Page 71 of Mafia Pregnancy

“Can you hand me the vase in that cabinet beside you?” She moves around the kitchen with gracefully, stirring sauce and checking pasta while I get it down. After I hand it to her, she fills it with water and puts the flowers inside. “Leo’s in the living room setting up his space dinosaur book for the big presentation.”

The domestic scene feels natural in ways I didn’t expect. While she finishes cooking, we fall into easy conversation about Leo’s day and the intricacies of three-year-old logic. She seems more relaxed than she’s been since I discovered the truth about Leo, as if some weight has been lifted.

Dinner passes with Leo’s enthusiastic commentary about space exploration and his theories about whether dinosaurs could have been astronauts if they’d evolved differently. I find myself completely absorbed in his reasoning and the way Danielle listens to his ideas with genuine attention rather than patronizing amusement.

“Can we read the space dinosaur book now?” Leo bounces in his chair as Danielle clears the dishes. “I want to show Mr. Radmir the part about the ones that might have lived on Mars.”

“After you brush your teeth and get into pajamas.” She ruffles his hair affectionately. “Books are part of bedtime routine, remember?”

He wrinkles his nose. “Do I gotta take a bath too?”

She chuckles and sniffs deeply comically. “I suppose you’ll pass until morning.”

He pumps his little fist in victory. “All right! Mr. Radmir, will you wait for me? I’ll be really fast.”

“I’ll be right here.” I watch him run toward his bedroom with the book clutched in his hands, struck again by how easily he’s accepted my presence in his life.

While Leo gets ready for bed, Danielle and I clean up the kitchen together. She seems nervous about something, glancing at me periodically like she’s working up courage to say something important.

“Thank you for coming tonight.” She loads dishes into the dishwasher with careful precision. “Leo’s been talking about space dinosaurs all day, and I think he was afraid I wouldn’t appreciate the scientific complexities.”

“I’m honored to be consulted on such important matters.” I lean against the counter, studying her profile as she works. “Was there something specific you wanted to discuss? You mentioned we should talk about some things.”

She hesitates, her hands stilling on the dish she’s holding. “After we get Leo settled. There are some things I need to tell you.”

The heaviness in her voice suggests this conversation will be significant, possibly the one where she admits to being pregnant with my second child. I’ve been preparing for this moment since Andrei reported her clinic visit, but anticipation still makes my chest tight.

I touch her arm gently. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Ready for the space dinosaur presentation.” Leo appears in the doorway wearing dinosaur pajamas and carrying his book with ceremonial importance.

We settle into his bedroom, with Leo arranging his stuffed animals as an audience while I take the chair beside his bed. The book is beautifully illustrated and full of artistic interpretations of what dinosaurs might have looked like if they’d evolved to survive in space environments. It’s clearly aimed to older kids, perhaps eight or more, but he seems to grasp most of the concepts, further impressing me.

“See this one?” Leo points to a creature that looks like a cross between a triceratops and an astronaut. “He has special skin for breathing in space, and his horns can break through asteroid rocks.”

“That’s incredible engineering.” I study the illustration with appropriate seriousness. “Do you think he’d be good at navigating by the stars?”

“Oh, yes. All space dinosaurs are really good at directions because they have special brains for remembering where planets are.”

Leo’s confident explanations and the detailed questions he asks about space travel and evolutionary adaptation impress me more with each page. This is my son—curious, imaginative, and completely absorbed in learning about the world around him. Pride suffuses me.

When we finish the book, he hugs me with the same casual affection he showed yesterday, and something in my chest settles into place with finality.

“Thank you for reading with me. You’re really good at space dinosaur voices.” He snuggles under his covers with his stuffed dinosaur. “Will you come back tomorrow? I want to show you my drawings of astronaut velociraptors.”

“I’d love to see your astronaut velociraptors.” I tuck him in and turn on his nightlight. “Sweet dreams, Leo.”

“Sweet dreams, Mr. Radmir.”

I find Danielle in the living room, curled up on the couch with two cups of tea steaming on the coffee table. She gestures for me to sit beside her, and when I do, she turns to face me with an expression that’s both determined and nervous.

“I need to tell you something important.” She wraps her hands around her teacup. “Actually, a couple of things.”

Before she can continue, my phone buzzes with an urgent call from Andrei. I glance at the screen, torn between wanting to ignore it and knowing he wouldn’t interrupt unless it was critical. “I’m sorry, I need to take this.” I answer the call. “What’s wrong?”

“Someone took a shot at Rodriguez tonight outside his daughter’s dance recital.” Andrei’s voice is grim. “He’s unharmed but shaken. He wants to meet with you immediately about protection for his family.”

The news hits me with cold fury. Rodriguez has been loyal for three years, and now Luca’s escalating his pressure tactics to include attempted murder all to undermine me. “Where is he now?”

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