by K. L Mann
I’m a nearly twenty–one year old woman with a few million in my bank, two billionaire boyfriends and absolutely no plans on giving up my time to work for money that I don’t care about. You could take away everything I own and I’d still want what I want all the same. I haven’t admitted to my life plans as of yet, but it will be happening shortly.
Our first getaway.
Luca refuses to recover anymore, meaning my doting isn’t allowed but he still lets me wash him in the shower every morning. Now that he’s healed completely, he’s decided it’s the perfect time to go for a weekend trip and he’s not taking no for an answer. To his credit, Gio is on board which means I trust that he’s healed enough to travel. Though, we’re driving, so I’m not sure how far we’re actually going yet.
Neither of them lets me pack, sort of like when Katherine and Lorenzo went on their honeymoon. I HATE surprises but I will admit I’m buzzing with excitement. My precious men give me the warm and fuzzies every damn day. I’ll go anywhere they want, anytime they want.
In true Arianna Vitale fashion, I also have a surprise up my sleeve for them. However, I can’t stomach even thinking about that right now as we turn onto a secluded dirt road.
My mouth drops as the view changes. A cabin (if you can call it that) with the most massive beautiful windows sits in a secluded wooded area with a small lake pictured behind it. Camping. We’re going camping.
“You remembered,” I gush, slamming my lips against Lucas' cheek in the back seat. Gio chuckles as he pulls the SUV a few feet away from the cabin and parks.
“It’s fake camping, just like you wanted. Running water and everything,” he replies, capturing my face for a real kiss. “Gio found the place because he’s an overachiever and head-over-dick for ya, princess.”
Of course he did. My grumpy guy likes to pretend like he’s not a gushy heartthrob, but deep down they’re both my softies. I twist in my seat to kiss Gio as well, I can feel his smile creep on my lips as I do.
“Let’s get inside, I’m fucking starving.” Luca smacks my ass before pulling me off of Gio and out of the car. Laughter bubbles out of me, even as he sets me down.
“For food or for our girl?” Gio questions with a smirk as he starts to grab our bags from the trunk.
“Shit, good question. What am I hungry for princess?”
“Real food for dinner, I can be for dessert if you still got a craving for something sweet,” I purr, dashing toward the cabin door, out of his reach.
“Oh, I always have a craving for something sweet, baby!” he yells, chasing after me.
Two hours later after feeding all of our appetites, I’m sprawled out on the couch in between my satiated men. The time for my surprise has come.
“So, um…” I stutter, trying to muster up the courage to admit what I did. “I sort of have a surprise for you guys and I don’t want you to be mad about it.”
“What’d you do, you minx?” Gio asks, placing a sweet kiss at the top of my head.
Luca stops rubbing my feet and looks up at me, waiting, a content smile on his pretty face. This position that was so comfortable moments ago feels less relaxing now that the nerves are eating away at me.
“So uh, remember that whole fire thing? Where Marco and Jules almost died and Luca got burnt?”
Luca chuckles. “Kind of hard to forget, babe.”
Gio’s fingers brush through my hair softly. “What about the fire?”
I blow out a breath and try to relax. I know them, they won’t be mad, right? “So, at the hospital, I kind of freaked out a bit about how short life is and I did something… a bit brash. So, you see, it’s really Luca’s fault for scaring me. And I was going to tell you guys, I really was, but then I just couldn’t and it was too late and now it’s really really too late so–”
“Babe, explain, stop stammering,” Luca interrupts.
“I got my birth control removed and now I’m five weeks pregnant.” I let the words fall out of my mouth and then slam my hand over it, and squeeze my eyes shut.
There is a beat of silence before both of them squeeze me into a suffocating hug. Nerves. So many fucking nerves.
Will they be mad? Happy? Excited? Pissed off? Will they forgive me for not saying anything?
In hindsight, that’s the biggest thing I did wrong. I didn’t disclose my new status as a fertile woman. I was too damn nervous and now I’m facing the consequences.
“You got our baby in you?” Gio’s voice sounds damn near ecstatic.
Our.
My heart seizes with love. Like a bucket of cold water slamming over my head, the nerves dissipate and morph into hope.
I peek open my eyes and move my hand from my mouth slowly. “You’re not mad?”
“I’m a little pissed you didn’t tell us sooner, but upset that you’re carrying our first kid? Fuck no, princess,” Luca sighs, cupping my face in his hands.
First kid.
Fuck. Actual chills run across my arms. I love them so fucking much.
“I went to the doctor yesterday, I just found out. I didn’t tell you about getting the birth control out because it usually takes a while to get pregnant after you get the implant removed. I’m honestly sort of freaking out about it…”
“What’s there to freak out about? You’ve always wanted babies.” Gio chuckles, kissing my neck softly.
“We’re not married, so Mamma’s gonna freak out. Lorenzo might have a heart attack, and our dads are going to fight over whose last name the kid takes. We just got the house so now remodeling whilst hormonal is going to be a nightmare for me. Oh, and I’m definitely fucking dropping out of school so that was all a waste of time. I refuse to go to campus so far away while pregnant. You have no idea how anxious I’m going to be for the next 7 months.”
“Lorenzo is going to be excited, babe. He’s got secret baby fever and a wife who doesn’t. You don’t need a silly little degree. You can do whatever you want with your life without it. If the baby’s Gio’s it’ll be Colombo. If it’s mine, Vitale.”
I frown at him. “What about Caruso?”
“Princess, no kid should have to share my dad’s last name.”
“But it’s your last name too,” I point out.
“I’ll change it.”
“But–” I start to protest.
“Baby girl, he’s been a Vitale since he was 16. It’s just never been made official. Let the man change his name, he’s sure about it.”
“Okay,” I heed my protests.
We dive into conversation about the doctor's visit and how I snuck out to go to it. They were both impressed with my excuse of going to get my nails done. I just simply didn’t get my toes done so the extra time spent at the doctors meant my nail appointment didn’t go unusually long. I’m pretty smart when I want to be sneaky.
“What do you think it is?” Luca asks, rubbing his palm against my still very flat tummy.
“I hope it’s a boy because if it’s a girl, I’m going to dress it up so often that it’ll despise me by the time it’s walking.”
“If it’s mine, it’ll be a boy,” Gio chuckles. “Luca’s totally giving you a girl or two, babe. The romantic ones always have girls.”
“I want so many babies,” I admit with a sigh. “We’re gonna need a Caterina. You think we can steal her from Lorenzo?”
“Not unless you want Vito to move in,” Luca says with a snort.
I gasp. “No way!”
“Uh huh.”
“I totally set that in motion,” I brag, smiling ear to ear. “Arianna the matchmaker, love expert to the stars.”
“You and Katherine, such meddlers,” Gio says, shaking his head playfully, pretending to disapprove.
“Speaking of Katherine, we should FaceTime her and tell her. I’ve been itching to let the secret slip since I missed my damn period.”
“You should ask if she’s with Lorenzo first, they should know at the same time,” Luca says.
I agree. Grinning, I type out my text.<
br />
Arianna: Any chance you're with my big brother right now and not in bed?
Katherine: I’m with both of your brothers actually. Fully clothed, training. What’s up?
Without responding via text, I FaceTime her.
“Girl, you’ve been gone a day and already you miss me this much? I’m flattered,” she says laughing, pursing her lips.
“Get my brothers in the frame, I gotta tell you all a secret.”
I see Marco first and then Lorenzo steps into the video as well. Luca swings around the couch to stand in the video with Gio and I.
“What’s up?” Marco asks.
They’re all sweaty and in workout gear.
“Congratulations,” I say with a giddy smile.
Lorenzo raises a brow, ever the suspicious man. “What are you congratulating us on?”
“You’re going to be uncles.” I bite my lip hard after saying it, nervous for their reactions.
Katherine’s eyes nearly burst and she gasps. “You’re pregnant!?”
Nodding, I bite my lip harder nervously.
“Uhhh, congrats?” Marco doesn’t know what to say, my goofy brother.
“Really?” Lorenzo asks.
“Bible.” I reply would the ridiculous Kardashian word for ‘for fucking real’ so that Katherine knows I mean business.
“Ohmygawd,” she gushes.
“Are you fucking crying, Lorenzo?” Luca narrows his eyes, trying to get a better look at him.
“No,” he lies.
Holy fuck. Tears prick in my eyes seeing Lorenzo’s face. His brown eyes are watery and if I couldn’t see this with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it.
Gio shakes his head. “Jesus, man. You’re gonna make me choke up or something.”
Katherine looks like she might cry as well. My heart is soaring.
“You all are a bunch of pussies,” Marco snorts, breaking the tension. “Congrats sis, I hope it’s Luca’s. I really don’t want to know what Gio’s spawn is like as a toddler. Probably fucking nightmarish.”
Luca throws his head back in a fit of laughter and Gio grunts. “Yeah? Your kid will be asking for a fucking drink as soon as it can talk, socio.”
I slap his chest, not so playfully and glare.
Marco laughs, always taking insults for jokes. “My kid would be awesome and you know it.”
“You tell the old man yet?” The question isn’t for me, it’s for Luca. I know it is, because Lorenzo looks directly at him.
Luca may be far from being my brother, but my father is the closest thing he has to a dad. “Just found out myself, man.”
Katherine beams at me with her big beautiful smile. “How far along are you?”
“Almost six weeks,” I admit.
“Caterina is going to have a field day with this. You know you have to let her throw you a baby shower, right?” Marco snickers.
“Yeah right,” Gio snorts. “Mamma Vitale and Mamma García are going to fight her for it.”
“Something we can agree on,” Marco says with a smile. “I think Hell just froze over.”
“Alright. We got training to do, and you have relaxing to return to. Take care of my sister or I’ll castrate you both,” Katherine warns without a hint of humor.
They laugh anyway. We all do.
As I hang up, pulling us back into our secluded get-away, I’m feeling more emotions than any woman should be able to take on at once. But mostly, mostly I’m just so fucking happy.
Arianna Lucia Vitale is happy, and she’ll never stop being happy ever again.
Bonus Chapter
“Gratitude is when memory is stored
in the heart and not in the mind.”
–Lionel Hampton
Gio Colombo
16 Years Old
“Babysitting? You want Gio and I… to babysit?” Lorenzo gapes at his mother, his eyes wide with genuine shock.
“Arianna is easy,” she argues with a huff. “She’s six, she eats, reads, watches movies and sleeps. I’m sure you both can handle it.”
“Again, you want us,” he pauses, motioning between him and I for dramatic effect, “to babysit a six-year-old little girl?”
Sighing, she narrows her eyes at him, scolding without using harsh words. “It’s just for one night. Your father and I will be back in the morning. We’re taking Marco with us, it’ll be easy.”
On cue, our fathers both walk into the kitchen, Arianna gripping each of their hands tightly. Her brown hair is pulled up into two little ponytails, she’s wearing another pink dress today. She looks like a doll or a kid in a commercial, almost like she’s airbrushed. Her face lights up when she sees Lorenzo nearby.
“Enzo!” She screams and races over, throwing her arms around his leg and clinging to him.
“Arianna,” Lorenzo groans, looking down at her as she squeezes the life out of him.
“Arianna, give your mamma a hug goodbye,” papa Vitale urges, using his gentle voice.
Slowly, she unwraps her arms from Lorenzo and skips over to her mom. Our eyes meet as they embrace, her little brown orbs studying me. I make an effort to smile, but I’m not sure it makes me look any friendlier.
“She looks like I terrify her,” I mumble to Lorenzo, not thinking anyone else could hear.
Yet, her little head cocks to the side and she smiles. “Not scared of Gio,” she whispers too loudly. My father chuckles under his breath and her mother beams. She shuffles her feet in her sandals, walking across the kitchen and pulls my hand into her little grip. I freeze, unsure of what the heck to do now. She’s held my hand before but she’s just looking up at me like I should do something.
Babysitting is not my jam.
“Hide and seek,” she whispers, barely loud enough to hear.
She wants to play with us?
Lifting my gaze to mamma Vitale, I find her smiling. She has far too much faith in me.
“We’re leaving now. Be good my Angel,” her father tells her, offering a wave.
She waves back eagerly until all three of our collective parents have left. The estate is in our hands for the night, and apparently so is a six-year-old. Sure, there’s security on the property, but no one to help with the kid, that’s on us.
“Hide and seek,” she whispers again, squeezing my hand.
I don’t look at Lorenzo. He won’t want to participate unless I do, so for her sake, I take initiative on this one.
“You want to hide? Or seek?”
“Seek,” she confirms. “Seek with you.”
“Go hide,” I tell my friend with a smirk.
He scowls. “Seriously?”
Putting on my best competitive hat, I narrow my eyes at him. “Dead. We’re gonna find you so fast, isn’t that right Arianna?”
“So fast,” she agrees, a large grin taking over her face.
Lorenzo softens a bit as he looks down at her. His arms fold at his chest and he offers her a smile. “That so? You think you can find me, little sis?”
“Uh huh,” she confirms. Her little tongue darts out at him, making both of us laugh.
“You heard the little lady, go hide. We’ll find you real quick.”
“Real quick,” she echoes.
Lorenzo chuckles, shaking his head and runs off into the house.
Kneeling down to her level, I watch her eyes go wide. She says she’s not scared of me, but I wouldn’t blame her if that was a lie. “How high do you want to count, Arianna?”
She hums, thinking about the question. “Six.”
Every Vitale’s favorite number, of course. I can’t help but smile and agree with her assessment. Six seconds seems like a fair amount of time, not to mention it’s her age at the moment. I don’t see that being a coincidence.
We count together quietly, and when we finish, she makes her eyebrows furrow evilly. “Gonna get Enzo.”
“I’m going to teach you a coveted family secret, are you ready?” Her eyes light up like I just told her she can eat ice cream for dinner and
she nods eagerly. “We don’t always hunt our prey, sometimes we draw them out. I’m going to hide behind the kitchen counter, break some glass, and you’re going to scream as loud as you can for your big brother. He’ll run right to us, and when he sees you, turn that scared little smile into a laugh and tell him you found him. Can you do that?”
Understanding and devious joy paints her smile. “Draw him out,” she repeats.
“Good,” I praise with a smile. “After I break the glass, you scream, okay?”
“Scream for Enzo,” she corrects happily.
I pat her head in confirmation and then round the counter. Picking up a few plates and glass cups, I give her a nod then slam them all onto the tiled floor. As I duck behind the counter to conceal myself, she screams bloody fucking murder. At first, it’s just a scream, then it’s her brother’s name. I almost have to cover my ears because it's so loud.
In only five seconds I hear his footsteps pounding into the room, followed by loud girlish giggling. “Found Enzo,” she chants, breaking down and laughing through her words.
“I’m behind the counter, don’t shoot me when I stand up,” I call out, knowing damn well he has a gun in hand. It’s confirmed when I stand up and he’s re-holstering it behind his back.
“I'm guessing this was your idea?” he accuses, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Who, me?” I feign innocence, earning another loud giggle from Arianna.
“My idea,” she lies, crossing her arms across her stomach with sass.
Lorenzo looks impressed by her loyalty but I expected it. This girl doesn’t let anyone get in trouble; she’d rather it be her. If Marco breaks something, she takes the blame even though he’s three and won’t actually get in trouble. She’s a little martyr.
“Alright then Princess,” Lorenzo shakes his head, hiding his smile. “Why don’t we do something with less destruction?”
“Swim,” she says confidently.
This suggestion surprised neither of us. The girl practically lives in the pool.
“You’re such a little fish, huh?” Lorenzo teases, looking down at her with an admiration he rarely lets hit his face. As much as he tries to seem indifferent toward her, he loves Arianna fiercely. God help the poor sucker she falls in love with one day.
