Page 84 of Under His Protection

And that was the theme of my life now. Sunshine and happiness. I had my man. I didn’t have to worry about money. The Devil’s Brothers were now recognized as the Constellas’ enemies, and they’d never get close again.

Dante had drawn the line between his crime family and theirs. The Giovannis and MC men wouldn’t get close to me, and I had faith that Dante and his soldiers wouldn’t fail in that regard.

After the hell of that night, therapy had gotten me far in the journey of recovering and moving on. Both physically with my shoulder and mentally from the trauma.

I was on cloud nine, despite the Constellas’ being ready to wage war on the bikers and Stefan.

Being pregnant simply put me in that disposition, to be excited for the future, not nervous about it.

I had Dante to live for. Receiving his love was a huge reason for the smile on my lips. If that wasn’t enough to make me happy and optimistic, the promise of the unborn baby in my stomach was. And more than that, I had the online courses for my degree to further preoccupy me. Dante didn’t only want me to be satisfied sexually. He told me that he intended to give me the world. Like Eva teased at that spa night, Dante wanted to give me anything and everything I could ask for, and that included a chance to go to college and do something altruistic and good, like focusing on early-childhood literacy.

Suffice it to say, things were looking up, and that ease of a leisurely life would continue. I knew the Constellas would fight the Giovannis and Devil’s Brothers again. Dante had declared war, and he would be victorious in it. That wasn’t my hero worship talking. Dante was just that formidable of a Mafia boss.

I wouldn’t be included in the details. I didn’t want to be, and I suspected that this pregnancy and the start of my college courses were a blessing in disguise. I’d be busy, too busy, to know about the ins and outs of this war Dante had called for.

Ignorance was bliss, but I was learning that knowledge was power in this Mafia lifestyle. I didn’t intend to come to all meetings and know all the details, but as I paced myself with acclimating to this world, I knew I could rely on Dante to tell me what I needed to know to keep me safe.

Life was good, and that was the story I’d stick with.

“Too bad Romeo can’t say the same,” I mumbled as I watched the water in the pool go still again.

Dante wasn’t overly worried about his son’s mood. The survivor’s guilt that Romeo still experienced when three men were killed months ago was no simple matter. Even I could pick up on the guy’s gloominess.

He was distant and always trying to work overtime, probably to avoid having free time to think and dwell.

Which can’t be healthy.

But I knew my limitations. I wasn’t his stepmom. I wouldn’t try to be. All I could hope to offer was my friendship.

My happiness with Dante couldn’t be dimmed, and it gave me a morsel of optimism. Before I met Dante, I was stuck in a rut and thinking there was no way to change my future. Now, with him, we had a new beginning, a retake on life.

Maybe if Romeo were to meet a woman and have a chance at a new beginning…

“No. Forget about it.” The last time I attempted to play matchmaker was in eighth grade, when I tried to pair up Tessa with the cute jock in our grade. It failed and flopped, mostly because he explained to us that he was gay and not interested in girls like that.

Speaking of…

I pulled my phone from my pocket and swiped to the text thread I had running with Tessa. Or more like the text thread I hoped to have with my best friend. All my messages were unanswered, and I worried that finally replacing my phone could have severed my ties with her. I still had the same number. She had to be reading the messages, but she wouldn’t reply.

I chewed on my lower lip, worried that something could have happened to her.

If that damn lawyer got his way with her and made her elope…

I shook my head, refusing to think the worst. She would’ve told me. Right? My life had changed so much, so quickly, but I would never forget about my past where she was concerned. Tessa was my best friend, and we wouldn’t drift apart so far that we lost contact completely.

I would never leave her in the past.

“Ready?” Dante asked as he returned.

I stood, shoving aside my worries as I went to my fiancé. He took my hand, like he always did, and together, we strolled toward his car for the first “big” appointment for the baby.

And like always, he was attentive and focused on me during the drive. His love and devotion were all I’d wished for. For so long, I'd dreamed about a man like him caring for me like this. He didn’t look like a serious man married to his work and business obligations. Nor did he resemble a leader preparing to wage war on the rivals who’d threatened to tear us apart.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked once we parked near the doctor’s office.

I brought our joined hands to my lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “Just being grateful,” I said.

“About what?”

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