorway.?
Raphael follows with an exaggerated and deliberate shove to his twin’s shoulder. The movement forces the pair apart and Michael reaches out to shove his brother back, catching his back.?
Lily meets Raphael halfway with a hug and then leans her head back, presenting her face to accept his kiss. I’m happy for my brothers. I really am. Rose and Lily are their perfect matches in every way, and it’s honestly hard to remember what life was like before they arrived. Their children, Mei and Liam, my niece, and nephew, complete our family. And soon…the babies growing in my belly will make our family even larger.
“Evie not sexting you back?” Rose taunts the large man.
The friendship, if you can even call it that, between Rose and Enzo, is unique. Rose loves her best friend like a sister and owes Evie her life. She used her insane amount of wealth and resources to help Rose escape Miami and set her up in a small town outside of Venice. A few months later, Liam was born and for a little while, they were safe there, until her father found them. When he did, he sold his daughter to a human trafficking ring, the same one Lily had been sold at years prior. Thankfully, Michael rescued her from her buyer just in time before he could harm her and then reunited her with their son. It took only one look into that baby boy’s eyes to know his father was Michael. Which opened up a whole other thing because my brother thought he was sterile. He had been told he was, which ended up being a lie that led to his divorce from Sophia.?
Good riddance. I never really cared for the woman while they were married and now? I really don’t like her. Just the very idea of her and Dimitri together makes me want to hurl.
Rose’s suggestion keeps replaying in my mind. It’s a crazy idea…but possible. If I can get everyone to agree to it. And if not? Well…then I’ll be a single mom with a massive village around me to help. Either way, my focus now revolves around keeping the twin babies inside me, safe and happy and warm until I can do the same for them in my arms.
“How do you know about that?” Enzo asks, like he’s been offended.?
Rose tilts her head and gives Enzo an are-you-serious face. “She’s my best friend. We tell each other everything.”
Michael glances up from his phone in panic when he hears that. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Yeah, what?” Enzo echoes, equally as panicked.
“Everything,” Rose repeats with a sly smile.?
Enzo sees the challenge and his panic transforms into a devious smile, and I know Rose just opened the door wide to something she can’t stop. “Oh, so you know that night we watched Liam for you two? Did Evie tell you how I bent her over that Jacuzzi tub of yours and fucked her seven ways to Sunday before doing the same on that rug in front of the fireplace?”
“Okay,” Michael interrupts in a loud voice. He tosses his best friend a pointed look. “You owe us a new rug and tub now.”
Enzo snorts before crossing his large arms over his big chest. “Then I won’t tell you about everything else we did that night.”
Rose narrows her eyes. “Seriously?”
“I need to get home to Mei,” Lily interrupts, peering up at Raphael.
Her comment is like a bucket of ice water, reminding Rose about her son. “I should do the same for Liam. Your mother had to watch them all night, and I’m sure she’d like to come visit Gabriella.”
The thought of my mom coming by makes me smile. I could use the visit to tell her about the pregnancy. She was there for me during my miscarriage, and I know she’ll be thrilled about this pregnancy, regardless of the father’s identity or current situation.
“You guys go.” I wave my hand toward the door, snuggling back against my pillows and drawing my blanket further up my body. “I’m getting sleepy anyway and would like to not be dead on my feet when Mom visits.”
My brothers give me the same disappointed look.?
“Not funny,” Raphael comments.
“Doctor humor,” I say back before chuckling. “Sorry.”
After a round of hugs and kisses, they leave, promising to be back soon. Once I’m alone, I turn the television on for background noise as I drift off with my hands cradling my flat stomach.
The sound of hushed but angry arguing voices pulls me from my dreamless sleep.?
“I don’t give a fuck what you want, Volkov,” Michael hisses. “You’re not welcome here. How many times do I have to tell you that before you get it through your thick fucking head?”
“I’ll wait to hear those words from Gabriella,” Dimitri responds, his deep voice even and sending a shiver down my spine. “If you don’t mind.”
I open my eyes and see my brothers standing with their backs to me, facing the door where I assume Dimitri is. From this angle, I can’t see his face, but I know it’s him.
“Well, she’s sleeping, so yes, I do, in fact, mind.”
“I’ll wait. I need to see her and—”
“No, you don’t get to come here and ask to see her. Not after what you’ve done.”
“I can assure you it’s all a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” Michael repeats with venom in his voice. “How is an engagement a misunderstanding?”
I’m too paralyzed by the conversation to say anything. I want to hear what he has to say because all I keep hearing is his lack of denial over the engagement and his excuses to get me to listen to him. Listen to his lies and sweet talk, more like.?
“It’s not.”
My heart squeezes painfully when he doesn’t deny it again, and I’m thankful they’re all so engrossed they don’t even hear the heart monitor speed up.
“So then what?” Raphael asks. “Have you been using our little sister? Taking advantage of her?”
“Of course not,” Dimitri answers right away, and I hear the truth in his voice, hard and sure.
“Did you think you could continue to see her after getting married to Sophia?” Michael tags on. “Because I’ve got news for you, pal. Our sister is not a whore.”
“I never fucking said she was,” Dimitri growls.
“How long?” Raphael asks. “How long has this been going on?”
“Off and on since early last year.”
“You son of a bitch,” Michael spits before he takes a threatening step toward him.
I can’t stomach the idea of my brother and Dimitri getting into another fight. So just before Michael reaches him, I say loud enough to break through their testosterone fueled anger. “Stop. Please.”
My brothers turn to face me, exposing Dimitri standing in the doorway. He looks at me with a storm of emotions brewing in his eyes and it’s so raw and real that I have to look away.
“Gabriella,” Dimitri softly says my name when I do.
“Shut up, Volkov,” Michael growls over his shoulder."You don't get to say her name."
“I said stop, Michael.”
“Gabriella,” Raphael tries, stepping closer to my bed. I turn my attention to him. “Did we wake you?”
There's no reason to lie. “Yes.”
“We’re sorry,” he apologizes.?
“Dimitri was just leaving,” Michael says, tossing the man a look that could kill.
“No, I wasn’t,” Dimitri snaps back.?
“I swear to all things holy, Volkov. I will kill you if you do not leave—”
“Michael,” I shout. “I said enough.”
“I just want to talk to you,” Dimitri explains from the doorway. “And explain what you heard.”
"Explain? There is no explaining what she heard." Michael spits.
He ignores my brother. “Please. Trust me. If you’ll just give me the chance, angel.”
“Angel?” Michael latches on to the nickname like a bloodhound. “The fuck is that?”
The tension in the room is palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife, and it only grows more dangerous by the second. I need to talk to Dimitri about what I overheard—about the babies, about us, and Rose’s wild idea—but not right now. The atmosphere feels primed to explode, and none of us are thinking clearly. Emotions are running high, and having difficult, life-altering conversations in this state won’t do anyone any good.
“Not now,” I tell him. “Please. I’m tired and I just want to rest.” It feels like déjà vu. Asking Dimitri to leave and I hate it.
“Gabriella.” The pain in his voice tells me he feels the same.
“You heard her, Volkov,” Michael says, waving his hand in a shooing manner. “You can fuck off now.”
Anger spikes in my belly, and I lash out at my brother. “So can you.”
Michael turns to me with a look of surprise. “Wha-what?”
“You heard me.” I toss his sarcastic words back at him. “Go home. Both of you.”
“Are you sure?” Raphael asks.
I nod. “Yes.”
Raphael digs a phone out of his back pocket and hands it to me. “To replace the one you lost in the crash.”
“Thank you.” I take the phone and hold it like a lifeline in my hands.
“Mom came by earlier, but you were still sleeping. She said she’ll come back later,” Raphael tells me.
“Thanks. I’ll call her.”
“Gabriella?”
I shift my eyes to Dimitri. He stands with his hands in his pockets. One of his tells I’ve learned means he’s feeling uneasy and a little anxious.
“I’ll call you too.” His eyes fall, like he doesn’t believe me, so I quickly add, “I promise.”
He nods solemnly and I wish I could say more to ease his concern, but he leaves before I can try.