Page 39 of Their UnBearable Destiny

Chapter Eleven

Morning came too soonand the last thing Uberto wanted to do was stay curled up around his mate. That, and maybe wake her up with his mouth, and his hands, and his…

The phone rang and Uberto rolled over, snatching it up in his hand. He didn’t have to look at the screen he knew the call by the ring. He felt bad about answering it with Ana sleeping beside him, but he couldn’t wait.

“Allegra?”

He heard two things. One – the silence on the other end and Two – His growly tone.

“Allegra? What’s-”

“I am sorry, Uberto. The time difference, I forgot.”

“Hey,” he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and scrubbed a hand over his face, “don’t ever be sorry. If you need me, I’m here.”

“I should have checked the clock before I called you, or even the internet for time conversion,” she was rambling, “but no matter where I am, it’s always dark. So how would I know?”

He heard a sharp indrawn breath, and then he swore he could almost hear her squeezing the phone tighter.

“What happened, Allegra? Is it the baby?”

“No!” He winced a little at the volume of her answer, but he was too relieved to care. “Not really…”

He felt his stomach clench. “Where is Valerio?”

“He’s with Salvatore visiting clients.”

“Tell me, Allegra. Tell me what’s wrong, please.”

He felt the bed move and a few moments later he felt a warm and gentle hand on his back.

“It’s not ‘the’ baby, Uberto,” she sighed, and he could hear the painful scratch of her voice made raw with tears, “it’s two.”

“Two?” The word burst from his lips with a gruff congratulatory growl that felt good rolling through his chest. “That is wonderful news!” Then the momentary silence on the other end had him up on his feet. “What’s wrong, Allegra. Tell me, what’s wrong with the babies?”

He could hear her soft sounds. Choppy indrawn breaths. Sniffles. Odd sweeping sounds as if she was wiping her tears on her sleeve instead of a tissue.

“Allegra, if you don’t talk to me right now, I’m calling Val-”

“I’m afraid, Uberto.”

He could hear her alternately mumbling and trying to breathe.

“About what? Talk to me, Allegra.” He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled open a drawer, pulling out a pair of shorts and began to pull them on. “What are you afraid of?”

“I don’t know.” He heard the fear in her voice and the odd crack of her breath. She knew. She just needed time to think.

“Uberto?” He heard Ana’s soft voice and turned to look at her. She was sitting on his side of the bed, a light sheet held over her breasts by her hand. Her eyes were still half-lidded from sleep. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head and moved back to the bed, sitting near her on the edge. Almost immediately he felt her touch his back.

“I was already scared about having a baby,” Allegra had begun to speak softly as if she was thinking through her words before saying them, “I could handle a baby. I have Valerio to help, but two? How will I handle two?”

“You have help, Allegra. You know we’d do anything for you.”

“No, no,” she sucked in a breath, “I should be able to do this on my own. Women have babies all the time. Women take care of babies all the time.”

He murmured back to her, wishing he knew what to say. But he also felt helpless being so far from them. Uberto fisted his free hand, laying his forearm along his thigh. “You’re going to be fine, Allegra.”

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