She took my hand. “Dario did this on purpose to drive a wedge between you and Gio. If he was responsible for aiding your escape and orchestrating your movements in hiding, I have to believe this was his plan from the start. Once Gio cools down, he’ll see that too.”
Huffing, I shook my head. “I’m not foolish enough to hope for a miracle.”
“Okay, forget a registry. Will you let me and Allie buy you all the things baby boy needs?”
“Won’t that be too hard for Allie?” I still didn’t know the details of what had happened that made her keep her distance from me while I was pregnant, but considering I’d had my own scare not too long ago, it was better for my mental health not to ask questions.
“She’s been doing a lot better ever since going down to visit with Gemma and her boys,” Summer reassured me.
“Gemma has boys?” Gio had mentioned his only female cousin now had a family, but that was the extent of my knowledge about her children.
A smile stretched on Summer’s face. “Yeah, two of them. Chase is two and a half; he’s only a few months older than Aurora. Carter will turn one in January.”
“Cute names.”
She pulled out her cell phone. “They’re even cuter in person. Wanna see some pics?”
“Sure.”
Summer scrolled through her camera roll before turning the screen in my direction. Sure enough, it showed a photo of two dark-haired boys, very close in age. The older one had Gemma’s hazel eyes, the younger one had bright blue ones, which I had to assume had been inherited from his father.
“They’re precious,” I breathed out.
“They really are,” she agreed. “And once we put this bullshit with Dario to bed, we can raise all our kids together like a real family.”
That sounded like a dream. Unfortunately for me, I was stuck in a waking nightmare where my husband would either take my life or take my son the minute he was born.
But since it wasn’t worth dragging Summer down, I gave in to her earlier request. “You know what? Shopping sounds like a great idea.”
“Really?” Her big blue eyes sparkled.
“Sure, why not? Some fresh air might be just what I need.”
“Great.” Summer hopped off the bed, clearing my tray. “You get dressed, and I’ll call for a car.” She paused on the threshold of the doorway. “Oh, and we need to make one tiny pitstop first.”
“Oh yeah? Where’s that?”
“Matteo has the claim ticket for Bianca’s gift. Just need to grab it from him at the office, and we’ll be on our way!”
She was gone before I could open my mouth to protest that the offices of Bellini Real Estate were the absolute last place I wanted to be. Hell, at this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if security had my name on their list of people to deny entry to the building.
So much for a relaxing afternoon out.
Yep, this was exactly as awkward as I expected.
Camille, the brothers’ and Enzo’s executive assistant, stared daggers at me where I sat on a couch in the small reception area while Summer grabbed whatever she needed from Matteo inside his office. And everyone else who passed by either wasn’t very well-versed in the art of whispering, or they simply didn’t care.
Simply put, everyone hated me for betraying my husband, their leader. Not that I could blame them, the evidence presented was geared to make me look bad.
Summer’s quick stop stretched on for what felt like forever, and I stood to stretch my legs. Gio’s open office door taunted me from afar, and like I was pulled by a string, I moved closer until I was standing on the threshold.
Sure enough, he was inside, hunched over his desk, poring over printed documents. As always, his sense of awareness was unparalleled, and he lifted his head when he heard my approach.
Sighing, he reclined in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What do you want, Rory?”
I shifted on my feet, searching for the right words to say. But instead, I settled on “I can feel his kicks from the outside now.”
“That’s nice.” Gio went back to reviewing the paperwork on his desk.
