CHAPTER 14

It's time to meet some cute horses and a group of handsome young men, Stephanie said to herself, smiling and stretching with her arms above her head. She inspected the desk with a critical eye, like she did every time when she finished the work for the day, and let out a small sigh of satisfaction: everything was in perfect order.

Stephanie stepped out of the administrative building and headed to the vet clinic, walking the distance, as Luca had suggested to her. It was a great exercise that would keep her in good physical shape, the man explained, his expression serious, almost stern. What a tyrant, the young woman made a funny grimace, rubbing her arms up and down as she walked.

To be honest, it's all my fault. He warned me not to exaggerate, but guess who's the most stubborn girl in the city, Stephanie continued her internal monologue. The grimace was replaced by a warm smile as she remembered Luca's offer to train her in the arts of fencing and throwing knives. It was totally unexpected, and the poor guy asked her three times before she finally answered with an enthusiastic yes.

Even after she found out some more of Brian's and Luca's history together, Stephanie still perceived him as distant, cold even, and a little arrogant. She was pleasantly impressed to discover how calm and patient he was as a fencing instructor, especially since she didn't even possess the basic skills.

Luca was also kind, protective, and affectionate, in his own subtle way, treating Stephanie like a younger sister, although he never said the word. The young woman wanted to ask him to train her in hand-to-hand combat, too; she heard that none of the guards at The Base won against the Sicilian in a sparring match.

No one but Liam, Brian's firstborn, whose story was very similar to hers and Bailey's, except his stepfather detested the poor boy for his unique eyes, the Cavallieri trademark. What saddened Stephanie the most when she heard his story was that, unlike in her and her sibling's case, his mother didn't care about him, either.

Liam. The name of Brian's oldest son brought another smile to Stephanie's face, as she felt grateful for how the young man took Bailey under his wing, introduced them to the horses and made them part of that group of young men known as the young Council. They welcomed her sibling with open arms and accepted them as they were, without questions.

Stephanie loved to talk to Liam, who, just like her, was interested in all things business and finances, although he was studying public relations and loved his job at Boorman Media Corporation. It was him who told the young woman that the Cavallieri's owned the third largest fortune in the Old-World Mafia, after the Della Rovere and Brentano families.

Liam was also the one who told Stephanie about the sources of each of the Great Families' wealth. Almost all of them held important shares in some of the most known and profitable companies in the world, from different fields, from telecom and IT to food industry and construction.

Except the Cavallieri Family, who were forced to flee to the States to escape the persecutions of the Habsburgs. The Van Neckers, who were never interested in those kinds of properties, managed to keep the huge surfaces of land they owned. Also, each of the Grand Families possessed impressive collections of art and fine jewels, passed down from generation to generation.

Caught in her thoughts, Stephanie didn't notice how time passed, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw how close she was to the field where the horses from the vet clinic were grazing and running. With each step she took, the young woman could hear better the voices and laughter of the young men gathered around Brian, who was showing them something on his phone.

"You have big bellies pics!" Stephanie clapped her hands and made a happy sound when she was close enough to see the images on the device's display. "Oh, hello, everyone!" She waved with a grin.

"Here, be my guest." A radiant smile on his face, Brian showed the young woman pictures of Martino, Bart, and himself.

"Oh, my!" Stephanie covered her mouth with one hand, eyes shining with affection, and turned to Martino. "You had the cutest bump ever. I bet Luca couldn't stop touching and kissing it! And look at you, Bart! You were huge here! Twins?"

"Yes, I had two sets of twins after Blaise." Brian's husband nodded, offering the young woman a smile. "One pair of girls, Alana and Antoinette . The youngest twins, a boy and girl, shy Simon and princess Breanna. Brian had our twin boys Dane and Jeremy."

"That's so sweet!" Stephanie clapped her hands again and laughed like a little girl. "I wished I had been around back then."

"Luca was always kissing my belly." Martino sighed dreamily. "Bart, too, and Brian would read to my belly."

"You guys are going to laugh, but I wish for a husband or boyfriend who would read to my pregnant belly." Stephanie closed her eyes for a second, her voice a mix of cheerfulness and yearning. "I know, that's silly." She laughed nervously.

"Marry a librarian." Bart showed his teeth in a wide grin. "That's what I did, and all my children love to read, because their papa introduced them to the fascinating world of books since they were in my belly."

"Your dream is not silly at all." Brian spoke affectionately. "It's a mama's wish that her babies be loved by the man who helped her create them. Nothing wrong with that."

Martino let out another dreamy sigh. "Brian is the best. Always read to Gianluca when I was pregnant. It's a nice feeling."

"We've been found." With a chuckle, the librarian pointed to the fence line, to Baldassare, Elyan, Ian, and Oisin, who were heading straight to them.

"I like these boys so much!" Bailey enthusiastically waved to them. "Ian and Oisin are the sweetest couple I ever saw." Suddenly, sadness crept into their voice. "What happened to the one who uses a cane?" They frowned. "Baldassare, right? I mean, Ian also uses a cane, but I know his story from Lennox."

"Baldassare, yes." Brian's voice was soft and filled with fatherly affection. "Well, he used to be in a wheelchair, but after riding Legend with my help, he was able to have surgery and now he can walk."

"Legend…that's a great name, and I think the horse lives up to it." Bailey smiled at the distant memory. "Mom used to take us to a farm about thirty miles from where we lived, there were a lot of animals there. Fun, happy times."

Legend neighed, making Brian chuckle. "Yes, we're talking about you. You are magic, dear Legend." He turned to his sibling. "That sounds amazing. I'm glad you had those times. Animals heal all ills."

"Hello, beautiful one," Lennox whispered softly as he hugged Bailey from behind. "Mmm, you are so incredibly sexy." He kissed them on the neck.

"Hey, guys, how are all of you?" Brian greeted the group of young men, opening his arms for a group hug. "If I'd known you'd be here, I'd have had pears and cherries for you." He caressed Oisin's baby bump.

"I'm terrified, to be honest." Baldassare disentangled from the embrace, shuddering. "I'm going to meet Don Eugenio tonight. Mister Ballard is pretty scary, too."

"Translation." A grin stretched Liam's mouth from ear to ear. "War is going to pop the question."

"You'll do fine." Brian patted Baldassare on the shoulder, making him relax. "I know both of them adore you."

"I adore him, too. He's my best friend and the most tender lover." Elyan sighed in contentment and closed his eyes as Baldassare put his arms around him and kissed the top of his head.

Brian looked between the two young men, his eyes brimming with tears. "I can't tell you how happy I am for both of you. The coolest dude in all the lands will soon be a married man, and his husband-to-be is as special and gifted as he is."

"You brought this little geek into my life." Baldassare protectively hugged his fiancé, then gave the librarian a look filled with gratitude. "I owe you my happiness."

"Knowing the two of you are happy is enough." Brian discreetly wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, then cleared his throat. "So who's here to ride Legend?"

"Um…" Bailey started in a hesitant voice, facing their lover, while everyone turned their attention to them. "I'm pregnant and the child is not yours. I'm going to keep it," they said in one go.

"It's mine and I'm going to love it." Lennox knelt in front of Bailey and kissed their still flat abdomen. "I promise you to protect and take care of you both." Everyone started to applaud and congratulate the two, and only stopped when Hector and the other techs brought Legend, Star, Phoenix, and Chocolate.

"I missed my horsey so much!" Baldassare exclaimed, hugging Legend's neck. "Hey, beauty, I have carrots for you," he whispered in the horse's ear, making him neigh and huff.

Lennox wrapped Bailey in his arms and covered their face in butterfly kisses, still overwhelmed by the news of his impending fatherhood. "Chocolate is a very gentle horse. Are you up for a ride?"

"With you, always," the other one answered, wrapping their arms around the man's neck and kissing his jawline.

"C'mon, get a room, folks!" Elyan huffed, shaking his head. "You are making me horny." He offered the two a big grin, to which Bailey replied by flipping the bird, to everyone's amusement.

Brian helped Baldassare to mount Legend, while Lennox assisted Bailey to get on Chocolate's back, in spite of their protests that they could do it by themselves, then got into the saddle, too. Luca, who joined the group a few minutes earlier, hugged the librarian and took Star's reins from the tech's hand, mounting the horse.

We are going to have one of the famous Sicilian-style racings Bailey told me so much about, where the loser has to kiss the winner , Stephanie said to herself, heart starting to beat faster in anticipation. With Luca and Brian as only competitors, she was sure it was going to be a win-win situation for both of them.

Stephanie turned her attention to Baldassare, then Bailey and Lennox, all of them choosing to go for a relaxing, slow trot. Her sibling had the best of both worlds, the young woman thought; they were carrying the child of a man they once loved with everything they had, but who almost destroyed them, and the devotion of another, who loved them and embraced them as they were.

Stephanie didn't worry about Bailey not being accepted by Lennox's family; they were open-minded, accepting, loving people who didn't bat an eyelash when their firstborn came out as gay almost ten years earlier. Besides, the man's father was forever indebted to him for taking the blame for a crime he didn't commit and would have done anything to express his gratitude.

However, Stephanie was worried about someone, and that person was none other than Brian. Over the months she worked at The Base, the young woman came to know the librarian quite well, and recently she sensed something changed about him, and not in a good way. She frowned in concentration, trying to figure out what it was all about.

Principal Bloom-Hunter, Elias Bloom, the one who ran the place, and all those who knew Brian from his very first day as a librarian affectionately called him a professional worrier, the nickname his brother Edward gave him sticking like a stamp on a letter. He worried about anyone around him, from his family to the special needs children he taught during the classes he held at the library.

This time, it was more than Oisin's pregnancy, or one of the other young men, his own children, his nieces and nephews, or Gianluca being sick. It was something much more serious that troubled him deeply, and Stephanie was hell-bent on getting to the bottom of the mystery. Brian needed help with whatever was bothering him, and it was time for her to hold his hand just like he had held hers, not long ago.