Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“Dani’s pregnant.”
My brother’s eyes go wide. I’m sure he’s wondering how I feel about that since the last he heard, I didn’t want kids.
“It’s a good thing,” I add. “We talked and planned to let shit happen. We just didn’t know she was already pregnant, so it’s happening a little sooner than we thought.”
I shrug and walk over to my liquor bar to make myself a drink. I pour two fingers of whiskey into two tumblers and hand him one.
“When’s she due?” he asks, taking a sip of his whiskey.
“February 15.”
I can see the cogs in his head turning as he quickly does the math, and I let him because there’s nothing I keep from my brother.
When it finally clicks, he swallows thickly and looks at me with sympathy in his eyes. “Matteo, do you know how far along she is?”
“Almost sixteen weeks.”
He nods slowly and downs his whiskey and sets it on the end table. “That would mean she conceived around …”
“May.”
“But you weren’t with her then. She was with …” He breathes out a harsh breath. “Fuck.”
“I’m the dad,” I tell him, my tone making it clear it’s not up for argument. “That baby she’s carrying is mine. Dani and that baby are mine.”
Dominick nods once and then cuts across the room, pulling me in for a hug. “You’re going to be a great dad,” he murmurs. “Congratulations.”
“Fuck, I need to get out of here. Wanna go grab a real drink at the bar?”
“Sure. Peyton’s planning to convince Dani to go to dinner after the fitting anyway.”
“I’ll text Lorenzo.”
With everything going on, I feel like I haven’t seen much of my best friend since he got out of prison.
“He’s in,” I say a minute later when he texts back that he’ll meet us at the country club.
He knows I hate that fucking place, but not many bars are open before five.
Dominick and I take separate vehicles since we’ll be going home afterward. We arrive before Lorenzo and order our drinks.
“So, you’re really okay with all this?” Dominick asks, always worrying about me.
If I didn’t know it came from a place of love, I’d be annoyed that he’s questioning me.
“Yeah, I’m more than okay with it. I’m just …” I think for a moment, trying to find the right words to explain how I’m feeling. “I’m freaking out a little because I thought it’d take some time. I figured we’d get married and have some hot sex on our honeymoon, and eventually, she’d get pregnant. But, fuck, she’s due in less than six months.”
“Who’s due in six months?” Lorenzo asks, sliding into the seat next to me.
I glance at Dominick, who smirks knowingly.
Lorenzo looks from Dominick to me, the words swirling around in his brain. When he connects the dots, he curses under his breath and then punches me in the arm, making me laugh because the guy needs to work on his strength training.
“Are you fucking serious? You knocked my damn sister up out of wedlock?”
Dominick snorts out a laugh.
“I mean, you walked in on us a few times. Don’t act like you didn’t know your sister and I were fucking,” I deadpan. “Besides, we’ll be married in a few days.”
“You’re a dick,” Lorenzo hisses. “And I need a strong drink.”
He orders a drink from the bartender and then pulls out his phone, but I snatch it out of his hand.
“You need to act surprised when Dani tells you,” I tell him. “We didn’t discuss how we would be telling everyone. So, don’t go texting her and shit. Let her tell you.” I set his phone on the counter, but before he takes it back, a text from Hillary pops up.
“You’re texting with that bitch?”
“No …” When I glare, he sighs. “I’m not. I just haven’t blocked her. She keeps texting and apologizing, trying to say that even though it started as a way to make money, she fell for me and misses me.”
“Fuck that lying bitch,” I bark. “You’re not thinking about forgiving her, are you? She’s only saying that shit because she’s in bumfuck, Georgia, waitressing at a shitty diner, and she knows you’re loaded.”
“Because she couldn’t possibly genuinely care about me?” he mutters.
I stare at him for several seconds and realize how disconnected Lorenzo and I have become. I’ve been so focused on his sister that I haven’t paid enough attention to my best friend to see just how badly he’s hurting. I suck at this whole feelings bullshit, but being around Dani for the past couple of months has opened my eyes and forced me to open up.
“You’re one of the best men I know,” I tell him. “Since we were kids, you’ve been like a brother to me—no, fuck that.” I shake my head. “You are my brother. And if there’s anyone who deserves to be happy, it’s you. You remind me so much of your sister with your big fucking heart and how much you care. Every fight I’ve gotten into, every time I lose my shit, you’ve been right there by my side. The same way you’ve always stuck by me, I’m always going to stick by you, and I’ll always be honest with you.