Chapter 53: Balancing

Bianca

Three days had passed since I'd woken. The pain had dulled to a manageable ache, and the doctors were pleased with my recovery. The baby was strong, they assured me, showing me ultrasound images where I could see the tiny flutter of movement.

Our child. Alessandro's and mine.

He hadn't left my side except for brief, necessary absences. He slept in the chair beside my bed, ate meals he barely tasted, and watched me with an intensity that was both comforting and concerning.

I knew something was wrong. It lived in the tension of his shoulders, the tightness around his eyes, the way his phone calls were conducted in hushed, angry Italian in the hallway. I had seen him earlier and I saw that he was looking at me in a way that scared me he was scared to lose me and I also didn't want to lose him.

I was afraid of both hurting him and losing him because when you like the way someone makes you feel you are afraid of losing them and if you really do love the person you're with you are afraid of hurting them.

This morning, he sat beside me, his hand wrapped around mine, his thumb tracing absent patterns on my skin.

"You need to tell me what's happening," I said quietly.

His eyes met mine, storm-gray and troubled. "The family business has suffered significant losses. My father needs me in Milan to help salvage what we can. The shooting wasn't an accident it was something that was planned and we need to be careful going forward I'm sorry you got caught in the crossfire."

"Then you should go."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Alessandro." I squeezed his hand.

"I'm recovering well. The doctors say the baby and I are both stable. Your family needs you."

"You are my family." The fierceness in his voice took my breath away.

"You and our child. Everything else is secondary."

"Not expendable." I shifted carefully, wincing at the pull in my side.

"You can't be in two places at once, and you'll tear yourself apart trying. Go to Milan. Handle what needs to be handled. I'll be here when you get back. I also need to work with your brother on something so he is going to be my assistant for now and don't be mad at him he didn't know that you are being followed and what he did was going to cause trouble"

He looked at me for a long moment, conflict clear in his expression. Finally, he raised my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles with a tenderness that made my heart ache.

"Two days," he said.

"No more than that."

"However long it takes."

After he left, the room felt emptier despite the nurses who checked on me regularly. I spent the morning drifting between sleep and wakefulness, my hand resting on my stomach where our baby grew.

A soft knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. Danilo stood in the doorway, looking hesitant and younger than his eighteen years.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course."

He approached slowly, as if I might shatter. When he reached the bedside, he stopped, his hands clenched at his sides.

"I'm so sorry, Bianca. For everything. You saved my life." His voice cracked.

"I'll never be able to repay you."

"You don't need to repay me, Danilo. I did what anyone would have done."

"No." He shook his head vehemently.

"Most people would have saved themselves. You're pregnant, and you still put yourself between me and danger. That's..." He swallowed hard. "That's heroic."

I smiled despite the ache in my chest. "Sit down before you hurt yourself being dramatic."

A ghost of a smile crossed his face as he settled into Alessandro's chair. We sat in comfortable silence for a moment before an idea sparked.

"Actually," I said, "there is something you could help me with."

"Anything."

"Alessandro and I need to have an engagement party. With everything that's happened, we haven't had time to plan anything. Would you help me?"

His face lit up, some of the shadow lifting from his eyes. "Really? You trust me with that?"

"Of course I do. You know your brother better than anyone. And I think it would be good for both of us to focus on something positive."

For the next hour, we talked about venues and guest lists, about what Alessandro would hate and what would make him secretly pleased. Danilo had a surprisingly good eye for detail, and his enthusiasm was infectious.

"We should have it at the resort," he said suddenly. " with everything happening with the business..." He trailed off, uncertainty crossing his features.

"The resort's perfect, I'll talk to Olivia ."

I assured him. "Let's plan something beautiful."