"Serenity, that's impossible." Angelo's words came out raw, disbelieving. "I can't—we can't?—"
She pressed her hand over his, guiding it to her still-flat stomach. "My Nephilim blood, my healing power... it healed something in you that being turned broke. You're not sterile anymore, Angelo. We're having a baby."
Angelo's eyes glistened, and for one moment, time seemed to stop.
Then the most feared vampire in New Orleans crumbled. Something in him broke—sudden and irreversible. Tears spilled down his cheeks—this man who'd faced death, torture, and war without flinching. He covered his face with his hands, his whole body shaking with the force of emotion he couldn't contain.
I'd never seen Angelo cry. Not once in all our years together.
Until now.
I pulled my hand from Joy’s and wrapped my arm around her shoulders instead, drawing her close.
Dimitri raised his glass. "Congratulations. Though I have to say, the idea of a tiny Angelo ordering people around in a high chair is both adorable and terrifying."
I lifted my glass, watching Joy's excitement, and my heart twisted. I'd move heaven and earth for this woman. Give her anything she wanted. But a baby? That was the one gift I could never give her.
Gianna tilted her head back and laughed. “I’m going to be an auntie. The little girl will want from nothing.”
Dimitri cocked his eyebrow. “Girl? Are you so sure?”
She kissed his smirking mouth. “Yes, I am. And she’ll be just like me.”
He rolled his eyes. “Now I know we’re in trouble.”
Angelo was relentless in protecting Serenity, but a daughter? Anyone foolish enough to even look at her wrong would beg for death long before Angelo granted it.
Tears ran down Elena’s cheek. “A baby! That’s what this house needs. I’ll get started on helping with the nursery.”
Steve leaned back in his chair. "I can hardly wait to see Angelo changing a diaper."
The thought brought a smile to my lips. One thing was certain—nothing was ever going to be the same.
Elena returned with warm bread pudding, her eyes misty. "A grandbaby," she whispered, kissing Angelo's cheek. "I never thought I'd see the day."
The celebration continued around the table—toasts, laughter, plans for nurseries and baby names. Serenity glowed beside Angelo, who still looked stunned, like he couldn't quite believe it was real.
"I'm calling godfather rights," Dimitri announced, raising his glass. "Someone needs to teach the kid how to have fun, and we all know Angelo's idea of fun is reorganizing his torture chamber."
That was an understatement of the century. Angelo was an expert of pain—I'd seen him work, watched him peel information from enemies with surgical precision. A daughter would only sharpen that particular skill set.
Gianna rolled her eyes. "You're not teaching this baby anything until they're at least eighteen."
"Twenty-five," Angelo corrected, his arm protectively around Serenity.
Steve leaned forward, grinning. "So when do we start baby-proofing the manor? Because I'm pretty sure the sword collection and the torture room aren't exactly nursery-friendly."
"The entire dungeon level will be off-limits," Serenity said firmly, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. "And we'll need to move some of the... sharper décor."
"There goes half the house," Dimitri muttered.
As the conversation swirled around baby preparations and Angelo's future as a father, I watched Joy. Her smile never wavered, her enthusiasm genuine as she asked Serenity questions about due dates and how she was feeling. But I knew her well enough now to see the shadow behind her eyes—the longing she was trying to hide.
My chest tightened.
After dessert, as the conversation began to wind down, I squeezed Joy's hand under the table. She glanced at me, and I tilted my head toward the door. She nodded slightly.
We slipped away while Angelo and Serenity were still surrounded by well-wishers, making our way back upstairs.
