Page 121 of Ruthless Vengeance
Marco shifts Zoe to his other hip to reach for my hand.
I lace my fingers through his. “Good.” My voice trembles a little. “We’re…getting married.”
Andre’s face transforms into a huge smile before it quickly disappears again as he glares at his brother.
“You justhadto one-up me, didn’t you? You are such a fucking middle child.”
Marco shrugs. “Wasn’t a competition. But if it was, I would win.”
Andre chuckles, then winces, his hand going to his abdomen as he breathes through the pain. “You’re lucky I’m half-dead right now, otherwise I’d kick your ass.”
Watching the two of them bicker like teenagers has the tears falling once more.
“We also have another surprise.” Marco lets go of my hand to rest it on my lower belly.
Andre’s brows lift as he looks at my stomach. “No…”
Marco beams. “Yes. We’re having a baby.”
Andre rubs his face. “Jesus Christ. You two don’t waste any time, do you?”
“Oh, my god, this is so exciting!” Lila jumps up from her spot on the bed to pull me into a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“Our babies will be the same age.” I laugh as I hug her back.
Rosa groans. “Not fair. By the time I have kids, yours will be grown up and won’t want to play with mine”
“You need to have sex to have a kid, and that’s never going to fucking happen.” Marco points a finger at his little sister. “I told you, I’ve already got you a spot at the convent once you graduate.”
Andre chuckles. “I thought I was meant to be the harsh one?”
“You’ve been slacking lately. What with letting a boy come over to the house. What the hell were you thinking?”
Rosa squeaks. “You know about that?”
“I knoweverything.”
I drift over to the window as Marco and Andre bicker back and forth as if one of them isn’t currently recovering from a near-fatal gunshot wound.
Lila comes to stand beside me, linking her arm through mine as we both look out at the city skyline. “You okay?”
I nod, wiping my cheeks. “Today has just been…a lot.”
“You’re part of this family now, Clara. The De Lucas go big or go home.”
I laugh softly. “I can see that.”
I glance over at Marco, Andre, and Rosa. And something deep inside me shifts.
All of the broken pieces of my past, the wounds that Ben left in his wake… They finally feel like they’re starting to heal.
Chapter Thirty
MARCO
I’m notsure how long I stay at Andre’s bedside, ripping into him like he’s not lying in a bed with a near-fatal gunshot wound in his chest. But it seems to do the trick.
Soon enough everyone’s tears dry up, and the room is filled with laughter, intercepted by Rosa’s groans of annoyance as her two brothers gang up on her.
