Chapter 150 A missing piece

Chapter 150 A missing piece
Lina’s POV

It was Mom at the door. As quickly as it opened, it shut right back. My heart hammered against my ribs so hard I could hear it ringing in my ears. My cheeks were burning with embrassment. I turned to the mirror and saw just how flushed I was.

"Oh no," I groaned, smacking my forehead before dragging my hand down my face. "See what you did?" I whined, turning to Carlino. "How am I supposed to face my mother now? I shouldn't have listened to you."

"You shouldn't pretend like you didn't enjoy it," he said, casually buttoning his pants, completely unbothered by the fact that my mother had just caught us naked together. "You should be thankful it wasn't the girls."

"Carlino," I warned, my voice strained through clenched teeth.

"Look, Tesoro," he said, walking over to me. "Your mother is old enough to know that babies don't just appear out of thin air. This isn't your first time." His hand slid around my waist, pulling me flat against him.

"Let me fucking go." I struggled against his grip, but he wouldn't budge. "I need to go face my mom."

"She can wait. Let's talk about something important first," he said, his tone shifting to something more serious. "We should relocate back to New York. With the kids."

"I can't just leave Mom and Dad here."

"We'll take them with us. I'll buy them a house in New York, and we can stay in ours with the girls. You wouldn't want your mom barging into our room when we're being intimate again, would you?" he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

"I... uh, I get it. Fine. When are we leaving?"

"As soon as you agree to it. We can just head over there, we don't need to pack anything. If there's stuff you really want, I'll have someone else handle the moving."

"Okay, but why the sudden rush?"

"Because I have some urgent business to take care of in New York."

"I'll have to talk to Mom and Dad first," I sighed.

"And then Rotha and Erla. I still haven't told them you're their father."

"You should." He pulled me even closer to his chest. My bare skin brushed against his, sending a sharp tremble straight through me.

"We should go," I said quickly, stepping backward. Thankfully, he let go of my waist this time.

I quickly threw on my dress and bolted out of the room. Even though Carlino and I had been together more than a dozen times, he never failed to make my heart race. Sometimes it was from panic, but nothing beat the rush he gave me when things were good.

I tiptoed toward my parents room, nervous about what Mom would say. I hesitated at the door, knowing she had probably already told Dad what she saw. God, this was going to be so awkward.

I took a deep breath. Fuck it. I knocked on the door.

"I'm coming," Mom called out from the other side. My heart did a nervous flutter as I heard her footsteps approach and the doorknob turn.

God no, I can't do this. Suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment, I turned to walk away just as the door flew open.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mom asked.

"Mom..." I turned around, the embarrassment burning all over again. "I'm so sorry you had to see that."

"You don't need to apologize to me. Just get married, make it legal, and do it right," she replied simply.

"Mom—"

"Don't 'Mom' me, it's about time. I told you that earlier today. Anyway, it's time to pick up the girls from school, so I'll go get them. Figure out a way to tell them about their father."

"Wait, Mom," I said, stopping her before she could walk off.

"What is it?" she asked, looking a little tired.

"I'd like us to have a little family chat with Dad later today. It's really important."

"Alright, I hear you, Mrs. Carlino," she teased, laughing a little before heading downstairs.

God...

~

"Hey, baby girls," I called out, walking into Erla and Rotha's room.

"Mama!" Rotha said, turning around. "Look what we're doing."

"It's just homework, Rotha," Erla chimed in.

"Could you put the homework down for just a few minutes? Mama needs to talk to you both." I felt a sudden wave of nerves, like I was about to have a serious, grown-up conversation with two tiny adults.

They both dropped their pencils and turned to face me completely. I walked over to the bed and sat down, tapping the empty spots on either side of me. "Come sit here." They scrambled onto the mattress and plopped down in front of me.

"Okay, so..." I started, clearing my throat. "You both have always wanted a daddy, right?" They both nodded eagerly. "Well, I found him."

"You got us a dad?!" Erla squealed, both of them immediately jumping up and down on the bed.

"Hey, stop it, sit down. I'm not finished talking yet." They quickly sat back down, trying to be quiet.

"Sorry, Mama," they said in unison.

"He's your actual father. Not a stepfather," I explained carefully.

"Take us to him, Mama!" Erla begged.

"Erla, wait for me to finish before you start asking questions. It's rude to interrupt," I said gently. She nodded, zipping her lips. "Okay, like I was saying... I found your father. And it's actually the same person who has been staying with us these past few weeks. Carlino is your biological dad."

Erla instantly bolted upright. "No, Mama! He can't be! He made you cry at the park the other day," she argued, crossing her arms.

"Erla, come back here. You're my big girl, right? So I need you to understand. That was just a little argument. It's just like when you two fight at school with your friends and come home crying. It's exactly like that."

"Then why didn't he tell us he was our dad?" Rotha asked quietly.

"Because I asked him not to."

"But Mama—"

"There are some things I can't explain to you right now," I interrupted gently, cutting Erla off before she could spiral. "But I promise, once you're old enough, I'll answer all your questions. For now, just let your father into those tiny hearts of yours." I smiled, poking at their chests.

"Mama, stop, you know that tickles!" they giggled, squirming away.

"Come here." I wrapped my arms around them, pulling them into a tight hug. "Do you think you can give your dad a chance?"

"Yes," Rotha whispered against my shoulder. "At least now we'll have a dad and a mom like everyone else."

"Erla?" I called out.

"Mama..."

"Please, Erla," I pleaded, already knowing she was gearing up for an argument.

"Okay," she sighed, her tone a little cold. "I'll give him a chance."

"No attitude with him, young lady. I know you," I warned, giving her a look.

"I won't be mean, Mama."

"Good. Let's go downstairs. I want to talk to Mom and Dad, and then we're going to have a nice dinner."

"Okay, Mama!" they yelled, scrambling off the bed.

When we got to the dining room, the table was already set. I glanced around for Carlino, but he was nowhere to be found. I figured he wanted to give me space with my parents, so he stayed scarce.

Half an hour later, we were wrapping up dinner. Mom leaned back and looked at me.

"You said you wanted to talk to us?"

"Yes. Actually, Carlino suggested we all move to New York. All of us. He wants to buy a separate house for you and Dad, and then he, the girls, and I will live in our own place."

"Isn't that a bit fast?" Dad asked, putting his fork down.

"That's exactly what I thought. But he said he has some urgent business to handle there, which is why he wants us to move so quickly. He also said we don't need to bring anything—if there's anything we really want, he'll hire a moving crew to ship it over. So... what do you think?"

"Well, I suppose it's not a bad idea, but still..."

"Dad, we'll be fine. Erla, Rotha, why are you two so quiet?"

"We don't want to leave our friends," Rotha mumbled.

"You're going to make so many new friends there, and you'll get to see so many cool places." I smiled, gently brushing my hand against her cheek.

They didn't look thrilled about the idea of leaving, but I knew they'd adapt to the new environment soon enough.

~

Things moved much faster than I ever anticipated. Before I knew it, we had left San Diego behind and were officially living in New York City. It was wild how quickly my entire life had flipped upside down. On the bright side, Carlino and the kids had gotten incredibly close.
I leaned against the kitchen island, watching Carlino play with the girls in the living room. Erla had completely warmed up to him, it was so obvious by the way she screamed "Papa!" every single time he walked into a room.

"It looks peaceful, doesn't it?" Bella's voice startled me from behind.

"It really does." I smiled at her. "I'm so glad you came back to us."

"I'm only here because of you. If you hadn't gotten back together with boss, he wouldn't have any use for me. But you need the help, and I'm happy to be here for you."

I walked over and wrapped my arms around her. "Oh, I missed your hugs."

She held me tight, tapping my back affectionately. "I missed you too," she laughed gently. "Now, we should probably get you ready for the party, shouldn't we? Your girls, especially Erla, look exactly like Carlino."

"Well, they are his, after all."

"True statement," she laughed.

"If you two are done chatting, we've only got about an hour left," Carlino's deep voice interrupted from the doorway.

"Babe, don't scare me like that!" I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest.

He smiled softly, walking over. "I wasn't trying to scare you. You should start getting ready, we have to leave soon."

"What about the kids?" I asked.

"Are you forgetting I'm right here?" Bella joked.

"Right, sorry," I laughed.

"Let's go," Bella said, shooing me toward the bedroom. I turned to leave, but Carlino caught my wrist, pulling me back into his chest.

"Look beautiful tonight, just like you always do, Tesoro," he murmured in a low, husky tone.

I smiled up at him. "Of course, baby," I said, slipping out of his grasp.