by V. Sousa
I was just about to walk out when John spoke up. “Prepare yourself for the war you’ve just caused, Vincent. It won’t end well for you.”
He shot up, throwing the knife at my father and hitting him in the shoulder. Grabbing the gun from my hand, he fired three shots at the men surrounding us, and they all started spraying bullets at John. He got hit in the arm, and I was pretty sure another hit his leg, but he continued to fire.
I ducked down with Sam’s body still hanging over my shoulder, and I tried to pull John out of there before more guys came in, but he stood his ground.
“We have to leave. Now.” I pulled him again, harder this time, but he jerked out of my grasp and got shot once more in the shoulder just as he ran out of ammo, but he still wasn’t walking away. It was almost as if he wanted this. He wanted them to kill him.
“Please, Mr. Romano, they can’t lose both of you,” I pleaded with him.
John turned to me with wild eyes, and after what felt like forever, he finally nodded and let me lead him out.
Twenty-Nine
Rose
My father finished telling me the story, but I was more confused now than I was before.
“So how did you go from being at war to me marrying him?” I asked.
“New York and Chicago were at war for almost two years until finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. There were so many lives lost that the guilt started to overpower me. I know this is what my men sign up for, but it was my fault that we went into New York unarmed. I couldn’t let any more people suffer for my mistakes. I attended countless funerals and watched as family after family was ripped apart right in front of my eyes. And all because I wanted to avenge a son who was never coming back. So finally, the capo and I came to a truce, deciding you and Emmett would marry as a symbol of peace. I knew you two had been together before Sammy’s death, and I also knew how in love you two were, so I figured it’d be okay.”
“That’s why you left me, isn’t it?” I turned to Emmett. “Guilt. You felt guilty for what you did, and instead of telling me the truth, you just left me to pick up the pieces on my own. Kicking me while I was down.”
“What would you have done if I’d told you? You think it was easy for me to just leave?” Emmett was about to keep going, but I was done listening for today. There was too much coming at me, and I needed to think.
“Well, I guess we will never know what I would’ve done.” I turned to my father. “Thank you for telling me, but I still need time to process.” I grabbed Lorenzo’s hand and pulled him to the door. “Let’s go, Lorenzo.”
We pulled up to the cemetery, and it kind of scared me how well Lorenzo knew me.
He knew exactly where I needed to be without having to ask.
He parked the car and turned it off, not moving to get out. “Did I ever tell you about my sister?”
He was trying to distract me, and I gladly welcomed it.
“You have a sister? I can’t believe you never told me about her. Older or younger? Where is she?” I was actually kind of hurt that I never knew he had a sister. I’d known Lorenzo for years, and not once had he ever mentioned her.
“She was younger. Same age as you, actually.”
I had a smile on my face for half a second before it dropped. “Was?”
Lorenzo looked at me and shrugged. “She died before I started working for your dad. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you, but my dad was always in and out, and my mom did a lot of drugs. At that point, I was twenty, and even though I was so sick of my mom’s bullshit, I stuck around for my sister. I had a plan, you know?” He looked back down and let out a huff. “I was going to wait until she’d graduated high school, then I was going to take her, and we were going to get our own place without our mom. Mom had made her bed, and I didn’t want Delilah to suffer alone, with my mom always high looking for another hit.
“One day, I was out, and my mom came looking for me, said she owed someone money and that if she didn’t give it to them soon, they were going to come after us. I thought she was just lying to try to get money out of me for more drugs, so I told her off. But when I got home later that night, I found Delilah in her room, lying in a pool of her own blood. She was shot four times. Twice in the chest and twice in her head.”
He looked back up at me and grabbed my hand. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I know what you’re going through, but no matter what you do, it will never change the outcome. You’re going to have a baby, two of them, actually. I know you’re mad at him, but this is what Sammy wanted. Not a day goes by that I don’t wish I had that option. I would give my life for hers in a heartbeat. He gave away his life so you could have yours.”
Wiping my tears on the back of my sleeve, I reached over the center console and hugged Lorenzo.
Pulling back, I smiled sadly at him. “I’m so sorry about your sister, Lorenzo.”
We got out of the car, and he walked me to Sammy’s grave.
“I’ll just be right over there.” He pointed to a headstone a few spaces down. “I’m going to go say hi to Delilah.”
“She’s buried here?”
“Yeah.” He smiled at me. “Today’s actually her birthday.”
Thirty
Rose
It had been a little over a month since the incident—that was what I called it now—and I was going crazy.
My father and Lorenzo were scared New York was going to retaliate and come after me, so I’d been locked away at my parents’ house, and I couldn’t take it anymore. After thinking, then thinking some more, I decided it was time to go back home.
Since I got here, I’d seen little pieces of my mom’s old self resurfacing, and that made me really happy, but the house was still filled with too much sadness to make me want to stay.
The mood just felt so heavy, and every time I left my room, I walked by Sammy’s, and it was like a jab to the heart.
I hadn’t noticed until Lorenzo said something to me the other day, but during the past couple of months that I’d been at Emmett’s, I went from visiting Sammy twice a week to twice a month. Going out and actually doing things had been good for me and helped lift the dark cloud that had been above me for years, but since I’d been back at my parents, I felt the cloud starting to return.
My parents didn’t even argue about me leaving. They understood my need to be away, and I hoped one day they could leave too and find their happiness again.
“Ready to go?” Lorenzo said, grabbing my bags.
“Yeah.” I smiled at him. I gave my parents a quick goodbye, promising to visit more often, and then we were out the door.
Last I heard, Emilia, Stephanie, and the kids were staying at Emmett’s house. Well, technically, Emilia’s now, I guess, since she was still alive, but either way, at least with them there, I would have people around to keep me company. Lorenzo told me that Emmett had been staying at his childhood home so he could be closer to me just in case I needed something.
Since the last time I saw him, he had texted and called me every day, asking how I was doing, how I was feeling, and if I needed anything. I never responded, so he always turned to Lorenzo and blew up his phone instead. And every day, Lorenzo told him I was fine and that I didn’t need anything.
I knew this wasn’t the end for us, especially now that we were going to have kids, but I still needed some time to process a few things and maybe ask a few more questions before I could move forward.
Lorenzo and I drove into the garage, and I was surprised at how relaxed I was at being back here after so long. I thought the anxiety would hinder me from even being able to step inside, but I actually felt fine.
I wondered if Emmett had told any of his family that I was pregnant. The bump was visible now, so if they didn’t know, they were about to find out.
I had no idea how Claire managed to hide it for so long, considering she was a week shy of being in her third trimester. I mean, I knew it was different when you only had one in there, but still, she was two months ah
ead of me.
I also wondered if Lorenzo knew she was pregnant. I knew they only had a fling, but I felt like it was going to be a little awkward. He had to know at this point, considering I’d accompanied Claire to every one of her doctor’s appointments since I’d found out, and Lorenzo had followed. If he hadn’t connected the dots by now, then he never would on his own.
We parked, and I noticed there was a bunch of new security everywhere. Considering Lorenzo and I hadn’t been back in a while, I didn’t know how this was going to go.
Dom and Damon were still the security outside, so we had no problem getting in through the gates, but I didn’t recognize the ones at the elevator that led up to the house, and by the looks they were giving us, I had a feeling they didn’t know who we were either.
One of the men walked up to my window while the other went to Lorenzo’s.
“Name,” the one at Lorenzo’s door asked.
“Lorenzo Moretti and this is Emmett’s wife, Rose.”
“ID,” the one at my window asked, tapping on the window that I hadn’t fully opened just in case they tried something. You couldn’t trust those you didn’t know.
Lorenzo showed the guy on his side his ID, but I looked out the window and shrugged. “I don’t have it on me. It might be in the trunk with my stuff, but I didn’t know there would be a problem with me getting into my own house.”
The guy at my window, who I’d officially named asshole, laughed. “I suggest you guys turn around and leave.”
Was he joking?
I looked at Lorenzo, half wondering if this guy was serious.
When we didn’t make a move to leave, the asshole pulled his gun out and pointed it at me. “Did I stutter? Leave.”
Seriously?
I knew they were doing their job, but he didn’t need to be douchey, and he definitely didn’t need to pull a gun on me.
I looked over at Lorenzo just in time for him to see the gun, and I saw the rage flare in his eyes. He moved his hand to his pants, probably to get his own gun, but I quickly grabbed his hand, stopping him.
“I’ve got this,” I said to Lorenzo with a smirk.
Lorenzo shook his head at me, pulling out not one but two pistols and pointing them at each of the guards at our windows. “You have five seconds to put that back, or this is not going to end well for you,” he growled at the asshole.
I had been blaming the hormones, but I hadn’t been able to release some anger in a very long time, so it looked like he was the lucky winner of my wrath.
I opened my window all the way, bent his wrist back so that his grip loosened on the gun, and I pulled it out of his grasp, turning it on him in one quick maneuver. It was so quick that even I was surprised.
I grabbed him by the ear and pulled him closer to me. With my finger on the trigger and the safety off, I pointed it at his left eye.
“Listen here, asshole, and you listen good. What I would like to do is go inside and see my mother-in-law. I’ve been in an awful mood, so I just want someone to fawn all over me for a little while and hopefully make me some food considering I’m eating for three, but I can’t do that because you want to see a fucking ID. Well, let me tell you something, you don’t have to worry about is what my husband’s going to do when he finds out how you’ve treated me because I’m about two seconds away from taking this gun, shoving it up your ass, and emptying the clip. Not to mention—”
The sound of a door slamming and footsteps cut me off.
“What’s going on?” I heard Lucas before I saw him, and I let out a little laugh because he must’ve seen me in the security feed.
I let go of asshole’s ear and opened my door, slamming the asshole with it in the process, causing him to fall to the floor, and I jumped out of the car, hugging Lucas. “I’ve missed you.” I really had. I’d spent a lot of time with them when I was here, and it had sucked being away from them.
Lucas pulled back and smiled at me. “I’ve missed you too, my little assassin. I’ve had to eat takeout every day, and it’s no fun.” He looked at the security guards and gave them a glare. “This is Mr. Rossi’s wife, Rose.”
“Come on, Lorenzo.” I gave the asshole a dirty look and put the gun’s safety back on before throwing it to his partner.
When I walked inside, it was quiet at first. I almost thought nobody was home until I walked into the living room and saw everyone sitting on the couches, watching a movie.
“Hey, guys,” I said with a smile.
Everyone turned to me simultaneously, and the next thing I knew, I was being pulled into a group hug. Emilia and Stephanie were on both sides of me, and they each kissed me on the cheek.
Everyone pulled back except for Stephanie and Gianna.
“I never got to thank you for everything.” Tears started to form in Stephanie’s eyes. “I can never thank you enough for all that you’ve done for me.”
She pulled me in for another hug, and I wrapped my arms around her.
“Don’t worry about it. You can always count on me.”
Stephanie pulled away, and I was left with the kids and Emilia.
Emilia stared at me for a little bit with a bright smile on her face. “Rose Romano.” She walked up to me and palmed my face. “I always knew you’d be beautiful when you grew up. My son is one lucky man.”
I frowned at her mention of Emmett, and she gently placed her hand on my belly and smiled.
“Come take a walk with me.” She locked her arm with mine and pulled me down one of the hallways. She opened the last door on the right of the hall, right across from Emmett’s room, and I was stunned when I looked around and saw that it was a beautiful nursery with pink and purple floral everywhere.
“He had this done when he found out. He’s convinced it’s a girl.” She sat on the couch in the far corner and patted the seat beside her. “Every day, he comes in here and sits in that rocking chair, reading baby books.” She pointed to the rocking chair sitting beside the crib and let out a tiny laugh. “I try to tell him that you never learn how to be a parent until years later, but he still comes here every day with a new book in hand.”
She wiped a tear that had fallen from her eye. “Would you believe me if I told you that Vincent used to be a good man?”
I looked up at her and shook my head. Vincent was and always would be the devil in my eyes.
“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. I never knew about Stephanie, not until long after Emmett, and when I told him I was pregnant, he was so happy. He went to all my doctor’s appointments and treated me like a queen. He was overjoyed when we found out it was a boy, and for the first couple of months of Emmett’s life, Vincent was a good father.
“It wasn’t until Emmett turned one that something inside of Vincent flipped. I will never excuse what Vincent has done because he has done some horrible things, but he had a rough life. I think that, in the end, he let all of his resentments overpower him, and he became so jaded.”
She got up and walked to the crib, fixing the blanket that was draped over the railing. “I always knew that one day it would come to that point for him. I would like to say that the shift happened overnight, but I knew it was coming. Every day he would get a little worse until one day, he became almost unrecognizable.
“I guess what I’m trying to say, Rose, is that you have been through hell and back, but letting go of internal anger is not for anyone but yourself. You and Emmett are not like Vincent. Vincent gave up on his happiness. I don’t want that for the two of you.”
I got what she was saying, I did, but I just wasn’t ready.
I picked up one of the teddy bears beside me and let out a breath, not looking up. “Before all of this, I was ready to start over with him. I was on the path to forgive him for what he had done to me. He still wasn’t my Emmett, but I figured he would eventually let the wall down, and the old him would come back. I was ready to try to find our happiness again, but now I’m just so mad. Mad at my father for taking a position he doesn’t e
ven want. Mad at my mom for being a shell for two years, mad at Sammy for giving his life for mine, mad at Emmett for letting me down when he was the only thing holding me up, but most of all? I’m mad at myself because I know that no matter what, I’ll always forgive him, and that’s not fair. I just keep getting knocked down over and over, and I just want it to stop. One day I might not be able to get back up, and for the sake of my babies, I need to be strong. I love your son so much, but I don’t know if that’s enough.”
When I was met with silence, I looked up and saw that it was no longer Emilia standing in the room but Emmett.
He walked to where I was sitting on the couch and dropped to his knees in front of me. “There are no words to describe how sorry I am, Rose, and as much as I want to, I can’t rewrite the past.”
Yeah. Tell me about it.
He looked around the room and sighed. “I don’t know what exactly has me thinking the baby will be a girl. I guess a part of me thinks this is my redemption. A second chance to be a better man to the important women in my life. I let you and my mom down, but I’ll die before I let my daughter down.”
I didn’t respond, and even if I’d wanted to, I didn’t think I could. As Emmett gave me little pieces of his thoughts and feelings, I didn’t speak. Not because I thought it was bullshit but for fear that he would shut down again, and his wall would return.
He gave me one last glance before getting up. “I’m glad you’re coming back. I’ll give you some space. I can stay at my old house a little while longer. I know you need time, so I’ll give it to you.” He turned to leave, and I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Is that what I really wanted? To be left alone? I knew he had been talking to me more, but it was only because I was pregnant.
I wanted him to fight for me. To tell me he didn’t want space, that he wanted me back.
I didn’t know what I expected exactly, but it wasn’t this.