Chapter Thirty

Leaving Luca's apartment, my heart is light and I sing along to every song on the radio. Last night was a huge turning point in our relationship.

We not only aired out all misunderstandings, but I feel like this was the first time that Luca was actually honest with me. About his feelings, his thoughts, and his plans for the future.

The fact that those plans include me and the baby just makes me feel so much more excited to greet this little human.

And the sex last night was so unlike any we've ever had before. I had felt so connected to him that the orgasm had lasted much longer than I even knew was possible.

My clit tingles now as I think about it. If that's how our life is going to be from now on, I am the luckiest girl in the world.

I also think we might easily add on to our family tree on a regular basis with that kind of love making.

Thinking about babies, I make a mental note to schedule my next doctor's appointment and let Luca know about the date.

My doctor said it might be too early, but we could try and see the baby"s sex the next time I came in. Luca and I spoke so much about names, it will be good to finally know the gender so we can decide on a name, maybe even start painting the nursery at the mansion.

I put a hand on my stomach as I stop at a traffic light. "I will love you immensely either way, little one," I whisper. "But if you come out a boy, your father will be so happy."

I recognize the extra car in my driveway as I get home. It's Grazia's, which shocks me, because we still haven't spoken, so her being at my house doesn't make sense. Usually after a fight, we'll meet in a more public space to avoid either of us making a scene.

I wonder if she's come to continue giving me shit about fucking her brother or if she's ready to finally talk. If perhaps she's decided that being an aunt is more important than being pissed off.

I'm surprised when I walk in and see Grazia sitting at the table with my father, though, since he's supposed to be away. The two look like they're having a serious conversation, but they stop suddenly when I walk in.

"Daddy? Grazia? What's happening?" I ask them, putting my bag down and pouring coffee. I feel a little guilty having regular coffee after Luca's speech about decaf being best for the baby, but according to the doctor, one or two cups is okay. Looking at the faces staring at me from the kitchen table, I'm going to need that one cup for this conversation.

"Em, sit down, please. We have something to talk to you about, and it's important," my father says, and his voice sounds strained, like he's going to battle telling me whatever is about to come out of his mouth.

My mind searches for what they could possibly want to talk to me about together.

"Despite our current issues," Grazia clears her throat and starts talking. "I do love you and before any of this happens, I want you to be okay. Especially since you're carrying my little niece or nephew in that stomach of yours." I don't miss her mention of still loving me. I'm tempted to reach out and hug her, but the rest of her sentence sends a chill down my spine.

"What is the ‘this' that's about to happen?" I ask, my voice louder than it needs to be. I sit down and look between Grazia and my father.

"Em, the way that Luca has been acting lately is worrying Enzo, and frankly, the way he's entangled you in this deal worries me. Luca has always been too impulsive, and very willing to do shady shit to get his way."

Grazia looks into the distance as if she's trying to figure out the best way to put this news. I already have a bad feeling about this.

"Well…when Carlos and his party were here a few weeks ago, I got talking with his wife, while you were sulking." I roll my eyes but let her continue talking.

"She was hitting the cocktails pretty hard, and she got to talking about how Carlos had another guy in the States who was going to help distribute these drugs. Only, that deal fell through. Guess how? The guy lied to Carlos and his men, telling them he was working closely with his brother, who had much better connections. When Carlos found out that this guy was full of shit, you know what he did?" She doesn't wait for me to answer.

"He had him killed. He sent his cousin, Marco, to the guy's house and cut his limbs off, one at a time, while this guy was alive, screaming, and his eighty-year-old grandmother watched everything." I gasp, thinking about how nice Carlos had been. You sometimes forget that these men don't fuck around.

"So," Grazia continues, "I spoke to Enzo about that when they had all left, and we discussed the issue of Luca's own lies. Emelia, you and he are not a couple. What do you think they're going to do when they find out you've both lied to their faces?

These guys, they don't like outsiders hanging around during business, the fact that you're not family, and have lied your way into their meetings, will have Marco after both of you."

"Luca and I-" I start to tell them about the progress we've made in our relationship, but my father interrupts me.

"Em, darling, trust Grazia and Enzo. They have a plan that will help keep you and Luca safe. And this baby, too."

I look at Grazia, allowing her to finish explaining with her plan. "We're going to send you two away first. You need to be untraceable, but in different locations. Then Enzo and I will talk to Carlos—his wife and I already have a good relationship—and we'll explain that Luca is out, but we can complete this deal through our Baldini lines, without Luca."

I laugh. "Without Luca? This is Luca's deal, Grazia. He's sacrificed his time and mental sanity to make this happen. Do you know how much ass he's had to kiss with Carlos and his men? Yes, we lied, but Luca and I have worked through things. We're having a baby, and there is basically no more lie. And even if Carlos found out that we weren't exactly a couple, the truth is that we really were just figuring things out."

Grazia scoffs at this. "Emelia, you"re not figuring things out. I know you've been around my family for years, but I know my brother, okay. He's not going to settle down with you and a kid." Grazia crosses her arms and leans back in her chair, clearly feeling like she's won this round, but she couldn't be more wrong.

I am livid, and I can feel my cheeks getting hot as I open my mouth to reply. "We won't let you take this from us, Grazia. Neither you or Enzo will get this deal. Luca isn't stupid. He knows that Enzo doesn't want to hand over the reins. We will fight this. You have no idea how much of an effort Luca has made with Carlos. He's not just going to give it all over to you." My voice is bordering on reaching a hysterical pitch, so I take a deep breath to steady myself.

There is no fucking way I'm going to jump on board with the Baldini siblings after Luca bared his soul to me last night.

I stand up, not quite done with my speech. Looking at my father, I continue. "I know that she came here because you both thought I'd listen to you. And I know that you're prepared to join this ridiculous overthrow attempt because you're hoping they"ll give you a bigger cut than Luca will, but I swear to God, if you try anything to stop me and Luca, I will never let you see your grandchild. Ever."

My father looks angry, but he stays silent. I grab my Bentley keys and pick up my bag again, leaving out the same door I had just walked into. In my car, I dial Luca's number.

"Em, hey, can I call you back?" he answers quickly.

"No. I need to tell you something, it's urgent," I say into the phone, backing out of my driveway.

"Okay." He sounds concerned, but I know that if I wait even a minute longer to tell him what I've just heard, it could cause absolute chaos.

"I've just been at home, where I was greeted by my father and your sister," I start, trying to formulate the best way to tell him this over the phone.

"Weird gathering," is all he can say. He has no idea, not yet.

"That's what I thought at first. Except they basically told me that they're planning to go directly to the Mexican cartel with Enzo and take this deal from under your nose." I take in a sharp breath once I get the full sentence out, nervous about his reaction.

"What?" That gets his attention immediately. I hear a door slam and wonder if he's currently coming or going. "How do they think they're going to take this deal away, exactly?"

"Grazia gave some shitty story about how Carlos punishes anyone who lies to him. And she tried to make it sound like she's worried about our safety, but I honestly think she's just trying to take what you've built. My father, well he's just going to jump on whichever bandwagon offers him the most money."

I turn onto the main road, without much of an idea of where I'm going, but I needed to get away from that house. "They have this whole plan about telling the Mexicans the truth about our relationship and then taking over the deal. Grazia was even talking about you and I leaving to hide."

"Fuck that," Luca growls and I can hear his rage. The line is quiet for a little too long, and I realize I've been focusing on the road instead of replying to him.

I'm out of information, and at a loss for the words to help him with this. But I know that I want to help him, however he needs me to.

"Luca, whatever you choose to do from here is up to you, but I want you to know that I support you. Your siblings barely have a leg to stand on. I love you, and after last's night's conversation I'd like to think we're on the same page. We can very easily discredit whatever they try to tell Carlos about our relationship. It'll be their word against ours, but all of Carlos' people have seen us together. I have your back, whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. Carlos trusts us and I trust you."

I finish my speech as I pull into the mansion driveway, I have no idea what I'm doing here, but it feels like the place to be.

"Luca?" I ask after a few moments of silence. I can hear him breathing loudly, a product of the anger that's boiling up inside him now. He takes another minute or two to reply, and I stay in my car, unsure of what to do now.

"Where are you?" he asks, sounding distracted. I'm not even sure if he heard me, but I hope he did. I want him to know that despite being Grazia's friend and my father's daughter, my loyalties lie only with him now.

"I actually just pulled up to the mansion. I'm not sure why, but I left my house with my father and Grazia in the kitchen and drove straight here." I hesitate to get out of the car. If Luca's not here, I have no reason to be at this house. Unless he wants me to go inside and gather information, but his next words are much more comforting.

"Come to my apartment instead," he says bluntly, and puts the phone down.

I smile, putting my car in reverse and making my way to him.

We'll get through this. Together.