Page 49 of Remember That Time

I grabbed my blazer and pulled it on, made sure my cell phone was in my pocket, and then headed out the door. "I'll be gone for the rest of the day, Mabel. Clear my schedule."

"Yes, Mr. Kostas," my secretary replied. "Should I inform Mr. Douglas?"

I shook my head. "I'll call him if I need him." I usually took Lester wherever I went, but this conversation needed to be in private and it was only between me and Gianni.

I decided not to take any of my regular bodyguards with me today. My driver would be enough. Besides being an excellent driver, he was trained to defend me if need be.

When I reached the parking garage and my car, I gave him the address of where we were headed and then sat back in my seat. As I waited to get there, I pulled out my phone and went back to the message from the lab.

It really was my baby.

I had never really given much thought to being a parent simply because I didn't have anyone in my life to build a family with. It was amazing to me how just a few short months could change my whole perspective.

Now, I was looking forward to the future. I wanted to build that family and I wanted to build it with Gianni, which worked out perfectly since he was carrying my child.

I couldn't be happier about that prospect.

I was, however, enraged that someone was trying to fuck with the perfect future I envisioned. I didn't know who was doing this—and no, I did not think it was Gianni—but once I found them I was going to wrap my hands around their neck and squeeze until their head popped off.

When we pulled up in front of the lab, all of the bravado I felt before seemed to escape me. I rubbed my hands on my slacks to get rid of my nervousness.

Despite the test results and the night we had spent together, Gianni hadn't said he wanted to spend a lifetime with me. He hadn't even said whether or not he'd allow me to be in my child's life.

I was pretty sure he would, but I wasn't positive.

"Stay with the car," I told my driver. "I shouldn't be more than a few minutes."

I really wanted to grab Gianni, get in my car, and drive back to the penthouse where we could talk in private. The lab facility or even the cafe he liked so much wasn't private enough for what we had to talk about.

I was a little reluctant as I climbed out of the car and then shut the door. I wasn't sure what Gianni's reaction to my news was going to be. He could easily tell me to get lost or never contact him again. I don't think a day at Coney Island—no matter how much fun we'd had—would change his mind simply because I was the biological father.

My mind was fogged with questions and possibilities as I entered the lab facility. I didn't realize Gianni was waiting for me until I plowed right into him. I grabbed him quickly to keep him from falling, yanking him against my chest.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Gianni replied, his eyebrows knit together. "But are you? I called out to you three times and you didn't answer me. Is everything okay?"

Not really.

"We need to talk. Will you come back to the penthouse with me?"

Gianni swallowed tightly. "You're not breaking up with me, are you?"

"No!" I realized I had shouted when Gianni winced and several people in the lobby stopped and turned to look at us. I lowered my voice and said, "Never."

That thought hadn't even crossed my mind.

"I got the—" I snapped my lips together when I realized we were standing in the middle of the lobby. I reached down and grabbed Gianni's hand, giving it a little tug. "Come home with me so we can talk."

Gianni was giving me a weird look as if he thought I was five seconds from crazy. "Okay."

I led him outside to the car, pulling the door open and letting him get in before I did. Once the doors were closed, I directed my driver to take us back to the penthouse.

I refused to let go of Gianni's hand.

"Can you tell me what this is all about?" Gianni asked. "You're making me nervous."

My eyes went to the front of the vehicle. I trusted my driver to a point, but, except for close family, I never trusted anyone fully. "We'll talk about it when we get home," I told Gianni when I looked back to him. I spoke in a whisper as I said, "This needs to be a me and you conversation."

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