Page 33 of Surprise Baby for the Mafia Boss

“What can I do for you?” she asks.

“I need to have this cleaned if you have the time? Today, if possible.” I hand the ring to Yvette and she inspects it. It should look familiar, since it was bought from this very shop all of those years ago. Back before Yvette’s hair was white and her bones were so brittle.

“Does this mean we’ll be seeing a Baldini wedding soon?” She gives me a cheeky smile and I just nod. “Hopefully, Yvette, if she says yes.”

“Ah, who could ever say no to Luca Baldini.” She winks at me, and I chuckle at the thought of this woman, closer to my late Nonna’s age, flirting with me. “I can have it ready for you in a couple of hours.”

“Perfect.” I smile at her, feeling a kind of peace at the thought of all of this coming together. “Thank you, I will see you in a bit."

I get back in my car to travel the short distance to Emelia’s home. If I am going to do this, I’m going to do it properly. Emelia deserves that, at least.

“Luca!” Emelia’s father opens the door, smiling widely. I have no doubt that this union will please him, and a part of me wants to remove the lazy man from this situation completely, but Emelia loves her father and it’s still the polite thing to do, asking him formally.

“Mr. Mernilo, may I come in?” I ask.

“Yes, yes, come in, please.” He steps aside and closes the door behind me. We both walk through to the living room and take a seat. I decide to get this out of the way as soon as possible.

“I’m here because Emelia and I have been spending a lot of time together,” I start, and the old man nods enthusiastically. “We have gotten close, as you may already know, and I have found myself caring for your daughter deeply.”

His smile widens. “I would like to ask your blessing for her hand in marriage.” I swear I see the old man almost jump with joy in his seat.

“Luca, my son, of course I would love to have you marry Emelia. She’ll be a lucky woman, of that I am sure.”

He smiles again, but then I see him frown, and look up at me with some worry in his eyes. “But, have you seen or spoken to Emelia today, as of yet? Or Grazia, for that matter?”

“No, not yet. Why?” It’s my turn to look confused. Does he think I’ve already asked Emelia? But then why is he asking about my sister?

“Uh, I was just wondering.” He shakes his head and waves his hand in the air, dismissing the thought that is clearly bugging him.

I don’t quite believe him, but he seems to be done with the conversation, and now all I want to do is find Emelia and my sister, and see what this man is on about.

His mention of my sister has also reminded me that she is still very much in the dark about what has been happening between Emelia and myself. I hope that if I talk to her, perhaps on my own at first, and explain just how much Emelia means to me, how much she has helped me, that Grazia will understand and be happy for us.

My sister may be a jealous girl at times, but deep down she wants her family—and her friends—to be happy, and I trust that she’ll get used to the idea of Emelia and I together.

I stand up, knowing I have a few more conversations to have before I can present the ring to Emelia. “I should go and find them, though. I plan to propose very soon, in a private setting, and I’m sure you’ll be the first person that Emelia tells.” I shake his hand and he walks me out to my car.

“Next time we see each other, we might be family!” Emelia’s father laughs, and I try to give him a polite smile. Once I’m in my car, I try to call Emelia, but the call doesn’t go through.

I stop off at the jeweler before I go back to the family house. The ring is cleaned and it looks even more spectacular than before. I take another look at it before slipping it back into my jacket pocket. It will look perfect on Emelia’s finger, of that, I am sure.

I drive back to the house, and notice both Emelia’s and Grazia’s cars in the driveway. So they are together, but why wasn’t Emelia answering me? And why was her father so concerned about me seeing her today?

I walk up to the door, unsure of what I’m about to walk into, but resolved to finally tell Grazia what has been happening. There is no point in hiding it anymore, but I also need to give Emelia some warning before I do, just in case Grazia loses her shit.

Grazia and Emelia stand in the living room, both clearly crying and looking guilty.

“What’s going on here?” I ask, my tone stern. My mind immediately goes to the possibilities of someone being hurt, and I search their faces for clues.

“I, um-”

“Emelia has-” They both start talking at the same time and stop to look at each other. These girls have been friends for so long, I’m sure I can see them having a silent conversation in their minds.

“Grazia?” I ask, allowing my sister to take the floor.

She and I have always had a communicative type of relationship, and if they were about to tell me contradicting stories, I’d be more inclined to believe what Grazia told me. Plus, something in Emelia’s face looks like she didn’t want me to be hearing any of this.

“Emelia has something to tell you.” She raises an eyebrow and looks directly at her friend, telling me that I did walk into something just now, but it seems more like a fight than an emergency.

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