ALEX
The smell of eggs made my stomach churn. I sat on Luca’s lap, the dining room spinning around me as the kitchen staff set plates on the table. Just one whiff, and I had to grip Luca’s arms to steady myself. A nasty taste filled my mouth, forcing me to swallow hard to get rid of it.
Luca clutched my wrist. “You okay, baby?”
“I don’t know.” I slid my arm across his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. “My stomach hasn’t been right since my mother’s funeral.”
A few days had passed since Legare , and everything had returned to normal as if I hadn’t seen Luca’s brothers and friends naked. Like it was normal to do the sinful things we’d done together in the temple.
“It’s probably nerves,” Luca suggested as he sipped from his mug. “Are you having second thoughts about our wedding?”
A smirk tugged at his mouth.
I kissed his lips. “Of course not.”
Luca drank from his cup, eyeing me with suspicion.
Even the scent of coffee, which I loved, spun the contents of my stomach.
I hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before.
Maybe it was food poisoning, or I was getting sick.
Or perhaps it was my nerves getting the best of me.
We had a lot on the line with The Carver coming for me.
Men from the depths of the criminal underworld would swarm the estate for the wedding.
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “I’m sure it’s my nerves. We only have a few more days of freedom.”
“I don’t care about freedom.” Luca kissed my cheek. “You can shackle me all you want, baby.”
I laughed. “I meant freedom from our enemies. But if you’re feeling a little freaky, I wouldn’t mind tying you to our bed and having my way with you.”
“My little devil.” He kissed me. “If I didn’t have a meeting in twenty minutes, I would take you up on that offer.”
“Later,” I whispered, trying to fight the wave of nausea.
He nipped at my earlobe with his teeth. “Or maybe I should take you right here on the table.” His lips trailed down my jaw. “You like it when my brothers watch, don’t you, baby girl?”
“I think you like it, too.”
Luca slid his hand up my thigh, and his fingers were dangerously close to the seam of my panties. His skin felt amazing pressed against mine, but another wave of sickness washed over me, stealing the air from my lungs.
I pulled my lips from his and blew out a deep breath. “I think I’m sick.”
He hooked his arm around me and inspected my face. “Your color isn’t good. I’ll call the concierge doctor. I can’t have my bride sick on our wedding day.”
I slid off his lap and vomited on the floor.
Kali came to my house for lunch, though I was too sick to hold down more than a piece of toast. We scheduled my dress fitting at Ciao Bella. But I wasn’t sure if I was leaving the bathroom at the rate I was going.
Luca was working from home again and was busy all day in his office. After I puked on the tiled floor in the dining room, he helped me into the shower and bed before he left for a meeting. Hours later, I was still sick, hunched over the toilet.
Kali held my hair and rubbed my back. “Let it out, girl.”
She handed me toilet paper to wipe my mouth as she dabbed at my forehead with a wet washcloth. “I think you have food poisoning.”
“I haven’t been able to keep food down without getting dizzy all day. It started about a week ago. Just some nausea here and there. But lately, it’s an all the time thing.”
“You have been through hell and back in a short time. First, you lost your brother, then your mom. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through.” Kali sighed. “I’m sorry, girl. I wish there were something I could do to make it better.”
“You’re already doing it.”
I pushed myself up from the floor and leaned back against the wall in the bathroom. Kali stood at my side and handed me the washcloth.
“What did you eat last night?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. A chicken sandwich from the kitchen for dinner.”
“Could be salmonella,” she commented.
“Not in this house. The chefs are thorough. It wasn’t the chicken,” I said with certainty.
“Maybe you’re pregnant.”
I laughed. “No way. I’ve been on the pill for years.”
“When was the last time you took it?”
My mind raced as I considered her words. “Um, a few weeks ago, I think. But I’m sure it’s fine. I’ve never had a problem with it.”
Kali threw back her head and laughed. “Are you kidding me, girl? A few weeks ago isn’t the same as a few days. When was the last time you had your period?”
“Before I moved to Devil’s Creek.” My mouth dropped as her words sank in. “Shit, Luca is going to have a stroke if I’m pregnant.”
“No, he won’t. He needs heirs to his fortune.”
“This isn’t the best time to bring kids into this world.”
She leaned against the vanity, her eyes on me. “You can make it work.”
“We have a madman who wants to kidnap me on my wedding day coming to Devil’s Creek. I can’t have a kid right now.”
“You don’t always get to choose.”
I bit my cheek, thinking about how to handle this situation. Luca had enough on his plate. So did I. We were not ready to have children after everything we had gone through in the past year.
“We can run to the drugstore,” Kali offered. “On our way into town for your dress fitting.”
“Marcello’s driving us. He’ll know we’re up to something.”
“Tell him the truth,” she suggested. “You guys are friends. I’m sure he won’t care.”
“Marcello will tell Luca. I don’t know what to do.”
“You’re the Queen of the Knights. He will respect your wishes.”
I removed my cell phone from my pocket and texted Marcello, who appeared in the doorway a minute later, dressed to perfection in a dark suit with a navy blue silk tie. He wore his black hair styled but messy, a look that made me want to run my fingers through his hair.
“I need you to do something for me,” I said as I stepped toward Marcello. “And you can’t tell Luca until I’m sure.”
He pursed his lips.
“Please, Marcello.” I slipped my fingers between his and stroked his skin. “I need a favor.”
“You chose Luca,” he said, but it wasn’t with anger or irritation. Just stating a fact. “You can’t keep secrets from him.”
“I’ve been sick.”
He nodded. “I know. I lost my appetite at breakfast.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “I think I’m pregnant.”
“I suspected as much.” Marcello ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “How long has it been since your last period?”
“I don’t know. I started feeling dizzy after I came back from Atlantic City.”
“Could it be mine?”
My mouth fell open as his words sliced into my chest. “I don’t know.”
“Oh, my God,” Kali squealed behind me. “Luca will flip the fuck out if you’re pregnant with Marcello’s baby.”
I turned to face her. “And if I am, it would be Luca's fault for playing Capture the Queen with me.”
“Kali, get out,” Marcello ordered. “I need to talk to Alex alone.”
She bobbed her blonde head. “Sure, I’ll wait in the hallway.”
Marcello shut the door behind her, then caged me against the vanity with his chest pressing into mine. “Are you sure about this?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I need to take a test. I haven’t had my period for a while.”
“Fuck,” he groaned.
“We were only together once.”
“It only takes one time to make a baby, Alex. I thought you were taking your pills.”
“I did. Like clockwork. But then, I got kidnapped.” I clutched his thick bicep, and he glanced down at me with those sad, blue irises that made my heart ache.
“Take me to the drugstore on our way to the dress fitting, and don’t tell Luca.
Not until I know for sure. He has enough shit to worry about. ”
He shook his head. “And I don’t? I’m leaving soon for a long mission. I won’t be home for months. I can’t afford distractions in my line of work.”
“There’s nothing we can do to change the situation,” I pointed out. “Would it matter if I’m having your child? No one would ever know.”
“It would change everything,” he shot back. “You are my queen. My child would have the same claim as Luca’s.”
“What are you talking about?”
He rubbed his hand in a circle over my stomach. “If the baby is mine, he would have a claim to the Knights. He could take over for Luca when he’s of age.”
I gasped. “You’re joking?”
He shook his head. “Afraid not.”
“Marcello, what am I supposed to do?”
He hugged me, holding my head on his chest as his masculine scent filled my nostrils. “I love you, Alex. I think you know that.”
I placed my hand over his heart. “I do. But our love for each other isn’t the same as what I have with Luca.”
“No, it’s not.” He slid his fingers beneath my chin and tilted my head until our eyes met. “I couldn’t allow myself to fall in love with you, not when I knew your heart already belonged to Luca.”
“You’re my best friend, Marcello.”
He kissed the top of my head. “If the baby is mine, we will raise it as a family. You, me, and Luca.”
“This is so fucked up.” I laughed through the tears streaming down my cheeks. “I feel like I’m on an episode of Jerry Springer.”
He chuckled. “No matter what, this child will be a Salvatore. That’s all anyone outside of our family will ever know.”
“You would be okay with pretending the baby is Luca’s?”
Marcello nodded. “Optics are important in our world. You will be Luca’s wife in a few days. The media would tear you apart if the baby were mine.”
“We should go,” I told him. “Take me to the drugstore so I can find out if I’m even pregnant.”
He brushed my cheek with his thumb and gave me a rare smile. “We’ll figure this out, okay?”
“Thank you, Marcello. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
He stared at me for a long, hard second, then pulled me into his warm embrace.
An hour later, we walked into Caio Bella with Kali and a bag of pregnancy tests. The boutique owner, Domenica, guided us into the store, wearing a knee-length green dress that fit her curvy frame.
I entered the dressing room with Kali, and Domenica slid the curtain over to give us privacy. Marcello waited for us on the couch, afraid to let me out of his sight. For the next hour, we had the entire store to ourselves.
Kali tried on her bridesmaid dress, a strapless pale blue gown that fit her lithe body perfectly. “You’re glowing. Marriage suits you.”
I laughed. “I’m not married yet.”
“But you look happy, like a woman in love.”
I grinned in response. “How about you? I haven’t seen you without Damian or Bastian in weeks.”
She rolled her shoulders. “Honestly, they are driving me crazy. I haven’t had a moment alone since your return. Your kidnapping shook them. I think they’re afraid someone will take me.” Kali chuckled. “But I’m not that important.”
“You’re the daughter of our future governor and the girlfriend of two Salvatores.”
“I’m just getting sick of them watching over me.” Kali flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and sighed. “I miss being alone, traveling around Europe, and living in different hostels. It was fun having a life outside of Devil’s Creek.”
I grabbed her wrist. “This place makes you feel like you’re drowning, but don’t run again. Please. I need my friend.”
She squeezed my hand, her expression brightening. “Sorry, girl. You know I love being your friend. And I love my guys. But it can feel so suffocating.”
I nodded. “You’ll get there once you figure out which one you want.”
“I can’t choose.”
I kicked off my pumps and stripped out of my skirt and blouse. I slipped into my gown with Kali’s help. The dress had black feathers with a long train and a low-cut corset. It was exactly as I had envisioned.
“Girl,” Kali beamed as she appraised my dress. “You look like…”
“A black swan,” I finished for her.
“Wow! This is incredible.” Her mouth widened as she ran her hand down the feathers in awe. “I can’t believe you sketched this.”
“The designer did an incredible job,” I said with a smile.
“You look hot. Damn, even I want to fuck you.”
I laughed so hard I snorted.
“Luca will love this dress.”
“How are we doing, ladies?” Domenica said from the other side of the curtain.
“We’re almost done,” I told her.
We appraised ourselves in the mirror for a moment. I smoothed a hand down the front of the gown and smiled at myself in the mirror.
My cell phone buzzed with a new message.
Luca
How’s my beautiful bride?
Alex
I feel like a queen in this dress.
Luca
Because you are a queen.
Clutching the phone in my hand, I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt, wishing I didn’t have to wait a few more days to make Luca my husband. I wanted to marry him that second.
After we changed, Kali suggested we head into the bathroom. She lifted the plastic bag from the bench, and we locked ourselves inside the bathroom. Kali unboxed three different pregnancy tests.
I sat on the toilet, and Kali handed me one after the other. Nerves shook through me as we waited for the tests to change color. I washed my hands, unable to look at them, while Kali could not take her eyes off the counter.
Kali gasped. I moved beside her, and my eyes widened at the sight of all three tests. One had a blue plus sign, another two pink lines, and the final one said positive.
“There’s no denying you’re preggers,” she muttered.
“I have to tell Luca.” My heart dropped to my stomach. “The timing could not be worse.”
“It’s not the end of the world. We have allies committed to taking down The Carver. He won’t get you.” She rubbed her hand over my stomach. “Or this baby.”