Is this what women had to choose? How did we make that decision? How could we do it all or end it all like that?
He couldn’t understand the fear, the immediate turmoil I felt. So I pushed him away, acted like a child who didn’t want any help. “And how do you know it’s yours?”
He ate up the ground between us fast. He must have woken up way before me because he was completely dressed, even had his shoes on. They came into my view as I stared down at the floor. His loafers shone like nothing had ever touched them, like he walked on clean carpets all day long.
Surely, he would get blood on his shoes. Where did it go? Wiped away like a clean slate, no memory of the mess.
“Don’t be petty with me this morning.” His words were punctuated, firm, and low as they rolled from his lips.
“I feel petty.” I sighed and dragged my hand along the tile line, felt the grout in between the beautiful smooth tiles. It was rough, jagged, and definitely imperfect. I closed my eyes and whispered, “And I feel… a lot right now. Just a lot.”
“You’re entitled to that. You’ll be fine, huh? You’ve just been pushed to do this whole reigning of a kingdom quicker than you originally anticipated.”
“What do you mean?”
“You got our little minion in there. We’re working double time to make sure the bratva, the Italian families, the Stonewoods, and every rival family out there know they’re going to be on their best behavior until the end of time for our next generation.”
“You can’t think this is a good idea. We could wipe the slate clean quickly—"
“It’s not an idea, woman. It’s a fact. Let’s go to the doctor and confirm it.” He didn’t acknowledge my other comment.
“We should have one come here. Discreetly.”
“The sooner everyone knows…”
“We don’t have to keep it, Rome.” My heartbeat stuttered at the words and my gut clenched. I sounded deflated, like a balloon that’d lost all its air. “We weren’t careful enough, but we can be now.”
“When have we ever cowered?”
“It’ll blow up everything.”
“I’m ready to go nuclear if you are, babe.” The man was smiling one of the biggest smiles I’d ever seen from him.
“This doesn’t solve any of our problems. It just amplifies them.” I said, my voice rising at the fact that he didn’t think this was a big deal. “I can’t put you first and you can’t put me first. It’s always just been about the family. It’s not fair to bring a baby into that.”
“That baby will be a part of both our families.”
“That doesn’t make any sense!” I threw my hands up.
He sighed and ran his hands through his thick head of hair. “One step at a time, Katalina. One step at a time.”
14
Rome
While she showered, I called the damn doctor, the family, and the Stonewoods.
I didn’t give a fuck about the bratva. They could wait.
“What did you just say?” Bastian whispered when I relayed the news.
“You heard me the first time.”
“I swear to God, my dad would have killed you both at this point.”
“Or just me and announced you and Katie were having a baby together.”
“Not a terrible idea,” Bastian said, his tone thoughtful.