There was nothing left to say to that. Lewis knew me well enough to know that his words were fine, but his actions would prove whether he was the man he claimed to be.
“So,” he said, pointing the water bottle toward Scarlett. She had found a seat, and Eunice had her hand pressed against my wife’s stomach. The baby must’ve been kicking or rolling around. “When did this happen?”
“December eleventh,” I said, taking a pull of my beer. The yeasty smell wafted in the air around us, mingling with the scents of lemon and mint.
“Your anniversary? Nice. Girl or boy?”
“We’re not sure. Though Scarlett feels the baby is a girl.”
“You can’t go wrong with a girl bagel. A boy would be a hot dog anyway.”
Despite myself, I laughed. “Yeah, well, I refuse to call her that. It’s better than Bella Beautiful though.”
“Maggie Beautiful?”
“Now known as Magpie.”
“Magpie?” He scrunched up his nose.
“That’s what she insists the baby will call her, instead ofNonna.”
“Ah, Maggie Beautiful always had a way with names.” He grinned. “The kid looks gorgeous. She’s glowing. Pregnancy suits her. She’s happy.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“You?”
I took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. “Getting there.”
“You’ll get there. You’re experiencing a fear of failure. I know a thing or two about that. Trust me on this, Fausti. Enjoy it. Stop thinking. Because once the baby comes, if you continue to letnot being goodenoughstop you from this time, you’ll only regret it. For a man such as yourself, it’ll be hell on the heart later.”
Rocco gave Scarlett his hand and she stood, tapping at her belly, moving from foot to foot. She had to pee. Even when she wasn’t pregnant, it was a sure sign that she had to go. She didn’t want to ask one of the men to walk with her. We needed to build a bathroom outside for such needs.
“Duty calls,” I said, finishing my beer. Before Mitch and I started to make our way toward the pool again, a man Donato had brought in came close to her, attempting to start a conversation with my wife.
It was only a matter of time before he disappeared. Ourfamigliawas close, and when an outsider attempted to make a hero of himself to grab our attention, we started to get suspicious. Just as a kingdom has ranks, so did we.
King. Noble. Knight. Serf.
We knew he was aratto. Wasn’t the first to try and infiltrate the Fausti Empire. He wouldn’t be the last. It was the reason why, more than ever before, I had my wife surrounded by our men. Mostly me. I refused to risk a minute. Being that two of my hearts were in one body, my wife seemed more vulnerable, almost fragile. So did my baby in her womb.
Mitch watched him too. “There are rumors swirling back home, Fausti. Brandon Stone. He was killed in jail, is that right?”
I gave him a hard look. “That’s right.”
“That’s what I thought,” he said.
The man reached out, a smile on his face, and rested his hand against Scarlett’s stomach. She wanted to take a step back, but her feet kept shuffling. She was afraid to move from the strain of her bladder.
I put a hand to Scarlett’s back when I was close enough to touch her. I stared at his hand and he snatched it back as though her stomach had turned hot. Donato, sensing the tension, called him over, then ordered him do some mundane task.
“Come,” I said to her. “Let’s get you inside.”
“I—I can’t. Not right now. Give me a second. If I move…I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it. I waited too long.”
Not willing to wait, I lifted her off of her feet, and she let out awhoop!of surprise.
“Brando! Put me down. You’re going to hurt your back!”
