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‘Oh. My. God…’ Mia hissed and shuffled closer. ‘You’re pregnant!’ she whispered. ‘And you haven’t told him.’

Colour flooded into my cheeks. ‘How the hell do you know that?’ I whispered back, totally giving my secret away.

‘Because I’m your sister, you idiot,’ she murmured.

‘What has that got to do with…?’

‘Why are you worried, Evie?’ she interrupted me, her eyes locked on my burning face. ‘I’m assuming this wasn’t planned, but if you think Dante won’t want to be a dad…’ She glanced at the men, still playing in the pool with Luca. ‘Even I’m positive you don’t have to worry on that score. You know I haven’t always been your husband’s biggest fan. But my son adores him—and Luca happens to be a pretty good judge of character.’

Tears welled in my eyes. Because, pregnancy hormones!

The sweet rush of love for Mia and her family, and the man I adored, blindsided me.

‘I love hearing you say that,’ I managed around the boulder of emotion pushing against my larynx. ‘It’s not that… It’s just, I’m scared he’ll get demanding and domineering again, and the trust we’ve both worked so hard to establish over the past two years will be shot to hell.’

Instead of looking concerned though, or even sympathetic, Mia stared at me for several endless moments, then started to laugh.

‘What’s so funny?’ I asked, getting annoyed.

‘Evie, you married a Mafia boss. And you’re going to have his baby. And FYI, if he’s anything like my husband—and we both know he is, only worse—you can definitely expect him to go into full-on I-Am-the-Boss-of-You mode. All his absolutely worst alpha tendencies will come out of hiding again. On steroids. I guarantee it.’

I frowned, the weird pulse of heat not helping with my annoyance. Because she was still chuckling. ‘So why exactly are you laughing?’

‘This is what you signed up for, Evie,’ she said, the smile on her face more than a bit smug. ‘And it’s one of the reasons you adore him. Because you are the most precious, important thing in his world. But the good news is, you already know how to handle him in alpha-dude-on-steroids mode because he kidnapped you. And you got him to fall head over heels in love with you!’

The heat surged up my chest, but along with it was the feeling of validation, of power that I had appreciated so much, ever since I’d found Dante. And he’d found the real me, the strong me, beneath the impulsive, romantic girl.

‘True,’ I said, wiping the errant tear away with my fist.

‘What is wrong, Eva?’

I glanced round, the guilty flush burning my cheeks at the sight of Dante standing over me—his magnificent chest heaving with exertion—but his gaze shadowed with concern.

‘Nothing, Dante, I’m good,’ I said.

He reached down and grasped my arm to tug me to my feet. ‘Do not lie to me. Why were you crying?’

‘Is there a problem, Mia?’ Vito appeared behind him, carrying Luca, who was resting his head on his daddy’s shoulder and sucking his thumb, the pool play having exhausted him.

Mia smiled. ‘Nothing a private conversation between these two won’t sort out,’ she offered, her eyes twinkling with knowledge and mischief.

‘What is she saying?’ Dante demanded, already going into full-on alpha-dude-on-steroids mode. Sheesh!

But then, I realised, I found that dark frown on his face super hot… As well as super frustrating. And Mia was right. I knew how to handle Dante, whatever mood he was in. In fact, I enjoyed handling him. A lot.

I grinned at my husband. ‘Let’s go to our suite. I’ve got something to tell you.’

Dante

‘You are…wh-what?’ I stammered, my heart crashing into my ribs, while my stomach was in freefall—at Eva’s quietly spoken statement.

‘I’m going to have your baby, in about seven and a half months’ time,’ she said again, in that calm, courageous tone. As if she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell into my heart.

I placed shaking palms on her flat belly, marvelling at the news.

‘This is really true?’ I asked. Had all my dreams come true?

My wife, my heart, was going to have my child. Our child.

She nodded, the tears forming in her eyes again, even as they stung mine.

I reached around her slender frame to yank her into my arms and sank my face into her wet hair, the scent of wild roses and chlorine filling my senses.

‘Eva, ti amo, tesoro,’ I whispered, my voice a husky rasp as my heart exploded with happiness. ‘I will protect you both, always. Nothing will hurt you ever,’ I murmured, my words trembling as the fear gripped me—which I still grappled with late at night, when I held her sleeping in my arms and wondered—would I always be strong enough to protect her? And what would I ever do if I lost her?

‘I know.’ She choked out a sob but shifted back to grip my cheeks and stare into my eyes. The rich amber brimmed with an emotion that always made me feel invincible now.

‘We’ll protect each other, Dante,’ she pledged, grasping my hand to rest my palm against the place where our child grew, ‘and this baby, together. OK?’

I nodded. Then lifted her up and spun her around to shout out my joy, while she clasped my shoulders and laughed.

I knew there would be arguments still, because my wife, my woman, was so damn independent. And she would never do what I told her without an argument.

But luckily, that was one of the many, many things I adored about her.

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