Chapter 31

"So, you're going to be a dad huh?" I heard a voice say.

I wanted so badly to open my eyes, but every time I tried to open them, they just wouldn't budge. They felt like they weighed a ton and was too heavy to move.

"Yeah" another voice says.

I recognized both of those voices. I wanted to tell them I was awake, but every time I tried to open my mouth it wouldn't move. I was now forced to lay here and listen to their conversation.

"You really like her, don't you?" Enzo asked.

"I guess" Emilio answered.

"You guess. Bro you just put your whole organization on hold for her. There is no way that you don't like her. No, scratch that, you love her" Enzo said.

I could imagine that playful grin on his face as he mocked him. I bet it was priceless.

"I guess I do" Emilio responded.

"Called it! Luca you own me a thousand dollars" Enzo cheered.

"You guys bet on this?" Emilio asked in what I assumed was disbelief.

"Of course. And Luca, you owe me another thousand dollars. I told you he'd get her pregnant in a month with them constantly fucking like horny teens" Enzo said.

"You guys are unbelievable" Emilio said.

"What's unbelievable is the fact that I just lost two thousand dollars to this idiot" Luca grumbled.

I opened my eyes slowly, but immediately closed them. It was way too bright and the lights hurt my eyes.

"She's waking up!" Enzo exclaimed like an excited teenage girl.

His high-pitched voice was causing an oncoming headache and if he didn't shut up, I would be forced to shut him up myself.

I tried to open my eyes again and was met with a white ceiling. I blinked a few times to adjust my vision before looking around. The room was completely white and the nagging sound of the machine that I was attached to give me the indication that I was in a hospital.

"WA-water" I croaked.

"Oh right" Enzo said bringing a glass of water to my lips.

I gulped down the water like my life depended on it, and it probably did. I looked around and was met with familiar faces.

"Oh, my goodness. You scared the living crap out me" I was engulfed in a bone crushing hug by Emma.

"I can't breathe" I wheezed, as she squeezed the life out of me.

"Oh right" she said taking a step back with a sheepish smile on her face.

"How long was I out?" I asked with curiosity.

"A year" Enzo said with a sad face.

"WHAT!!!" I exclaimed in astonishment. I looked at them with wide eyes as they tried to suppress their laughter.

What was so funny?

"You should have seen your face" Enzo said laughing his ass off and it did not take long for the others to join in.

"That's not funny guys" I pouted.

"Ok, ok. You have been out for two weeks" Enzo said with a straight face.

"Oh, and by the way you're five weeks pregnant" he continued with a huge grin.

At hearing that, I placed my hands on my flat stomach. I looked over to Emilio to see him already staring at me. He hadn't once uttered a single word since I woke up.

"We should give them some space" Emma suggested.

"But, But-" Enzo started.

"But nothing. Now get your butt out here" she orders Enzo who then pouted, crossed his arms over his chest and stomped off like a child.

We were now alone in this room in an awkward tension. I had no idea what to say and it didn't help that I had overheard their conversation, which made it seem like I had invaded their privacy.

When I was kidnapped, all I wanted was him. Now here we were in the same room and I was just lying there not saying a word. I had to break the silence or else I would drive myself mad with my thoughts.

"I love you too" I blurted out as a blush coated my cheeks.

"You heard that?" he asked scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"I heard the whole thing" I teased him with a grin on my face.

"I, um-"

"The great Emilio lost for words. I never thought I'd see this day"

"You don't have to say it back" I tried to comfort him.

The tension in the room was so thick that you could probably cut it with a knife. I couldn't take the silence and him not saying anything at all was nerve-racking. I cleared my throat and prepared to address the elephant in the room.

"If you don't want the baby, then that's fine" I said hanging my head low, playing with my fingers.

"It's not that, it's just- Fuck, why is this so hard?" he raked his fingers through his hair messing it up even more than it had already been.

"It's just what?"

"I can't even protect you, so how the hell am I going to protect our child" he said with a frustrated look on his face.

"I think it would be best if you moved somewhere far from here. Far away from me" he said with a defeated sigh.

"You're kidding right?" I laughed a little. He didn't share the joke as he kept a straight face the whole time.

"This is a joke, right? Tell me you aren't serious!" I demanded as tears blurred my vision, threatening to escape. I didn't want him to see me cry so I turned my face away from him.

"It is what is best for you and the baby" he said before he walked out the room.

As soon as the door closed, I broke down in tears. We were finally together and now he wanted to send me a way because he believed that, that was what was best. I didn't want to leave him, not after I just got him back.

My emotions were all over the place. At first, I was sad, then I was depressed, but now I was angry. I was angry that he was willing to give up so easily. So, what if I got kidnapped twice, shit happens. We can't control everything; we can just have to live in the moment and hope for the best in the future.

He better not come back in this room, because I was going to give him a piece of my mind. I was in the hospital for fucks sake and this was the time that he chose to drop this bomb on me.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake" a man wearing a white coat said as he entered the room. Judging by his attire he must be a doctor.

He had a clipboard in his hands as he checked to see how I was doing and then jotted down his notes.

"The baby is in good health, despite what had happened" he said still jotting down notes.

That was a relief to hear. I honestly didn't think that the baby would have survived, but I was happy to know that I had a little fighter in there, unlike his coward of a father.

"You should eat and get some rest" he suggested as a nurse came in with a cart, with food and medication.

I ate slowly and the nurse stayed the whole time and left only when I was finish with my food. I took the medication and eased back on the pillow. It didn't take long for sleep to come.

"You can't just send her away because of what happened" I heard an angry voice say.

"I can't keep her around and just wait for someone else to take her" another voice snapped.

"So, what, you send her away and what if your enemies find her. What will you do then? Do you ever stop to think that what you're suggesting could put her and the baby in even more danger?" the first voice said again.

The other person remained quiet, so I'm guessing that the first person won the argument.

I slowly opened my eyes just as the door slammed shut.

"Hey, you're awake. I hope we didn't wake you up" Emma said with a sheepish smile on her face.

"That's alright" I say with a yawn.

"I'm sorry about my brother. He can be very stubborn at times, but he'll come around... eventually."

"It's ok. I get what he's saying, but at the same time he never asked about how I felt about his decision"

"I know that he'll soon realize that it's not his brightest idea. He just wants to keep you both safe and he's afraid that he won't be able to do so."

"If only he would voice his concerns, instead of making decisions all by himself" I murmured.

"He's a complicated person. His life was never easy and he always tried to protect the people he cared about the way he thought was best."

"You know, when we were younger, he convinced father to send me to a boarding school to protect me from this world" she said with a wistful smile on her face.

"So how did you end up being a part of it?"

"I ran away from school. Emilio was not happy, but he figured that if I was hell-bent on staying, then I should at least know how to protect myself. He trained me himself and I eventually joined the mafia" she finished with a laugh.

"I could picture that scowl on his face or how the vein in his neck would stand whenever he got angry" I laughed a little too.

"I've never seen him care for anyone, apart from our mom and I, as much as he cares about you" she confessed.

"Where's your mom?" I asked curiously.

"She passed away when were very young from cancer. I can't remember much about her, but Emilio always told me stories about her" She said with a genuine smile.

"He seems like a good older brother"

"The best" she laughed sarcastically and I joined her. I knew she meant it, but we both knew that Emilio could be a bit much at times.

We were interrupted by the door opening, presenting his royal highness.

"Can I talk to Layla for a minute... alone" he said, not as a question, but more like a command.

"Of course, your majesty" Emma bowed dramatically, laughing on her way out.

"Layla I'm sorry about earlier. I'm just afraid to lose you" he said, with his ears a light shade of pink.

"Are you blushing?" I asked surprised.

"No. I don't blush" he said as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink to match his ears. I laughed a bit just to tease him before I smiled.

"Look, if you want to leave then you're free to go. I won't stop you, but I don't want you to go" he said with an intense look in his eyes.

"And I don't want to leave either. I'm not going anywhere, unless I get kidnapped, again" I joked.

"That's not funny" he deadpanned.

"I know. I'm sorry"

He moved closer to me and left a lingering kiss on my lips.

"I love you" he whispered as he withdrew from my lips.

"And I love you too" I whispered closing the distance between our lips once more.

I kissed him with everything I had to show him just how much I loved him. He groaned in my mouth as I moaned. He bit my lip as a way to ask for entry and I opened my mouth to let him in. It was a battle of tongues as we both fought for dominance. Eventually, I gave up and let him lead the way, with his tongue massaging my own sensually.

We eventually pulled away to catch our breaths and he pecked my lips one last time and rubbed his hand over my nightgown cladded belly lovingly.