On The Ropes (Tapped Out 3)

“No, I want you to stay.”

I looked between the brothers. “You need to discuss this. And I already know how this story ends.”

Gio frowned. “How can you, when I don’t?”

“I don’t mean our story, silly.” I forced back the lump in my throat. “I mean the one with your dad.”

Truth was, I didn’t know what the elder Costas’s death would mean for Dante, or the organization. Or what Gio would do now. Dante would tell him the culprit behind Emilia and his mother’s murders, but I had no idea if Gio would just walk away from the Andrettis. Or if he even could. Men like that weren’t real cool with making the choice to split.

But whatever he decided, I would be by his side. I’d been prepared to fight for the place that was rightfully mine, but from what I’d just witnessed, I didn’t think I’d have to fight all that hard.

Maybe, just maybe, he loved me too. My hand crept toward my pancake-belly. Maybe he’d even learn to love us.

But before we figured that all out, he needed to talk to his brother—and I needed to talk to my sister.

&n

bsp; “I’ll be right inside.” I leaned up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

He gripped my elbows and held me to him for another moment, searching my eyes. Then his thumbs brushed the sides of my belly, and I swear, my heart tried to explode through my chest.

“I love you.” He lowered his head and spoke the words right against my mouth. “I love both of you.”

“You know?” My voice shook. It wasn’t too surprising someone had spilled it, what with all that had gone on. “Who told you?”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “You did.”

Before I could puzzle that one out, he nudged me gently toward my sister. “Go on. I know you need time alone with her. And we have all the time in the world.”

I nodded, still shaken by the fact my big reveal had already happened. “I love you too,” I said finally, sneaking a peek at the sky in case the heavens opened up and sent a torrential downpour or a plague of locusts or buckets of hail down upon our heads for daring to be so cheeky.

But the sun continued to shine, and he continued to look at me so steadily, taking his time to drink in my features.

“I’ll never get tired of hearing those words,” he said softly.

“Good, because I’ll never get tired of saying them. Come find me when you’re done, okay?”

“I will.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead before glancing at his brother. “Thank you. Whatever you did to bring her back to me, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

On the way past Dante, I impulsively popped up on my tiptoes to give him a quick hug. And shocker of all shockers, he hugged me back. “Both, huh?” he whispered in my ear, proving he must have super human hearing. “Congratulations.”

I blinked at him and eased back. This was the first time someone had seen my pregnancy as something worthy of celebration. I hadn’t either. To hear the word congratulations associated with it was like a bucket of water to the face.

In a very good way.

I glanced back at Gio and smiled weakly. “Thanks.”

On the way inside, I grabbed my sister’s hand and tugged her with me. “Sorry, girls only,” I said when Fox tried to follow.

He made a puppy dog face so I laughed and ran back to give him a smacking kiss. “We’ll just be a few minutes, promise.” I patted his chest. “You know, we’ll probably want to talk about our periods and stuff.”

“Never mind then. I’m just fine out here.” From the twinkle in his eyes, he knew I was bullshitting him. He ruffled my hair. “So happy to have you back, squirt.”

“Me too. Love you.”

I smiled and followed my sister down the hall into the former dance studio she’d already begun to renovate. She’d started painting since the last time I was here, though I seriously doubted she was supposed to begin doing that kind of thing yet.