Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73953 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73953 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“Marcello will tell Luca. I don’t know what to do.”
“You’re the Queen of the Knights. He will respect your wishes.”
I removed my cell phone from my pocket and texted Marcello, who appeared in the doorway a minute later, dressed to perfection in a dark suit with a navy blue silk tie. He wore his black hair styled but messy, a look that made me want to run my fingers through his hair.
“I need you to do something for me,” I said as I stepped toward Marcello. “And you can’t tell Luca until I’m sure.”
He pursed his lips.
“Please, Marcello.” I slipped my fingers between his and stroked his skin. “I need a favor.”
“You chose Luca,” he said, but it wasn’t with anger or irritation. Just stating a fact. “You can’t keep secrets from him.”
“I’ve been sick.”
He nodded. “I know. I lost my appetite at breakfast.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I think I’m pregnant.”
“I suspected as much.” Marcello ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “How long has it been since your last period?”
“I don’t know. I started feeling dizzy after I came back from Atlantic City.”
“Could it be mine?”
My mouth fell open as his words sliced into my chest. “I don’t know.”
“Oh, my God,” Kali squealed behind me. “Luca will flip the fuck out if you’re pregnant with Marcello’s baby.”
I turned to face her. “And if I am, it would be Luca's fault for playing Capture the Queen with me.”
“Kali, get out,” Marcello ordered. “I need to talk to Alex alone.”
She bobbed her blonde head. “Sure, I’ll wait in the hallway.”
Marcello shut the door behind her, then caged me against the vanity with his chest pressing into mine. “Are you sure about this?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I need to take a test. I haven’t had my period since I lived in Haven.”
“Fuck,” he groaned.
“We were only together once.”
“It only takes one time to make a baby, Alex. I thought you were taking your pills.”
“I did. Like clockwork. But I didn’t finish the pack before they kidnapped me.” I clutched his thick bicep, and he glanced down at me with those sad, blue irises that made my heart ache. “Take me to the drugstore on our way to the dress fitting, and don’t tell Luca. Not until I know for sure. He has enough shit to worry about.”
He shook his head. “And I don’t? I’m leaving soon for a long mission. I won’t be home for months. I can’t afford distractions in my line of work.”
“There’s nothing we can do to change the situation,” I pointed out. “Would it matter if I’m having your child? No one would ever know.”
“It would change everything,” he shot back. “You are my queen. My child would have the same claim as Luca’s.”
“What are you talking about?”
He rubbed his hand in a circle over my stomach. “If the baby is mine, he would have a claim to the Knights. He could take over for Luca when he’s of age.”
I gasped. “You’re joking?”
He shook his head. “Afraid not.”
“Marcello,” I whispered before I buried my face in my hands. “What am I supposed to do?”
He hugged me, holding my head on his chest as his masculine scent filled my nostrils. “I love you, Alex. I think you know that.”
I placed my hand over his heart. “I do. But the love we have for each other isn’t the same as what I have with Luca.”
“No, it’s not.” He slid his fingers beneath my chin and tilted my head until our eyes met. “I couldn’t allow myself to fall in love with you, not when I knew your heart already belonged to Luca.”
“You’re my best friend, Marcello.”
He kissed the top of my head. “If the baby is mine, we will raise it as a family. You, me, and Luca.”
“This is so fucked up.” I laughed through the tears streaming down my cheeks. “I feel like I’m on an episode of Jerry Springer.”
He chuckled. “No matter what, this child will be a Salvatore. That’s all anyone outside of our family will ever know.”
“You would be okay with pretending the baby is Luca’s?”
Marcello nodded. “Optics are important in our world. You will be Luca’s wife in a few days. The media would tear you apart if the baby is mine.”
“We should go,” I told him. “Take me to the drugstore so I can find out if I’m even pregnant.”
He brushed my cheek with his thumb and gave me a rare smile. “We’ll figure this out, okay?”
“Thank you, Marcello. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
He stared at me for a long, hard second, then pulled me into his warm embrace.
* * *
An hour later, we walked into Caio Bella with Kali and a bag of pregnancy tests. Domenica, the boutique owner, guided us into the store, wearing a knee-length green dress that fit her curvy frame.