I’d known her just over a month and she’d changed my life. When we’d been on the dock, I’d gladly have taken the bullet for her. All of that was over now. She’d made it through surgery fine. She was home and had made an impressive recovery.

Our first date had been an impulse. When I’d seen her parents drive her home after she’d been released from the hospital I realized that she was gone. There was really no reason for me to be with her other than I wanted to be there. They were perfectly capable of taking care of her and protecting her.

I went home showered and then started pacing my apartment. I was worried about her and we’d only been apart an hour. I texted her, but hadn’t gotten a response. I’d only wanted to check in on her and make sure she was all right. My fear was that something had happened and she was back in the hospital.

I was glad that I had Marco’s phone number. I texted him asking him how she was doing. He told me that she’d gotten home fine and that he’d gone over to Lina’s. I asked him if he thought it would be all right if I went to visit her. I’d had the idea to take her on a date into her backyard. I knew she shouldn’t go far, but it would give us time together. Marco agreed to call ahead to make sure they knew I was coming.

While Annalisa had been in the hospital, a lot of things had changed in the business. My father and Franco had met daily. Despite everything, my father said, he trusted Franco more than most of the men who worked for us. He said, despite our feud, Franco had always been a man of his word. If he said he was with us now, he was with us.

I was counting on that for two reasons. First, it was good for business and my own personal safety. But more importantly, he was the father, the protector of my girl and by proxy, my child.

I stood on her front porch, picnic basket in hand, with sweaty palms. I’d already slept with her, so what was I nervous about it? The door opened, and I was face to face with her father. Well, that was one thing I was nervous about.

“So this is really happening?” her father said, standing in the doorway.

“Yes, Sir, it is.” I’d never been one to back down from a fight, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to back down from the thing I wanted most in the world.

“This is the part where I’d tell you that if you try anything with Annalisa, I cut off your balls, or if you hurt her, I’ll come after you and they won’t even find the pieces, but since you’ve somehow managed to get my daughter pregnant and shot all before taking her on a first date.”

He didn’t have to say it. I already felt like shit about both of those things. It wasn’t that I felt like shit about being a father, I just didn’t like how it happened. I had no idea how to respond and luckily, I was saved by Annalisa’s mother.

“Dante, it’s wonderful to see you again,” she said. “I know that your invitation for a picnic made Annalisa’s day.”

I loved that it had made Annalisa happy.

Apparently, it had made Franco a bit happier too. “Ok, I get it, just treat her with the respect she deserves,” he said.

I nodded. I was about to tell him how I’d treat her like a Queen, but Annalisa walked into the room and I lost all thought.

Drawn to her, I walked over. “God you look beautiful.” It had been only a few hours, but she’d somehow gotten more beautiful.

We had a great date and another great date the next night and the next. I spend every afternoon or evening at her house.

In the mornings before I went over, I’d attend meeting with my father. A few were with Franco. Most were with our men. We were changing how we did business. My father and Franco said it was old school, the way it should have always been.

It was nice working with Marco and Donnie. They both had great senses of humor. Marco was really smart. I could see working with him when Franco and my dad stepped down, though my sister would still want her hands in the business.

She’d asked me more than once if I was serious about being with Annalisa. She still believed it had all been an act. I didn’t know how to convince her otherwise. It didn’t seem to matter how many times I explained to her that I wanted to go over to spend time with Annalisa, she thought I was brainwashed. I think she thought it was because Annalisa was having my baby. That was partly true. That did make me want to be with her, but I’d wanted her before I even knew she was pregnant, and I’d want her even if she lost the baby. The test in the hospital had given us a positive result and I wasn’t looking any further than that. It was something my girl wanted, and when faced with the fact that we might lose the baby, I realized how much I’d wanted it too.

When Annalisa was well enough, I took her on a real date. We went to her family’s restaurant. I went there to make her comfortable and so her father would allow me to take her out. It ended up being a great date and it turned out to be a great business move. People seeing me there, with her, began to realize that our families were merged again. We were more powerful together than either had been individually. I couldn’t imagine what would happen when we announced that we were having a baby together.

We went to the movies, a concert, and hung out together. I couldn’t seem to get enough of her. One night I nearly caved in and begged her to let me kiss her breasts and dry hump her leg. I swore that would have been enough. I couldn’t though. I didn’t want to push her and there was no way I wanted to hurt her or cause any sort of problem with the baby.

I left her house as usual that night and headed to the club. It was mine to run. I’d been away from it for nearly three weeks when I’d been kidnapped. I’d spend an additional few nights in the hospital with Annalisa after she’d been shot. The place really missed me. I hadn’t missed it though. I missed the business aspect of it, but I didn’t miss the dancers bitching or the drunk customers.

When I’d left Annalisa’s house that night, I’d been so wound up. She hadn’t made it any better because just as I pulled up to the club, she sent me a photo of herself in a nightgown. She looked so sexy, I had another boner walking into work.

I was in my office and Jessie brought me in a drink. I hadn’t had anything to drink since I’d been kidnapped, but it was our usual routine.

She was wearing a schoolgirl outfit. She sat on my desk and played with her shirt. “You don’t hang out here with us anymore,” she said, her lip pouting out.

“I have so many other things that I’m doing,” I explained. I opened the ledger and began looking over expenses. I hadn’t even been paying attention to Jessie until I felt her unbuckle my belt. In less than fifteen seconds, she had my cock out. “I can help you relax,” she said, moving her mouth over my cock.

I’m embarrassed to say that it was such a routine, I didn’t stop it at first. But when she was about to put her mouth on me, I slid my chair back fast causing her to fall forward.

“What the hell happened?” she asked, clearly confused.

“I… I don’t feel well,” I lied.

“This will make you feel better,” she purred.

I exhaled. “I’m sure it would, I just don’t want to.”

“Why not?” she asked, reaching for my now soft cock.

When I pulled away further, she stood and bent over my desk, lifting her skirt. “Wanna do me in the ass?” she asked, spreading her ass cheeks apart.

I wanted to fuck so badly, but it wasn’t her that I wanted. And it wasn’t her ass either. I wanted a pussy. A warm, wet pussy that belonged to my girl. “Jessie, I just need time alone.”

She tilted her head. “You’ve changed, Dante.” She turned and left. I’m sure she meant it as an insult, but I took it as a compliment.

It wasn’t the only time I’d been propositioned at the club since my return. I never really thought about how many women I’d fucked. Most I couldn’t even remember. It was something I’d bragged about before. Now it was something I wanted to forget.

I started entering the club through the back door, wanting to do the books and get out of there. I was home at a respectable hour and up early. I was able to work out, eat better and attend all of my father’s meetings. I had no clue how much I’d missed before when I’d been up until 3 am and had slept until noon.

I did spend as much time at Annalisa’s as possible. I tried not to wear out my welcome with her family. No matter what I did, her father didn’t seem to like me. Her mother, on the other hand, had warmed up to me. I was thrilled when she’d invited me to Sunday dinner. If you’d have told me a month earlier that I’d be having Sunday dinner at Franco Morelli’s house, I’d have told you that you’d lost your mind.

Sunday seemed to drag. I had chosen a bottle of wine to bring for dinner, though I knew Annalisa couldn’t drink. I’d actually had very little to drink since I’d found out she was pregnant. It seemed rude to go to dinner and order a drink when she couldn’t.

I had my head in the cabinet when my mom came into the room. “Making something?” she asked.

It was rare for me to cook, but I did like to bake on occasion. I usually only baked with my mother. She was an amazing cook and I’d learned a bit from her.

“I thought I’d make some cannolis,” I said, pulling out the flour, powdered sugar and salt.

“Great idea,” my mom said, grabbing the cannoli tubes from the pantry. “We can have them for dessert tonight.”

“Sure,” I said. I knew I’d make a ton. “But I’m not going to be here for dinner. I was uh, I was invited to dinner at Annalisa’s.”

My mom stopped digging for ingredients and turned to me. “That’s wonderful!” She gave me a big hug. “Bringing the cannolis will be a hit. Frankie loves them.”

I stopped and looked at my mom. “So you guys were all friends? Like you all hung out?”

She nodded. “I knew Frankie most of my life.” She looked of lost in thought.

I wanted to ask her more, but I didn’t want to spoil the mood. I had something else to ask her about anyway. “Mom, how did you know you were ready to get married, to settle down?”

A look of panic flashed on her face.

“I’d wait a while, like have a long engagement. I want Annalisa to have the wedding she’s always dreamed of.”

The look on my mom’s face changed. “Oh, you’re going to propose to Annalisa?”

I wondered what she’d thought I meant. “Yeah. I know it’s only been a month. I know it’s fast, it’s crazy, but she’s having my baby, but it’s not just that. I know we wouldn’t have to be married. I wouldn’t ever leave her to care for the baby alone. I would always be there financially and emotionally for her and our child. I’m not some deadbeat. And she’s never even hinted to me that we should get married. In fact, she wasn’t even going to tell me about the baby?”

“She wasn’t?” my mother asked, concern on her face again.

“Well, she knew before she helped me escape. She said that she was afraid that I wouldn’t go if I knew, and that for sure I wouldn’t take her with me.”

“And was she right?”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

My mom raised her eyebrows.

I laughed and sighed. “Yeah, she was right. There would have been no way in hell I’d have left knowing she was pregnant. She was in a lot of danger if I got caught and they found out I did it. Plus, I had no way of knowing how Franco would react. And then, if something went wrong, if she or the baby got hurt, I’d have never been able to forgive myself. The guilt would have eaten me alive.”

“How do you think she’s doing with it?”

“The pregnancy? I’m not sure. We don’t talk about it.”

My mom gave me that look only a mother can give. Well, my mother and my fourth grade teacher. “Not the pregnancy, the guilt.”

“Why would she feel guilty? I’m the one whose fault it was she got shot. It’s not like she knew it was dangerous. Well, I guess she knew it was dangerous, and she knew she was pregnant. Oh, shit. Mom, do you think she feels guilty?”

My mother raised and lowered one shoulder. “You could ask her about it.”

“I don’t want to upset her. It’s not her fault and I’m sure she knows that.”

My mom kneaded the dough. “Probably. But it’s always best to talk to her about it. If you plan to marry her, you should be able to talk to her about anything.”

I nodded and went back to making the filling.

She stopped kneading and wiped her hands on her apron. “And when do you find out about the...baby?”

“Tomorrow,” I said, trying to keep my voice level.

My mother looked away.

“Mom, is there something wrong?”

She turned to look at me with tears in her eyes. “No. I-I just—I’ve wanted a grandchild so badly. I’m not letting myself hope.”

I pulled her into a hug and held her for a long time. “I’m scared too. I’m scared that if there’s no baby, she won’t want me.”

My mom pulled back and looked me in the eyes. Tears were streaming down her face. “Are you two together because of the baby? Dante, promise me you’re not going to marry her because of the baby. That won’t work.”

I shook my head. “No mom. That’s just it. It’s not because of the baby at all. I was going to run away with her before I knew about the baby. I loved her before I knew there was a baby. And if there is no baby, I still want to be with her. I still want to marry her. I want to make another baby, and another. I want to keep her pregnant for the next ten years. I want so many fucking kids, excuse my language mom, sorry.”

She smiled.

“But you know what I mean. I want a life with her, kids with her. I just wanted to know how you know it’s for real.”

“It’s just something you feel. Something you know.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

She hugged me again. “Dante, I do have one piece of advice. If you’re planning on proposing to her soon, do it before the doctor’s appointment tomorrow. If you want her, baby or not, let her know that. If you propose after the baby, she’ll always wonder if that’s why. If there is no… baby… she might still question the proposal as some sort of sympathy.”

I nodded. I understood what she meant. I knew Annalisa wanted me even if there was no baby. She’d agreed to run away with me before she knew, but what if things had changed now that we were both safe? I wanted to know without the baby in the equation.

I decided not to overthink it. I’d make dessert, go enjoy dinner and talk to her about it. My mom said I’d know. I trusted her.

The two of us finished making the cannolis together. She fried the shells and I made the filling.

At three o’clock, I stood on the doorstep of the Morelli house with a bottle of wine in one hand and a tray of cannolis in the other.

I was glad it was Theresa who opened the door. She took the wine and cannolis from me. “I’ll put those in the fridge,” she said. “Annalisa is still upstairs. She’ll be down in a minute. Why don’t you go have a seat in the living room?”

Marco and Franco were sitting across from each other. Franco was on the couch, Marco on an oversized chair. They two were leaning in having a discussion. I didn’t want to intrude so I stayed back a bit.

Marco noticed me and sat up. “Hey, Dante. We were talking about the election next month. We’ve got to make sure that Thompson doesn’t get in.”

Franco indicated the love seat across from them.

I sat and the discussion continued. We talked about who we already had downtown and how having the right Sheriff would make all the difference in the world.

I didn’t even notice anyone was coming down the stairs until Marco looked up. “Is she seriously trying to kill me?” he groaned.

I turned around and saw Lina walk down the stairs. She was wearing the shortest daisy dukes and a tiny white tank top. She had on silver heels and looked every bit the stripper she was. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t judging her. Had I not been with Annalisa, I’d have tried to bang her. I just wasn’t interested in any other girl.

“We haven’t had sex since yesterday,” Marco grumbled. “I feel like I’m going to explode, then she wears that. You have no idea man.” He chuckled.

“I have no idea?” I laughed back. “I haven’t had sex since the night I escaped from here.”

Marco stopped laughing and stared at me.

Franco was staring too.

“What?” I asked.

“You mean to tell me that you haven’t had sex in like two weeks? You?”

I shrugged. I didn’t want to talk about this in front of Franco, but I couldn’t not answer. “Well, yeah. I mean, she was shot for fuck’s sake. You think I’m gonna bone my girl after she’s been shot?”

“Yeah, but I mean… what about the other girls?”

“What other girls?” I asked.

Marco didn’t have a chance to respond because Lina had walked over to us. She gave Marco a huge kiss and leaned into him.

“Where’s Annalisa?” Marco asked. “I thought you two were getting ready together.”

“Who needs to get ready for Sunday dinner?” Franco grumbled. “And she better not come down her looking like that.”

I could tell he was teasing with Lina, but I also knew that if she came down looking like that, we’d have a problem. I’d have to excuse myself to go jerk off in the bathroom.

“Of course not,” Lina said. “She’s sexier.”

“She better fucking not be,” Franco growled.

“It’s impossible anyway. You’re so sexy Angel.” Marco grinned.

It was possible.

Not a moment later, everyone turned to watch Annalisa walk down the stairs. Her movements were slower and I wondered if she was in pain. She was dressed nothing like Lina, but she looked ten times sexier. She was wearing a simple sundress. It had a tight bodice that fit her perfectly, pushing her breast up and out. The dress only came to mid thigh, and I was pretty sure if she bent over, I’d be able to see her panties.

“God hates me,” I said making both men laugh.

Annalisa finished walking down the stairs and turned toward the living room. Her face lit up when she saw me. She was so beautiful, so perfect. I knew. My mom was right. I just knew she was the one for me. She walked over and threw her arms around my neck giving me a huge hug. I held her tightly to me. She let out a soft little sound of content, but it sounded a lot like the noises she made when I kissed her neck or inner thigh.

Apparently, my cock thought so too, because it was springing to life.

I was about to pull away before Annalisa noticed, but it was too late. “Oh!” she said, pulling away and staring down at my cock. Her face wore the look of surprise and her lips were frozen in a small O shape.

Lina giggled. “I told you he’d like it.”

I should have been embarrassed, but I wasn’t. It was my girl, and she turned me on, so what?

“Really?” I heard Franco say in disgust.

Well there was that, I thought to myself. Maybe I was a little embarrassed.

We walked the rest of the way into the living room, Annalisa sitting next to me and Lina sitting on Marco’s lap. Theresa joined us sitting next to Franco. We’d been talking about the election before the women had entered the room, but that conversation had stopped. It was different to me. In my house, my sister was very involved in the daily workings of the business. It appeared that the ladies here had been kept out of the loop. It explained why Annalisa hadn’t known who I was really, when we met.

We made small talk. I didn’t care what we were doing as long as I was spending time with Annalisa. She held my hand. I was worried her father would be upset, but when I glanced over at Marco and Lina, I worried a lot less. Lina had been sitting on Marco’s lap in the chair. She’d turned nearly all the way around and was making out with him.

“Shall I get the hose,” Franco teased, but the two of them got the hint.

We spoke for about an hour in their living room. Annalisa held my hand, but something was off. She would turn and smile at me, but I knew there was something bothering her. I hoped it hadn’t been my reaction to her outfit. Did she think that just because I’d gotten hard, I wanted to have sex with her? I mean, I did want to make love to her, but not until she was totally healed and it was safe for the baby.

I squeezed her hand tightly and whispered, “Is everything okay?”

She nodded her head without looking at me. Her eyes had become glassy and I thought she was about to cry. “Can we talk after dinner?” she asked.

“Of course,” I said, with a smile, though I felt much less confident on the inside. What did she want to talk about? Had something happened with the baby? The doctor said that she might bleed if she was losing it. Or maybe it was nothing to do with the baby. Maybe she wanted to end things with me. Were we on that different of pages? Here I was, hoping to get her alone to talk about the baby, marriage, and maybe she wasn’t so sure. The thought of losing her made me even surer I wanted her as my wife. Whatever it was, whatever was causing that look of pain on her face, I wanted to erase it.

I held her hand tightly until dinner was ready. We ate in the dining room. The meal was delicious. I complimented Theresa at least a half a dozen times.

During the meal, I put my hand on Annalisa’s knee. She put hers on top of mine and held on tightly.

“Are you ready for dessert?” Theresa asked everyone as we sat there, stomach’s stuffed, barely able to move.

“What’s dessert?” Franco asked.

“Dante brought cannolis. Where did you pick them up? Franco is picky about his cannolis,” Theresa laughed.

“I made them. Well, I made them with my mom.”

“Those are Camille’s cannolis?” Franco asked, eyeing them in a new way.

I nodded. “I made the filling.’

Franco picked one up and took a bite. He moaned. “They’re even better than I remembered.”

It wasn’t long before everyone was sitting around the table feeling stuffed.

The ladies went into the kitchen to do dishes as Marco, Franco and I went back into the living room. It hit me, like a ton of bricks. I knew what I needed to do and spoke before I even thought it through, “Franco, can I have a word with you in private?”

Marco’s brows raised.

I didn’t want to offend him or step on toes. “It’s about Annalisa,” I added.

Now it was Franco’s turn to raise his eyebrows. “Sure,” he said. “In my office.”

We walked into his office and he sat behind his desk. His leather chair was huge and intimidating. And as if matters couldn’t get worse, he reached into the top drawer and pulled out a gun. He began wiping it down with a white handkerchief. “You wanted to talk about my little girl?” he asked, not looking up.

I exhaled. Maybe he was trying to intimidate me. It was working, but I was far more scared of losing Annalisa than scared of him. “I’m in love with your daughter,” I said simply.

“So you say,” he responded.

“Franco...Mr. Morelli. I am deeply in love with your daughter. I can’t imagine spending an entire day without her. She is my sole reason for living. We’re having a child together, but that isn’t the whole reason I love her. I’d love her and want to be with her even if there was no baby. So I’ve come to ask you for your permission to ask Annalisa to marry me.”

He looked up from his gun at me. He didn’t seem surprised I’d asked, but he said nothing. He looked back down at his gun and continued polishing it.

I was about to repeat my question but he finally spoke.

“Is it true, what you said, about not having sex with anyone since Annalisa was shot?”

“Yes. She’s the only woman I’ve slept with since I’ve met her.”

“And you plan on being faithful to her? You’re willing to give up all other women?”

It seemed so final when he said it, but when I thought about Jessie and how eager she’d been, and how I hadn’t wanted her at all. Then I thought about Annalisa and how she’d looked all afternoon and how my cock had responded to her instantly. There was no other woman in the world who could do that to me anymore. Only her. And if that weren’t enough, I never wanted to see the look I saw in her eyes today, when something had upset her. I never wanted to be the cause of her pain. Her pain was my pain. That alone, would make me stay faithful. “I am willing to give up other women. She’s the only one for me. She’s the only one I want.”

Franco nodded. “You know, my daughter won’t ever be divorced, she’ll only be a widow. Do you understand?”

Clearly, he meant taking “Till death do us part,” seriously.

It was fine with me. I had no intention of ever being divorced either. “Yes, I understand. Besides, I have no idea if she’ll even say yes.”

“There’s always hope.” Franco laughed.

“Yes, Sir,” I said.

He’d set down the gun. “And when do you plan to ask her?”

“This afternoon,” I said, hoping he didn’t pick up the gun again. “I want to ask her before tomorrow.”

Franco’s face changed. At first, I thought he was angry about the baby, but when he spoke, I realized it was concern. “You’re going with her tomorrow, right?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Good. You’ve been really supportive of her. I’m concerned about how she will feel if she’s lost...if there’s no… if things don’t go as she wants.”

“I’ll be there for her tomorrow and the next day. And if something has happened to our child, then we will deal with it together. It won’t be just her loss. It’s our loss. I want this baby as much as she does.”

Franco put the gun back in the drawer, stood and walked around his desk. He held out his hand. “You’re a good man. You have my blessing.”

I took his hand in mine and shook it. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”

“I won’t hesitate to kill you if you hurt her,” he said, holding onto my hand, squeezing it a bit tighter.

“I know.”

He let go and put his hand on my shoulder. “Welcome to the family.”

I walked out of his office smiling.

Annalisa was standing in the middle of the living room, biting her lip, both hands clasped in front of her. She looked nervous, which made me nervous.

My smile faltered. Getting Franco’s permission was only half of it. She had to say yes. “Maybe we can go for a walk outside?” I suggested. “Not far, just to the little grove of trees.” It was where we’d had most of our picnics. There was a small bench there I knew we could sit on.

I held her hand as we walked toward the trees. I had to wonder if this is what a man felt like walking to his hanging. I knew she had bad news, I just didn’t know what it was. Thoughts spiraled through my head making me nervous.

Annalisa looked even more nervous the closer we got. She hadn’t said anything on the short walk, which wasn’t like her.

We sat down and I kept her hand in mine. “I’m glad we’re alone. There is something I wanted to talk to you about, too.” I said running the pad of my thumb over the back of her hand. “Do you want to go first?” I really wanted to know what was on her mind.

“I’m...I’m composing my thoughts still. Maybe you can go first?”

Part of me was relieved. I wanted to say what I was going to before she gave me the news about the baby. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that’s what it had to be. I needed her to hear my proposal before she told me anything. I wanted her to know, if it was the baby that it didn’t matter. “I want you to know that I’ve had an amazing time the past few weeks since you’ve gotten out of the hospital. I’ve loved going on dates with you and spending time hanging out here.”

“But…” Annalisa asked.

She was right, there was a but…a little one. “But, I feel like we used to talk about everything, and since you were shot, I’ve been keeping things from you.” The look on her face crushed me. I couldn’t stop though. I had to keep going. “I’ve been worried about your health, but I always pretend like I’m not. And I’ve been worried about the baby. I’m so worried I can’t even sleep. I start to bring it up with you a dozen times a day, but I never want to because I don’t want to see you sad. I feel like it’s all my fault you’re pregnant in the first place. Then I feel bad that I’m not sorry at all that you’re pregnant. I want this baby. But I do feel like it’s my fault that you were shot, and that our baby is in danger.”

I took both of her hands in mine.

She looked at me, eyes wide.

“So I’m sorry for all of it, well except for getting you pregnant. I’m mostly sorry I didn’t share what I was thinking and feeling with you. I want to. You’re the only woman I want to share those things with. You’re the only woman I want to be with. I don’t want to spend a day without you. I can’t imagine being with any woman other than you. You’re my world. I love you more than life itself.” I slid off the bench and dropped to one knee in front of her. I put my hand on her stomach. “I love you baby or no baby. I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you. Annalisa Morelli, will you marry me?”

First came the tears then the soft reply. “Yes… Yes Dante, I’ll marry you.”

I’d forgotten the ring. It was still in my pocket. I’d actually had it since the night she’d been shot. I fumbled for it then took it out. Sliding it on her finger seemed to make it official.

We were engaged. We were engaged!

I stood and pulled her up into my arms. My lips crushed hers. My tongue pushed into her mouth. She was mine, my fiancé. The mother of my child. My hands were all over her. If she were able to make love, I think I’d have done it right there. The only thing that stopped me was concern for the baby.

Finally, after becoming light headed, I pulled back and sat down, pulling her gently onto my lap. “We can get married right away if you want, or we can wait and you can plan a huge wedding. Whatever you want.”

She nodded, smiling. All of the concern I’d seen before was gone. It made me happy, but I still wanted to know what it was that had been bothering her. If it was important to her, it was to me as well.

Again, I took both of her hands in mine. “Annalisa, you’d said there was something you wanted to talk to me about. What is it?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she said quickly.

“Babygirl. We can’t do that. We can’t keep things that are bothering us from each other. There was something. What was it?”

She looked down, her cheeks pink. “Well I feel a bit stupid now, but I um, I was going to ask you if you were, uh, sleeping with girls at the club.”

“That’s what had you upset all day?”

She nodded.

“Babygirl. You’re the only girl. You’re my only girl. I haven’t been with anyone else since I met you, and I never will be with anyone else again.”

She pulled me in for a hug. I held her tightly for a long time before she finally let me go. I held her hand once again, feeling finally at peace.

She looked down at our hands and surprised me by squealing, “I’m engaged!”

I had to laugh. “Yes...yes we are.”

“Oh, my God. My dad...he’s going to kill you.”

“Only if I break your heart. At least that’s what he told me.”

“Wait, you told him you loved me?”

I nodded. “More than once, but just a bit ago, I told him again and asked for his blessing.”

“Oh, that had to be good. What did he tell you? Over his dead body?”

I shook my head. “No, he gave us his blessing.”

Annalisa gasped. “He did?”

“Yes he did, though I think he hoped that you’d say no.”

“Why would I say no?” She laughed.

It was so wonderful to see her happy again. I wanted to be the source of all of her happiness.

She was staring at her ring again. It was a single diamond on a white gold band.

“I hope you like it,” I said. “It belonged to my father’s mother. We will have to get a wedding band though.”

“I do love it,” she said. “Why do you have it though, why not your sister?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea. My grandmother gave it to me. Maybe she wanted me to use it when I proposed and figured my sister would get a ring from her husband.”

“Well, I’m glad you got it. It’s perfect.” She leaned back resting herself on me.

We both looked at her ring and watched the sun dip behind the trees. With the sun gone, the temperature dipped quickly.

“Hey, let’s get inside,” I said, standing up with her.

We walked hand in hand. On the way to the house, I realized there was one thing we hadn’t talked about. “You know, earlier, when you said you wanted to talk to me, I thought it was going to be about the baby. I thought maybe you had bad news. I wanted you to know that if you want to talk about it, we can. I’ll be there tomorrow, and no matter what, we’re going to be together.”

We’d been holding hands and she swung them a bit, her happiness still radiating from her. “Ok, and I will. I’m glad that you’re going to be there.”

“Of course, I’m going to be there. I want to support you. I want to be there for our baby, and besides, I gotta ask that doctor how much longer until you can have sex. My arm’s getting tired.”

“What do you mean, until I can have sex? I can have sex. You just never wanted to.”

I stopped walking. Was she fucking serious? She’d taken a few more steps, our connected hands, pulling her to a stop.

“Wait. Are you telling me that we could have made love last night and the night before?”

She bit her lower lip making her look even sexier. “Well, yeah.”

“Then why didn’t we?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Every time I tried, we’d kiss and then you’d stop. I thought maybe, I don’t know.”

I slapped myself in the forehead. “And you thought I was fucking other women instead of making love to you?”

She nodded.

I pulled her into my arms. “Jesus Christ. I’m an idiot. Baby, I’ve wanted you so much. It was just you had been shot, and the baby.... Never doubt that I want you. I could be six feet under and I’d still want to sleep with you.”

She giggled at that. “Well, I suppose the first day or two I couldn’t. I’d asked the doctor before we left the hospital if having sex would hurt the baby or maybe make me lose it. He said that normal sex wouldn’t hurt the baby and that I could have it when I felt good.”

“And do you feel good?” I asked her with a smile.

She giggled. “Yes, I feel very good.” She pulled my hand and we started walking toward the house. “Wanna see my room?”

“God damn, I think you’re gonna kill me,” I said, my smile way too big for my face.

We walked into the house, my arm around her.

Her parents were in the living room.

“Guess what!?!” she said, holding out her hand.

Lina screamed, ran over and grabbed her hand. “Oh, my God! It’s beautiful!”

Her mother hugged her, admiring her ring as well.

Marco came and congratulated me. “I’m sure you heard it from Franco, but if you hurt her, I’ll cut your nuts off. She’s like a sister to me.”

I smiled and shook his hand. “I’ll never hurt her.”

“Bullshit.” He laughed. “Just don’t do it on purpose.”

We both laughed.

I looked over at Franco and he nodded his head once. That was enough approval for me.

Annalisa turned back to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. She kissed me softly. I heard a collective “Awwww.”

“Let’s go upstairs,” she whispered. She took my hand and led me toward the staircase. We were only halfway up when I heard Franco.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he grumbled.

“Honey. They’re engaged. She’s pregnant. What exactly more can happen?”

I heard Marco laugh.

“Don’t you laugh. This is all your fault. If you wouldn’t have kidnapped him, none of this would have happened.”

Annalisa and I hit the top of the stairs and rounded the corner. “He’s right. Without him, none of this would have happened. I’m gonna ask him to be my best man.”

Annalisa laughed. “I’d like that.”

We laughed all the way down the hall, but when we got to her room, we both stopped. Things were serious now. I looked over at her bed. I’d pictured it many times when I was in the basement. I’d fantasized about breaking out, and going to her room, ravaging her there. In my mind, it had always looked feminine, but it was far beyond my expectations. It looked like a princess room.

“I’m not sure I can defile you in here,” I said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“Really?” Annalisa said, pulling her sundress off, leaving her topless, wearing only a pair of panties.

“Nope. Here is fine,” I said placing my hands on her hips and drawing her into me.

She laughed.

I’d missed her breasts and while my mouth got reacquainted with hers, my hands got reacquainted with her breasts.

She whimpered and I pulled back for a moment.

“No, don’t stop. It felt good. It was a good whimper,” she said before I could even ask.

“Alright, but I’m not going to stop unless you say I’m hurting you,” I warned. It wasn’t true. I’d stop every time I thought I might be. I picked her up and carried her to her bed. Climbing on top of her, I kissed my way down her belly to the tiny mark of her gunshot wound. There were still stitches, but I was glad that the cut was small, and looked nearly healed.

I kissed around her belly button and then lower. She was still smooth as silk. My tongue couldn’t get enough as I licked her sweet nectar. Using my nose, tongue and fingers, I stroked her clit as my fingers pressed into her. I was gentle, moving them slowly. She arched her back off the bed and cried out. “Please! My God! Let me come!”

Not wanting to hurt her, but knowing she needed more, I picked up the pace, flicking my thumb over her clit faster and faster. My fingers moved in her, curling up, pressing against the spongy spot I knew would cause her to come undone. “Yesssss…Ohhhh…Mmmm…” she cried out as her honey flowed freely over my hand.

I kissed her softly as she regained her breath. “I want to taste you now,” she said.

My cock wept at the thought, but I wanted something else. “Babygirl, if I’m not inside of you in one minute, I think my heart will stop.”

Without a word, she spread her legs for me, bending them at the knees. I hooked her knees with my elbows and lifted her slightly. Wanting to be gentle, I entered her slowly. It reminded me of our first time. It nearly killed me to go that slow. And just like our first time, I came within two minutes.

She didn’t mind. In fact, she said she loved it.

“Why?” I asked, pulling out and kissing her forehead.

“It means you think I’m sexy.”

“I do!” I exclaimed, kissing her nose.

“And it means you haven’t had sex in a long time.”

“Longest dry spell of my life, other than the first fifteen years.”

She shook her head. “Well, there will be the six week one.”

“What?” I asked looking her in the eyes. She was smiling. Was she joking? She’d deny me sex for six weeks?

“After I have the baby. I’ll have to wait six weeks.”

I hadn’t thought about that. It would be worth it though. “Maybe you can, you know, give me a hand?”

She laughed at my stupid joke. It was another reason I loved her.

We kissed tenderly and made love for a second and third time that night. I looked at the clock. It was nearly midnight. I was about to ask her if I needed to go, and what time she wanted me back for the doctor’s appointment. I didn’t want to go.

“Dante,” she said sleepily. “Can you spend the night? I want you to hold me. Then we can go to the doctor in the morning, okay?”

“Yes, baby. I want to hold you all night long.” I picked up my phone to set the alarm and saw I had a bunch of texts from my mom. She was asking how it went. The last text, about fifteen minutes earlier said, “Either very well, or Franco killed you.”

I texted back. “She said yes.”

“Congratulations. I love you. Get some sleep. Tomorrow is a big day.”

“I’m still at her house. Text you tomorrow.”

I was about to get the best nights sleep that I’d had in a long time. With my babygirl in my arms, my ring on her finger, and my dick still wet from her pussy, what more could I ask for?

In the morning, I woke to the sunlight and hair. There was a lot of hair on my face. I brushed it off of me and Annalisa giggled. “Morning,” I said.

“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up,” she said. “He’s been up for a while.” She pointed to my cock. “I wanted to lick him, but I didn’t want to wake you.”

I groaned. “For the record, you can wake me up doing that any time you want.”

She licked her lips and then moved to my cock.

I had to keep reminding myself that she’d been shot and she was pregnant. I wanted to fist her hair and push her all the way down. The way her tongue curled around my shaft and her hands cupped my balls, had me emptying myself into her mouth much sooner than I’d wanted to.

We both wanted more though. Leaning over me, she took my cock, and straddled me. I watched my cock first part her lips then disappear into her pussy as she lowered herself slowly. I loved this position and so did she. I was propped up a bit on her pillows, my hands on her tits as she rode me when the door was opened.

Donne stood in the opening, staring at Annalisa’s bare back and ass as she rode me. She hadn’t even noticed. “Oh shit,” he said, drawing her attention.

I pulled her down toward me and pulled the covers over her protectively.

“I’m… oh god I’m sorry. I had come to see if you needed a ride.”

Annalisa laughed. “I have a ride.” She giggled.

Maybe I’d find the joke funny in a few days. Right then, there was a man who found it fine to walk into my girls, no, my fiancé’s room.

“I’ll knock next time. I’m sorry,” Donnie said. “Uh, nice to see you again Dante. I didn’t uh…Well, I didn’t know you were here.” He left the room.

Annalisa and I finished making love. We showered together and got dressed. I took her to breakfast before the appointment.

Our mood had changed as we got to the doctor’s office. We realized the news we might be getting. I’d asked her if she’d had any spotting and she’d said no. She said she didn’t really feel pregnant though, other than being tired. She’d only felt sick in the morning once. She was worried that was a bad sign.

We sat in the waiting room holding hands. There were a few other women in there, most of them visibly pregnant. The nurse called us in. I waited in the hall while Annalisa put on a robe. I thought it was silly. I’d seen her nude only hours earlier, but the nurse said it was protocol.

A woman came in wearing a white lab coat. “I’m Savannah and I’m going to be performing the ultrasound today.” She sat down next to Annalisa and opened her gown. “It’s going to feel cold at first,” she said, squirting some clear stuff out of a bottle.

Annalisa gasped. “Yep, cold,” she said, forcing a laugh.

I knew she was nervous.

The woman began to move around this plastic thing that looked like a price scanner. There was white snow on the screen and a big black section. She kept moving it around. I wanted to ask if she saw the baby, but I didn’t really want to hear the answer.

“Hmmm,” she said, adjusting a knob then moving the scanner around some more.

I looked at Annalisa. She was crying. I knew if I stared at her a moment longer, I’d start to cry, but I couldn’t look away. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. The tears filled my eyes making it so everything was blurry. I didn’t want her to see me cry. I wanted to be strong for her.

“Well there you are,” Savannah said, her voice echoing in the silent room.

Annalisa inhaled sharply and held her breath.

Savannah had stopped moving her hand, and was clicking the screen, putting little plus signs all over a bunch of white stuff.

All I could make out was a flashing light.

“Do you see?” she asked Annalisa who shook her head no.

“This is the placenta,” Savannah said, moving the cursor around a blob. “And this is the baby here, the umbilical cord, and this…” She moved the cursor to the flashing light. “…is your baby’s heartbeat.”

“Thank you, God,” I said a bit too loudly, realizing I’d been holding my breath as well. The relief washed over me. She was still pregnant. We were going to be parents! Oh, shit. We were going to be parents. I squeezed Annalisa’s hand again. She was crying and so was I, but they were tears of happiness.

Twenty minutes later, she was dressed and we were in my car. There were huge smiles on both of our faces. “What should we do?” she asked.

“Well first, we need to call our mothers, then maybe a little baby shopping. I want to buy him his first suit.”

“Oh, it’s a boy is it?” Annalisa laughed, dialing her mother. “I think it’s a girl.”

“No. God would never give me a daughter. I’d kill any man who ever tried to date her.”

“Hey mom,” Annalisa said as her mom picked up. She covered up the phone and whispered to me, “Then she’ll just have to fall in love with some guy you keep locked up in the basement.”

“Like any guy I keep in the basement is going to be good enough for my daughter.”

She rolled her eyes and started telling her mom about the ultrasound. I loved the bubble in her voice.

I dialed my mom as well. “Hello,” she said. I could hear the anxiety in her voice.

“Hey, mom. We just got out of the doctor,” I said.

“And, how did it go?”

“I saw his heartbeat mom. I’m going to be a dad.”

I could tell she was crying. “You’re going to be a great dad and a great husband. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom. Please tell Dad the good news.”

We hung up our phones and looked into each other’s eyes. It was going to be a long road, but we could do it. “I love you Annalisa Morelli.”

“I love you Dante Ranetti. I’m so glad my father didn’t kill you.”

“Me too.” I laughed.

We locked hands and left the parking lot headed off toward the rest of our lives. We had a lot to overcome. A wedding, a baby, and our families, but we were in love and together, and that was all we needed.