Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
“I’m wedding dress shopping,” she said with a hint of pink on her cheeks.
I brushed a finger over her blushing skin. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Gianna,” I whispered with awe. Sometimes, I couldn’t believe she was mine. And yet, I shouldn’t be surprised, because I would never, ever let her go.
“I love how you can be such a little temptress in the bedroom, then blush innocently at the simplest things.” I grinned and kissed her lips, before whispering, “It gets me hot.”
The bit of color suddenly flushed red as she glanced at the open door to my office. It wasn’t like when we were at home. Anyone could walk in, at any moment.
“Allegra and my mom are bringing Sophia downtown so we can look for their dresses. Then we’re going to get dinner, do you want to join us?” she asked nonchalantly.
I eyed her suspiciously and asked, “Will your father be there?”
“Um, no,” she admitted. “But—”
“No buts, bellissima.” I grimaced at the thought of dinner with four women in wedding mode. “You can give me a fashion show when you get home. I’m particularly interested in what you’ll be wearing underneath your gown.” I wiggled my eyes suggestively.
Her chin went up and she sniffed haughtily. “You don’t get to see anything until the wedding day, mister.” She narrowed her eyes and scowled at me, “And don’t try and use my daughter to talk me into it. I’ve already bribed her to keep you in the dark.”
I wanted to laugh, she was so fucking cute. But her words reminded me of why I’d been so angry when she arrived. I debated not telling her, but she knew what kind of connections I had. If it took too long, I’d have to tell her anyway, and at that point, I’d risk her wrath for not coming clean in the first place.
“Bellissima,” I started cautiously, “We need to talk.”
Her lips dropped into a frown, and I nearly groaned in agitation. It was my job to make her smile, always. Not to be the reason for her sadness.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, cupping my face in her hands and staring into my eyes with her own worried ones.
I placed my hands over hers and turned my head to kiss one of her palms. “It will be. I just need you to be patient and trust me.”
“I do trust you.” There was not even one hint of uncertainty in her tone, and it humbled me, her love washing over me.
“We’ve run into a snag with Sophia’s adoption.” I hurried on to clarify, as her eyes filled with tears. “I’ll work it out, mia dolce. You will be her mother in every sense of the word. It may take a little time, that’s all.”
She sniffed and blinked her watery eyes rapidly, trying to dispel the moisture before it fell. “Why? What’s happened?”
I brought both of her hands to my lips and gently kissed each one. Guilt was rearing its ugly head and suddenly, I wished I played the white knight and could be him at that moment.
“The woman who gave birth to Sophia, she had no desire to be a mother. She didn’t even want to see her after the delivery. She was checked out and had disappeared before I’d even gotten Sophia home,” I explained. “We haven’t seen nor heard from her since.”
Gianna’s mossy-green eyes were filled with despair, and it about killed me. I was going to do whatever it took to get this taken care of as fast as possible. If I had to use every dark connection, call in every favor, so be it.
“She abandoned Sophia! Can’t they charge her with something?”
I sighed, “Yes, from what my lawyer told me today, it’s more than likely we could prove her guilty of non-support of a child in the second degree. Since we weren’t married, the mother is given the primary right to custody. So, by taking off and not supporting Sophia for a state specified period of time, without a lawful excuse, or signing parental rights over to me, she’s basically committed a felony.”
Gianna’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I don’t understand, if she’s guilty of it, why haven’t her rights been involuntarily terminated?”
This is where the guilt started to pile up. I should have been looking into this the day I knew I would be keeping Gianna forever.
“Since she was with me, Sophia never entered the system. So, the state had no reason to go after the woman who gave birth to her. In order for this to happen, my attorney has to gather the evidence and present it to a judge. Even with my ability to expedite things, the process takes time. I’m so sorry, bellissima. I should have started this long before now.”
Gianna smiled softly, though the sorrow still clung to her. “It’s not your fault, Nic. How were you to know things would turn out this way with us?”