Page 60 of Surprise Baby for the Mafia Boss

“Uh, you okay?” she asks, confused.

I laugh and grab her hand, leading her out into the garden. This is the place my grandmother lovingly provided us. The place that Emelia and I first found our chemistry.

This place will be where we fix things.

I lead Emelia out to the lookout, and stand in front of her. “Em, I have one solution for every problem in my life right now.” I’m still smiling, partly out of pride for my quick-thinking, and partly because this feels right.

“Sex? Now?” Emelia looks at me, unsure.

“No,” I say, and then wink at her. “But we can do that too. No, Em, after our conversation, and this morning, I get it now. I should have seen that you were on my side, that the baby wasn’t some kind of trap, that Nonna was right to trust you—to make you family.”

I keep a hold of her hand and drop to one knee. Emelia looks stunned, but stays quiet, so I continue. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my family, now? Making it official? I, uh… I don’t have a ring.”

She laughs and so do I.

“Luca…” Her voice is a whisper, and I see a single tear slip down her cheek. “Of course, I want to marry you! Having a family with you is my dream! But… Is this because you want to marry me? Or because you want to prove to Carlos that we’re a real couple?”

I stand up and place a hand under her jaw, bringing her face up to look at me. “I’ll be honest. I do think us being engaged will help the situation with Carlos. But it will also solidify everything we spoke about last night. And it’ll give our baby the best start in life. I want to marry you, Emelia. I just need you to trust me and do it sooner than I’d originally planned, okay?”

She nods and I kiss her forehead. “Let’s get married.” I wink at her and she giggles.

***

“Luca! You miss me already?” Carlos answers the phone, laughing. This man is always in a good mood, but I’d hate to see him when someone makes him angry.

“Carlos! Of course, I actually missed you all so much that I want to invite you back to my home,” I reply, trying to match his excited energy.

“Back? Ah, Luca, my body is getting old, it doesn’t like so much travel.” His laugh turns into a cough and I wait for him to quiet down.

“I understand, Carlos, but this is a special visit. Emelia and I, we’re getting married next week and would love to have you and the family join us for our ceremony.” I silently hope that Grazia hasn’t made her way to him yet.

“A wedding! That changes things, of course. Yes, Luca, you send me the details and I will bring the whole family. I’m happy for you—you’re securing a good woman there.”

“I know, I know. Thank you Carlos. I’ll send the details, and we’ll see you soon.”

I put the phone down and sink into my office chair. The plan seems to have worked, but I still can’t get through to Grazia, so I have no idea where she is, if she’s safe, and if she’s spoken to any of Carlos’ men yet. Or worse, his wife.

***

My worries about my sister being lost in Mexico only last a few more hours. Emelia and I are in the kitchen sorting out wedding plans when Grazia storms into the mansion.

“Luca are you mad?” She screams at me, sounding like the only mad person in this house.

“You told Carlos you were getting married? I almost blurted out everything I was going to tell him, but luckily he asked me first if I was there to deliver the invitation in person. If I had said anything, just one word, Luca, I might not be standing here right now. What the fuck? There is no way you two are getting married.”

“Married?” Enzo walks into the kitchen behind Grazia. “Who’s getting married?”

“We are,” I answer them both. “And yes, I have invited Carlos and his entire family. We’re going to have the wedding in the garden. It’s what Nonna would have wanted. And I am sorry, Grazia, if this put you in any danger–that wasn’t my plan. But perhaps you should rethink whether or not you want to be a part of this world.”

“Grazia,” Emelia speaks up, looking between the three of us siblings, “I, uh, I know this isn’t how we always imagined it, but would you perhaps think of being my Maid of Honor?”

She tries to smile, but I can see she’s worried the question might not be well received. I think of how cool and calm this woman usually is, compared to how giddy and nervous she is at the thought of marrying me. I smile at her, knowing that she’s finally dropped the act.

“I would rather drink tequila from the toilet than do that.” Grazia’s gaze is hard, so very unlike my sister. This whole situation has brought out different sides of everyone, but Grazia’s attitude is enraging me even more.

“Grazia there’s no need to be a bitch. And while I have you both here,” I point at my siblings, “I want you to know that I will be pulling this off. By this time next week, Emelia and I will be married, Carlos will continue to be happy with this deal, and I will carry on with the distribution. I am, however, never involving either of you in a deal again. I don’t need your permission anymore, Enzo, and I really don’t need you involving yourself, Grazia.”

“Now,” I turn away from them and take Emelia’s hand, “please leave us so we can plan a wedding."

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