Chapter Thirty-Five Leo
Surprisingly, Edoardo was true to his word. The contract arrived bright and early Monday morning. As soon as I signed it electronically, my phone beeped with a text from Edoardo.
Here are three potential properties.
Although I wanted to play it cool, I immediately called my driver, and we made the hour-and-a-half drive there. The first address he’d given me was a complete bust. It didn’t have the necessary infrastructure I would need.
The second had potential. It was in a high traffic area with nightclubs and restaurants. I would have to sink some money into upgrading the power grid to meet the needs of all the machines.
And finally, I found the Goldilocks of properties–it was just right. Great area, great infrastructure. “This is it,” I said to Guilio.
“Looks like a winner, Mr. Neretti.”
“It sure does.”
And after calling the agent and putting in a bid, I flew back to New York. Since the day was practically shot, I headed home instead of going back to the office. When I got to the apartment, Drea met me at the door.
After throwing her arms around me, she gave me a deep kiss. “A man could get used to this,” I mused.
She gave me a dreamy smile. “Our test results came back today.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. “They did?”
She nodded. “They’re in our inbox, but I wouldn’t look until you got home.”
“Damn, that had to be agony.”
Drea laughed. “It was.”
“Okay. Let’s do this together.”
We’d already decided that neither of us could stand hokey gender reveals. We wanted to keep the excitement and celebration between just the two of us.
With shaky hands, Drea clicked on her email. I drew in a deep breath as she opened the email titled, “Neretti Gender Results.”
And there it was in bold letters.
Male.
“Oh my God, it’s a boy!” Drea cried.
“I’m going to have a son!”
When Drea paled slightly, I asked, “What’s wrong?”
She waved her hand. “Nothing. I’m just being silly worrying about him being a part of the underworld.”
“It’s his destiny, D.”
“I know. But what if he decides he doesn’t want to be a part of it?”
I’d never even considered that option personally or for my child. It was like being born into royalty. It was just what you did.
With a shrug, I said, “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.”
She nodded. “Good. I want our children to be able to do whatever their hearts desire.”
“So do I…as long as our sons are part of my world,” I teased.
Drea smacked me playfully before sighing contentedly. “Now I’ll know how to decorate the nursery.”
“I think we need to tackle his name first, don’t you think?”
“Have you thought of any names?”
“Besides Alessio, I’m wide open.”
Nodding, Drea said, “Add Edoardo to that list as well.”
“I do want him to have an Italian name.”
“So do I.”
Drea smiled. “And I want him to have your name as a middle name.”
“Gabriele would work too.”
“Yes, that is beautiful.”
Tilting my head at her, I asked, “I’ve always wondered why your parents named you Andrea when in Italian it’s usually a boy’s name.”
She rolled her eyes. “Because my jackass father was determined to only have sons to prove his virility. And I was to be Andrea for his grandfather. Although the ultrasounds told him I was going to be a girl, he wouldn’t accept it.
By the time I was born, my mother had grown to like the name, and since we were in America, it worked for a girl. ”
With a grin, I said, “You know the bar is set in hell for us to be better parents than we had.”
Drea laughed. “Oh yeah, I know.”
“Whatever name we come up with will be the perfect one for our son.”
“Maybe we need to see him first before naming him.”
“Maybe. But I kind of like the idea of calling him by name when I start talking to your belly.”
“You’re going to start talking to my belly?”
“Absolutely. Then he’ll know his father’s voice when he arrives.”
A pained look came over Drea’s face. “That’s so beautiful, Leo.”
“Come on. Let’s go out and celebrate our son.”
She smiled. “I’m game.”