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I cut her off because I knew the truth, “You didn’t have to. You just did it.”
She gave me a sad smile and bit her lip. I watched as she gazed off to the side for a moment, obviously remembering back to that difficult time. “You would have done the same thing, Giselle. He didn’t have a mother anymore. And he was half Nick’s.” Her eyes stared into mine, like she was trying to prove a point. A point that I didn’t understand.
I shook my head. “I’m not as good a person as you are. I could never do that. Stassia is so—” A few dozen awful words floated through my brain. But I was tired. I’d had a big shock today and learned that once again, my life was about to change in ways I didn’t want it to.
Things I couldn’t control had happened. And all I could do was ride the wave of it.
“Give it some time, okay? And do me a favor?”
Marcello let go of my nipple. His sleepy face was drunk with love and happiness. And milk.
I lifted him over my shoulder and gently patted his back. “What?” I asked my best friend, even though I had a strong feeling I didn’t want to know what kind of favor she was about to ask for.
“Give him a chance? Nicco’s so sweet. He’s a little cranky pants, but he’s so loveable.”
Her words stung. Eve not only knew about Carlo’s other son—but she’d met him?
Like she could read my mind, she said, “Carlo asked me to go with him. He couldn’t ask you because—” she took a deep breath, “you weren’t well. But he didn’t want to go over there alone. Stassia had been all but begging him to come back to her the whole time you were—gone. And he did not want that then, and he certainly didn’t want it after Nicco was born. So, he asked me to be there every time he went to visit.”
I felt more shockwaves run through my body at this knowledge. Imagining Eve going with Carlo to see his son gave me a creeping feeling across my skin.
Was it betrayal that I felt?
“You would have done the same for me. I know you would have. If Nick asked you to be with him while he visited Theo at Louise’s house—well, I mean, that was never actually possible. But if it were, I know you’d go with him if I couldn’t.”
Marcello burped and snuggled into the crook of my neck. This discussion was all getting to be too—much. My emotions had been through the gamut today as it was. Thinking about this whole—situation—was getting to be more than I could handle at the moment.
And once again, it seemed like Eve knew exactly what I was thinking. “Just promise me you’ll keep your heart open? Okay? Please? Don’t shut it off when it comes to Nicco. Give him a chance.”
Marcello burped again against my neck, and he let out the sweet sigh he always did right before he drifted off into a deep sleep.
I loved this baby so much. How could Eve even suggest I’d be able to love Carlo and Stassia’s son the same way?
I knew that would never happen.
23
Giselle
The next morning, the doorbell rang bright and early. I’d just put Marcello back into his crib after an extra long feeding. And now all I wanted to do was get dressed and go make breakfast before Dani woke up.
I pulled on my robe and wandered out into the hallway. Eve was already poking her head out of their door, looking just as confused as I was.
I shrugged and hurried down the hall. “I’ll go check it out.”
Eve’s hand grabbed my arm so quickly I didn’t even see it. “No, you can’t. Carlo and Nick said we aren’t supposed to answer the door unless they tell us we can.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know. I’ll look outside before I open the door. Don’t worry.” I’d be careful. After getting kidnapped by Sergio’s idiot on Carlo’s driveway, it wasn’t like I’d go bursting outside again unless I was certain I knew who was there.
“Just leave it. Let one of the men get it,” she encouraged.
The doorbell chimed again. “They’re going to wake up the kids. I’ll be careful, I promise.” I shook off her hand and rushed to the window that overlooked the front yard. A very familiar Mercedes parked in the driveway.
“Oh, no, she isn’t,” I muttered to myself and stormed to the top of the stairs. I was halfway down when Carlo barged into the foyer and swung the front door open. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked a very disheveled Stassia. Yikes. Her hair was in a messy bun—or more like a rat’s nest. And I was pretty sure her shirt was on inside out and backward.
“You didn’t send over a new nanny. I had to look after him by myself.” She handed over a screaming baby to Carlo. “For the last two days. With no help from you whatsoever.”
Carlo adjusted the very unhappy baby in his arms. “I sent over a new nanny last night.”
