Bound By Blood Anthology

Luca and I got along better than in the past and I was fairly sure he liked me better than most of humankind, but in his case that didn’t mean much.

Luca let out a dark laugh. He crouched before me, still a fucking giant. “Aria and I will love that child as if it was our own. We will protect it and make sure it has everything it needs. It doesn’t even have to know that we aren’t its parents. If you and Matteo want to keep it a secret, the child won’t ever have to know it isn’t ours. I swear I’ll do everything in my power to protect your child, Gianna. I swear it’ll be safe and loved.” He touched his chest over his tattoo, and for a moment I considered hugging him. Luckily for both of us, he broke the moment and straightened to his full height.

It took a moment before I could speak. “You know, Luca, I like you more than I let on most of the time,” I said in a shaky voice.

Luca held out his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. “Same. When you don’t say anything annoying I find you more than tolerable,” he said dryly.

I choked on a laugh. “Why thank you. How often does that happen?”

He shrugged. “Once or twice per month.”

I laughed. Luca’s own mouth pulled into a smile but as quickly as it had come it disappeared. “Don’t do this again. Don’t ever run off like that. It’s also Matteo’s baby, Gianna, and the asshole loves you with all of his heart. If something happened to you, he’d lose it.”

“I know,” I whispered. “I was just overwhelmed. I never planned for any of this to happen.”

Luca nodded. “It’s what it is. You are pregnant and you’ll keep the kid, and you and Matteo will give it to Aria and me if you agree on it.”

“Does Matteo know what you just told me?”

“No, I haven’t talked to him about it yet. First you two will have to settle things between you.”

He was right. The elevator began moving and a minute later the doors slid open and Matteo stepped out. His hair was plastered to his head from his helmet and his eyes were wild. Luca stepped back from me and walked away but not before he touched Matteo’s shoulder briefly and they exchanged a look. He disappeared inside the elevator and left.

“Fuck, Gianna,” Matteo rasped as he stalked toward me and jerked me against him, then kissed me harshly, shoving me into the wall as he gripped my hips in a crushing hold.

He pulled away, breathing harshly. “You promised you’d never fucking run again.”

“I didn’t run,” I protested. “I needed time to myself to think this through. It’s a lot to stomach.”

“Not just for you,” Matteo said quietly.

Guilt filled me. I cupped his face. “I know. I’m sorry. I keep messing up. It’s in my nature. That’s why I shouldn’t become a mother.”

He released a breath. “Don’t say that. We’ll figure this out. Together.”

“Together,” I agreed. I kissed him again, then pulled back. “Luca offered that he and Aria adopt our baby.”

Matteo took a step back, but didn’t let go of me. “He did?”

I nodded. “What do you think?”

Matteo frowned. “I don’t know. Do you think you can see the child every day and have it call someone else Mom?”

I wasn’t sure. “But it’s a good option.”

“Yeah. The child needs protection, and Luca and Aria are amazing parents.”

“They are,” I agreed softly and searched Matteo’s eyes for a hint to his true feelings. “Will you be okay with it? With Luca acting as the baby’s father and not you?”

Matteo glanced to the side, his brows drawing together. “How should I know?”

Yes, how? How should either of us know how we’d deal with this pregnancy and with the aftermath? “We’ll figure it out,” I murmured.

Matteo kissed me again. “We will.”

I linked our fingers. In the last thirteen years we’d gone through so much, nothing as challenging as this would be, but with Matteo at my side, everything would be fine.MatteoWhen I woke the morning after the canceled appointment, I was alone in bed. Immediately my heart rate picked up, worrying that Gianna had gone off on her own again. Yesterday I’d almost gone crazy.

I shoved out of bed and rushed down the staircase to the living area but slowed when I spotted Gianna sitting in a lounge chair on the roof terrace. I headed for the glass door and slid it open. Despite the early morning, the humid heat settled like grease on my skin.

Gianna turned her head, looking my way. She was still without makeup and her eyes were puffy from crying yesterday. “Hey,” she murmured.

“Hey.” I went over to her and Gianna made room on the chair for me, so I could squeeze in and fold her into my arms. Gianna sank into me at once, which wasn’t like her.