“All right, and after you left? Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because I wasn’t sure if you’d already sent someone for my head. I didn’t want to make it easy for you to track me down and kill me.”
“Seriously?” He sounds outraged. “Did you really think I’d do that to you? For fuck’s sake. You’re my closest friend, not to mention Vale would have had my head.”
Relief fans through me. Thank fuck. We’re getting somewhere. “I didn’t know how you’d react to what I did. We’ve always been a team. Always working in sync. This was the first time we didn’t. I crossed a line I’ve never crossed before, and I didn’t know what would be on the other side of it.”
There’s a long pause. “Cazzo. All right, I’ll admit I didn’t leave a lot of room for discussion when you called. I didn’t realize how far you’d fallen for Gemma. I thought you were just having fun with her, causing shit like always.”
“I get it.” That’s what I’d always done before I met her.
“Every woman you’ve ever been with after Sara was nothing more than a fling.”
“Gemma’s not a fling.”
“I gathered that much after you chose her over your don.”
I rake my fingers through my hair. “It wasn’t an easy choice. Since I left, I’ve had time to reflect and…” I try to put my thoughts into words that’ll make sense. The reason why I never got seriously involved with anyone after Sara was because I stopped believing in love. I didn’t think it was something meant for me. I couldn’t put myself out there after having my heart ripped out. I couldn’t be vulnerable again. But I couldn’t resist it with Gemma. I knew all the possible consequences, but with her, I wanted to try anyway.
I sigh. “We’ve worked together for a decade, Dem. A long fucking time. And I did everything I could to help you get the things you wanted. Working for you, helping you build your empire and knocking down Sal gave me purpose. But the truth is, I never really considered what I wanted out of life. I was on autopilot. And when I met Gemma…” I look at her. She’s hanging on my every word, her eyes wide. “Well, she’s the first thing I’ve truly wanted in a long fucking time. And when I realized it, I knew I’d do anything to have her. Even if that meant failing you for the first time. I’m sorry, but I had to do it.”
She wraps her arms around me and presses a kiss to my shoulder.
Damiano clears his throat. “Look, I never wanted it to be a choice between me or her. It doesn’t have to be that way. I…” He blows out a breath. “Perhaps it wasn’t fair of me to push you as hard as I did to come back here.”
A knot inside my chest loosens.
I lean back against the broken headboard. “I should have called you earlier. I didn’t know what to say until now, I guess. And when Gemma left me, I just wasn’t thinking straight.”
“You went back to New York to keep an eye on her?”
“Yeah. I’d never felt worse, but I think some part of me still hoped a miracle would happen.”
“Sounds like it did. Vale’s proud of Gemma for doing what was right for her.”
“Me too. She’s a warrior.” I catch Gemma’s eye, and she smiles at me. “There’s something else you should know.”
“What is it?” Dem asks.
I lie down, propping my head against Gemma’s knee, and put the phone on speaker.
“Gemma’s pregnant.”
There’s a prolonged pause. “Hold on.” A beat passes, during which I’m certain he’s turning on his own speaker. “Can you say that again?”
“Gemma’s pregnant,” I repeat.
There’s a loud yelp on the other end of the line.
“Oh my God!” Now, it’s Vale on the phone. “You’re what?!”
Gemma and I grin at each other. “You heard it right,” Gemma says. “I found out yesterday.”
Vale starts yelping and offering her congratulations, and I just watch Gemma as she talks to her sister excitedly.
My chest swells. Seeing the happiness in her eyes is everything.
I let my arm fall off the bed and curl my palm around her delicate ankle. I wish I’d been there when she realized she’s carrying our child. She must have been so scared during a moment that should have been filled with joy.
She’ll never be in that position again.
And the next time she finds out she’s pregnant—there’s no way we’re stopping at one—I’ll be right by her side.
Dem’s voice comes back on the line. “You can’t stay in New York for long. We don’t want to risk having Garzolo come after you. You should leave as soon as possible.”
“What are you going to do about him and your deal?” I ask Dem.
“It’s off. There’s no fucking way we’re working with him after what he did to Gemma. Vale said he’s as good as dead to us.”
Damn right he is. I’m still very much intent on putting him six feet under myself when things calm down here.
Dem keeps going, “But since Cleo is now marrying Rafaele, we want to maintain a relationship there. Maybe we renegotiate the deal directly with him and cut Garzolo out. If Rafaele guarantees Garzolo won’t see a penny from it, there might be a path forward. It’s going to be a mess to navigate.” He lets out a heavy breath. “Too bad my underboss quit at the worst possible time.”
My lips twitch. “What, you’re saying you’d want that bastard back?”
“I had an open casting a few days ago for a replacement. No one showed up.”
I snort. “An open casting… Just say you miss me, stronzo.”
“You going to give me shit again?”
I sit up and prop my elbows on my knees. “I’ll make it right, Dem. As long as you don’t try to keep me away from my woman, I’ll make all of this shit right.”
“Your woman… Vale, he’s calling Gemma’s ‘his woman’。” There’s a distant laugh on the other line, and Vale asks something I can’t quite make out. “She’s asking when’s the wedding,” Dem says.
Gemma turns bright red. I grin. It would be tomorrow if it were up to me, but something tells me Gemma might need a break from wedding talk for a little while.
Plus, I want her to have the best pregnancy possible, and I want time to show her just how fucking special she is. Her parents did a number on her. If I need to spend years showing her just how wrong they were to ever make her feel less than enough, I’ll do it.
“Not sure, but you’ll be the first to know,” I tell Dem.
“I’ll send a plane to get you out of there tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Dem.”
“I’m happy for you.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “I know.”
I hang up.
Gemma arches a brow at me. “So, you got your job back?”
I grin at her. “Gainfully employed once again. Dem wants us back in Italy. How do you feel about that?”
She smiles back. “That’s where you belong. And I belong wherever you are.”