Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 151410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
“Remo,” Fina said slowly.
I touched her lower back. “I don’t know any more than you.”
When we entered the common room, Fabiano was pacing back and forth with a look of agitation on his face. Leona sat beside Aurora on the couch, and the latter had a baby on her lap. Dark hair and eyes. And the typical Falcone features.
“Fuck it!” I snarled, causing the baby to burst into tears.
“You still got it,” Savio said with a chuckle as he walked past me to get a closer look at Nevio’s kid. He let out a whistle.
I motioned at Aurora and the baby. “Would someone care to explain what the hell I’m seeing here?”
Fabiano stopped and stretched out his arms to both sides with a bitter laugh. “Apparently, your son got a girl pregnant, who then dropped the kid off, and he decided it was a good idea to let Aurora take care of the baby for weeks.”
Gemma came in with a look of confusion. “What’s going on?”
Giulio perched on the backrest with a devilish smile. “Nevio’s in trouble!”
Gemma looked at the baby and blew out a breath before she walked over to Savio. I shook my head.
“Maybe someone should get Kiara so she can be in on the fun,” Savio said with a laugh.
“This isn’t funny!” I growled.
“Maybe not for you, Grandpa,” Savio said. I had half a mind to kick his ass. I still remembered the times when he’d driven me crazy with his antics, but in comparison to Nevio, he’d been a saint.
“Maybe we should allow Aurora to tell the story since she seems to be the one who knows the details,” Nino said in his usual logical manner.
I motioned at Aurora to start. She swallowed, still rocking the child on her thighs. The words of what had happened since the boy’s mother had abandoned him rushed out of her. She didn’t mention the party, or if there had been any other similar encounters between Nevio and her, but I had a feeling the party hadn’t been the end of it. That wasn’t my main concern right now, though. I was fucking relieved that Fabiano didn’t know about that yet.
“So you took care of Battista for six weeks?” Serafina asked softly and walked over to the sofa. She sank down beside Aurora, but Battista had his face buried against her chest.
“You should have told someone,” I gritted out. I was torn between anger over this major secret that she’d kept for Nevio and admiration for taking care of a baby that wasn’t even her own, when she was only eighteen. That girl was a better mother figure than many much older women, such as the kid’s actual mother.
“Do you know where Nevio is?” I asked.
She shook her head with a look of anger. “He was supposed to watch Battista today, but he never showed up.”
“I assume he left most of the work of taking care of the baby up to you?”
She nodded. “He tried to be there for us, but it was difficult for him to accept that he was a father. Carlotta helped me with the babysitting.”
Was she actually defending him? After all the shit he pulled.
When I’d found out I had kids, I had known one thing for certain: that I would take care of them, that I would take full responsibilities and that their needs would trump my own.
The kid looked at me, and it hit me like a fucking sledgehammer again. “Fuck him!” I snarled.
“Remo,” Serafina said reproachfully because Battista had started crying again. She rubbed his back, but he pressed closer to Aurora. He was obviously very attached to her.
“Poor baby has gone through so much,” Serafina murmured. I could see her motherly instincts rearing up again, but this kid wasn’t our child. It was Nevio’s.
Still, I could already feel my own protectiveness rise. This boy was now a part of our family.
I turned to Massimo and Alessio. “Where is Nevio? No more lies. This is too serious for your loyalty bullshit.”
“We don’t know,” Alessio said with a shrug.
“He disappeared without a word. We haven’t seen or talked to him in more than twenty-four hours. Maybe he’s on a raid to clear his head.”
I doubted it.
Our last conversation flitted through my mind.
I’ll leave if I ever fear of breaking my promise. Was this the case? “Check his room. Are his clothes gone?”
Massimo and Alessio left.
“Do you think he’ll be gone for longer?” Fina asked quietly, her eyes wide with concern.
“Running away from his responsibility,” Fabiano said with a scoff.
I hadn’t told Fina about my conversation with Nevio. It would only make her worry more. “He’ll be back.” I didn’t feel the same conviction that my voice conveyed.
“How long have you known about this?” I asked Fabiano.
“Today. If I’d known before, I would have told you and kicked Nevio’s ass for burdening Aurora with a task like that. She’s pretty much a child herself.”