Page 58 of Betraying the Mafia Boss

“Look at me, amore.” Bringing my hand up to her face, I cup her cheek and tilt her face to mine. “You’ve been through so much. You did what you needed to and you deserve every fucking good thing in the world. It’s my job to protect you now and I promise I won’t let any harm come to you and our child.”

Her eyes become misty as she looks at me. “Our child? You’re not angry I’m pregnant.”

I smile. “Why would I be? Sure, I was stunned at first because I wasn’t expecting to become a father, but you and this baby are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Tears roll down her face. “Thank you. I was so afraid of becoming a mother on my own. I was so afraid of doing this alone.”

God, I hate to see her tears. I pull her into a hug. “You’ll never be on your own now, amore. I’ll be with you every step of the way. All you have to do is lean on me.”

I hold her until she’s done crying. When she pulls away, she dresses in a red night gown. I help her dry her hair and brush it before we both slip into bed together. She rests her head on my shoulder and I hold her tight as we both drift off. For this one night, I’ll allow myself to dream of a life with her and our child, one in which there is no danger and no bloodshed.

Chapter Twenty-One

Isabella

The moment I open my eyes, I instantly regret it. There’s a blinding sunlight streaming into the room from the large windows. The drapes are open although they’d been closed before I fell asleep last night.

Closing my eyes, I reach for Vincent on his side of the bed but I can’t feel him. I wait a moment before I peel my eyes open again and listen for the sound of running water just in case he was in the bathroom. I don’t hear anything.

“Vincent?” Alarm bells clang in my head and I can’t breathe as I search for him. “Vincent?”

Tears prickle my eyes. Before I know it, I’m sprinting out of the room and running down the stairs, yelling his name at the top of my lungs as panic consumes me.

“Isabella?”

I turn around and find Elena looking at me from the foyer. Her brow is lifted and she has a confused expression on her face. “Have you seen him?”

“Seen who? Vincent?” she asks as if she still isn’t certain what is going on with me.

I nod. My chest is tight and I feel like I’m about to pass out. “He was in bed with me and when I woke up, he wasn’t there. Did something happen when I was asleep?”

“Vincent went out with Dominic and Marcus this morning. They left early,” she says. “Is everything okay with you?”

I hold my chest and fill my lungs with air for the first time since waking. Why was I so panicked? What is wrong with me? “I’m fine. I’m sorry if I disturbed you, I’m just…afraid that something might’ve…” I stop talking before I say anything that’ll make me look even more stupid than I already do.

“Isabella, I can assure you that what you’re feeling is normal. There’s a war looming and it’s okay to be afraid.” A smile plays on her lips. “I’m afraid something will happen to Dominic, too. I don’t want to lose my husband and the father of my kids. I don’t want to be alone.”

It’s reassuring to hear she gets scared sometimes. I’m not alone. “What do you do on days like that?”

Her smile fades a little. “Nothing. I just stay strong for my kids and hope he’ll come back home to me every night.”

“Thank you for sharing that. It makes me feel better.” I rub my belly, needing contact with my baby. I have to stay strong. I must.

“Come, I’ll make get Maria to make you breakfast.” Elena starts for the kitchen and I follow her.

There’s a boy in the kitchen with blue eyes and dark hair. He looks no older than nine and he’s stuffing his face with toast. Is this her son or Jane’s? All I know is that he has the Romano features, even a blind person could see that.

Maria’s eyes lock with mine and she smiles.

“Good morning, Maria,” I greet as I pull out a stool next to the boy.

“Good morning,” she replies, her voice thick with the Italian accent I somehow missed last night. She’s busy putting pineapples in the juicer. “Did you have a good night’s rest?”

I nod. “I did. Thank you for asking.”

The boy turns his head to me as if he’s just noticing my presence. “Hello, you must be Aunty Isabella. I’m Luca.”

I freeze. How does he know my name already? And calling me 'Aunt’? I’d always wished Naomi would have cute babies who would call me Aunt, but this is too sudden and I really don’t know how to respond. “Hi, Luca. Nice to meet you.”

---