Surviving Mateo (Morelli Family 2)

That puts my mind at ease in more ways than one. While not jealous by nature, I was starting to get a smidge worried about all her talk of being drawn to him. Mateo is a very magnetic person, and I don’t expect no other woman will ever be drawn to him, but preferably not one who already has a sexual history with him.

Also given the various times I’d doubted the actual nature of their sexual history. If it was as bad as I’d feared during the worst moments, she wouldn’t love him.

“Don’t tell Vince that though,” Mia adds, seeming to realize what she just said. “Obviously he wouldn’t understand.”

“I wouldn’t,” I assure her.

“I still dream about him sometimes.”

Shaking my head, I uncap my water and take a drink. “Man, I wish I was drunk right now.”

Eyes widening as if she’s just realizing, she asks, “Why aren’t you?”

I’m not sure this is the right time to say so, but I’m not sure there is a right time, so I say, “I haven’t had a period since I moved in.”

Somehow her eyes go even wider. “Are you pregnant?”

“Maybe. I haven’t taken a test yet, but I’ve been emotional and I don’t normally miss periods. Lots of unprotected sex, so it’s not an unreasonable guess.”

Nodding, she says, “He hates condoms. I was so relieved when I wasn’t pregnant. But also a little sad, just the tiniest bit, because I realized since Vince doesn’t want kids, that was probably my only chance. But it would’ve been a disaster, so it was definitely a good thing. Are you excited, or not so much?”

My eyebrows are still hiked up over that last piece of information. “You thought you were pregnant by…?”

She shrugs theatrically, then snorts. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Jesus, woman. You should use condoms if you’re going to fuck your way out.”

“We did that time,” she assures me. “It was before I was afraid he was going to get me pregnant. Mateo wouldn’t let me have birth control.”

My stomach feels a little funny. “Did he want to get you pregnant?”

“Maybe, to piss off Vince. Who knows? May have just been part of the game to torture me. He probably didn’t really want to impregnate me, but he was trying to make me hate him, so he pulled out all the stops.”

“That doesn’t sound nice.”

“It wasn’t. It was a dark time. But now we’re all better. He’s so manipulative, I don’t know how much of what I experienced was an act, and how much was real, so… who knows. It doesn’t matter. We should go baby shopping! My little brother and sister aren’t babies anymore, it’s so sad. I’m so excited!”

“I don’t even know if I am, yet. I was actually going to ask you to get me a pregnancy test.”

After a hiccup, Mia nods. “For sure. I’ll bring one tomorrow. Now that you’re not on house arrest anymore, we should go shopping. I saw this gorgeous lilac dress in the window at the mall. I can’t afford it right now, but I do want to try it on.”

“I’ll buy it for you,” I tell her. “We need to get you a few outfits for your first semester, too.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to college. I didn’t think I’d be able to afford it.”

I watch her, though it’s not like I have to pay close attention with her this drunk. “Is Mateo paying for it?”

She bobs her head yes. “He wasn’t going to originally when we moved out, but he has since changed his mind.”

I figured. “Well, I’m going to be running the bakery now and I know you used to work there from time to time. If you want to make a little extra cash this summer, you could work there with me.”

“I love that idea,” she tells me, but a bit soberly. “I can’t believe Francesca actually ran though. I know she wasn’t happy here, but it always seemed like she knew better.”

“I didn’t know Francesca all that well. I didn’t even realize she wasn’t happy here.”

“Well, you’ve had a lot going on. A lot to adjust to. Presumably Mateo’s kept you pretty busy, plus you were a maid, and a mom—it’s a lot.” Sinking back into the couch, she says, “Speaking of a lot, why did you let me drink so much wine?”

Grinning, I tell her, “I’m much more likely to get the truth out of you drunk.”

Mia shakes her head. “Mateo’s never gonna let us have girls’ night again.”

Chapter Twenty Three

Mia and I ended up passed out in Mateo’s bed.

We didn’t plan to, but I was really tired and Mia was still talking my ear off, so I wanted to get more comfortable. I hadn’t seen Mateo all night anyway, but I figured he was working.

Something wakes me now, and when I convince my eyes to open despite it still being dark outside, I see Mateo standing beside the bed, shaking his head as he unbuttons his dress shirt.