Page 15 of Surprise Baby for the Mafia Boss

I am writing this knowing that my time is short, as I think everyone is aware. I have lived a long life, and I am not scared of death. I want you kids to know this and be at peace with my passing.

While I have had many people show me kindness in my life, I will forever be grateful for you spending so much of your precious youthful time with me lately. I’m sure you’ve had better offers than sitting at the bedside of an old lady. Yet you did so every day with a smile, and you’ve made my final days slightly less grey.

As a thank you, I am leaving you my pearls, which, as you know, were given to me by my own grandmother. I have always been glad that you were put in the lives of my grandchildren. Please, continue to be the shining light that you always have been in Grazia’s life. And remind Luca to smile for me, he does it so rarely.

Emelia you are a talented and beautiful young woman, and you will find plenty of success and happiness in your life. I am just grateful I was able to see you grow until now.

Con amore, Ginny

I wipe a tear from my eye and smile up at the sky. That old woman knew how to tug at my heart even now that she was gone.

These words make me feel like I was right in pushing the Baldini siblings to allow me to help them. Ginny seemed to see me as one of them, so why can’t they?

I think back to last night in the lookout house, and although she might not want to know the details, I have a feeling Ginny would be happy about Luca and I bonding.

As I’m thinking about him, Luca walks past the glass doors and I see him glance at me, an unrecognizable expression on his face. So different from what he showed me last night. He hasn’t acted like he saw me yet, so I fold the letter and walk around to the kitchen door to avoid him.

In the kitchen, Grazia is playing Ginny’s favorite songs and making pancakes. There’s a chef who could do this for her, but spending time in the kitchen was always Ginny’s way of bringing her family back to earth whenever life got a little crazy.

I station myself at the counter next to Grazia and we spend the morning cooking and eating and laughing about Ginny. I don’t see Luca again, and I wonder if he’s eaten, but I know better than to go looking for the men in the house.

If you can’t see them, they’re probably doing business. The last thing they want is a woman interrupting them—even if it is to feed them.

I spend the day at the mansion, helping Grazia clear out Ginny’s cupboards, making tea, and spending time walking around the garden. She asks if I’d like to sleep over, but I decline, not sure I can stand sleeping under the same roof as Luca without having him in bed next to me.

***

The next day, I head back to the Baldini mansion, checking in on how Grazia is doing. She’s holding up well for a girl who just lost the woman who raised her, but I can see that she’s struggling with her studies.

“Let me run through your course material with you,” I offer. It’s something we’ve done so many times before.

“Are you sure? That would help so much,” she smiles gratefully.

We spend an hour studying hard. Grazia isn’t stupid, but she’s definitely not as smart as her brother. Luca’s intelligence has been obvious for all of his life, it’s part of what attracts me to him.

I imagine our babies having those captivating blue eyes, that strong jawline, and minds smart as whips. They’d go even further than their father.

I sit in the kitchen as cousins walk in and out, wondering where Luca is. I haven’t seen him today, and we’ve been where the coffee machine is located all day. Could he really go this long without his morning cappuccino?

The rest of the day is spent out at the pool, since the weather practically calls for it. We lounge in the water with Grazia’s cousins.

One of the cousins grins, splashing water in our direction. "Remember that time Nonna Ginny caught us sneaking into the kitchen for a midnight snack?" she chuckles.

Grazia joins in. "Oh, how could I forget? She scolded us but ended up making us a feast at two in the morning."

More laughter erupts as we swap tales of Nonna Ginny's escapades and her uncanny ability to turn reprimands into fun for everyone.

She may have been strict, holding her family to high standards, but she was also very aware of how much the Baldini kids needed a bit of a childhood, after losing their parents.

The air is alive with the banter of family. Amid the playful splashes and easy chatter, we take turns reminiscing about our favorite moments with Nonna. The time she orchestrated an impromptu family picnic, complete with a feast of her signature dishes. Or the quiet evenings when she dispensed wisdom, the glow of porch lights illuminating her expressive face.

“I remember our prom night,” I say to Grazia, because her cousins stopped coming to the house once they reached their teenage years and they had no recent memories to share. "She made our dates come into the house and she gave them a run-down of exactly what would happen to their bodies if they tried anything with us.”

Grazia laughs. “You’ll sleep with the fishes.” She imitates her grandmother, which is easy because they not only look so much alike, but they sound alike too.

As the sun starts to set, we all gather on the porch for dinner. Luca is there, but he has his head buried in his phone, seemingly attending to important business.

He barely looks up, and when he does, I make sure I’m not looking at him. My mission for this week is to stay on Grazia’s good side before she finds out what we did.

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