Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“I don’t know why I’m so sleepy. That’s all I did all this week.” She yawned widely. “I’m going to order some vitamins. That should help.”
“Don’t order them until your gyno tells you which ones to take,” Lucca advised.
Psht—
“I’m not going to my gyno because I’m tired.” Men, they really don’t know anything. “If the vitamins don’t work, I’ll go to my regular doctor,” Chloe informed him, but then she became worried and turned to face him. “You don’t think I could be sick, do you? I can’t be sick right now. Finals are coming u—”
“I don’t think you’re sick, darlin’,” he assured her, soothing her small worries only to replace them with a bigger one. “You’re pregnant.”
What?
“No, I’m not … I’d know …” Right?
Leaning down, he placed a kiss on the scar that reached her cheek. “Chloe, you’re pregnant.”
Nope, no way. She shook her head confidently, counting back to when she’d had her last period …
Then recounting again ….
Until she finally came to the realization …
Oh shit.
“I-I’m going to have a baby?”
When she finally realized the thing Lucca had known for a while now, he lifted her chin high to correct her. “We’re going to have a baby.”
He was about to capture her mouth with his but was stopped when Chloe placed her fingers over his lips. It was a move he was certain his sister had taught her, making him regret making her his consigliere.
“As the mother of your child, I need to know the truth.”
Lucca was already certain he wasn’t going to like what she was about to ask.
“Did you whack Vinny?”
“I swear I didn’t kill him …” he promised without missing a beat while he looked her directly in the eyes. Turned out his father had not only saved him from being unable to look into his soldier’s eyes, but his new wife’s. “Nor did I order him to be.”
It was the complete and honest truth. Like he’d said, he would never lie to her. He wasn’t the one who had ripped Vinny’s heart out.
When she threw her arms around his neck in profound relief, he didn’t feel bad. If there was anything Lucca had done from the beginning with her, it was showing her his true self. But there were just some things you were better off not knowing … Especially when you were married and wanted it to be happily.
“I don’t think I could have looked at Vincent and Lake if you had.” She placed a tender kiss on his lips. “I love you so much.”
Lucca smiled sweetly. As a new husband, he had to learn a few tricks from his sister, too. “I love you, too, darlin’.”
They got out of the shower and dried each other off.
“Lucca.” Chloe pulled on a warm bathrobe. “About my parents—”
“Brush your hair, darlin’,” Lucca quickly cut off what she was about to say with a kiss. “I’ll go make us some chili.”
I mean, what the fuck did you expect? You didn’t open this book because you thought I was a hero. You opened it because …
I’m the fucking boogieman.
EPILOGUE ONE
SOMETIME IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE…
The jelly that was being smeared on her belly was cold.
Lucca squeezed her hand tightly, making her forget about it until her body adjusted as the doctor smeared it in with her tool.
Both Chloe and Lucca tried their best to make out the fuzzy black and white screen, but they had no idea what they were looking at. All they could see was what appeared to be a little jellybean.
“Congratulations.” Dr. Sanderson looked at them with a smile.
And that was when they noticed the other little jellybean sitting beside it.
“You’re having twins!”
As she walked downstairs from the bedroom with a waddle, Chloe saw Gia watching Ninja Warrior and eating a bag of chips.
“How much longer before Drago gets here?”
“He just texted. Traffic is back-to-back. It’s going to take him another thirty minutes.”
Chloe rubbed the small of her back. The ache had been intermediate for the last several days. She figured it was from how big her belly had grown carrying two babies instead of one. Even though her mother had been a twin, she never, in a million years, would have thought she would be having them.
“My appointment is in twenty minutes, and Dr. Sanderson is working me in because of my back hurting. If I’m late, she might not see me.”
Closing the bag of chips, Gia gave her an ironic roll of her eyes. “The doc would stay four hours late to see you.”
“Maybe, but I still don’t want to inconvenience her,” Chloe said firmly with her back aching a bit more. “Text Drago and tell him he can meet us at the doctor office. I can drive back with him.”
“Lucca won’t be happy …” Gia tried to get her to reconsider with a hint of fear in her voice. “The only vehicle we have available is my car, and he told us both you were only to drive with Drago in his boat.”