“I will.”
“Good. I’ll be there for you whenever you need me.”
“Thanks, Gianna,” I said, then hesitated. “Can you do me a favor and get me a pregnancy test?”
Gianna froze. “Oh Marci, don’t tell me biker boy was too stupid to use a condom.”
“It just happened.” I grimaced at how stupid that sounded, but the situation had been extraordinary.
“How long are you overdue?”
“Just one day. It’s probably nothing.”
“You better hope that’s true because your father will kill Maddox if he got you pregnant and I doubt Aria will stop him.”
“I know.”
“What does biker boy say to his possible fatherhood?”
“I haven’t told him yet. I want to wait until I’m sure. He isn’t in the best state right now.”
“Neither are you. I don’t see why you should worry alone. He’s just as responsible as you are.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Can you get me a test?”
“Of course, but I don’t have any lying around so I’ll have to grab one in the pharmacy during my lunch break. I can pop over tonight and give it to you, all right? Or do you need it sooner?”
“No. A few hours more or less doesn’t really matter.”
“If you say so. I’d want certainty as soon as possible.”
“I have my tattoo appointment in the afternoon so I’ll be busy.”
Gianna nodded. “Don’t let anyone determine your worth, Marci. Promise me.”
I hugged Gianna before I got up.
“I won’t. I promise,” I said. I hadn’t cared what Earl thought about me, but his words inked into my back, could become words whispered among the Famiglia. And I couldn’t help but worry about it.
“I still don’t like the idea of him tagging along,” Amo muttered when Maddox pulled up in front of the mansion on a brand-new Harley. It looked remarkably like his old bike, but without the Tartarus hellhound. He wasn’t wearing his cut either, only black jeans, a black T, leather jacket, and biker boots. Not even a helmet.
I couldn’t help but smile despite my anxiety about the tattoo appointment.
“He couldn’t live without a new Harley for long,” Amo muttered. I loved seeing Maddox on a bike. It was where he belonged, but a part of me worried he really couldn’t live without the biker lifestyle. Two bodyguards were already waiting in front of the door, and one sat behind the steering wheel of the limousine with armored glass.
Dad had insisted I take three guards with me. He didn’t count Maddox as additional protection—quite the opposite.
Amo followed me outside. I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to tag along as well.
I headed toward the curb. Maddox got off his bike and made a step in my direction as if he was planning on greeting me with a kiss. I side-stepped him casually to check out his bike, worried that paparazzi were around. A photo of a kiss between Maddox and me would really fire up a scandal. I wasn’t ready for that yet. Not before I felt more like my old self, and definitely not before Maddox and I had discussed us.
Maddox raised his eyebrows but didn’t comment. Amo lifted his jacket to reveal two guns. “Do you need one to defend Marcella?”
I gave him a grateful smile. That was his way of making peace with Maddox. Maybe last night’s conversation had really changed things in his mind. I hoped it had. If the outside world was against Maddox and me, I needed at least my family on my side.
“Thanks, but I’m equipped.” He lifted his leather jacket in the back, revealing a gun. Then he turned to me. “I suppose you won’t ride with me?”
I could see the disappointment in his face, but for one, Dad would throw a fit if I didn’t drive in the safe limousine, and I didn’t want photos like that yet. “I have to take the car.”
Maddox nodded once. The distance between us, physically and emotionally, killed me, and judging from his expression, it killed him too. “I’ll drive ahead to check if the road is safe, Snow White.”
Snow White. I’d despised the name in the beginning, but not anymore.
He mounted his Harley again and gave me a look that made me regret not riding with him. I wanted to share this with him, wanted to understand what he felt when he rode his Harley. Instead, I got into the limousine and watched through the tinted windows as he drove ahead. I’d thought it would be easier for me to admit my feelings for Maddox in public, but this was still too fresh, too uncertain for me to be willing to make myself so vulnerable in front of others. Everyone was watching with bated breath, ready for the scandal to unfurl.
Maddox stopped at the curb in front of the tattoo parlor. He narrowed his eyes at something down the road. I got out as Maddox got off his bike and headed for the front door of the tattoo studio, which had closed so I’d have privacy while getting my tattoo. This time he didn’t try to touch or kiss me, and I resented my own cowardice. “What did you see?”