It’s his aura, I think. Even when he smiles, you have no idea if he’s about to hurt you and laugh about it or simply laugh.
“You’re welcome. Now, would you like the knife that was plunged into your boyfriend’s side or can I keep it?”
I raise both my hands up, my tone cautious. “All yours.”
“Thanks.”
I lean closer to whisper into Matteo’s ear. “Your brother scares me.”
“He scares a lot of people, baby,” he says, rubbing my back.
I fuss over him for a couple more minutes before grabbing my phone to call Leo. While Matteo talks to his son, my eyes meet Valentina’s. I’ve been wanting to talk to my best friend for days and this is my chance.
She immediately understands, getting to her feet, and after gesturing to Matteo that I’m stepping outside, I follow her.
“What’s wrong? Well, besides the obvious, of course,” she asks once we’re safely away from the room.
The words are wrenched out of my lips before I even have a chance to stop them, “Valentina, I think I’m pregnant.”
She falls to a stop, slowly turning so she can face me.
“You what?”
I nod, my nerves growing a little erratic with the confession. Now that I’ve said it, it feels like something I’ve put into the world, something I can never take back.
“I took a test,” I say shakily. “It was positive.”
Her eyes grow wide and she reaches for both my hands, taking them in hers.
“Okay, breathe. Those tests usually aren’t a hundred percent accurate. Since when do you think you’ve been pregnant?”
“Probably since that first night we… you know.” My voice cracks. “The timing lines up. I took a test and it was positive. Oh god, what am I going to do?”
“Okay, breathe. That was, like, two months ago, right? And you haven’t had any symptoms,” she states. “It’s possible you’re not actually pregnant. It could have been a false positive, Lin.”
I love her for her optimism but there’s a feeling sliding through my gut. I know deep down there’s a baby growing in my belly in this very moment.
“Let’s talk about our options, though,” Valentina continues. “If you’re really pregnant, what would that look like?”
“I-I don’t know,” I murmur, because I truly haven’t been able to think about it. “He told me he loved me and that he meant it.”
That I’ve thought about so many times, turned the words over and over again in my head.
“And what did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Valentina laughs and my eyes narrow. I’m not really sure what’s funny about my predicament.
“I’m sorry, Lin. It’s just… I’ve never seen you unsure about anything in your life. You’ve always known exactly what the plan was and how to achieve your goals. I guess it’s just weird seeing you like this.”
I groan softly, running my hands through my hair. “What am I going to do?”
“Hey.” Valentina draws my attention. “Even if you’re pregnant, it doesn’t mean you have to stay with him, right? The baby isn’t a trap. You can still choose to leave.”
The firmness in her tone at those words has my heart clenching.
“I can’t do that to him,” I whisper. Especially not after what he went through with Sara. “And I don’t want to either. I want him, Val. And I’ve even started to grow comfortable with all this, his life and everything in it. I?—”
