by Sam Mariano
“You shouldn’t have told them until we talked about it, Rafe. Now if I don’t go through with it, there are even more people judging me.”
“No one is judging you,” he assures me. “Why do you say that?”
Saving me from having to answer, Mia comes in with two baskets full of bread. She brightens upon seeing Rafe, and he releases my hips to go greet her.
“You’re here,” she says, putting the bread down on the table and leaning in to hug him.
“I am,” he returns, drawing her close and kissing her on top of the head. His hand drifts to her slightly swollen abdomen and he gives it a rub. “How’s it going in there, little—” He pauses and looks at her face. “Do you know what it is yet?”
Beaming, she nods. “It’s a boy. We weren’t supposed to find out until the next appointment, but the doctor said he definitely saw a penis.”
Rafe shakes his head. “Waving his dick around already, huh?”
Mia swats his arm, looking down at her tummy and rubbing. “Tristan is going to be an angel, shut up.”
“Sure, with Mateo for his father, how could he not?” Rafe asks lightly.
I move on to the next wine glass. “Dom seems pretty sweet, so it’s clearly possible,” I remark.
“Dom got all his temperament from his mother, none from his father,” Rafe assures me.
“Here’s hoping,” Mia mutters. “After dinner, you should come play with the babies for a little bit. It made Laurel like you last time,” she adds, slyly.
I bite back a grin while Rafe insists he didn’t need her baby to help him, but before the debate can go very far, we hear the other men approaching from the hall. Mateo comes in first. Mia sheds Rafe’s attention and goes over to greet her husband like she doesn’t see him every single day. I can’t help watching them, seeing how deeply in love Mia is. Mateo is a lot harder to read. You can definitely see warmth in his brown eyes when he looks at her, in the possessive hand he rests on her hip as he settles her into his side and turns his attention to Rafe. It reminds me of Sin at dinner a few nights ago when Rafe came over, and that just makes my heart hurt. How did everything tumble downhill so damn fast?
Adrian and Alec come in, too, and I linger to see where they’re all sitting. Since this is a normal family dinner for everyone but me, there’s nothing at any of the place settings to indicate where anyone sits. I know Mateo sat at the head of the table with Mia to his left, but I wasn’t sure about everyone else. Mia and I obviously don’t need wine since we’re pregnant, but I wasn’t sure where I would be sitting, so I just filled every glass but hers.
Alec sits the farthest from Mateo, while Rafe takes a seat opposite Mia, on Mateo’s right hand side.
“That’s my seat,” Adrian tells him.
“Guess you’ll have to sit somewhere else,” Rafe offers, smiling mildly.
Adrian gives him a dead-eyed look that makes me think of Sin. Apparently sensing conflict, Mia leaves her husband’s side and takes Adrian’s arm, guiding him to the seat beside hers. “Here, Adrian, sit next to me. I’d rather sit by you than him anyway.”
If she wanted to annoy Rafe, she fails. He grins at her and says, “Ah, yes. Between the two of us, Adrian is always your first choice, isn’t he, little one?”
For a split second Mia’s eyes widen in shock, then narrow with annoyance and she tries to glare him to death. “I take back all the nice things I said about him, Laurel. He’s an asshole.”
Mateo takes his seat, a self-satisfied smile playing around his lips. “We should have invited Sal and Francesca to dinner. Next time you chase off your flavor of the month and need my help retrieving her, give me a little more notice, won’t you?”
“If you like the playboys, Alec is available,” Mia tells me, side-eyeing Rafe. “Maybe you two can work out your issues and you can be with him instead. Then you can stay in Chicago.”
“You’re supposed to be helping, not suggesting more competition,” Rafe informs Mia.
“And you’re supposed to refrain from pissing off pregnant women, but here we are.” Turning her attention back to me, she says, “Come on, let’s go grab salads. You should bring out Alec’s, too.”
“Don’t you dare,” Rafe says, catching my eye.
I would rather spit in Alec’s food than serve him, but now that Rafe has said that, I have to. Once we’re in the relative privacy of the kitchen, I ask Mia, “Is serving the men some sort of big deal?”
Rolling her eyes, she glances back at me. “You have no idea. When I first encountered this family, Mateo stirred up all sorts of shit simply by making me bring him his food on Sunday. I was dating Vince at the time, didn’t think anything of it. It’s essentially waitressing without the tip, right? Wrong. I guess it’s a respect thing.”
“Sounds like a proprietary thing,” I volunteer. “I’m not Rafe’s property, so… which salad is Alec’s?”
Elise stops short, lifting her eyebrows. “Alec? I thought you were Rafe’s girl?”
“I’m no one’s girl. Tomorrow I’m going back to Connecticut, so none of this matters.”
That catches Mia’s attention. “How are Vince and Carly doing? Did they ever buy a house? I know Carly told me they were looking to buy after everything settled down.”
I nod my head. “They’re doing well. They bought a beautiful house with a big back yard. That’s where I’m spending the summer. Doesn’t make sense to stay by myself in Chicago when I could go hang out with them instead. Plus, Vince got a grill, and he’s trying to fatten me up with his mad grilling skills.”
Sighing to herself, Mia smiles. “Good. That sounds perfect for him. What did Carly say about the whole baby thing? She didn’t seem psyched you spent time in Rafe’s room to begin with.”
I grimace, considering the conversations I have ahead of me tomorrow after the plane lands and my sister greets me. I’m bringing far more baggage than she’s expecting. “I haven’t told her yet. To be honest…” I glance up at Elise, since I don’t really know her. Not like I know Mia much better, but she exudes a warmth that makes me comfortable talking to her. Elise keeps to herself a little more.
Seeing I don’t want to share in front of her, she says, “Oh, okay,” grabs two salads, and heads for the dining room.
Once the door swings shut, I decide to tell Mia the truth. “I’m not sure if I’m going through with this pregnancy.” I pause, waiting to see judgment cross her features. It doesn’t, but her brow does crease with concern.
“Why not?” she asks.
“I went to Vegas to tell Rafe, obviously, but he did not respond well. I really don’t think he wants kids. His enforcer… it’s complicated, but his enforcer started expressing interest in me and we got romantically involved.” At this, Mia’s eyes go wide, but I keep going. “As soon as Rafe noticed, he wanted me back. I think it was more about stealing a toy from Sin than actually wanting me, so even though he’s here right now and I have his attention, I have doubts that it’s real. I don’t think anything has actually changed in the past week, I think Rafe is just a competitive person who can’t stand to lose.”
“Oh,” she murmurs lowly, as if she hadn’t considered that.
I nod. “So whatever he told you, that is the actual situation. I’m not playing hard to get here. I delivered myself to Vegas, and while he was initially happy to see me, the second I told him I was pregnant, he turned Arctic and sent me away.”
“What an ass,” she says.
“Yep.”
After a moment of frowning over that, her attention returns to me. “Well, okay, so you’re not completely sold on Rafe. I get that. But does the pregnancy have to be tied to being with him? You’re already pregnant, so… what does this decision depend on?”
I sigh, shaking my head. Glancing around her kitchen—which is larger than my entire apartment—I know she won’t understand my working-class struggles. “I don’t know what it depends on, to be honest. At this point, I’m not sure it’s even a decision so much as an i
nevitability. I gave Rafe a chance to speak up if he wanted me to go through with it, and he still hasn’t said anything. Weirdly enough, Sin was very adamant that I have the baby, but it turned out he was just manipulating me, so he was full of shit anyway. And, I’m sorry, but I really don’t want to do this alone. I already know what life is like as a single mom. Carly basically raised me, and she’s only 4 years older than I am. Rather than follow her example and struggle my ass off, I want to keep going to school, I want to finish my degree and accomplish things that will make her proud. I can’t do all that and this on my own without doing a shitty job at one or the other. I’m only one person.”
Mouth downturned like I’ve just said the saddest thing in the whole world, Mia steps forward and hugs me. “It doesn’t have to be like that, Laurel. That’s what family is for—to step up and help you out. I don’t know how Rafe feels about this because we haven’t had a chance to talk about it, but isn’t it possible he just needed time to digest the news? He’s good with my kids when he’s here. I know he’s not Mr. Commitment, but he has made comments to me that make me think he is open to a relationship with the right person. Maybe the fact that you’re having his baby triggered something for him. It’s hard to say for sure in this family. Mateo isn’t like that, it wouldn’t make a difference for him, but he had an incredibly abusive monster for a father, so he’s sort of broken in that regard. From what I understand, Rafe had a healthier upbringing. He may be more normal about that—maybe now that he knows you’re having his baby and the surprise has subsided, he wants to give it a shot with you. Would that be the worst thing?”
Dropping her gaze, I look down at the salads. “I don’t know. I just don’t think it’s going to work with him. It’s complicated at best, and derails my life at worst.”
“Even if it doesn’t, that doesn’t mean you would have to do this alone. I refuse to believe Vince and Carly wouldn’t help you out.”
“Vince and Carly live in Connecticut,” I state. “I go to school in Chicago and Vince isn’t allowed in this city because your husband says so.” Guilt briefly transforms her features, so I move along. “I don’t just need financial help, Mia. If I had a baby, I would need someone I could trust to take care of it while I go to school and study. I would need a new place to live, because my roommate would in no universe be cool with a baby. We wouldn’t have room anyway.” I shake my head. “It’s just too much. And even if Carly gave me the money to get a place of my own, what is she supposed to do? Leave Vince in Connecticut during the school year and come here to take care of my kid? She has her own degree to work on. It just isn’t feasible. I’m not going to let her sacrifice any more for me than she already has. If I did this alone… I would need a lot of help, and she would give it to me, and I refuse to do that to her.”
She’s quiet for a moment and I shift awkwardly, not accustomed to spilling all my feelings and doubts all over strangers. It’s just that since all this started, I haven’t been able to talk to Carly, and since she is such a big part of my feelings about this, I can’t talk to her about it. If Carly thought for even a second my decision was based on not wanting to ask her for help, she would kick my ass.
“Carly isn’t your only family,” Mia finally says.
“Yes, she is.”
Her face set with determination, she shakes her head. “Nope. No, she’s not. That baby is Rafe’s, whether he sticks around or not. That baby is a Morelli. You’re our family now, like it or not. I can help you with every problem you listed. I’m a stay-at-home mom with a nanny. So is Adrian’s wife. If you need someone to take care of your baby while you’re studying, we can do that. I told Mateo I didn’t want to have babies until after I finished college for similar reasons, so I completely understand your concern. I love babies. I’ve been raising kids most of my life. Adding yours to the mix would be absolutely no problem, and it comes with the advantage that your baby would have plenty of built-in friends. I think I’m due just a couple months ahead of you, so our babies would be the same age. You’ve seen our playroom, right? It’s kid heaven.”
Smiling faintly, I tell her, “That’s incredibly sweet, but—”
“I wasn’t finished,” she interrupts. “As far as everything else, I can’t help feeling my husband is partially responsible for this. He’s the one who brought Rafe into your life to begin with. If Mateo hadn’t been playing games with Carly and Vince, you and Rafe probably wouldn’t have even had sex that weekend.”
“True. I wasn’t mad about the sex; it’s the condom-escaping sperm I had a problem with.”
Mia cracks a smile. “What I’m saying is, you don’t have to do this alone, and you don’t have to drag Carly down either. I will help you. I’m an excellent person to have on your side, believe me. You could even stay here at the mansion with us if you wanted to. Look at this place; we have plenty of extra room. Many of the main bedrooms are like little apartments unto themselves. You would have your own bedroom, a living area, a bathroom. The only thing you wouldn’t have in-suite is a kitchen, but there’s this one—and we have Maria to make our meals throughout the week, which would be a nice time-saver during the school year. We could make your life much easier, Laurel. Elise and I will look after the baby whenever you’re busy, and we have a library with a comfy couch, chairs, a desk—if you need quiet to study, you could stay in your room or go there, and the baby would be under the same roof, so you wouldn’t even have to feel like you’re never around. You could take study breaks and play with the baby, then get right back to it. You would probably be asked to come to dinners every Sunday because my husband has a thing about his Sunday dinners, but that’s less a job and more being part of the family.”
I want to blame hormones for the sudden swell of emotion, but I think it’s organic. One thing I’ve never really felt I had was a family like this—Carly has always been the beginning and end of my support system. Now this woman who only knows me as her ex-boyfriend’s new wife’s sister wants to open her home and her family up to include me.
The kitchen door swings open, and Adrian is standing there, scowling. “What’s going on in here? Did the salads grow legs and walk away?”
Waving him off, Mia says, “Just give us one more minute. Girl talk.”
“Can’t you girl talk after dinner? Everyone is waiting for you two to start eating.”
Sighing, Mia reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Just promise me you’ll consider it, okay? I don’t want you to make a decision you don’t want to make because you feel trapped. Rafe is not the only one who can be there for you. Even if he is an ass, you’re not alone.”
I take the two salads she hands me, then balance the third on my arm and follow her back to the dining room. In the eventful few minutes we spent alone, I completely forgot that I wanted to spite Rafe by bringing Alec his salad, but since he’s farther down the table, I deliver his first.
As I place his salad in front of him, Alec glances down at Rafe. Looking up at me, he mutters, “Not sure if I should thank you or not.”
I can’t help smiling. I feel lighter now than I did a mere few minutes ago, like the whole world is full of possibilities instead of struggles. I imagine what it would be like to live here, for this to be a regular part of my weekly routine. Studying throughout the week, relatively stress-free. No more financial woes, no more guilt over how much Carly does for me—I wouldn’t even have to feel as badly about getting pregnant in the first place, because while it wasn’t in the plan, it also wouldn’t ruin my life. I would have a full-fledged support system, and I wouldn’t be inconveniencing them, either. This huge house and all its rooms are here, whether they’re full or vacant. Mia and Elise already spend their days taking care of kids, so they wouldn’t be sacrificing anything by adding mine to their brood. Like Mia said, there would even be built-in socialization since my baby would have all theirs to play with. I know Elise and Adrian have a couple kids, and Mia and Mateo seem to have a whole litter.
Their playroom really
is incredible, too. Hell, with all their combined child-rearing experience, they would probably do a better job than I would.
This is definitely worth considering. I’m not sure the rest of the family is as welcoming as Mia—while she seems to be the nicest person I’ve ever met, I’m not fooled by the calm at the table; I know her husband is another story entirely. I know that while Mateo’s suave, debonair looks lead you to believe he’s civilized, darkness lurks just beneath the beautiful surface. I know the man at the head of the table thinks nothing of ripping apart lives and stirring up trouble if it suits his needs. He must feel my stare, because his dark gaze catches mine now. I look away, my stomach dropping. Living with him would probably be unsettling, but his wife’s surplus of kindness sort of balances out the intimidation factor. Plus, I wouldn’t do anything to get on his bad side, so he would have no reason to zero in on my life and blow it all to shit.
Of course, I didn’t do anything the first time either, when he invited Rafe into my life and landed me in this situation to begin with. I believe he’s done playing with Vince’s life, though. And Mia did say she’s a good person to have on my side; maybe she would look out for me and ensure he didn’t get bored and fuck my life up for sport.
I don’t know how his supervillain mind works, so I’m not sure how you find yourself in his crosshairs. Intellectually, I am curious about him. It would be hard not to poke and prod at his mysterious mind if I lived here, but knowing the risks, I could probably force myself to refrain. Playing with Rafe is like playing with fire, but playing with Mateo is like playing with the dragon behind it. Step on his toes, and he’ll crush you with the reach of his giant foot, have you for dinner, or open his mouth and torch your whole life with one exhalation. Right now he’s at peace, calmly heading his family dinner, but I’ve seen him wreak havoc when he was barely trying—and he upset my life, and nearly wiped out Vince and Carly’s whole world. I would not want to see this man operating at full-strength. If I did see it, I certainly wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of it.
