Page 78 of Omega in Hiding

I frown. “I don’t know how it happened. Those same doctors told me if I ever got pregnant, which would be a miracle, I wouldn’t carry the baby full-term.” My voice wobbles. “So, I’m still worried that I might lose the baby.”

Nico frowns. “You can’t have a negative attitude. You have to think positive. They were wrong about you getting pregnant, so they’re probably wrong about the other part too.”

I like that Nico has an optimistic energy about him. I need someone like that right now because I’m a ball of anxiety. I’m scared that the baby won’t survive, and I don’t want to disappoint Paolo. “I don’t want him to regret anything,” I say.

Nico stops knitting. “You mean Paolo?”

I nod. “If I lose the baby, I don’t want Paolo to regret claiming me.”

“Do you think he claimed you because you’re pregnant?” He frowns.

“I don’t know. I believe he loves me. But it is possible he only gave me his bite because of the baby.” I grimace. “Sorry. I’m probably telling you more than you want to know.”

Nico laughs. “That’s not possible. I want to know everything.”

I smile. “You’re being very kind to me.”

“You’re probably surprised by that because of how you were greeted downstairs. That’s just how the Syracuse family handles things. They like to scream and yell a lot. Especially Valentino. He can be very volatile, but it doesn’t last long.” He winks. “Valentino is kind of like firecracker.”

“Paolo is so different from that,” I murmur.

“Yes. They’re opposites in temperament. But they’re both spoiled rotten.” He laughs. “But they love passionately and they’re loyal as hell. We’re lucky.” He meets my gaze. “I hope you know that.”

“Absolutely. I was heartbroken when I left Dario’s home. I didn’t think I could be with Paolo, because I wasn’t Italian and I couldn’t have babies.” I frown. “But apparently I can have babies.”

Nico smirks. “But you’re still not Italian. And Valentino will never forgive you for that.”

I wince. “I hope that’s not true. I don’t want to be at war with Valentino.”

Nico’s expression softens. “I’m teasing. Valentino will come around. He loves Paolo, so he’ll love you too. He won’t be able to help it.”

I touch my stomach. “It’s so weird to think that I am pregnant. I wanted to be pregnant so bad. I was a manny mostly so I could be near children. Now I’m going to have children of my own,” I say quietly. “Even saying it aloud sounds insane.”

“I always took it for granted I could have babies.” He studies me. “I can’t imagine what it would feel like to be told I couldn’t. You must’ve suffered horribly. Omegas are judged so harshly by whether or not we can breed.”

“That’s true. My family definitely looked down on me because I was barren. My father and my brother were especially cruel. My mother wasn’t cruel about it. She felt bad for me. Probably because she understood how horrible it would’ve been for her to be barren.”

“Your tone is different when you speak about your mother. It’s softer. Gentler. When you speak about your father in your brother, you sound as if you hate them.”

I meet his gaze. “I do hate them. I hate them and everything they stand for. My mother was better to me, but she must’ve had a darker side because she was with my father. She never showed that side to me, but it must’ve been there, right?”

“I don’t know. People might say that about me because I’m with Valentino. But I don’t have a dark side. Valentino has a very dark side. I still love him with all my heart. But that blackness is there. Sometimes it scares me, but it’s never turned on me anymore. It was in the beginning though.”

“Was it?” I ask in surprise.

“Oh yes.” He widens his eyes. “I’ll tell you about it someday. He was a bastard to me when we first met.” He laughs. “But he’s tamed now.”

I grin. “He does seem tame around you.”

Nico lifts one shoulder. “He loves me. He’d do anything for me.”

I understand that kind of love because that’s the love I have for Paolo. I also think that’s the kind of love Paolo has for me. A silence falls, but it’s a companionable one. “You had two babies, right?” I ask.

“That’s right.” Nico holds up the yellow booties. “I just started these today. Valentino and I are thinking about having a third.”

“Being pregnant must be a pretty wonderful experience.”

“The best. I enjoy not being pregnant too, of course. It’s easier to travel without being pregnant. And I can drink and eatshellfish and eggs. When I’m pregnant, Valentino wants me to be so very careful. He’s not a worrier in general, but he worries a lot when I’m pregnant.”

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