Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
AURORA
N ico’s words don’t stop ringing through my ears.
I could be pregnant. But I don’t want to be. Not any time soon, anyway, seeing as my relationship with Nico is complicated.
I go to Beatrice for answers. “What am I going to do?”
She thinks on it for a while before she nods. “I can get you Plan B. But it might not work now. There’s also this tea remedy that’s been in my family for years. I could make it for you. If you’re pregnant, it will help.”
The next time I return to see Beatrice, she has the Plan B for me. I pop the pill and then go home.
Over the next few weeks, I make a point of keeping my distance from Nico. If we’re not having sex, then I can’t get pregnant. My period comes in like normal, filling me with relief. I’m not pregnant.
Yet, anyway.
But I can tell I can’t keep pushing Nico away forever.
One day, he asks me about it. “You’ve been distant lately. I seem to remember you asking me not to put space between us.”
“Oh. I … I’ve just been distracted thinking about the police. I want you to be ok.”
Nico smiles warmly, cupping my cheek. “I’ll always be ok. I’m Nico Mancini.”
He drops the conversation after that, but I can tell he has more questions. Every time he reaches for me, I pull away. It’s not what I want to do. If I had my way, we’d be making love every night. Nico’s touch is addicting. It’s driving me crazy to stay away.
I just can’t get pregnant. It would complicate everything.
Everything is simple until Nico returns home one night, looking rattled, covered in sweat.
I get up from the couch. “Nico?”
“Trouble with one of my suppliers. They didn’t want to deliver the guns I’d ordered, and there were some … complications.”
“Complications?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I just want you, Aurora. I almost didn’t make it out alive tonight, and all I could think about was you.” He grabs my face and kisses me deeply.
And I don’t put up a fight as he lays me down on the couch. I don’t object when he pulls my clothes off.
And I don’t object when he spreads my legs wide and enters me.
He thrusts into me with wild abandon. I moan, wrapping my legs around his waist and pulling him in deeper.
Our kiss is like each of us dying of thirst in the desert. It’s messy yet wild and passionate. I’m not sure what Nico went through tonight, but I can tell it left him with a lot of pent-up emotion. It’s been days since we had sex, and I didn’t realize how much I needed this, too.
I arch my back into him, bringing our bodies closer. Nico groans, digging his hips harder against mine.
“Fuck, baby,” he growls. Our lips are still touching, but there’s a tiny fraction of space between us. “Aurora.”
I grip his back tighter.
“I needed this,” he groans.
“I needed this, too,” I admit.
Our breath mingles as we make love. Our thrusts are so intense, it makes the couch move back and forth.
And as soon as we began, it ends with each of us coming.
We moan together, our hands gripping each other tightly. Nico presses small kisses against my lips, making me feel safe and warm in his arms.
I never thought I’d feel this safe with a big, bad Mafia boss. But Nico has shown he’s not bad at all.
He slips out of me and pulls me into his arms. In my post-sex induced haze, I feel content.
And then it hits me—this could be the time I get pregnant.
“I need Plan B again,” I tell Beatrice.
“Sorry. Don’t have it. But I do have the ingredients to make the tea I was telling you about.”
“Can’t you just go to the store and buy Plan B? I can come back tomorrow.”
“No. I’ll make you the tea now.”
I sigh and sit down on the bed as Beatrice flits around the hotel room, making the tea for me. Once it’s ready, she hands it over. Instantly, I’m struck by how awful it smells.
“Should I really be drinking this?” I ask.
“Just drink,” Beatrice snaps.
Holding my breath, I down the tea in one large gulp.
“There. That will help prevent you from getting pregnant.” She takes the cup from me.
“Hopefully.”
I leave after that, but as I’m walking down the hotel hallway, I’m struck by an intense pain in my stomach. The next thing I know, I’m bent over, throwing up, and then I pass out.
When I wake up, I’m in the hospital with Nico bent over me, holding my hand. “Aurora?”
I blink at the lights above me. “What happened?”
“You passed out. Jeremy brought you to the hospital and called me. What happened?”
The tea . I know instantly. The tea made me sick.
“I just didn’t feel right,” I say. “Must’ve been something I ate.”
“The doctor told me it was some sort of poison. What did you eat?”
“Oh, I, uh … made this tea from some different herbs I had on hand. Clearly, it wasn’t a smart idea.” I expect Nico to smile it off. but he doesn’t.
“What herbs? When did you make this?”
“With my aunt. It was an old family recipe. I must have made it wrong. But I’m fine. That’s all that matters.”
“Maybe I should talk to your aunt about this. I still haven’t met her.”
“No!” I say more loudly than I mean to. Nico frowns. “I just … She doesn’t like to be disturbed. Maybe one day.”
Nico doesn’t speak for a few seconds before he nods. “All right. Now, it’s about getting you better. No more drinking any strange teas.”
“Understood.”
After I’m discharged from the hospital, Nico takes special care to see me home carefully. He picks me up and carries me into our bedroom, where he fluffs the pillow for me and covers me in the blanket.
I’ve never seen this doting side to Nico, and it’s lovely.
Back at the hospital, I didn’t get the chance to ask the doctor about a possible pregnancy, but because the doctor didn’t mention it, I figure I’m not pregnant.
Over the next week, I’m still reeling from the effects of the tea. I can barely walk, and I keep throwing up. Nico is there for me every day.
“Shouldn’t you be at work?” I ask.
“That’s the nice thing about being the boss. I can cancel. I’m here to make sure you’re ok. I’ll have our chef make you some soup.” He pushes a piece of my hair out of my face, and I practically melt into his hand.
“Why are you so kind to me?”
Nico’s eyes soften. “Why wouldn’t I be? I want to see you taken care of. You’re sick. So, let me take care of you.”
And he does.
The entire week goes by, and even though I’m sick, Nico’s constant care and attention warms my heart, making me feel loved.
Love. I wonder if Nico loves me because I know I’m falling in love with him. I might already be in love with him.
But our week comes to a crashing halt when Andrew arrives.
“What’s going on?” he asks, standing in our bedroom. He doesn’t belong there, but I can’t scream at him to get out. That would be too suspicious.
“Aurora is sick,” Nico explains. “Can you watch her for a moment? I’m going to grab a wet towel.” He places his hand on my head. “You’re feeling a little feverish.”
After he leaves, Andrew doesn’t waste time in approaching the bed. “So, you’re really sick?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Andrew shrugs. “Maybe because I know you’re a liar.”
My heart plummets to my feet. “What are you talking about?”
“I know your father wasn’t really John Keller.”
“He was.”
“No. I looked into it. It’s a fake. Your past is fake. But the question is … who are you really? I haven’t found that out yet, but I will.”
“Is that a threat? Nico will hurt you for this.”
“No. Nico will hurt you when he finds out you’ve been lying to him this entire time.”
I gulp. “Are you going to accuse me of lying to him?”
“Not yet. Not until I have undeniable proof. But know I’m watching you, Aurora. You’re not getting out of this unscathed.”
Nico comes back into the room with the towel. “What are you two talking about?”
“Not much,” Andrew says. “I was just wishing Aurora well.” He awkwardly pats my arm. “So, get well. Nico, there’s business to discuss.”
“I’m taking care of my wife right now, Andrew.”
Andrew’s face tightens, giving me some satisfaction. “But?—”
“No buts. My wife is more important right now. You can return later.”
If I weren’t so sick, I’d want to kiss Nico right now. I watch Andrew leave, knowing I only have so much more time before he finds out who I am. Then Nico will know, and all his kind smiles will disappear. I’ll have nothing anymore.
I’ll probably be dead, in reality.
Nico takes me back to the hospital to get a checkup, making sure I’m fully all right.
The doctor—a middle-aged woman named Dr. Williams—comes into the room. “Everything is all clear. You’re not at risk anymore, and you have a clean bill of health.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Suffice to say I won’t be drinking any more tea Beatrice gives me.
“There’s just one more thing,” Dr. Williams says. “We took a lot of tests to make sure you were all right. And I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but you’re pregnant.”
My world falls away, and all I can see is the bright white of Dr. Williams lab coat. I can’t be pregnant. I took the tea. I took Plan B. I …
Nico turns to me with a large smile as he pulls me into a hug. “Pregnant! We’re going to have a baby.”
“Aurora?” Dr. Williams asks. “Are you all right?”
I blink, and everything comes back into place. I take in Nico’s large smile and force a smile in return.
My answer is a complete lie. “I’m all right.”