by Ciara Cole
“Okay good,” he exhaled the words. Tipping the tumbler back, he finished off the drink and grabbed her hand. “Alright babe, hit me with it.”
Talia closed her eyes, taking a few more breaths to steel herself against the anticipated rejection and humiliation. “Okay. Well the thing is.” Shit, why was it so hard to say two simple words? Just spit it out girl, her strong inner bitch prodded. “Giovanni, I’m pregnant.”
He didn’t respond for a long time. So long that Talia stood and sought refuge in the kitchen. She pulled a homemade pizza from the oven. She’d been restless after calling him earlier, and knowing what she had to tell him so she’d taken out her flour and rolling pin and got down to work. She could see Giovanni, frozen like a statue on her sofa after she’d dropped her bomb. He needed time to let the words sink in, but once he was no longer catatonic she would tell him that he was off the hook. Grabbing two plates piled high with pizza squares and the bottle of whiskey, she made the trek back to the living room. “Eat,” she commanded.
“You’re pregnant,” he finally said.
“Yes, I am,” she responded as she refilled his glass. “I found out a few days ago and I needed to wrap my head around it before I told you.”
“You’re pregnant.” He repeated again, this time she could hear the disbelief in his voice.
Talia tried not to be offended by his tone. She really did, dammit she was. “Yes, Giovanni, I’m pregnant. The baby is yours.”
When he still said nothing more, she dug into her pizza and turned the television on cable news. Okay so he’s not going to say anything. Ever. She finished her pizza and took her plate into the kitchen, rinsing it off and sticking it in the dishwasher. Before returning to the man with no voice, she grabbed a peach ginger juice from the fridge and reclaimed her seat. “I know this is a shock, Giovanni, but it’s happened. I’m not asking you for anything and I don’t want you to be involved if you don’t want to be. I make plenty of money so I can raise my baby on my own. So, you know, don’t worry about it.”
“Our baby.”
“What?” The man goes mute for thirty minutes and then starts speaking in riddles.
“You said my baby, but it’s our baby. Yours and mine.”
His voice was low and fierce. If Talia didn’t know he was a good man, incapable of harming another human she might be terrified. “Okay fine, our baby.”
His movements were robotic, jerky when he reached for the whiskey glass and brought it to his mouth. Nodding, Giovanni turned to her. “You don’t honestly believe I’m going to walk away from you or my child, do you?”
Her shoulders rose and fell without much care. “Of course I did, obviously. You’re a super rich playboy, Giovanni, do you mean to tell me you’re ready to settle down and play daddy?”
“I guess I’ll have to be, won’t I?”
She really wished he hadn’t said those words. It was exactly the mindset her parents had when they’d decided to have her. Talia knew she was lucky that she wasn’t born with any drug addictions and because of that she didn’t want a man who wasn’t ready for life. “You can’t expect that you’ll magically change because you have a child.”
“Why not, you will.”
“Yeah well, the baby is already real to me. I’m having physical symptoms and I’ve seen a scan of him or her.”
“I want to see it.”
She pointed to the envelope on the coffee table. “You can’t see much, this was just to confirm that I’m eight weeks along.”
He looked at her with wide green eyes. “So you got pregnant that first night?” She nodded. “This is going to be great, Talia! I’m going to be a father.”
Oh no. This was exactly what she’d been worried about. He would start off excited about impending parenthood and as time wore on and the responsibility grew, he would become less and less excited. She took another deep breath and looked at him. “Giovanni, you need to take more than a second to think about this. Being a parent is a huge responsibility and if you’re not in all the way, I need to know.”
He deflated and she felt bad, seeing the hurt in his beautiful eyes. “I see. You know, Talia, I thought you liked me. I thought we were on our way to building something.”
She did too. “That’s exactly why I want, no I need you to take your time and think about this. I don’t want to throw myself in this, this thing with you, only to have you decide it’s not for you after I’ve already fallen for you.”
“I get that, I do. But I really like you Talia and I’m not willing to give up on us and I sure as hell won’t give up on our child.” He sat, green eyes sparkling with excitement. “I propose that we do this. All of it. We keep dating and getting to know each other. For real, this time. And I want to be involved in the pregnancy. I’m going to doctor’s visits, I’ll satisfy all of your late night cravings and I’ll rub your swollen feet.”
“Who are you and what have you done with bazillionaire playboy Giovanni Tucci?”
He laughed and cupped her face, leaning in for a soft kiss that was so tender she might cry. “I’m right here. All you have to do is be brave enough to try.”
“Well when you put it like that, how can I refuse.”
“Easy,” he smiled. “You can’t.”
That was her problem, she couldn’t refuse Giovanni. Not in this, or anything, she feared. But her heart and her body wanted this man and now they were having a child together. She would do like Tiana said, just fall and see what happens.
Chapter Seven
Sixteen days, that’s how many days had passed since Giovanni had found out he was going to be a father. He floated between wholehearted excitement and mind numbing fear. He’d never been in charge of a tiny human before and now, this one would be solely dependent on him. He would be a role model, caretaker and teacher. It was a giant task but instead of being scared and wanting to run, he was looking forward to all of it. Dirty diapers, watching Talia grow round with his child and late night feedings. He wanted to be involved as much as possible.
That was the highlight of his life lately. And he needed it because, man, there were plenty of lowlights. Nearly every night for the past seven nights, at least two low level members had eaten at The Family Table. They strolled in all loud and intimidating, acting like they owned the place and skipped out on the bill. He’d called Uncle Vincenzo several times only to hear empty promises that made him wonder what the hell was going on with the Family. But that had all slid to the back of his mind when he’d noticed a blue four door sedan seemed be wherever he was. He knew it was the cops and he knew it was related to whatever idiotic scheme those foot soldiers were hoping to play out. They were playing some game and he was part of it. Whether he wanted it or not.
Worrying about the police and the nightly visitors to his restaurant had put a real strain on Giovanni’s ability to properly woo Talia. He’d sent flowers and small trinkets every day, just to let her know he cared. He’d had lunch delivered to her from some unknown spots around the city with sweet notes, well he thought they were sweet. And Talia always sent a quick review, a smiley face and her thanks afterwards. But he wanted to do more, needed to show her just how special he thought she was. He’d planned to go to her tonight after work, but that would only happen if he could get rid of the gangsters. He couldn’t leave Penny or anyone else on his staff alone with these guys.
“You guys about finished here?” He smacked the bill on the table, looking each man in the eye. They were all the same, early twenties, expensive jeans and dark t-shirts under moderately expensive sports coats. Black hair was slicked back or cut close to the head, cocky smiles firmly in place. “Here’s the check. You can take care of it now.”
“What if we want something else?”
The spokesperson looked to be the youngest with that cocky swagger he would have gladly knocked off his face years ago. Today though he just stared him down until he began to squirm. “The kitchen and bar are closed so there’s nothing else for you to have.” He
crossed his arms and waited. And waited.
Each man threw down several bills as he stood, making a lot of noise and drawing attention to themselves. “Fine, we’re outta here.”
Giovanni nodded. “Thank you gentlemen for choosing The Family Table. You have a good night.” He stood tall, unwavering as each man got close and tried to stare him down.
“Whatever.”
He locked the door behind him and served each customer a complimentary glass of wine. “Sorry about that folks. It seems all elements enjoy the delicious food and family style dining.” There were scattered chuckles as everyone recognized the joke and the tension was released. He pushed the kitchen doors open and stormed through them. “Fuck me!” In his office, he pulled up his uncle’s number again. “There is something deeply wrong in your organization Uncle and they’re involving me. Please, fix it.” He hung up and punched the wall.
This was getting out of hand and it needed to stop. Once and for fucking all.
~
Things were weird. That was the prevailing thought, first and foremost in Talia’s mind when she woke up. Things were weird in her life and between her and Giovanni. After declaring he was ‘all in’ with her and the baby, she’d scarcely seen him in more than two weeks. Of course he made sure he was always at the forefront of her mind by sending beautiful fragrant flowers and trinkets like the gorgeous diamond and emerald charm bracelet that arrived early the morning of her next doctor’s appointment.
The bracelet was only half full with a teddy bear, a knife and fork crossed, a feather pen and a baby crib. It was magnificent, but it was just an expensive bauble to make up for his absence. She sighed heavily and reluctantly put the bracelet on her wrist and fastened it. Checking her watch again, she realized it was getting close to the appointment time and Giovanni was late picking her up. She sent him a text message telling him that she would meet him at the doctor’s office, along with the address.
In the back of the cab she tried to remain calm and not curse Giovanni for getting her hopes up. Because she had started to believe him, despite their crazy schedules, that he would actually be there for her. Would actually try to have a relationship with her. “Stupid girl,” she muttered to herself.
It would be alright, she told herself. She now knew that she couldn’t depend on him. Not with her heart or her child. “Thank you,” she told the cabbie and slid him the fare and tip.
“Good luck, miss.”
When she saw Giovanni again, she would kill him.
~
Giovanni was running late to pick up Talia for his first doctor’s appointment. It was her second, but he was looking forward to seeing the baby and possibly hearing its heartbeat. A glance at the clock told him he would barely make it to Talia with enough time to get back for their appointment. “Shit,” he pulled the door open and pulled up short. “Not you two again. What do you want?”
“Mr. Tucci, do you have a few moments to speak with us?”
He assessed the young black detective, Detective Miller. “If you can promise it will only be moments. I have to get my girlfriend to the doctor and I’m already late.”
“Well then I guess you’re going to be late, then.” That was Detective FatAss.
“If you’re not here to arrest me, I’ll leave anytime I damn well please.” He turned to Miller. “Go ahead.”
“Have you been in contact with any members of the Tucci crime family?”
He sighed. “I’m sure you already know that a few of the foot soldiers have been in my restaurant lately.”
“On business?”
“Yes. The restaurant is my business, as I’m sure you’re well are of,” he said with his gaze focused on the detective’s bulging gut.
“Hmph.”
“Can you tell us what you were up to on the night of the 12th of last month?”
“Honestly I don’t remember. I’m either at the restaurant or at my girlfriend’s house, or she’s at my house.” He crossed his arms, looking at them both in disgust. “I thought my car was seen in the area, Detective?”
“We ask the questions,” the bad cop said. “So you don’t know where you were?”
“Not off the top of my head. Do you know where you were? Or which donut shop you were visiting? I didn’t think so. Are we done?”
Miller nodded. “For now, Mr. Tucci. If we have any other questions, we know where to find you.”
He checked his phone and read a text from Talia. Shit, she’d left without him. “Too bad you didn’t start following me on the twelfth, then you could remind me. I’ll check my calendar and let you know Detective Miller.” He waved as his put the car in reverse and sped off.
Those fucking detectives wouldn’t let this go until they had him or the person who’d killed Giancarlo. “Dammit!” He smacked the steering wheel as he drove, navigating to the address Talia had sent him. Her message had been terse, an indication of just how angry she was with him. He pressed the gas, weaving in and out of traffic, refusing to stop until he was in a spot outside the Women’s Reproductive Health Clinic. “Okay, you’ve got this.”
He strolled across the lot and into the office number she’d given him. When he spotted her, he relaxed and a smile crossed his face. Giovanni faltered when she returned his smile with an icy glare. Okay then, definitely upset.
“Hey sorry I’m late. The police stopped by my place. Apparently after leaving my restaurant a few guys beat someone pretty bad. Otherwise you know I’d be there.”
“Oh,” she covered her mouth. “Are they alright?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, honestly. I was in a rush to get to you so I didn’t ask many questions.”
“Well I guess I should just be happy you showed up.” She didn’t even look him in the eye, just stared beyond him.
He blew out a breath. “Okay maybe I deserve that, but I am sorry for being late.”
She nodded. “It’s fine. Look Giovanni, maybe we should just--,”
“Talia Mathers,” a nurse in pink scrubs called out.
She jumped up and headed for the woman, leaving Giovanni trailing behind her. “Right here.”
The nurse looked at Giovanni, practically swooning when he placed his hand on the small of Talia’s back. “Is this Dad?”
Talia nodded. “Yep, he’s with us,” she rubbed her belly with a fake smile.
“Okay, come on back then. We’ll get you weighed and on the table.”
Talia turned to Giovanni and smacked her purse against his chest. “You don’t need to see how much I weight. You can wait in the room.”
He nodded and turned ducked into the room the chipper nurse pointed him to. It was fine, he wanted a bit of privacy to see what he’d done—other than show up late—to piss her off. They hadn’t spoken as much as he would have liked over the past few days, but he knew she understood that sometimes business had to come first. Lowering himself into a chair near the head of the examination table, Giovanni looked around uncomfortably. The room was made for a woman with posters on wellness baby checks, a 3-D model of a pregnant woman and all types of pamphlets for vaccinations and afterbirth creams. With nowhere safe to divert his eyes, he pulled his phone from his pocket and began to check his email.
He looks up when the door opens to reveal Talia and the nurse. “Everything alright?” He hated the tentative sound of his voice, but the stress between them was palpable, even dimming the smile of the too chipper nurse.
“Yep. She’s gaining and losing weight at a normal rate for this point in her pregnancy. Dad you just make sure you’re feeding her.” She turned to Talia. “Undress from the waist down and the doctor will be with you shortly.”
“Do you want me to leave or turn around?”
Talia was already shimmying out of her jeans. “No need. We’ve seen more of each other than this.” Her smile was strained but he could see she was trying hard not to be upset with him.
“I guess you’re right,” he answered with a sheepish smile. “You’re mad.”
She stiffened at his statement. “No, not mad. Disappointed. You made it clear you didn’t want any type of commitment before and I fooled myself into believing you wanted to try because I wanted it. No big deal.”
No big deal? “Really, because it sounds like kind of a big deal.”
She shrugged and slid onto the table, draping the butcher paper over her legs. “I’ve been disappointed worse. I’ll adapt.”
Dammit. Giovanni knew he needed to tell her about his past, so she could understand his absence the past week. Without context he looked like an insensitive jerk who’d left her hanging. “You don’t have to. I plan on being here with you, all the way.” He sighed. “After this appointment can we go someplace to talk? I need to explain some things that will make it all clear.”
Her gaze was intense, assessing for a long moment before she gave him a short nod.
He relaxed but only for a second before a slight woman in a white coat knocked and entered with a smile on her face. “Talia, how are we today? Oh, we have a guest,” she turned a polite smile to Giovanni.
“This is Giovanni, he’s the father and wanted to be here today.”
She took his hand. “Your lobster lasagna with white sauce is my favorite thing in all the world. Have a seat right here.” She directed him to the chair near the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll call you back for the good stuff.”
Giovanni listened as the doctor asked Talia a series of questions, surprised to hear she had been battling severe morning sickness and dehydration since her last visit.
“That’s perfectly normal for some women. Keep unsalted crackers and real ginger ale next to the bed and drink more water, you’ll start to feel better.” She looked at her tablet. “It looks like you’ve put on a few pounds, which is great considering the morning sickness. So are we ready to meet the little one?”
Talia smiled and it nearly knocked him off his seat. “I can’t wait.” Her brown eyes gazed at him, beckoned him over and he came, grabbing her hand as he stood behind her.
