Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
THEA
“He did not!” Posy screeches.
“Shhh. I swear, he did. Then he made me wear shorts under this dress.” I point at the knee-length summer dress I’m wearing.
Her eyes are wide. “He’s insane.”
“I know.” I nod along and take another drink of my Coke.
“But so hot!” She fans herself again with the menu while casting a glance at Massio through the window of the American diner we’re having brunch in. “He’s not taken his eyes off you even for a minute. Where the hell do I get myself a Mafia man like that?”
I giggle, and she follows suit.
“Would you like to order anything else?” the waitress asks.
“No, thank you,” I say, giving her my attention.
“I’m good,” Posy says with a smile.
“So, what happened between you and Jenkins?” I ask and dab the corner or my mouth with the napkin.
“Ugh, he’s intolerable.” She sighs. “I practically threw myself at him and he shrugged me off. At this point, I feel like I need to grow a dick to gain his attention. The only thing he’s interested in is football.
” She flips her hair over her shoulder and twists her lips. “I’m starting to wonder if he’s gay.”
I snort, mainly because Jenkins has a reputation for sleeping around with women, and the fact Posy thinks just because he’s not interested in her means he must be gay is pretty amusing.
“Maybe you should try playing hard to get?”
“Nah. Screw him. I enjoy flirting. If he can’t handle me, then I don’t want him either.”
“That’s the spirit.” We clink our glasses together.
My phone vibrates on the table, and I glance down at it.
“Is that Massio? Please tell me it’s him!” she exclaims, making me shush her.
My shoulders deflate when I see the name on the screen.
“It’s my mother.”
I open the message and read it aloud.
Mother: I expect you at the Garratt annual ball. Wear the gold dress.
Without her even having to say which gold dress, I know exactly which one she means. The one she had made especially for me the last time she was home. The one I hate.
“Ugh, she’s such a bitch.” Posy groans. “Not even a hello.”
“She is. I can’t wait to leave home.”
Posy glances out of the window toward Massio, and my spine straightens.
“Do you think he’s being serious about getting you pregnant?
” Her tone has turned cautious; she watches me closely, as if she’s trying to be gentle with me and not hurt my feelings.
Her eyes shift away from my face, and she blows out a deep breath before she brings her attention back to me.
“Have you guys had a talk about birth control? Some men have a breeding kink, you know? Maybe he means that.” She lifts her shoulder while toying with her straw, but her eyes don’t leave my face.
Something twists low in my stomach. The thought of Massio not being serious almost feels like too much to bear.
Selfishly, I want this; I want a baby to grow inside of me.
A part of him and me that nobody else can take from us, control us with, someone who loves me unconditionally like I would love them.
I want to become the mother I wished mine was, to lavish them with attention and guide them with support, to give them my love and protection.
Whether Massio means it or not, I want our baby, so I will it to take form inside of me.
“I’ll talk to him,” I lie, then her body relaxes as she smiles.
She leans forward and pats my hand. “Doesn’t mean you still can’t have fun with him, right?
” Her eyebrows dance and her face lights up, but the smile I plaster on my face is orchestrated; the one I have when my parents are around.
The ball of sickness in my stomach is growing rapidly, and it feels like my time with Massio in our bubble is going to run out, and the dread that comes with those thoughts has panic gripping me.
I’ve become dependent on him, whether he realizes it or not is unknown to me, but something tells me he’d be happy about it.
I just don’t want to get hurt.
But I know I’m about to.