Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
I wished I could feel the same way, but I carried a secret heavier than the world. Now I knew I was at least a month along, and I continued to check pregnancy tests like they would somehow give me a different answer.
I needed to tell Constantine, but what if he wasn’t happy? What if I destroyed this good mood he was in, and he never got it back? What if he’d finally gotten himself to a good place and I destroyed it with this life-changing news?
I went to work at Rosticceria Da Cristina in the morning, prepped the arancini in the kitchen while the music played over the speakers. My mind was elsewhere, barely on the task at hand, thinking about how and when I would tell him. I probably needed to see an obstetrician soon, go to a checkup and make sure everything was okay.
The door opened, and Sofia walked inside with her leather satchel over her shoulder. She didn’t wear the uniforms we had on, the black T-shirts with the logo on the front. I’d never seen her in the kitchen, and it seemed like she only focused on running the business.
She beamed when she saw me at the counter. “Good morning, honey.” She came to me and gave me a one-armed hug because my gloved hands were covered in tomato sauce. “How are things going?”
“Good. Think I’m getting the hang of it.”
“Antonio said you’re doing great.” She took off her satchel and placed it on the steel counter in front of the credit card reader used during business hours. “And it’s nice to have another hand around here.”
Especially if it was a free hand. “I’m glad I’m not making your life more difficult.”
“More difficult?” she asked incredulously.
“You know, because it takes time and resources to train someone. Kinda slows everyone down.”
“You are not a burden, Aurelia. You’re family.”
A smile kicked onto my lips, but it was a painful one. The more I spent time with Sofia, the more I realized how much Constantine was like her. His attitude and his warmth and his work ethic—it all came from her. He could be the kindest man I’d ever met, but he wasn’t a pushover either, or if you crossed him, there would be hell to pay. Sofia had never shown that side to me, but she wouldn’t be able to run these businesses on her own if she weren’t tough. She wouldn’t have raised Constantine into the man he was if she didn’t have a steel spine.
I wanted to be a part of this family so much, but I worried I’d put that in jeopardy with this pregnancy. Would his mother think the worst of me? That I’d planned it maliciously because her son was rich? That I was just after his money? That I was forcing him to settle down?
“Honey.” She seemed to see the pain flicker across my face, because her eyes were full of pity. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I said a little too quickly. “That’s—that’s just nice of you to say.”
“I mean it, Aurelia. You’re a part of this family now.”
I didn’t know if it was just her words or the pregnancy hormones, but my eyes started to water out of my control. I sucked in a sudden breath to calm myself, feeling loved . . . but also feeling alone.
“Oh honey.” She came to me and gave me a big hug, not caring about the dirty gloves on my hands.
I couldn’t hug her back, so I just stood there, trying not to cry, trying to keep it together even though I’d already been emotionally wrecked.
She pulled away and helped me pull off the gloves and toss them in the trash. “Talk to me. Something’s bothering you.”
She reminded me so much of my mother sometimes. When my mom would force me to cut through the bullshit and talk to her about my problems. Most of my memories of her were of her being sick, because she was ill for so long and it had been such a traumatic time. Those sort of replaced all the good ones, but right now, Sofia made them come back.
“Honey.” She started to rub my arms, tried to bring me back to calm. “There’s nothing you can’t share with me.” Her kind eyes continued to bore into mine, desperate to take on the heartache I carried alone.
“Um . . .” There was something about her I inherently trusted, something that made me feel safe, made me feel at home. “I’m pregnant.” I said the words out loud, and suddenly, the burden felt so much lighter. When I got it off my chest, the weight on my shoulders decreased.
Her entire body went still as she paused to process that information. The shock moved in and out of her eyes quickly . . . and then there was joy. A smile came and widened to full capacity, and she squeezed my arms. “That is so wonderful, Aurelia. What a blessing.” She pulled me in for a hug and squeezed me tight, embraced me like she meant it, like there wasn’t a hint of disappointment.