Page 56 of The Roman's Woman (A Singular Obsession)

“I should warn you that Gio is over at Alex’s place right now covered in babies,” Eva said. “The guys are staying in with the kids tonight instead of going out.”

“Why should I worry about that?” Sophia asked, reaching for a particularly cheesy tortilla chip.

“Oh,” Maia said, “You haven’t seen Gio around a baby yet, have you?”

Uh oh.

She straightened in her chair. “No, I haven’t…I don’t suppose you’re about to tell me that he hates them and wants me to get my tubes tied.”

They froze.

“Oh, no! You hate kids!” Elynn said.

Maia looked crushed, and even Eva appeared a little concerned.

“Don’t panic. I don’t hate them,” she reassured them. “Granted I haven’t spent a whole lot of time with them, but I do want children eventually. Maybe in a couple of years. But I’m starting a whole new phase of my research—ironically because of Gio and the grant he gave me. So if you’re trying to tell me he’s baby crazy, it’s going to complicate things.”

The other three ladies exchanged loaded glances.

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but yes. That man’s biological clock isticking,” Eva said, shooting straight as expected. “When I left, he was giving Alex junior a piggy-back ride while rocking Ethan Patrick to sleep at the same time. Gio wants a son so bad he can taste it.”

“Or a daughter,” Maia chimed in. “He’s wonderful with my little girl. He calls her hisprincessaand never comes to see us without a gift for her. Granted the last one was a pink calculator, but it’s the thought that counts.”

“A calculator, really?” Sophia asked with a giggle. It was such a Gio gift.

“It’s actually her favorite thing right now. She likes mashing the buttons.”

Sophia digested the new information with some trepidation. She did want children, but the prospect of them had always been far in the future. She was only twenty-eight. There was still plenty of time. But if Gio was hellbent on having babies now, could she put him off? Did she even want to?

Calm down. Gio hadn’t discussed the future at all yet. They hadn’t even settled on where they might live if they stayed together. He did seem to be crazy about her, but that didn’t mean he was going to get down on one knee and propose marriage anytime soon. And there was a chance he didn’t even want to remarry. God knows being saddled with a crazy ex-wife like Maria Gianna was enough to turn anyone away from the institution.

Of course, one didn’t need to be married to have children. Eva and Sergei still hadn’t walked down the aisle yet and they had a son. Would that be enough to give Gio ideas?

It was entirely too much for one drunk neurobiologist to think about.

“You know, I think it’s time for a second pitcher,” Sophia said.

Chapter 19

Sophia should have been surprised to see Gio leaning on his town car door, waiting for her outside the pub, but she wasn’t. The unexpected part was that Alex was with him. When he saw their group exiting the pub, he hurried up to Elynn and threw his arm around her.

“Eva, Maia, you’re coming home with us,” Alex said, bending to kiss his much shorter wife. “Sergei and Calen are waiting for you back at the house.”

Sophia sidled up to Gio and cuddled into his warmth. “By house, does he mean huge honking mansion?” she asked as the other ladies waved and walked away to a waiting stretch limo.

Gio smiled down at her, that hot dark grin that he saved only for her. “Yes, he does. We’re invited to brunch there next Sunday, by the way.”

“Ooh, I love waffles,” she said, burying her face in his chest.

Pleasantly warm despite the chill in the air, she leaned on him heavily, content to feel the pressure of his body as the other car pulled away.

“Cara mia, are you drunk?”

She looked up at him and smiled. “Maybe a little,” she said, closing her eyes and humming a nonsensical tune.

His chuckle was deep and sexy. Embracing her, he opened the door behind them and pulled her into the darkened backseat of the car.

“Home,” he said to the driver before raising the privacy screen.

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