Page 65 of Mafia Heir's Secret Baby

Alec finishes his drink and drops the glass gently to the table. "Congratulations are in order then. I'd expect you to look a whole lot happier than this, though."

I close my eyes, but I can feel the heat of his gaze. "You don't understand Alec. She's pregnant. She is carrying my baby."

"Yes. I realize that. That's what being pregnant means."

"She'll have a painted target on her back. The Russians and their damned Cambodian spies will take one look at her and know."

I open my eyes to find Alex nodding sagely. "Oh. I see where you might be inclined towards the drink."

I glare at him, my fingers flexing around my glass. "I'm not asking you to make any wisecracks right now, Alec."

He inclines his head and leans forward. "You're worried about her. You've always been. You'll always be. So long as you're never able to let her go, pregnant or not, she'll have a target on her back. You'll need to find a way to deal with that."

By the time I make it to the store with Ryder, where I wait in the car while he buys the test kit, I'm angry at my fucking self.

I needed to speak to her. Right away. When we pass by a florist's, I have Ryder stop the car, and I buy two dozen yellow roses.

It's an apology as much as it is a gift.

25

MEL

The low strains of jazz playing from my phone lull me into a false sense of security. Lucian runs around the kitchen beside me while I prepare him a meal. He's just returned from my father's with Gianna, who is rattling around somewhere upstairs.

Xander's chef could get him something to eat, but cooking the meal relaxes me even though it also tires me out. The aroma of pasta and meatballs hanging in the air makes my stomach queasy.

Bad enough that I am almost considering inviting Hailey in to continue the meal when he skids to a stop beside me and hugs himself to my waist.

I bend towards him to sink my nose into his hair. I inhale deeply, the smell of his shampoo calming me a bit. I nod at his chair. "Go sit."

He gives me a long look before sliding into the chair. "Can I have pizza today, Mom? Please?"

He always asks. I wonder if his brother or sister inside me will love the meal as much as he does.

My stomach squeezes almost painfully tight, and I jerk away from the thought. I have no idea if I'm pregnant yet. Xander still hasn't returned home since morning. I'm starting to worry he just might not come back for a few days.

I worry at my bottom lip, sinking my teeth into the soft flesh. I shake my head at Lucian, who sticks out his own lips. "Okay. Only if you eat all the pasta. Everything. How was school?"

"Fun. Can I watch Paw Patrol now?"

I nod and watch as he darts from the room, screaming on his way to the living room. I wince at the loud sound and finish his meal, alone with my thoughts.

I feel like an alien in my own body. Uncertain what to do or feel or be with myself. This morning hadn't ended the way I'd expected it to. Xander had left the house after our argument, and I'd considered going for the test myself and then decided against it.

He wanted to do it. Then he could do it. I turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat, but I don't feel any better now than I had when I'd started boiling the pasta.

I splay my hand across my stomach, leaning against the kitchen counter for a second. This time feels different, maybe because he knows so early on, maybe because it's hurting even worse this time.

Gianna's footsteps sound beside me, and I lift my eyes to meet hers. I straighten and find a plate from the brown hardwood cabinet in the kitchen, putting together a meal for Lucian. I hold it out to her. "Can you take it to him?"

She nods and takes the plate from me. "You've been lost in thoughts for an entire minute. That's a block of time you can't get back, you know."

I pour a glass of orange juice from the fridge and find a tray to place it on. "Yeah. I don't want it either."

She takes the tray from me and is gone a few minutes. She finds me in the kitchen again, my hands kneading my stomach. "What's worrying you? You've sort of been lost all day."

The cold feeling tumbling through me is like a river of ice. I have a baby growing inside me and a reluctant father. I don't need the test to know. My periods are pretty consistent. That queasy, rubbery feeling in my stomach is all too familiar.