29. Max

29

MAX

I have a sensation of being watched. I startle, wondering if Nic has sent a hit after me. When my eyes open, I look into two sets of green eyes staring back at me.

“Daniella. Dario.” For a moment, my heart stops as I realize I'm in Gia's bed. I made love to her twice last night. Fucking hell, am I naked? Relief washes over me as I remember her insisting that I put my pants on before we fell asleep.

"Just in case the kids come in,” she’d said.

"Why are you in Mommy's bed?" Daniella tilts her head to the side.

"Did you have a sleepover?" Dario asks.

My children. These are my kids. My flesh and blood. “Ah… sort of.” What the hell answer should I give? I’m their father, but I feel woefully unsure how to be one. I glance to Gia’s side of the bed. She’s sound asleep, a sweet smile on her face.

"Are you making breakfast?" Dario asks, bringing my attention back to him.

“You promised pancakes,” Daniella reminds me.

"Absolutely." I leave the bed, careful not to wake Gia. I watch her, loving her so fucking much as I lead the kids out of the room. Despite everything that happened with Nic last night, despite knowing there will be consequences to face, I can't remember ever feeling this content.

“Are you staying with us now, Uncle Max?” Daniella climbs up on a stool next to the kitchen island.

Gia and I hadn’t talked about staying in New York versus going back to Vegas.

Before I can answer, the kids launch into their stories about arriving home and decorating the Christmas tree. I poke around the kitchen and find what we need for pancakes, and the three of us begin mixing the batter. The familiar routine we established in Vegas slides into place naturally, as if we never left.

Gia appears in the doorway, already dressed for the day, and my breath catches at how beautiful she looks. She gives me a soft smile that says everything we couldn't express in front of the kids.

"You need to hurry up with that to have enough time to get ready for school," she says, coming to pour herself coffee. “We need to leave in forty-five minutes.”

“Do we have to go to school today?” Dario whines.

“Yeah, we want to stay with Uncle Max,” Daniella chimes in.

Gia and I exchange looks. It’s not the first time the kids have called me Uncle Max, but now that I know the truth, I don’t like it.

“Listen, there’s something I need to tell you about Unc—Max.” Gia reaches out her hands to the kids and has them join her at the kitchen table.

“What is it?” the kids ask in unison, their eyes glancing at me before focusing on Gia.

Her brow furrows as she seems to seek the words to explain the situation. I’m ready to blurt out the truth, but I have to trust that she knows best how to do this.

“I’ve known Max for a long, long time,” she starts.

“We know. Uncle Nic says he’s sort of like your dad or something,” Dario says, making me wince because that sounds so wrong.

“No, like your God dad,” Daniella corrects Dario.

“That’s what I said.” Dario makes a face at her.

“No. Max has always been my friend. Someone who helped me and looked out for me,” Gia explains. “And then he was more.”

“Ooh, like two little birds kissing the tree?” Daniella giggles.

Gia laughs. My cheeks flush. This is embarrassing.

“Sort of, yes. The point is that I loved Max, and… well… Max is your dad.”

Both kids’ brows furrow. They look at me like they don’t understand what Gia just said.

“Our dad is in heaven,” Dario says.

I try not to snort at that. Aldo is nowhere near heaven.

“He wasn’t your real dad,” Gia says gently. “Max is.”

"But…" Dario looks up at me. "Where were you before?"

Daniella nods. “Daddies are supposed to be with mommies and their kids.”

“He didn’t know,” Gia says.

I kneel down to their level. “I wish I had known sooner. But now that I do, I want to be here for you both."

"So you're staying?" Daniella asks.

I glance at Gia, I guess expecting more questions or a traumatic response.

“Like you said, mommies and daddies need to be with their kids,” I say in response.

“Yay!” Dario jumps up and down. The simplicity of their acceptance staggers me. No anger, no rejection, just curiosity and hope.

Daniella’s little face squishes up in thought. “Can we call you Daddy?”

It finally happens. My heart beats right out of my chest. “I’d love it… if you want to.”

“I want to.” Daniella nods, looking at Dario, who nods and agrees.

Gia’s eyes have misted with tears. “Well, I guess that settles that.”

I pull them all into a big hug, needing to wrap up my family in my love, to feel their love for me.

“Now, we need to finish breakfast and get to school.” Gia gives me a quick kiss, and then she’s off getting the kids on their routine.

At the designated time, I’m walking with Gia and the kids to school. It’s surreal to think I’m a father, a family man. I’d avoided thinking it would be too boring, but I can’t deny that I’m damn near skipping down the street with happiness.

As we reach the school, Dario calls out, “This is my daddy!” His and Daniella’s friends rush over. I say hello to them all, and then Gia shoos them into the building.

“They go in alone?” I ask, feeling like I should still be with them.

“Yes. They know what to do and where to go.”

“You’re sure?”

She looks up at me and laughs. “Yes, I’m sure. Come on, let's go home. You can continue to make up to me.”

My dick twitches. “If you insist.” I take her hand.

“Oh, I do.”

As we walk back to her townhome, I’m thinking about the day when she says, “I do,” in our wedding vows. I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Gia tenses, and I look up to see Nic waiting outside her home.

“Let me talk to him. This is about me and him,” I say to her.

She shakes her head. "No. We face this together."

“We need to talk privately, Max.” Nic nods to his car parked outside her place.

I’m not gonna lie. I have a feeling that if I go, I’m a dead man. I’ll become one of the many missing people at the hands of the Nardones.

“No. Don’t go.” Gia grabs my arm, and I get the sense that she’s afraid of what Nic will do to me as well.

"Gia—" Nic starts, but she cuts him off.

"I won't let you hurt him." Her voice trembles. "Not after everything."

Pain flashes across Nic's features. "You really think I'd…" He shakes his head. "My own sister thinks I'm capable of murder over this?"

"You killed our father," she reminds him softly.

“Jesus fuck, Gia, he was a sadist. He sold you to Aldo, he was trying to kill me…” He’s so shocked at her allegation that he can’t find the words to finish.

I place my hand on Gia's shoulder, drawing her attention. "Hey, it's okay. I can handle this."

She turns to me, green eyes blazing. "Max—no, please don’t.”

"My conscience is clear. Whatever happens, I’m good. If something happens to me, I'll know I finally did right by you and our children."

"Don't you dare." She grabs my shirt, her knuckles white. "Don't talk like that. I just got you back. The kids just learned you're their father. You don't get to be noble about this."

“Fucking hell, not you too.” Nic rolls his eyes.

“You did say you wanted to kill me,” I remind him.

“If you want to talk, you talk here,” Gia says with authority.

“Fine,” Nic says through gritted teeth.

Gia leads the way into the house.

“Let me talk to him alone,” I say to Gia. “I owe him this.”

She narrows her brows at me. “Don’t let him kill you.”

“I don’t think he’ll try.” I want to kiss her, but I don’t want to upset Nic more.

“I’ll be in the kitchen cleaning up the breakfast dishes.”

Nic is waiting in the living area when I finish talking to Gia.

My brain is scrambling to find the words that will make him understand my feelings for Gia.

Before I can speak, he says, "I've had time to think.”

“And what conclusion have you drawn?” I ask cautiously.

“Well, I’m not going to kill you.”

“Thank you.”

“Bella thinks I’ve overreacted, but fucking hell, Max, you’re her godfather. What the hell were you thinking?”

"I made mistakes," I admit. "I should have been honest with you years ago, Nic. But I won't apologize for loving her or for wanting to be with my children now."

Nic's jaw clenches. "Your children. My niece and nephew who I've helped raise while you were in Vegas. If you loved her then, why did you abandon them?"

“Fear, Nic. I didn’t know about the kids until last week, but I knew what it would be like with Aldo. You did too. We talked about it.”

“Right, and I killed that motherfucker long ago. Where were you then?”

I understand his anger. It’s because he doesn’t know the truth. Because I never told him. “Gino only died last year.”

“So?”

“Gino sent me to Vegas to get me away from Gia.”

Nic’s mouth gapes. “He knew?”

I shake my head. “No. Or, I don’t know. What he told me was that he knew Gia had a crush on me and that we were spending a lot of time together. He worried it would look bad, that Aldo wouldn’t want to marry her.”

Nic’s eyes are still dark.

“He threatened her, Nic. He said any hint of impropriety and Gia would be worth less than nothing to him. What else could I do?”

He flinches. “He said that? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I close my eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe I was afraid you’d see my feelings for her. We were together only once back then, but I knew then that I was in love with her. Those few months that summer, everything changed for me. And for her. And I did my best to ignore it, Nic, I swear to God I did.”

“So now you love her when last year, you couldn’t wait to get away?”

I nod. “I let fear drive me away. Fear of betraying you, fear of the age difference, fear of what others would think. But staying away was the real betrayal to Gia, to the kids, to myself. I can’t do that anymore. I’m hoping you don’t ask me to because I really don’t want to defy you.”

His brow arches. “And you would defy me?”

“Yes. For Gia, I’ll do anything.”

"You could have told me." Nic's voice is rough with emotion. “Gia could have told me.”

“Gia made her choices too. She chose to protect our children by letting everyone believe they were Aldo's. She chose to build a life without me. Those were her decisions to make. I don’t think they were wrong, either. Gino would have killed us both."

Nic sucks in a breath, and I know he agrees with me. Gino wouldn’t have tolerated my being with Gia. “So, what are your intentions now?”

"I want to marry her. Give the twins my name. Build the family we should have been all along." The words flow easily now, truth replacing years of careful silence. "But only if she wants that too. Her choice. Always her choice."

Something shifts in Nic's expression. He turns from me, looking out the front window of her home. I’d spent many hours at that window last year, using it as a distraction from my yearning for Gia.

Finally, he turns back to me, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small velvet box. "It's Gia's mother's. She gave it to me before she disappeared. Said to save it for when Gia found real love. It wasn't from my father, so it's not tainted. It was passed down in her family."

My throat tightens as Nic places the box in my hand. The simple gesture carries the weight of his acceptance, his blessing.

"You should give it to her,” I say. After all, it was given to him to give to Gia.

He shakes his head. "Whether you give it as an engagement ring or not, you should give it to her. "

I take the box and then look at him. My brother.

He rolls his shoulders as if he’s uncomfortable by the mushy moment. He starts to leave but then stops at the door and turns. “Oh, what about Benny?”

I shake my head. “He’s a dumb ass motherfucker, but I’d feel bad killing him in light of everything. Gia is going to want to hand over the money Aldo left the twins. Technically, it’s not theirs.”

Nic nods. “I guess that’s fair. Tell Gia I’ll talk with her later.” With that, he’s out the door.

“He left?” Gia appeared once the door latched shut.

“He said he’d talk with you later.”

She bites her lower lip. “Is he still mad?”

“I think it’s going to be okay.” I glance down at the box he gave me.

“What’s that?”

“It’s… ah… it’s your mother’s ring.”

Her green eyes widen.

“Nic asked me to give it to you.” I’m torn between using it as an engagement ring as he asked and just giving it to her.

She approaches me, and I open the box.

“He says it wasn’t from your father. It was a family ring, handed down to her. She gave it to him before she… well… disappeared.”

“It’s beautiful.” She looks up from the lovely opal and diamond ring set in rose gold. “Why did she disappear?”

My heart breaks for Gia. “Your father was a cruel man.”

“But why? What did she do?”

I press my hand to her cheek. “She didn’t do anything. She was a beautiful soul, but your father… he had his whims. I don’t know how or why he made the decisions he did. Nic and I used to hope she escaped, but…”

“She’s dead.”

“Most likely. I’m sorry, Gia. I really am.”

She looks up at me with those trusting, beautiful green eyes of hers. “I wish I could have known her.”

“I do too.” I take the ring from the box. “I think Nic thought I might give this to you as an engagement ring, but when that time comes, I should get you a different ring. This is from your mom to you.”

She smiles up at me. “When the time comes?”

I swallow, all of a sudden feeling nervous. “Yes, well, like I said, I’ve fucked up more than I haven’t the last six years. I need to prove myself. And you need time?—”

“Time for what? Time to know I love you? I already know that.”

I swear my heart beats harder, louder when I’m around her. Can she hear it?

"I've loved you since I was eighteen," she whispers. "That never changed. Not when you left, not when I had the twins, not even when you pushed me away last year. I don't need time to be sure about us."

“You’re amazing.” And she is. I’m in fucking awe of her.

“My mom asked you to protect me, and you did. You do. Your giving me this ring is another link between you and her and me.”

“She made me your?—”

Gia presses her hand over my lips. “You and I both know you never were like a father to me. This ring represents your real role. And it’s like my mother is assigning it to you. My protector. My love.”

“Your husband?” I ask tentatively.

“If you want me?—”

“I’ve told you twice now that I want that.”

“So ask.”

I take the ring and drop to my knee. "I've wasted so many years denying what my heart knew from the start. You are the missing piece of my soul. I want to spend every morning making pancakes with our children. Every evening tucking them into bed. Every moment showing you the love and devotion I should have given you years ago."

I never knew Gia’s smile could be so wide. "Max."

I hold up her mother's ring. "Gia, I want to marry you, if you’ll have me.”

“Absolutely.”

The opal catches the morning light, producing a beautiful display of iridescent colors. It’s almost as if Gia’s mother is here, giving her blessing. The ring isn’t just a sign of my commitment. It’s a symbol of acceptance from both Nic and the mother who trusted me to protect her daughter. Now I'll spend the rest of my life honoring that trust by loving Gia the way she deserves until my dying breath. If I’m lucky, I’ll live to an old age filled with laughter and love with this woman and our children. Living in Vegas, I know a thing or two about luck, and I’m feeling like the odds are in my favor.