“Did you hear me?” Alex sat up and clapped her hands to snap my gaze back to her. “Say something, Luca. I’m freaking out and need you to say something. Tell me we will be okay.”
I stared at her, unblinking, shocked by her words. “Why wouldn’t we be okay?”
I sat on the bed beside her, attempting to steady my nerves. It felt as if someone punched through my back and ripped my heart out of my chest. With my enemies on the hunt for Alex, I was already working around the clock to eliminate the threats.
A baby? Of course, I had imagined us having a family, but not now. Not with all the bullshit we had endured in the past month.
“Are you sure?” I choked out.
She nodded. “I took three tests earlier with Kali.”
I removed my cell phone from the inner pocket of my suit jacket. “You need a blood test to confirm. An ultrasound to see how far you’re along.”
“You seem upset.” She stroked the top of my hand with her fingers. “I told Kali you wouldn’t be happy with me.”
“I’m not mad,” I said without hesitation. “No, baby, this is a good thing. I want nothing more than to have a family with you. I’m just worried about The Carver. I don’t know what to do… Maybe we should elope and get out of here for a while until shit calms down.”
She slid her fingers beneath my chin. “Luca, we are not running away. This isn’t you. You never make decisions out of fear.”
“I worry about keeping you safe. Now I have my child growing inside your belly.” Staring down at the bed, I laced my fingers between hers and studied the diamond on her finger. “We need more time to plan.”
“We have a plan,” she insisted. “I know you hate dangling me like a carrot in front of The Carver. I hate it, too, but we have no choice. If he wants me, then he better come and get me.”
“If something goes wrong… and he hurts you or the baby… I won’t be able to forgive myself.”
“This is our only chance to lure him out of hiding. Once he’s dead, we don’t have to worry about anyone coming to collect.”
I slid the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip. “What happened to your pills? We were so careful. I even checked to make sure you picked them up from the pharmacy. You’ve never missed a pill.”
Alex rolled her eyes, a smile in place. “You’re such a psychopath.”
“I’m your psychopath. Deal with it, baby.”
“I wouldn’t have you any other way.” She bit her lip. “There’s one more thing. Promise not to flip out on me.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “What?”
“This baby could be Marcello’s.”
My heart plummeted into my stomach. It felt like someone was stabbing my heart, ripping it to shreds.
“Fuck,” I groaned. “It was one time. I doubt this is Marcello’s baby.”
“As Marcello pointed out to me earlier, it only takes one time to make a baby.”
My nostrils flared at her confession. “Marcello knew before me?”
Alex got on her knees and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Luca, you promised not to get angry with me.”
I blew out a deep breath, my eyes on the wall on the opposite side of the room. Focusing on the stolen Rembrandt painting, I took a few more breaths to calm myself down.
“Capture the Queen was your idea,” she continued, now moving her hand to my thigh. “I thought he was you.”
“Please, Drea. I know you better than you know yourself. You wanted to fuck Marcello for years.”
“I’m attracted to your brother. But I love you.” She hopped onto my lap and straddled me with her sexy thighs. “My heart belongs to you. I’m marrying you.” Alex pressed her lips to mine. “I’m yours, Luca.”
“But there’s a chance you’re carrying my brother’s baby. The deal with The Founders Society…”
“I already talked to Marcello about this. If he’s the father, he’s okay with saying the child is yours publicly.”
“But I would know. So would the Knights. Do you know what this would mean for my son?”
She nodded. “Marcello explained it to me earlier.”
“Then you understand how this will affect us.”
“It would change nothing between us.” Alex sucked my lip into her mouth. “I will still be your wife, your queen. We will have children together, and they will have a claim to the Knights.”
“That’s not how it works,” I explained with irritation in my tone. “Marcello’s son would have the first claim to the Knights.”
“He would be my son, too. He would still be a Salvatore. That’s the only thing that matters.”
I hugged her against my chest, breathing in her sweet scent. “You’re right, baby. We’re a family.”
“All of us,” she added. “You, me, this baby, your brothers, the Knights.”
“I don’t want a paternity test.”