Page 36 of Surprise Baby for the Mafia Boss

I go up to my room, telling my father that I need some time to think on my own. I'm pacing in the room, feeling a mix of awe and confusion. Luca, the guy I thought had a heart of stone, has fallen for me.

It's kind of blowing my mind, and I'm realizing the walls I put up around my feelings weren't as sturdy as I thought.

"He's into me...Luca's really into me," I mumble to myself, letting the reality of it sink in.

I always saw him as an emotionless dude, the one Ginny swore would never catch real feelings for anyone. Now, I'm standing here, rethinking everything.

As I wrap my head around it, I'm forced to admit something I've been trying to ignore–I'm in love with Luca.

It’s so much more than simply wanting to join forces and become unstoppable. It's even more than wanting to create the perfect specimens with our children, which I am fully convinced we will do.

I love him deeply.

My whole logic, my defense mechanism of treating it all like some game, feels like it's crumbling. It worked well until it didn't, and now here I am, caught up in something deeper than I planned.

Now, I've got this primal urge to make things right with Luca. I want him to see that my initial reasons were all messed up, that it isn't some game for me anymore.

It is genuine, and I'm ready to own that.

"I need to fix this. Show him it was all a screw-up, a big misunderstanding," I say to my reflection in the mirror, my emerald, green gaze staring back at me. The decision is made, I need to smooth over the mess I've made between us.

It’s important for me, for Luca, but more importantly, for this baby, who deserves to grow up knowing the love of his entire family. And that includes the Baldinis, even if the thought doesn’t quite make any of them joyful right now.

I think about how I can tell Luca how I feel and how I can make him believe me, how to show him the truth after he’s lost all faith in what I say.

I also need to do something about the rift that has come between Grazia and myself, but that will have to happen after Luca forgives me. She and I could come back from anything, I’m sure, and if her brother accepts me into the family, then she’s more likely to be willing to do the same.

She always said she wished we'd been born sisters, I guess I'll find out if that is really true or not.

What started as a game to me has turned into something real, and I want him to get that. I have no more ulterior motives except to be his wife and stand by his side as he navigates his business.

"I'm proud of him and everything he’s done with this deal. I know I can help him do even more. I want our families to be closer. This baby is such a blessing. Maybe if I make him see that, he'll get it, and he’ll be ready to propose again," I murmur to myself, almost unhinged, determined to figure out a way to make Luca understand the mess of feelings I've gotten myself into.

Chapter Nineteen

Luca

“Luca?” Grazia knocks and immediately enters my office, bringing with her a plate of food.

The room is dark and moody, unintentionally reflecting my own personality. The dramatic lighting and heavy wooden accents give the space a rich glow. It's a glow that I am not interested in sharing.

I look up from my laptop for a second, and go back to my work, still not ready to have this conversation with her.

“Not now, Grazia. I have inventory to look over. I don’t have time to play little girls' games. Not with you or your friends.” My anger still hasn’t died down, and I’m actually battling to focus on work because of it.

“Uh, okay,” she snaps back. “But you had time to play other kinds of games while you were fucking my best friend?” She slams the plate of food down on my desk and I watch the piece of chicken fly in the air for just a second. Lucky for her, no mess was made.

“Watch your fucking mouth, Grazia! Don’t forget who you’re speaking to!” I know my anger is at a boiling point, but I tried to warn her, and yet she continued.

“I know exactly who I’m talking to. If you think that just because you’re a little older than me and all of a sudden you’ve got a big job, that now you’re the boss of this house, think again. I can’t believe you took Emelia to Mexico and let her fuck you all the way into fatherhood.” She scoffs, clearly disgusted by the thought.

I stand up. “I cannot believe that you allowed that woman to weasel her way into this family. Enough that I thought she might be someone I could trust! Did I fuck her? Yes, and I enjoyed it too, Grazia! But that would never have happened if she hadn’t just spent months in this house, taking care of Nonna.”

“So it’s my fault that she fooled us all? That Nonna trusted her? That even though we’ve been friends since we were tiny kids, I had no idea she could ever take things this far?” She starts crying again.

I’ve always had a soft spot for my sister, and in any other situation, I would have bundled her up into a hug and sworn to destroy anything and anyone who made her cry. But right now, I needed to cool down and she was making things worse.

“Thank you for the food,” I say. “I have work to do now. Please leave.” I sit down and look back at my laptop, hearing my sister walk out of the room, still in tears.

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