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“You can always ask me anything, viper,” I say, reaching out to cup her cheek.

Gianna

I thought it was stress. But after I missed my second period, I knew it wasn’t. And then this morning, I took a test on a whim. Expecting nothing to come of it. I needed to know before I booked a doctor's appointment.

But then I stared down at the word PREGNANT. And the floor fell from under me. I instantly regretted doing it behind Colten’s back. I didn’t think it would happen so soon.

But I felt like I’d taken a bit of joy from him. I meant to tell him over breakfast, but then he started talking about taking the horses for a ride this morning. Then I went online and started searching whether you can ride horses when you’re pregnant. And to be honest, I got mixed answers.

And here I am, for the first time in a very long time, I’m nervous. Not about how he’s going to react. More about how it might change us.

Will I even be any good at being a mom? I have nothing to go off of, other than the complete opposite of how I grew up.

We both agreed we can run an empire and have kids; we’ve got an entire army around us to help. Our kids will come first. Always.

“Can a pregnant woman still ride horses?” I blurt it out.

He frowns. He swallows. He sucks in a breath, and it gets stuck.

And then his eyes glass over. “You’re pregnant?” he chokes out. His hand splays out over my tummy.

“Answer my question first.”

He blinks at me. “I mean. Yeah, an experienced rider could, but they’d have to be really careful. But…” He pauses. “If my wife is pregnant, then she ain’t getting on the back of any horses.”

She runs her fingers through her hair. “Okay. Well… looks like our riding dates are no more, Colten.”

He doesn’t hesitate; he grabs the back of my neck and kisses me.

“I love you,” he breathes against my lips. “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

Giggling as I pull back, I wipe the tear rolling down his cheek.

“You love me, hmm?” I tease.

He kisses me again, this time harder.

“I love you so much, I don’t know how to show you just how much you mean to me.”

Running my fingers through his dark hair, I stare into his eyes. “You already show me, Colten. Every single day. You don’t need to do anything else, except help make sure I never turn into my parents.”

He shakes his head. “Gianna, there is no possible way that would ever happen. You aren’t them. You aren’t defined by what happened to you. Our kids are going to be loved, and that is what matters.”

When we were on the yacht in the Bahamas, I told Colt every single bad piece of my life, and he told me his.

We sat under the moon and the stars, and we gave each other the final pieces of ourselves. We cried. We laughed. We fucked. We carved out our future and healed our pasts in one night.

It’s the first time I've found out how badly Colten struggled with the mafia business and that his heart is with the ranch. He does it out of duty. Although I had an inkling. I think all of the Sterlings would be happier if it was just them on the land again.

But it’s too late to go back; they know that. And that’s where I fit in. Mafia is my way of life, and I can take those bits from them and make sure it runs seamlessly.

And he admitted it’s only since he found me that he's found his love for that side of the business. He found the fun in it.

Colten and I, we needed each other, not just to survive, but to finally be whole.

I rest my hand over his on my belly. “We’re going to be parents, Colten,” I say.

He grins. “We are.”