Page 42 of Mafia Daddy Next Door

“I thought that Matteo was going to be out there next week?” There is shuffling in the background and I hear Grace say something to Aria. “Me and the kids are going to be on our way in a few hours either way, though.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do.”

“You’re starting to freak me out, Salvatore,” she says softly. “What’s going on out there? What can I help with?”

“It’s easier to explain in person.”

“Alright, well, I’ll be on a plane there soon. You better have some snacks waiting for when we land. The kids are going to be starving.”

I laugh and feel some of the weight pressing down on my chest start to ease. “Okay. I’ll go to the store and get snacks and then I’ll see you when you get here.”

The call ends after a few more minutes and I head for the shower. I don’t know what I’m going to do about the baby, but I know that talking to Aria is the only thing that’s going to give me any sense of clarity. She is the only one who ever knows what to say about anything.

Now, looking back, it’s hard to believe that I ever hated her.

* * *

Aria laughsas the kids race through my yard, playing with their toys. She holds the baby in her lap, bouncing him on her knee as she watches them play.

“Alright,” Aria says as she turns her attention to me. “What’s so serious that you needed your baby sister to fly out here?”

“Do you think that a baby is enough of a reason?”

Her mouth drops open as she looks at me. “What the hell do you mean?”

“Mom said a bad word!” Grace says, wagging her finger at her mom. “You owe me a cookie.”

Aria gives me a flat look before smiling at her daughter. “Uncle Salvatore has cookies on the dining table. If you promise to go straight there and come back out here, you can go get cookies for everyone.”

Grace nods and takes off running. I watch as she disappears into the house, trying to figure out how to explain everything to Aria.

“I didn’t even know that you were seeing anyone.” Aria leans back in her seat, her knee stilling. “How long have you known?”

“I found out this morning.” I run my hand through my hair and take a deep breath. “And I’m not seeing anyone. Me and this woman had an understanding of sorts.”

“Well, it looks like your understanding is coming back to bite you in the ass. How are you feeling about all of this? She’s going to have the baby, right? Do you even want to be a father?”

“I’ve thought about having kids but I don’t know what to do right now. I’m trying to get the family business moving out here and then I’m babysitting Brennan’s sister while he’s away. Matteo is coming out to relieve some of the stress but now there’s this.”

“Okay, so, you’ve thought about it and you have Matteo coming out to help. What are you going to do about it?”

I shrug and look over at Brielle’s house. She is lounging in the sun and reading, massive sunglasses over her eyes. Though she can hear the kids screaming and see them from where she sits, she doesn’t acknowledge us.

We’re far enough away that she can’t hear me, but I still don’t want to have this conversation while looking at her. I get up and head to the other side of the yard where I know that she won’t be able to hear me at all.

Aria follows me, looking over at Brielle. “No.”

“Yeah. She’s the mom.” I head over to Grace and push her on the swing. “And I might have kicked her out when she told me that she was pregnant. It’s possible that I told her I needed to think about all of this.”

Aria’s jaw clenches shut. She takes a deep breath before she shakes her head. “You know, Dad really did a number on all of us. I don’t think there is a single sibling that isn’t emotionally stunted in one way or another.”

Laughing, I shake my head and push Grace higher before stepping behind the other swing and giving Spencer a light push. “You can say that again.”

“What are you going to do? I know that you need time to think and I can understand that, but you can’t leave her waiting and wondering until the baby pops out.”

“I’m not going to leave her waiting,” I say, glancing over at Brielle again. “It was only supposed to be a little bit of fun and now I have to deal with this.”

“She’s dealing with it too.” Aria switches Theo to her other hip. “You might find that talking to her about everything that’s going on is helpful. She’s probably just as scared as you are.”

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