“I’m thinking no more babies,” Peyton deadpans. “But Dominick hasn’t accepted that yet.”
Brielle snorts out a laugh. “See? Caveman.”
“Yes, but he’s my caveman.” Peyton grins.
“Can you give me your doctor’s info? I need to make an appointment for the same reason,” I tell her.
That, and after being with Enrique—despite us using protection—I want to make sure I’m clean. I didn’t think about it, and now that I am, it was irresponsible to be with Matteo without protection. What if Enrique gave me some kind of disease and I passed it on to Matteo?
“Sure,” Peyton says. “I’ll text you the info. It’s a practice with a few different doctors, but they’re all so nice.”
“Thanks.” I force a smile onto my face while the guilt I suddenly feel eats away in the pit of my stomach.
“Mrs. Antonova, your mother- and father-in-law are here,” an elderly woman says.
“Thank you,” Peyton tells her. “You can send them out here.”
“Mom!” Bri gets up and meets her mom in the doorway, giving her a hug. “You look so good … and tan.”
“Vacationing in Mexico will do that to you.” Larisa laughs.
She might be in her fifties, but the woman doesn’t look a day over forty. She’s dressed in her pantsuit with her long blonde hair and blue eyes, and I can imagine what Bri will look like in thirty years.
Larisa’s eyes meet mine, and I smile hesitantly, hoping she accepts me into their family. I know Matteo wasn’t close with his dad, to say the least, but he only speaks fondly about his mom. He spent his life trying to protect her, which means he loves her deeply.
“Daniella,” Larisa says, her voice melodic. “My goodness, you look just like your mother.” She walks over, and I stand to give her a hug. “I am so sorry for your loss,” she whispers. “Your mother was a beautiful soul and didn’t deserve what happened to her.”
Her sweet words are so unexpected—yet make sense because she was close with my mom—that hot tears prick my eyes.
“Thank you,” I choke out.
“She would be so proud of you. I heard you graduated college. She used to talk endlessly about how you would be the first Russo woman to take the business world by storm.”
The tears that were threatening to fall slide down my face as I imagine my mom saying that. She hated being a stay-at-home wife and was fully on board with me coming home and working for Russo Property Group.
“I’m sorry I’m only just now seeing you,” Larisa adds. “We left for our trip after the babies were born and only got in last night.”
“What the fuck is going on out here?” Matteo barks, coming to my side. “Why the hell is my fiancée crying?”
Larisa beams. “Fiancée?” she shrieks, grabbing my hand. “Oh my God. Matteo, you proposed and didn’t tell me?”
“I figured it would be better to tell you in person. Now, why the hell is she crying?”
“I’m crying,” I say, tilting his face toward me, “because your momwas saying sweet things about my mom and me and it made me emotional.”
Matteo’s shoulders sag in relief.
“I can’t believe it,” Larisa chokes out. “My eldest son is happily married with three babies, and now, Matteo is engaged.” Her eyes fill with tears. “I was so worried that our past had scarred you, but here you are … falling in love.”
She pulls Matteo into a hug and then gives me another one.
“And I have you wonderful women to thank for that.” She leans down and gives Peyton a hug.
I glance at Bri, who steps back, obviously feeling left out since she hasn’t found love, but her mom notices and wraps her arms around her. She whispers something into Brielle’s ear that only she can hear, and Brielle nods, her eyes filling with liquid emotion.
“You okay?” Matteo asks, turning my attention away from the mother-and-daughter moment.
“Yeah, just missing my mom.”
