“From Dumpling House?” I squealed, throwing myself in his arms.
“Of course.” He gave me a quick squeeze before setting me back on my feet. “It’s your favorite after all.”
“I think he’s my favorite of the bunch,” Landon whispered in my ear, one of his hands slid down my back while the other stretched out to shake Gabe’s hand.
I did quick introductions, pointing everyone out to him before I followed my nose and headed into the kitchen. The counter was covered with dishes piled high with dumplings, all kinds of them. Pan fried and steamed. I hugged my mom and dad, grabbing a plate as soon as I stepped away because I couldn’t wait to dig in.
“Where’s the hubby and kids?” I asked Willa before stuffing half a dumpling in my mouth.
“At home. I’ll bring them with me when I come back in the morning.”
“Same with me,” Devin added, stealing a dumpling from my plate and earning himself a glare.
“Oh, you have a husband now too?” I teased.
“The wife and kid,” he grumbled around a mouthful of food.
Landon plopped a replacement dumpling on my plate for the one Devin had stolen. My dad patted him on the back and smiled approvingly as he walked past.
“You sure you want to eat all that?” Devin asked, trying to steal another one.
“She needs to eat more,” Phoebe defended. “She’s breastfeeding Tallie so she’s still eating for two.”
Gabe covered his ears, glaring at my older sister. “Shh! My precious ears don’t need to hear anything about Zoe’s body parts.”
“Stop teasing your sister,” Mom chided.
“Yeah.” I stuck my tongue out at Devin and handed him an empty plate so he’d get his own and stop stealing mine. “If you don’t want to watch me eat, then you’d better head home because I’m going to raid Mom’s freezer for ice cream next.”
“Ice cream?” Landon echoed, staring down at my plate of dumplings. “And Chinese food?”
Crap! He’d figured it out faster than I’d intended.
“Isn’t that what you craved all the time when you were pregnant with Tallie?” my mom asked.
You couldn’t put much past my mom, either.
“Well, shit,” Devin grumbled. “We better not hurt him too badly if they have another baby on the way.”
It looked like the cat was out of the bag. I turned to Landon, pulling out the little stick I’d tucked into my jacket pocket before we’d left the house that morning. His eyes lit up when he saw the two pink lines. He pulled the plate out of my grip and handed it over to Devin. Then he tugged me into his arms and hugged me tight.
“I’m sorry I waited to tell you,” I whispered. “I figured this would probably be the only time it would work out so I could share something like this with my whole family too.”
“No apology needed, baby. I’m just so damn happy you’re pregnant again.”
I didn’t know it then, but I was wrong about it being my only chance to share this experience with my family—we found out I was pregnant the third time around a couple years later on another visit to my parents’ house.
Continue reading for a bonus book—Pursuit (Mafia Ties: Brandon & Carly #1)!
Pursuit
Mafia Ties: Brandon & Carly #1
Brandon DeLuca’s relentless pursuit of Carly O’Reilly after she flees New York isn’t really due to the orders of his mafia boss cousin. The feisty redhead is his, and he’s done trying to pretend otherwise. Now that he’s admitted the truth to himself, he just needs to convince her to put her life in his hands—and her body in his bed.
Please note: Brandon & Carly’s romance is a three part story, but there are no relationship cliffhangers. Their story can be read as a standalone separate from Nic & Anna's books.
You are the love that came
without warning.
~Obvious, Westlife~
Prologue
Brandon
I sat in my car and stared at the quiet, unassuming house across the little residential street. It was dark, the inhabitants out for the night or already in bed. I happened to know it was the latter. After a couple of months of searching, I’d finally caught up to my target and I wasn’t about to let her get away again.
Still, I continued to sit there and watch, taking no action. I told myself I was simply being cautious; I didn’t need any more trouble. But, Nic had asked me to keep her safe. I was obligated. It was my job. It was complete and utter bullshit, that’s what it was.
The phone I was holding up to my ear began ringing, and I waited until the recipient picked up.
“Brandon?” Nic answered, his question implied.
“I found her.”
“Great. I’ll send—”
“No!” I snapped, cutting him off and shocking the fuck out of myself. “She’s mine.”
Chapter 1
Brandon
My best friend and cousin Nic, who also happened to be the new head of the Deluca crime family, was silent for a moment. Just the thought that he might disagree with me had possessive fury bubbling to the surface.
“Your call,” he said with an odd inflection in his voice. Relief flowed through me until I realized ... he sounded weird because he was trying not to laugh.
“What the fuck, Nic?” I growled.
The laughter burst free, and I heard a female voice admonishing him. Thank you, Anna, I thought, figuring it was his new bride. He said something back, but it was muffled, his hand clearly over the receiver. She yelped and he laughed harder. I mentally banged my head against the steering wheel. I didn’t want to know.
“Gianna says it’s rude for me to say ‘I told you so,’ so I’ll just say, good luck, man.”
I hung up to the sound of more laughter. Jackass. Nic had seen the sparks flying between me and Carly early on. She’d been our inside source in the New York City Irish mob and when things got dicey, Nic asked me to make sure she stayed safe. The moment I saw her tall, lithe body, her long, lush red hair, emerald eyes, and creamy skin, I was doomed to walk around with a constant erection. It was impossible to deny; she was fucking gorgeous. She was also a major pain in the ass. Her stubborn streak was a mile wide, almost rivaling my own. Following orders wasn’t a talent of hers, and I tried to convince myself the package wasn’t worth the trouble. Yeah, I was in complete denial.
The night stretched out before me, dark and silent, but my mind and body were having a shouting match. Then my heart decided to join the game and with two against one, my mind never stood a chance.