Chapter 21
ENZO
I’m the first one to wake up this morning. I know because her body is still lax in sleep, and I can hear her little snores. It’s cute as fuck.
I don’t open my eyes right away, as I just continue to lie here. I’m enjoying having her in my arms, while also marveling at the fact that I get to wake up next to this beauty.
The press of her warm skin against mine has a smile spreading across my face. It makes me just want to stay here all day and live in this moment.
We’re under the blankets, it’s warm and comfortable, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I’ve had the best sleep of my life with her in my bed.
When I finally open my eyes, I see our room is still pretty dark, except for the soft rays of morning light slipping through the little gaps in the curtains.
I look over at her, and she’s so fucking beautiful, she takes my breath away. I watch the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathes, and it just brings me peace.
She’s sleeping on her side with me behind her, one arm under her neck and the other resting on her stomach, cupping it protectively. Her dark hair is scattered across the pillow, one of her hands tucked under her cheek. She looks so peaceful and relaxed in sleep.
I guess pampering her last night worked, because she looks well rested. When I picked her up from the convent, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked a bit stressed.
All I want is for her to be relaxed and at ease so she can enjoy the rest of her pregnancy. I have no doubt she’s spent the last couple of months worrying about her father taking our baby away from her.
I see fucking red every time I think about what could have happened if I didn’t find her in time. The thought of my little girl being in the hands of that asshole makes me murderous.
I shift a little, moving my body closer to hers, spreading my hand wider over her belly, my touch possessive and protective.
This. Is. Mine.
She. Is. Mine.
Both of them are mine.
I will do whatever it takes to keep my little family safe.
Six months ago, she was just a tiny little thing, and now you can’t miss the life growing inside her. I love all the changes her body has made so far. Every fucking inch of her is sexy as hell, and I can’t ever seem to get enough of her body.
I lift up her nightie to expose her bare stomach to me, taking in the stretched flesh as I brush my thumb slowly across her smooth skin in a back-and-forth motion.
While I’m still mesmerized by her stomach, I feel a small movement before a limb pushes outward beneath my palm. Holy shit! I will never not be amazed at that sight.
“Well, good morning to you, too, piccolina,” I murmur to her stomach, letting out a quiet laugh when another kick follows. “I can already tell you’re going to be a handful and cause chaos when you’re older. Just make sure you take it easy on your old man when the time comes.”
Obviously, when she’s older, we’ll have to have this talk again, but I read that talking to the baby while they’re in the womb helps them become familiar with voices, and it promotes brain development.
“Mmm… You’re awake. What are you doing?” Aria asks, in a husky voice still tinged with sleep. She changes position, rolling over so she’s lying on her back as she looks up at me. “You woke her up, because that was quite the wake-up kick I got there.”
Her hand drifts down, placing her palm on top of mine that’s now resting on top of her belly, and the emotion in my chest is indescribable.
“I was talking to our bambina. I guess she does love the sound of her daddy’s voice, which means it’s working.”
“What’s working?”
“I read that when you talk to the baby, they become familiar with voices and it helps with development too.”
“You read? What did you read?”
“I bought some baby books yesterday, and I read a few pages on the ride home,” I tell her. She looks like she has tears in her eyes.
“That’s so sweet.” She sniffles. “Don’t mind me. It’s these damn hormones.”
I lean down and capture her mouth in mine, giving her a soft kiss before pulling away. “Good morning, Tesoro.”
“Good morning,” she whispers, sleep still coating her voice.
“Feeling her kick is such a strange yet incredible thing,” I remark with a bit of wonder.
“I know what you mean. I’ve felt it so many times already, and I still can’t get used to the feeling,” she tells me with a smile.
“You okay? How are you feeling this morning? Did you sleep well?” I pepper her with questions because I want to know everything, even the smallest details, about how she is doing.
“I’m okay. I don’t feel as stressed as I was before. And yes, I slept well. Did you?” she asks.
“I’m glad you’re not as stressed anymore, but we need to get you to no stress. I did. I had the best night’s sleep with you in my arms,” I murmur, my hand gently rubbing circles on her stomach.
“That feels so good. By the way, I felt your hand on my belly all night,” she remarks.
“Oh yeah. Just keeping my baby safe in there. And not going to lie, I’m fucking obsessed with your pregnant stomach,” I say, a grin crossing my face.
“Is that one of your kinks or something?” she questions.
“Hell no. I’ve never even gotten hard at the sight of a pregnant woman before. I’m thinking it’s just you because every time I look at you, I’m as hard as a rock and ready to bang the shit out of you,” I state matter-of-factly.
“Damn, that’s kinda hot,” she muses.
“I know I’m hot. No need to tell me,” I say, and she just rolls her eyes at me. I move around a bit, switching our positions so that she’s now lying with her head on my chest. “Hey, I wanted us to talk about some things.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“What happened when your father found out about the baby?”
“Do we have to talk about it?” she asks, her body suddenly filling with tension.
“Yes. I just want to know what happened because I know I failed to be there for you,” I tell her in all honesty.
“It’s not your fault you weren’t there in time. I didn’t get a chance to tell you.” She sighs.
“When did you find out?”
“I found out when I was about fourteen weeks along. And I can’t remember the dates exactly… but you went to the house after I found out. It was when my father went out of town,” she lets me know. Which means I fucked her while she was pregnant, and she didn’t say anything.
“Why didn’t you tell me? If you had, we could have avoided all this separation,” I point out.
“Honestly? I was still processing the fact that I was pregnant with your baby. Trust me, it was a lot to take in. Plus, at the time, we were just sleeping with each other. We didn’t make any kind of commitment.
I really thought you didn’t care and you were going to let me marry Salvatore,” she says, giving me a glimpse into her thoughts.
“Never. Although I do see where you’re coming from,” I tell her and I do.
“Also, I didn’t want to tell you because I was scared that you would reject the baby and me. I didn’t know if you would just laugh in my face and tell me to get rid of it or not,” she explains, expressing all her fears at the time.
“I wouldn’t have told you to get rid of it, just so you know,” I murmur, my voice filled with utmost certainty.
“Well, I know that now, but at the time it was a lot to deal with, especially when things were so up in the air,” she states.
“What happened when your father found out?”
“It actually happened by accident. He came into my room unexpectedly after I had just finished showering. It was the morning my belly popped. I mean, the night before it was still flat, and the next morning there’s a noticeable bump.
I was so dazed and in awe that I just walked out of the bathroom, not knowing Father was in my room and—” she cuts herself off.
I already have a feeling I’m not going to like what she says next.
“What? Tell me, please,” I beg, needing to know what the hell happened to her. From the way she’s acting and the way she's been trying to avoid the question, I can already tell it’s bad.
“He uh… he beat me really badly. He kicked and punched me over and over again. I barely managed to curl myself into a ball so he wouldn’t kick me in the stomach.
I was so scared I was going to lose her,” she tells me with tears in her eyes.
“My whole face and parts of my body were a mess for days after, until it eventually healed.”
“Motherfucker! I’m going to fucking kill that asshole for going after what’s mine. Nobody gets to hurt you and get away with it,” I growl, super fucking pissed off. “Was that the first time he hit you, baby?”
“N-no.”
“Figlio di puttana! How often? How often did that asshole put his hands on you?” I question, anger at the man coating my voice.
“He’s always been super cold and distant with me, hitting me on and off for years. He’d do it when Luca was away, but he made sure not to hit where anyone could see. After Luca disappeared, he didn’t care to hide it anymore,” she whispers, pain at the memories in her every word.
“I’m going to torture that motherfucker for hurting you.
I’m so sorry you had to deal with all of that.
I promise you’re safe from now on, baby,” I tell her, hugging her closer to me, almost squeezing her a bit.
I hate that she suffered at the hands of her father, and I didn’t even know. “Did you tell Luca?”
“No,” she says, letting out a breath.
“Why?”
“He threatened that if I said anything to Luca, he’d kill me and make it look like someone from a rival family—yours specifically—did it.
I knew that would make my brother go into a fit of rage.
He’d prepare for war, no questions asked, which could potentially kill him because that’s unpredictable.
I couldn’t take the chance. I didn’t want that to happen.
I didn’t want Luca to die because of me.
It’s ironic, though, because my brother is still gone. ”
“Fuck! That piece of shit! He used your love for your brother against you. But just so you know, Luca wouldn’t have flown off the handle or come after me. He knew that I never would have attacked you for any reason,” I tell her.
“How do you know that?” she questions, brow furrowed in confusion.
“Because he and I do— well, used to do business together,” I tell her, giving away one of my secrets.
“What?” she asks, mouth open in surprise. “What do you mean the two of you used to do business together?”
“He smuggled guns for me through one of his routes, and it was lucrative for both of us,” I explain.
“Did my father know?”
“No. He wasn’t aware. We kept it on the down low.”
“But I thought you hated us—” she starts and then cuts herself off.
“I just hate your father because he’s an idiot. But Luca and I knew better, so we formed an alliance of sorts,” I finish.
“Wow, that’s wild. He never told me anything,” she grumbles.
“I’m so fucking sorry you had to deal with so much pain and loss, baby. I promise to always be by your side to show you that you’ll never be alone again,” I vow to her, watching and hating all of her tears, gently using my thumb to wipe them all away.
“I’m so glad you were looking for me. Even happier that you found me.”
“I’m fucking glad I found you, too, Principessa. Because I was never going to stop until you were right back where you belong, by my side.”