Page 80 of Sin and Redemption

“You told your mom,” I said. I wasn’t even surprised. Liliana had been by Sara’s side through it all. She was Sara’s rock. I was hoping to be that one day too, but I had no intention to get between their close bond.

Sara cringed and gave me an apologetic smile. “When I found out this morning, I had to call her. I know I should have told you first. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. As long as you let me be part of this pregnancy, I don’t mind if your mom knows things before me.”

Sara put her head down on my shoulder. “Next time, you’ll be the first to know. I promise.”

“You mean with our second child?” I asked.

“I’d like three kids. I always saw me with three.” She peered up at me. “Is that okay? If you want less, I’m sure I’ll be fine too. I don’t want to assume you’ll just want the same things I want. I know marriage is a compromise, and I didn’t do enough of that in the past.”

“I like the idea of a Trevisan trio.”

Sara giggled, giving me a doubtful look. “Really?”

“Really. Maybe even more.”

Sara bit her lip.

I leaned forward and kissed her, then moved back and pulled her against me again. “I’d like to tell my parents in person next time we visit. I should have the day off on Friday, so maybe we can drive over to them.”

Sara sat up but her hand remained in mine. “Mom can keep secrets, so we can tell the rest of my family during dinner on Sunday. You won’t have to work then either, right?”

“If nothing unexpected comes up, I won’t have to work.” Things with the Russians had calmed down considerably. I feared it was the calm before the storm, but it meant I had fewer clients and only our usual debtors.

We headed to bed shortly after without ever watching anything, and Sara undressed in the bathroom while I brushed my teeth. I loved these small, mundane moments that had changed our marriage drastically. That Sara changed in front of me and that we shared more of our daily routine with each other just made this marriage feel more real. I would have never thought I was the type to enjoy married life—the routine and mundanity of it—but I loved returning home to Sara in the evening.

When Sara stood in front of the mirror only in her panties, she turned and regarded her belly, which was still flat of course. She drew in a deep breath, extending her belly until it looked like she was further along. “I can’t wait to look like this.” She gave me an embarrassed smile. I stepped up to her, the toothbrush still in my mouth, and put my palm over her belly. My hands were big, bear paws how my mom always said, and covered all of her belly. She put her much smaller hand over mine and we briefly stood like that. It made me feel strange, an unfamiliar ache in my chest. I stepped back and spit out my toothpaste, trying to determine what I was feeling.

Sara put her nightgown on and slipped under the covers. She had her face tilted up and her eyes closed but opened them when I came in and stretched out beside her. She turned around to face me and smiled. I just smiled back. Then I turned off the lights. Today was a good day.

When I told my mom that Sara and I would be coming over on Friday, she got suspicious. I wasn’t sure how she could tell something was up. Her instincts were always spot-on. The moment Sara and I entered the house, where Mom and Dad were sitting in the kitchen with the dogs, Mom grinned. One look at my face and she simply seemed to know.

Dad glanced between her and us. He obviously wasn’t sure what was up.

Mom could barely contain her excitement when she came over to us. She hugged Sara tightly before either of us said anything. Sara gave me a questioning look. “Did you…?”

“Not a word,” I said.

Mom touched my face and beamed at Sara, who couldn’t help but laugh. She stretched out her arms. “I’m pregnant!” Mom hugged her again.

“I knew it! I just knew it!”

Dad pushed to his feet and stalked over to me. He patted my shoulder, then pulled me in for a rare hug. “Congrats, Max.”

Mom was already doting on Sara. Dad told her congrats too and touched her shoulder with a proud smile.

“Primo’s at work. One of us has to,” Dad said.

“I know, Dad.” With all three of us being Enforcers, it was rare that all of us could take off. I’d tell Primo the next time I saw him, but I doubted he’d be as emotionally invested as my parents.

Dad motioned to the front door. “Help me with one of the kennels. Houdini managed to dig another hole. We got it before he could run off again.”

I followed Dad outside. Houdini had managed to escape his kennel twice so far. The first time, he’d killed a deer; the second time, Dad got him before he could cause more damage. He was unpredictable and needed to be in a kennel.

Dad carried a sack with instant concrete and a bucket with water and two shovels.

“When your mom got pregnant with you, I was excited and scared. Being a father is the most difficult and challenging job. But I was determined not to fuck up.”

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