19.

LUCA

Watching Tabby walk was one of the hardest things I'd ever done, but after she growled at me for the third time, Brett suggested I pick up one of the babies and "get the fuck out of the way." I took her advice and picked up Paolo before sitting down in the chair next to Zach who was holding Degano.

"Look under my gown and make sure my guts aren't falling out," Tabby said as she gently rested her hand on her belly and took another shuffling step. "I think they are."

"They're not," Brett assured her.

"How do you know? You didn't even fucking check!" Tabby snapped before she sighed deeply. "Sorry. I'm not sure when Satan entered the chat, but he's apparently sticking around for a while."

I did my best not to laugh, but Zach couldn't control himself nearly as well and snickered. Tabby slowly turned her head to stare at him, and the look of murder in her eyes took both of us aback.

"Fuck, she's scary," Zach mumbled when Tabby looked ahead again. "You sure about this whole marriage thing?"

"I'm sure."

"I thought you said she was a sweetheart."

"They took my internal organs and made them external organs while they yanked two living beings out of my goddamn abdomen, Mr. Campana. That can make a person rather testy."

"Yes, ma'am," Zach mumbled as he stared at the floor with a chagrined expression. After a few seconds of silence, he seemed to remember his position in life and forgot his initial fear of my wife when he said, "I'm not exactly a picture of good health myself right now. You know I just got shot, right?"

"Keep fucking with me, and we'll see if I have better aim," Tabby growled as she shuffled into the bathroom with Brett following close behind.

Brett had the good sense not to let Tabby see her when she pointed her finger at Zach and laughed silently. Zach flipped her off, and Brett returned the gesture before she shut the door behind her, giving Tabby at least a little privacy.

"She's kind of mean, man."

"She just had a major surgery," I reminded him. "She's not usually this . . . on edge."

"On edge? The woman threatened to shoot me!" Zach looked down at Degano who had started to squirm and said, "Did you hear that, man? Your incubator has a violent streak, and I'm afraid for my life."

"Whatever," I mumbled as I watched Zach carefully put Degano on his shoulder and pat his back to soothe him. "Violent streak or not, can you believe that these boys were inside of her less than twenty-four hours ago? That's amazing to me."

"It is crazy. Maybe someday she'll incubate a Russo or two."

"Are you and Brett going to have more kids?"

Zach looked at me like I was nuts before he motioned toward the baby in my arms and then the one on his shoulder. "More? Have you lost your goddamn mind? We haven't even taken them home yet, and I'm running on two hours of sleep and six gallons of coffee."

"Supposedly, it will get easier."

"By then, the tiny terrorist will have recruited these two to her cause and . . ."

"What exactly is her cause again?"

"Killing me," Zach said firmly. "In the most painful way possible, I'm sure."

"What's she done now?"

"What hasn't she done?" Zach sighed dramatically and then said, "She left one of her shoes on the stairs. Not both. Just one. I tripped over that one and damn near took a header to the bottom only to land in a puddle of dog piss and lose my footing. When I busted my ass, she damn near fell down the stairs because she was laughing so hard. It's hard to get pissed when she's so fucking cute."

"You did buy her the dogs, so in essence, isn't that your fault?"

"I thought you were on my side. We've got to stick together now because we're way outgunned and outnumbered. They're all out for blood. You heard her threaten to shoot me."

I burst out laughing, and the baby in my arms started to fidget, so I put him on my shoulder like Zach was holding his brother. Finally, I said, "Your hair looks nice."

"Fuck off," Zach mumbled.

"It seems like Brett is adjusting really well."

"I think so."

"She didn't seem to have a problem sending the guys out shopping."

"There's gonna be an uprising. I hope you're ready for that."

"What do you mean?"

"She sent four men - men we've seen torture and kill people - to shop for baby things and precisely duplicate the nursery that she created in our house in one of your rooms so that the babies will feel comfortable when they go back and forth. She says they need continuity or some shit. I can't remember what she said because I started to get dizzy and blocked her out."

"That's what's gonna get you killed," I told him.

"If TT doesn't do it, then I'm sure Brett will."

I abruptly changed the subject when I asked, "Are you okay with what happened the other day with Geno?"

"Okay? Not at all. I don't get how a man I looked up to my entire life could turn like that. Seems like everyone is out to get me."

"You realize that you're the common denominator in each scenario, right?"

"Again with your fucking attitude," Zach said with a scowl. "What we need to do is stick together against our common enemies."

"I thought we were already doing that."

"I'm talking about the female ones. You've got your own tiny terrorist living in your house now along with a homicidal hormonal woman. You're gonna need to watch yourself, man. Believe me. Your life is about to get very complicated."

"You love it, don't you?"

"Fuck yeah, I do. So will you."

"I'm sure I will."

◆◆◆

TABBY

"What are you doing up?" Luca asked from the doorway. "Did you take a shower by yourself?"

"Been doing that for as long as I can remember," I snapped as he walked toward me. I stepped into my flip flops and then looked past him to check my hair in the mirror.

"Why did you get dressed?"

"Because even if you own the building, it's probably still illegal to walk around naked."

"Walk around? Where do you think you're going?"

"Out."

"You are not."

I raised one eyebrow and shot him a death stare as he rolled his eyes. "You can't leave the house, Lou. You had major surgery and . . ."

"That was two weeks ago, Luca."

"You need to get back in bed."

"Your mom should be here any minute, and Brett's on her way over with the girls. You need to go to Zach's and help him with the boys."

"Isn't that why there's a nanny?" When I glared at him, he asked, "What? She is!"

"She only works nights, and you know it."

"Get in bed, Tabby."

I narrowed my eyes and said, "Luca Russo, if you don't get off my ass and out of my way, I'm going to do something that we will both regret."

"Like what?" Luca asked with a snarky grin.

I pulled my phone out and pushed a button to call the number from the last text I'd received. Within two rings, Luca's mother answered, and his eyes got wide. "Hey, Marla. Luca says that I can't leave because I should still be in bed."

I put her on speaker so Luca could hear her rapid fire Italian, and even though I had no idea what she was saying, I smiled when he winced. After she abruptly hung up, I admitted, "I was wrong. I don't regret that at all."

"That was low, Lou. Way low."

"Luca, I love you, but in order for me to keep loving you, I need a breather . . . away from this house."

"But you . . ."

"Had major surgery. I know. I was there. However, I'm going crazy stuck in here and . . ."

"Then go nap on the couch!"

"If my situation were different, I'd be caring for newborn twins full-time while also wrangling my daughter, cooking meals, doing laundry, keeping the house clean, and all the other things that come with being a parent. I know that all of this should feel like a dream come true, but it's starting to feel like a prison, and I have to make a break for it before I go insane."

Luca stepped up in front of me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders to pull me to his chest. "I'm just trying to take care of you, Lou."

"And I appreciate that more than you know, but I'm not used to laying around and doing nothing. I feel fine, Luca, and I'll feel better if I can find some sort of new normal that includes me leaving these four walls on occasion."

"Where are you going?"

"Your mom and the other ladies are taking Brett and I to the spa for manicures and pedicures, and then we're going to have lunch somewhere before we do a little shopping."

"That might be too much for you. Why don't I come with . . ."

"Absolutely not," I said firmly as I looked up into his face. "If I start to feel tired, I'll sit down and take a break."

"If you start to feel tired, you should come home and rest."

"We'll see. I'm not going to run a marathon or do anything overtaxing, Luca, but I need to get out of this house before I completely lose my shit."

"I love you, Lou. I just want to take care of you."

"You're doing a wonderful job, but I need some space."

"You just went down to visit Simon yesterday and Sasha the day before. We go over to Zach and Brett's apartment all the time and . . ." I stared at him, and he winced. "You're not going to change your mind, are you?"

"No."

"I need to send at least two men with you, Tabby."

"I know. Your mom already made arrangements with Sam."

"I guess I'll go over to Zach's until you get back," Luca conceded.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," I said sarcastically.

"I love you, Lou."

"And I love you, sweetheart, but I'll love you even more if I get a little time to myself."

"I'm making you crazy, aren't I?"

"A little bit."

"I'll try to do better."

I laughed softly because I knew he wouldn't be able to turn it off like a switch, but I did want him to realize I wasn't made of porcelain and wouldn't break if I walked farther than the elevator.

"Two days after I had Ember, I was back at work, Luca. Women throughout the history of time have remained functioning humans after giving birth, and I'm no different."

"You didn't give birth so much as had your organs rearranged after they cut a hole the size of Jersey in you."

"I knew you shouldn't have come into the delivery room with me."

"Why didn't you want me to be there?"

"Because I think the sight of . . . all of that . . . might have traumatized you so deeply that you're not willing to have more children."

"They were your organs, Lou. Your intestines were in a bowl and . . ." I burst out laughing and then winced when Luca's face changed. It seemed like I'd hurt his feelings, but I realized that I'd actually made him angry when he said, "I love you and I hate to see you hurt, Lou."

"So, you're not going to want children of your own?"

"We already have one but . . ." My eyes filled with tears, and I bit my lip as I tried to hold them back. My emotions were still on a roller coaster, but I knew that what he'd said would have made me tear up even if I weren't hormonal right now. "I didn't mean to make you cry, sweetheart."

"It's a good cry," I said, my voice thick with emotion as tears tracked down my cheeks.

Luca kissed me sweetly and then said, "I love you, Tabby, and if you want more children, I'll enjoy every second of making them with you and be by your side every second as we watch them grow up."

"Stop being sweet," I said with a hiccup before I sniffed and then blew out a breath. "I'm mad at you, remember?"

"You seemed to get over it pretty quickly."

"Because you know I'm right."

"Not really, but I am terrified of Mamma," Luca admitted with an exaggerated wince. "She can be savage when she gets on a roll."

"She's a darling."

"I'm glad you think so. She thinks the same of you."

"Dov"è mia figlia, Luca Russo?" I heard Marla call out from downstairs.

"What did she say?" I asked.

"Where is my daughter?" Luca translated with a grin.

"He won't quit arguing with me, Marla!" I yelled back. Luca's mouth dropped open in shock when his mother started yelling in Italian, and I grinned at him. "She does like me, doesn't she?"

"Zach was right. You are mean."

"And don't you forget it, handsome," I said before I gave him a quick kiss. "I'll be back later. Don't worry about me."

"That's my job now."

"Well, take a vacation for a few hours and go visit your friend," I said as I winked at him and breezed out of the bedroom. As I headed toward the stairs, I called out, "I'm coming, Marla! You're such a sweetie for rescuing me!"

"Traitor!" Luca growled right before I started laughing.

"Love you, husband!"

Grudgingly, he replied, "I love you too."

◆◆◆

LUCA

"We need to discuss a few things that have come to our attention in the last few days," Rico said before he picked up the carafe and refilled his cup. "I guess it would be considered new business, so if there's any old business we need to go over first, let's do that."

"Our guest is still waiting patiently for us to tell him his fate, and the Cubans are anxious for us to release him into their care," Tonio said with a sly grin.

"Their care? I guess that's one way to put it," Matteo scoffed. "And we haven't heard anything from Frank yet?"

"Nothing," Rico answered as he slowly shook his head. "I was sure that holding Geno would make Frank surface from whatever sewer he's been hiding in, but there's been no contact so far."

"How's Geno doing anyway?" Zach asked with a shuttered expression.

"I took your advice, and he's been very informative," Ziggy told Matteo. "That was a good call."

"What advice?" I asked.

"I've been drugging him regularly to loosen his lips," Ziggy admitted. "Let's just say that a certain cocktail makes Mr. Bovino a very talkative fellow."

"What have you learned?" Zach asked. "Other than getting his hands on my legacy, what was he expecting to get out of kidnapping my little brothers?"

"Frank and Geno are our brothers," Rico said before he blew out a frustrated breath.

"I know that you guys were close back in the day but . . ."

"No, Matteo. I thought that Frank's vendetta against me was just about my ex-wife, but I realize now that she was just a pawn in his game. Technically, Frank is my father's oldest son, and Geno was born between me and Ziggy."

"Holy shit," Zach muttered in shock.

"That's why Frank has such a hard-on for you?" Matteo asked.

"It's gone further than you can imagine," Rico said hesitantly.

I thought about all of the times I'd compared Rico's son to Bex's little brother and a realization hit me. I heard my brother's breath catch, and when I looked up at him, it was clear that he'd come to the same realization. I glanced at Ziggy, Rico's brother, who had been watching us and knew he realized what we'd just figured out.

"I'd like for what you're considering to remain unspoken," Rico said with a firmer tone. "That doesn't make it go away, but it's not something I want to think about, and it's definitely not something I want Freddy to know about. The fact that Bex and I are together will give Rory and Freddy the chance to be the brothers that genetics meant for them to be, but I'd like for us to keep that knowledge to ourselves."

As Zach nodded, he said, "Of course."

"Brett and I have decided to raise the boys not just as our brothers, but as our sons. They'll call us ‘mom' and ‘dad' like our other children will."

"Other children?" Ziggy asked.

"Not yet, but someday," Zach answered.

"You've come a long way, son," Rico said proudly. I could tell by the look on Zach's face that he didn't take offense to the endearment, which wasn't something Rico said lightly. "We're proud of how you handled this situation with the twins." Rico looked over at me and said, "And you, too, Luca. It's an awkward situation, but all of you have made the best of it and leaned on each other for support."

"That's very commendable," Cento said with a smile. "And in the process, you've both found women that we're all very happy to consider family."

"To The Four Families," Tonio said as he lifted his whiskey glass.

"Alle Quattro Famiglie," the rest of us said in unison before we took a sip of our drinks.

"Now, on to new business," Rico said firmly.

"I got word from some of our soldiers on the street that there are a few families in the Bronx that are in need of our help," I began. "When I brought up the problems to Rico, he put feelers out in Queens and found the same issues."

"What's the problem?" Zach asked.

"With the way things are changing in the city and the boroughs, there are places in need of more supervision than we've been giving lately. Some of the residents remember what it was like when our fathers were more connected to the streets in their everyday business. Even though they don't want the war and bloodshed that existed through the years, they need more protection than the law is giving them now."

"Like what?" Cento asked.

"Criminals are running rampant all over the city," Rico explained. "The bodega just across the park has been hit five times in the last month alone."

"Fucking thieves," Tonio muttered.

"We've got residents in the Bronx that have squatters making a mess of their neighborhood. The police are short-staffed, and their hands are tied as far as the laws go. I was approached by an old man who remembers a time when our families were the ones to keep things in order and asked for my help," Matteo explained. "The squatters living on his block have made it so the children can't even walk home from school alone or even play outside without seeing fucking needles and syringes all over the place."

"I've seen that shit on the streets in Queens too. They're shooting up right out in the open and leaving their trash everywhere."

"We need to clean house and make a plan to keep order. I'm not saying that we should turn the city into a war zone again, but we should do our part to make sure that the neighborhoods are safe and the residents feel like they can come to us if they need help, at least," Rico proposed.

"I've got five men assigned to clean out the squatters, and hopefully, that will get the word out that things will be changing soon," I explained.

"I fully believe that if we make an example out of some of them, word will get out and things will start to calm down some," Rico said. "And, like Matteo said, the police force is so short-staffed that I don't think they'd mind a little help."

"I'll send some of my men to check in with the shop owners and let them know we'll be taking an interest and have them keep their eyes open and report any problems to me," Zach assured us.

"We should all do the same," Ziggy suggested. "It probably wouldn't hurt to be seen out and about in our old neighborhoods just to establish a presence."

"The men would love it if we loosen the reins and let them play around a bit," I said with a grin. "I wouldn't mind getting in on some of that myself."

"We've focused so much on peace lately that some of the residents might have started to believe that the rules we've had in place for decades don't apply anymore."

Ziggy frowned at his brother's comment and added, "We should give them a reminder."

"Each of you take care of your specific areas, and we'll rotate the men around to show that we're unified. It wouldn't do to have some of the seedier residents believe they can just move to another neighborhood," Rico suggested. "Let's start some patrols and get input from them over the next few weeks. We'll reconvene during our usual meeting with some status reports about what they've found."

"Dino is going to be stoked that he gets to bust some heads again," I told the men with a laugh. "I'm sure there are others that miss it too."

"I miss it," Ziggy grumbled.

"You know to watch your back when you"re doing shit like that, but I'd also suggest that we have some family involvement too. Get your pictures taken strolling out and about with the family as an early warning that we're still fully invested in the places we came from," Rico ordered. "There's a bodega in Queens that sells the best spices. I think Bex and I should do some shopping."

"And then cook for us?" Matteo asked eagerly.

Rico laughed and nodded. "Of course."

"It's been a month since the babies were born, so Tabby is almost at full strength," I said before my brother burst out laughing. "Okay, so she's convinced she's been fine for at least three weeks, but I wasn't so sure. However, it"s been long enough now that I think I'll take Lou and Ember to the zoo and then go to Enzo's for dinner." I looked over at my brother and asked, "Wanna join us?"

"For their eggplant rollatini? Hell yeah."

"I know TT would love the zoo if you guys wouldn't mind some more company," Zach suggested

"Let's do it," I said eagerly. "This weekend?"

"That sounds like a plan."

"Do you think your boys might like to join us?" Matteo asked.

"They'd love it."

"Looks like our Saturday is booked, gentlemen."

"And I'll have a day out with Bex," Rico said with a smile.

"This sounds like a good start. We each need to talk to our men and give them their orders. Then we can get together with more information soon," Ziggy said before he pushed his chair away from the table. "I hate to cut this short, but my girls are waiting for me upstairs."

"Movie night?" I asked.

"Shopping," Ziggy said forlornly. "Somebody kill me now."

We were all still laughing at Ziggy's discomfort as we separated in the common area to go to our respective elevators that would take us to our homes. Once we'd said our goodbyes, I followed Matteo into the elevator, and we made plans on the way up and then separated in the shared foyer that split our apartments.

I used my thumb to gain access to my house and was immediately met with children's laughter and the smell of freshly baked bread. I loved the new rhythm Tabby and I had together and found myself eager to get back home every evening, if I even made it that far into my day without popping in to grab a quick kiss from Lou and a hug from Ember.

I understood now why my dad was such a happy man and thanked my lucky stars every day for my new little family.

When I walked around the corner, I couldn't help but smile at the sight before me. Tabby was wearing one of my old T-shirts and a pair of sweatpants, standing barefoot in the kitchen as she sliced a loaf of piping hot bread. Seated at the bar were people who I'd become good friends with since Tabby and Ember had moved in. I'd learned to take it in stride when I came home and found one or more of them here with her.

Somehow, the sight of the woman I loved outshadowed the fact that there was a madam, a male escort, and an ex-bartender who couldn't seem to stop himself from propositioning me every chance he got making themselves comfortable in my house.

I couldn't deny that Tabby had brought more than just love into my life - she'd brought plenty of excitement and variety. I couldn't be happier.