7+Us Makes Nine: A Nanny Single Dad Romance (Baby Makes Three)

by Nicole Elliot

There was something different this time around—something far more intimate than the times we’d hooked up before.

  Arianna had fallen asleep peacefully in my arms, her face looking so relaxed. I pressed my face to her hair, breathing in her fresh scent. Gently, I kissed the top of her head and wrapped my arms more securely around her.

  “I’m not that kind of girl.”

  I reflected on what she’d told me earlier. Deep down, I had already known there was something innocent and pure about her when we first met. I supposed that was partially what had brought forward my natural instinct to protect her in the first place. And even when she agreed to go with me to go to a private room, I’d had a feeling it wasn’t something she would normally do. Despite the fact that she looked like a living goddess, there had been and still remained something childlike about her. Back at the club, she had reminded me of a rebellious teenager, wanting to test the waters and just do something daring for the hell of it.

  Now I understood why. She had been there for the same reason I had—commemorating her last moment of freedom.

  I laughed to myself. How ironic was it that in attempts to seize our last opportunity for a carefree fling, we both had unknowingly given up our last chance to be with other people.

  The final opportunity to be with other people?

  Was that truly the case? I ran a hand through my hair, startled by the thought. As much as I loved women and had been a self-defined playboy since I was a teenager, never in a million years would I have anticipated being in this position just two weeks ago? When I’d made a deal with my father, I had been thoroughly convinced that this marriage would solely be on paper and hadn’t anticipated on any actual emotional investment.

  Yet, as I glanced down at Arianna Marino sleeping peacefully on my chest, it was impossible to ignore or deny how right she felt in my arms.

  If I had known who she was back in the nightclub that fateful day, how I would have reacted? Would I have run screaming the other way, or would I have willingly thrown in the towel early? It was hard to think about in hindsight. And although I wasn’t superstitious, I had a feeling that our meeting had been just as destiny planned it. Maybe we had been meant for each other straight from the start.

  It made my head spin just thinking about it. Nevertheless, I felt that I honestly could have been content spending every night for the rest of my life in this position, holding her in my arms after making love.

  It was startling, but I knew that it was true. I recalled reading somewhere in some silly magazine or other that it took men apparently three dates to know whether they were in love.

  Third time’s a charm…

  I suppose it wasn’t anything to brag about, but I had virtually lost track of the number of women I’d entertained over the years. They were all varying degrees of beautiful, and I had treated them all well, but from the second they entered my life, I’d always known they were temporary. I just hadn’t been the type to stick around in one place, or with one person, for an extended amount of time.

  “Gio—you’re going to have to settle down one day. You know that right?” my mother had said to me repeatedly.

  And my reply had always been the same. “Yeah one day, but that day isn’t going to be today, tomorrow, or next week, even. So please don’t hold your breath, Ma.”

  And then she would always insist that the day would probably come sooner than I expected, and I would be thrown for a loop when it did.

  I had too much pride to tell her just how right she was…

  Arianna stirred in my arms, readjusting herself more comfortably so her head was laying on my shoulder. I smiled and kissed her forehead. A smile drifted across her face in response to my kiss, and then she relaxed again as she drifted back off to sleep.

  I rubbed my hand in circles on the smooth skin of her back.

  In that instant, I knew that I couldn’t deny it even if I wanted to. After all these years, she was the first girl that I had ever started to develop serious feelings for.

  In such a short amount of time, she had already done the impossible. She had captured my heart.

  CHAPTER 14

  Arianna

  I’m not sure how much time had passed, but when I woke up, I was still undressed and lying in Gio’s arms. I stirred around, only to find him sleeping peacefully, his head resting on the pillow as he held me.

  Smiling to myself, I gently kissed his lips.

  His eyes fluttered open. “Morning,” he said with a grin. “Or…wait…What time is it?”

  I laughed. “Not morning, that’s for sure,” I said, raising up from him. I retrieved my clothes from the floor and proceeded to get dressed, feeling a lot less awkward this time around than in our previous encounters of this nature.

  Giovanni watched me, hunger in his eyes that almost made me want to strip my clothes right back off and go for another round. But instead, I picked his shirt up off the floor and tossed it to him, laughing when it landed on his head.

  My laughter quickly died though, when I realized what unpleasantries lied before us. “You have to take me back home,” I said somberly. There was no doubt that my parents had returned by now. And how they would react to me coming home later, with Gio, was something I wasn’t anxious to find out.

  Gio stood, stepped into his pants, and stretched. “Well, let’s get you home then.”

  He gathered me into a hug, his arms wrapping tightly around me.

  “Will I see you tomorrow?” I asked, looking into the buttery eyes of his.

  He sighed. “That—I’m not sure of. I have some family business to attend to with my father, unfortunately. Hey—don’t look at me like that. Don’t for one-second doubt that I wouldn’t rather be spending another night like this with you.” He stooped down, placing a kiss on my neck that made me quiver and giggle like a schoolgirl. “I’ll call you the very second I get the chance to, all right?”

  “All right,” I said.

  * * *

  My suspicions about my parents being back home were confirmed when we spotted my father’s car in the driveway. Gio parked behind it.

  My stomach began to clench with nervous knots as I peered at the house, seeing lights still on through the foyer and living room windows. That meant at least one of my parents—likely my father—had stayed up to wait for my return.

  “You don’t have a curfew or anything, do you?” Gio asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Not officially but…” I cleared my throat and scratched my ear, feeling nervous and embarrassed again. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “Like what? Come home late? How’s that? You were at a nightclub when we first met, for crying out loud.”

  “Yeah, but my parents thought I was out with some girlfriends. With you here, there’s no hiding where I’ve been.”

  Giovanni laughed, and I almost felt annoyed with him until he leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Baby, I’m going to be your husband soon. It’s not like they can really object to you being out with me, can they?”

  Realizing he had a very valid point, I shook my head. “No, I guess not. Besides, they’ve been asking about you for a whole week, urging me to get to know you better.”

  Gio grinned that devilish grin that always sent a rush of adrenaline through my lower stomach. “Mission accomplished then.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  I laughed and slapped his arm. “Stop that.”

  “Come one,” he said, getting out of his car.

  Having no other choice, I followed suit.

  I pulled my key from my purse and opened the front door. Within seconds, my father appeared.

  “There you are. With Giovanni, eh?” he said, but there was no malice in his voice. He smiled broadly and stretched a hand out to Gio. My nerves subsided.

  “How are you this evening, sir?” Gio said.

  “Evening? Looks more like night to me!”

  Gio laughed. “Well, the same question stands, sir. How are you?”

  “I’
m well. Thank you for bringing my little girl back in one piece.”

  “No problem, sir.”

  “Can I interest you in some coffee and a cigar, son?”

  Son. He was already calling him son.

  “I’d love to, but like I told Ari, I’ve got quite a day ahead of me tomorrow. I have some work to do with my father, so I’m going to head on home and get some rest. After a nice dinner and conversation with your daughter, it’s time for me to call it a night.”

  “I see,” my father said. “Well, it was nice to see you again, Gio. Come back anytime. Like we said before, our door is always open to you.”

  “Thank you so much. You have a good night,” Gio said. He then turned to me, his arms outstretched for a hug.

  I swallowed, giving him a hug, but keeping it brief in front of my father, terrified that he would somehow sense the level of intimacy already between us. But thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice anything.

  “See you later, Arianna,” Gio said with a playful gaze in his eyes that only I could see.

  “Good night, Gio.”

  As I retreated to my bedroom for the night, there was a thought dancing through my mind that just couldn’t be ignored any longer.

  I was falling, and falling hard, for Giovanni Romano. There was just something about him that I found comforting regardless of the issues I’d previously had with him. Having dinner with him, rather than our random passionate hookups, had been a good idea. It had allowed me to see a whole new side to him—and it was a side that I desperately needed to see. Not only was he drop-dead-gorgeous, but he was funny, and I could tell that there really was a good heart behind that tough and cocky exterior of his.

  My parents could have certainly picked worse for me, that’s for sure.

  Taking a quick shower and then putting on my pajamas, I fell asleep, holding my pillow and wishing that it was Gio. I couldn’t wait for the day when I could fall asleep by his side every night, kept warm in his embrace.

  CHAPTER 15

  Arianna

  I woke up the next day with a somewhat hollow feeling in my chest, and I knew that it had everything to do with Giovanni. It hadn’t even been 24 hours since I’d left him, but I already wanted to be with him again.

  Knowing that I was going to need a distraction to keep Gio from my mind, I grabbed my cell and called Angela.

  “Hello?” her voice sounded on the other line after the third ring.

  “You busy tonight?” I asked.

  “Nope. Tonight, I’m all yours.”

  “Good,” I said, a smile inching across my face. I began to pace the room, feeling like a giddy teenager. “I want to tell you all about him.”

  “Him?”

  “Giovanni Romano. My fiancé.”

  Angela screeched so loudly, I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

  We met up outside of the nightclub—the very same one I had met Gio. Once inside, we ordered drinks, found a table, and I proceeded to give Angela all the details. She listened, completely riveted.

  I’d known Angela since high school. She was a bubbly girl with bright blue eyes, curly hair, and ears always open and waiting to hear the latest gossip. Although adult life and work had gotten in the way of us seeing each other as often as we would have liked, whenever we were together, it never felt like any significant amount of time had passed, and we quickly picked up from wherever we left off.

  “Wow,” she said, once I’d finished telling her about the whirlwind romance I’d been enjoying with Gio for the past couple weeks. “You really lucked out! I can't lie—I’ve always thought the whole idea of an arranged marriage was kind of weird. But now, Hell, I wish my parents would set me up with a Prince Charming like you’ve got!”

  I laughed. “I was worried at first, but now I see it has its perks. I don’t think things could have worked out any better even if I planned it myself.”

  I reached for a drink, taking a sip while Angela continued to lament about how lucky I was.

  “I get to be the maid-of-honor, right?” she asked.

  I reached forward and took her hand in mine. “Of course, you do!”

  “Awesome!” she said, throwing her hands in the air in victory. “Well, we can’t just sit here all night! We’ve got to dance to celebrate! You’re getting married, Ari!”

  I laughed as she dragged me onto the dance floor, and together, we began to dance in celebration of my upcoming wedding. It felt something like our own little pre-bachelorette party.

  Dancing silly with Angela, I spun around and couldn’t believe my eyes.

  There he was. Giovanni.

  My heart fluttered in excitement. He was sitting idly at a table by himself, drinking a beer. I supposed it had been a long day at work with his father, and he had decided to come out for a bit to unwind. Although I felt mildly irritated—wishing he would have called me to unwind instead—I quickly pushed the thought aside because I was simply so happy to see him.

  I nudged Angela, who had been making flirtatious eyes at some guy checking her out across the room.

  “Yeah?” she said.

  “I think I need to introduce you to someone.”

  She raised her eyebrows and began glancing around. “Who?” she shouted over the music.

  His name had been on the tip of my tongue before I came to an abrupt halt.

  The whole scene unfolded before me as if in slow motion.

  I realized that Gio seemed to be staring rather fixedly at something, or someone, rather. And it certainly wasn’t me. I followed his gaze as best as I could, but it turned out to not be difficult at all to figure out who had so thoroughly captured his attention.

  An attractive female.

  She had long dark hair and even longer legs. Prancing over to him with her short dress and ample bosom, she beamed at him. A woman on a mission.

  As she drew closer, a slow smile began to cross Gio’s face. Even though it had driven me crazy in the beginning, I had grown to find his confidence sexy. But now—it was positively appalling. The way he stared at this woman, it was evident that he knew she had eyes for him and him alone. And from what I could tell, he seemed to be welcoming the situation.

  Once she made it to his table, he set down his beer, stood from his seat, and headed straight for her.

  The two of them embraced in a way that made it clear that this was not their first time meeting each other. She was clearly a familiar acquaintance of his.

  I was scheduled to marry him, yet, I was already the other woman…

  I should have known. How could I have been so stupid? A man like Giovanni Romano would not have been single. He would not have just happened to be available to marry me out of sheer luck.

  The way he had treated me the first night we met…

  I should have known.

  It took me a moment to realize Angela calling my name.

  “Ari? Arianna? What’s wrong? Who do you want me to meet?” she said.

  But I couldn’t answer her. I could barely even breathe. Moisture formed in my eyes, and all I could do was bolt from the club, wanting to put as much distance between me and Giovanni Romano as possible.

  He had made a complete fool out of me.

  CHAPTER 16

  Giovanni

  The day had been just as long and busy as I had anticipated, but I put up with it calmly and politely, hoping to prove to my father once and for all that I was worthy of having a higher position in the family business. I didn’t mention it again though, figuring that actions spoke louder than words. And considering that I had even gone as far as to agree with marrying a girl of his choosing, he had to know by now how extremely dedicated I was to our family.

  At least that was my story, and I was sticking to it.

  The fact that I had actually fallen in love with the girl was beside the point when it came to conducting business with my father.

  I honestly couldn’t deny how happy I was with Arianna lately. She made me feel like an entirely new man. The
moment I was able to leave work with my father, all I wanted to do was call her. But the hour was late, and late-night calls often led to late-night behavior. After Arianna had repeatedly told me that she wasn’t that kind of girl, I certainly didn’t want to risk treating her in any way that insinuated otherwise. We had jumped into things fast, and now I wanted to take it slow so that I could cherish each moment before she officially became my wife. I’m not even sure when it had happened, but at some point, I had gone from savoring my last moments of bachelorhood, to eagerly awaiting marriage. Meeting up and hooking up with Arianna wasn’t going to satisfy me for much longer; I respected her too much to keep treating her like something between my mistress and a friend with benefits.

  To help me get through a night without Arianna, I decided to go out for a drink and vowed to call her first thing in the morning so that we could meet up and spend the whole day together.

  So, I returned to my favorite spot, which now had sentimental value to it since it was where I’d met Arianna in the first place. Ironically, being there felt different now. Normally, I got my usual table in the back and used the view to scope out women. Now, however, I found that I wasn’t remotely interested in any of the women present, no matter how good-looking they happened to be. Some of them even boldly approached me and asked to dance, but I politely turned them down. After turning enough of them down, they eventually left me alone to finish my beers in peace.

  I stared idly at the couples on the dance-floor, my thoughts far away and preoccupied with Arianna. That’s when I noticed another woman approaching me.

  Here we go again, I thought to myself, ready to politely turn her down just as I had done with the countless others.

  Yet, when she got closer, a smile spread across my face. I didn’t know how I hadn’t recognized immediately because I would remember that long dark hair, those big brown eyes, and that goofy grin anywhere.

  “Well, hello there, handsome,” she said, grinning ear-to-ear.

  I set my beer down and laughed as I stood up to approach her. She threw her arms around me, and I gave her a big bear hug, lifting her clean off her feet in the process.