Page 39 of Surprise Twins for the Mafia Heir

“When was the last time you saw him?” I ask after we finish picking strawberries. His grandfather is quiet for a few moments as he stares at the sky, the lines in his forehead getting deeper.

“I think Vinny may have been a kid,” he finally answers with a sigh. “We got into a really bad argument and he left and I neversaw him again.” I try to think of something encouraging to say, but he continues to speak.

“There’s always been this curiosity in Vinny’s father - Toni. Because I was in the same business when he was a kid, I think he saw the bad stuff as a way of getting power. It’s my fault if I want to blame anyone.” He gestures for me to sit down on the grassy path then hands me one of the freshly cleaned strawberries. The juice is sweet and refreshing after being in the heat all day. I notice the aged scars on his tattooed hands, signs of a life lived long ago

“That’s why I always felt Vinny and I were closer. I knew he had no interest in being the same man that his father grew into, but it’s hard to tell your grandson who he should be when his father has such a big influence on his life.”

The thought of Vinny’s family being splintered that way hits me. It’s not much different from my own, but I never knew any of my grandparents. The most I know of their lives is that they also gambled and made deals with shady people.

I set the strawberries down. “I had no idea it was that bad,” I say after a while. He helps me back up and we continue walking down the rows of strawberries, as the heat starts to die down. It’s almost close to dinner time and I know Marisol has probably created a feast for us. Vinny’s been back at the house prepping the vegetables with her.

“I know your life is back in New York, and Mexico is different for you. But I think it’s best that you live your life and raise the kids out here,” he says.

We pause after a while, and I think hard about what my life could be if we did live in Mexico for the remainder of our lives. Even if I’ve been happy here with lots of peace and space to walk around, I can’t imagine never going back to New York. There’s a part of me that feels that I have unfinished business. Of course, the minute I step back in New York, I could lose my life. Nowthat I am nearly ready to give birth to the kids, my choices are a lot more limited.

“I want what’s best for the babies,” I whisper.

“Then you’ll want them to live here,” Vinny’s grandfather urges. I know he’s insistent on keeping whatever family he has left together. I don’t have the heart to argue against it.

After we’re back at home and having dinner, Vinny and I spend the rest of the night outside on the back patio. Vinny’s put on more weight around his midsection and his beard has finally been tidied up. He looks sexier than ever and I love seeing him prepping to be a father.

But something else is on his mind and he’s not telling me. I reach over and hold his hand.

“Can you believe that the babies will be here any moment?” I ask with a smile.

He also smiles as he glances over at me. “I’ll be even happier when we’re officially a family.”

I frown as I reply, “We are an official family, right?”

Vinny stares intently at me as his breathing quickens. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the single ring. It’s a stunning diamond with an emerald in the middle. It dawns on me too late — he’s proposing.

“I wanted to do something a lot more romantic, since my grandfather told me I’m not very good at being a romantic man. But I can’t hold on any longer. This is my grandmother’s ring and I wanted to propose—“

Tears flood his eyes. “ I feel like I’ve watched you grow up before my eyes and now we’re both about to be parents for the first time. It’s exhilarating and terrifying all in one. I just want to be a family and be the kind of father and husband that my dad couldn’t be.”

He holds the ring out with a shaky hand and I slip it on my ring finger in awe. It’s strange looking down at the ring. I neverimagined that I would ever be in a committed relationship, let alone being married. Seems like some far-off fairy tale.

“I can’t believe this,” I say after a few moments. “But I can’t wait to be your wife.”

Since I have no wedding planning expertise, we happily give Marisol the task to plan our simple nuptials. Only the wedding will be very different from American-style weddings. Marisol and a few other women in the village sew a dress for me. It’s not traditional white, but instead is an off-peach color with flowers around the hem. Once I look at my reflection, I gasp. Although I’m ready to pop, I look…beautiful. Marisol is practically an aunt now and she also has tears in her eyes at the sight of me.

“You look like a queen,” she says. She then sits me down at the vanity and works on pulling my hair into a bun. One of the other ladies, Lia, brings a bowl full of flowers and hair accessories. She doesn’t speak any English but she smiles and touches her cheek.

“Ay, bonita!”she exclaims. I grin, happy to know I’m slowly picking up Spanish.

Marisol works the comb through my hair. “The okra water has been working well. Your hair has grown and now the babies will come out easily.”

I stare down at the engagement ring as a strange feeling takes over me. The way Marisol is gently doing my hair, and Lia is picking out earrings reminds me that I never shared such tender moments with my own mother. Without thinking, I blurt out, “I wonder if my mom would be happy if she were here.”

Marisol and Lia exchange a look. “I bet she would.”

“She seemed to hate me when I was growing up,” I mutter.

Marisol places a few flowers in my hair. “My mother was pretty angry when I was a girl. She worked for a wealthy family but could never find happiness in her life. So, I left home when I turned fifteen.”

Marisol walks in front of me. “Rosa, you are a mother now. And, in a few hours, you’ll be a wife. Whatever life you lived before this doesn’t matter. It’ll be another story you tell your kids when they ask about your past.”

She adds a few finishing touches and Lia places rose earrings in my ears. Once I stare at my reflection again, it’s like I’m a new person. Marisol is right — the past is behind me and now I have a man waiting to marry me. I have a lot to be thankful for.

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