“You are?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I have a funeral to attend in Kansas, and driving is the easiest way for everyone involved.”
“Who died?”
“No one you know. The vampire queen.”
“Get out. The vampires have a queen?”
“They did. But back to you. Are you sure about all this? Sure about this boy?”
“Mom, you can’t keep calling him a boy. He’s a man.”
Donna did her best not to snort. “He’s going to have to prove that to me.”
“He’s marrying me, isn’t he?”
“Yes, but I married a man who turned out to be very different than what I expected.”
“But you got Joe Jr. and me out of that marriage.”
Donna smiled. “Yes, I did.” She sighed. “I’m not mad at you. Disappointed, yes, but not in you so much as in this turn of events. I hope that makes sense.”
“It does. I wasn’t jumping up and down when I found out. I took five pregnancy tests because I didn’t want to believe the results. But they were all positive. And then campus health confirmed it.” Her mouth quirked up a little. “Can you be a vampire and a grandma at the same time?”
“I guess I’m going to find out.” Donna shook her head. Nonna wasn’t a title she thought she’d take on for a long time to come. Funny how life worked out.
“Do you mind if we don’t tell Joe Jr. for a little bit? I can only take so much sharing at once.”
Donna smiled. “It’s your news to share. Although I have no doubt your brother will be thrilled to find out he’s going to be an uncle.”
“I’ll tell him soon, I promise.” She glanced over at her luggage, still stacked by the door where Temo had put it. “Do you have anything to eat or just blood?”
“Sweetheart, this penthouse is loaded with food. And if there’s something you want that we don’t have, we’ll get it.” Donna got to her feet and opened her arms wide. “I love you, you know.”
Christina almost fell into her mother’s arms. “I know. I’m sorry about all this.” She was on the verge of crying again.
Donna didn’t want that. Being pregnant was hard enough without feeling like you were doing it on your own. “Hey.” She pulled back and cupped Christina’s face in her hands. “It’s going to be okay. You’re not in this alone. And I don’t mean Noah. I’m here for you. Okay?”
She sniffed and smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”
Donna embraced her again, kissing her head and hugging her tight. “I can’t believe you’re making me a grandmother before I’m fifty.”
Christina laughed, the desired response. “You’ll be fifty before the baby comes.”
“Just barely.” She let her daughter go. “What would you like to eat?”
“Steak. And a lot of it.”
“We can handle that.”
“Can you also help me tell Aunt Cammie? I’m afraid she’s going to be so disappointed in me. I’m sure the convent won’t like her having a niece that got knocked up before getting married.”
Donna put her arm around Christina’s shoulders. “I wouldn’t be so sure. There’s something I need to tell you about Aunt Cammie…”
Chapter Thirty-four
An hour later, they were all seated at the dining room table, finishing off the steak dinner that Pierce and Temo had happily jumped in to cook for the second night in a row. Even Cammie, who’d thankfully returned in time to eat with them, seemed to be enjoying herself.
And that was with full knowledge of her niece’s impending bundle of joy, which she’d reacted to with all the love and enthusiasm Donna could have hoped for.
In fact, the meal almost seemed like a celebration of Christina’s news. There was laughter and storytelling and such happiness that Donna could almost pretend Fitzhugh wasn’t out to destroy her.
Maybe the prospect of becoming a grandmother had already changed her. Donna was already feeling much better about this new impending stage of her life. A baby was a gift, even if the timing wasn’t perfect. The truth was, despite Donna’s initial reaction, it really did seem like Christina had a great handle on things. But then, she’d survived having Joe for a father. She ought to be able to manage just about anything after that.
And if Noah turned out to be a jerk, well, Donna wouldn’t hesitate to put a little fear into him. In whatever way necessary. She wasn’t about to let her daughter suffer because of a bad decision.
She was already thinking about setting up an account for Christina in case she needed money for anything. Even getting out. Noah’s parents weren’t the only ones with means. Donna wasn’t about to let them control the situation with money either.
The whole thing certainly had Donna thinking about her own upbringing.
Donna’s mother, Rosa, had basically turned her back on Donna not long after she’d realized who Donna had married. Rosa was Sicilian, a devout Catholic, and had been raised with an almost debilitating fear of the Mafia.
Because of that, Donna forgave her just a little. Rosa had been taught to give the Mafia a wide berth. But life would have been much easier if Rosa hadn’t basically shut Donna out.
Donna would never do that to Christina or Joe Jr. And she’d never disappear on them the way her father had done to her and Cammie. She’d thought about it once not too long ago when going into witness protection had seemed like the best way to get Joe and the Villachis out of their lives, but she couldn’t do it.
She couldn’t leave her kids behind. They were her life. And family was everything. These people around this table were just as much her family as those who shared her blood. Donna raised her glass of wine. “I love you all. I want you to know that. I consider you all family.”
Pierce raised his glass a little higher. “I think I can safely say we feel the same about you.”
“Hear, hear,” Charlie said.
Temo looked over at Cammie. “I never thought I’d be related to a nun.”
“Former nun,” Cammie corrected with a smile. “And I never thought I’d be related to a demigod.”
“Wait a second,” Christina said. “You’re a demigod? I’m going to need that explained right now.”
Temo’s smile was sly. “You sure you wouldn’t rather hear about how your aunt became a vampire hunter?”
Christina’s mouth fell open. “Aunt Cammie. Is that true?”
Cammie looked down the table at Temo with a teasing glare. “You’re like the little brother I never wanted.”
More laughter erupted, but it couldn’t drown out the sound of the door chime. Charlie started to get up, but Donna put a hand out, gesturing for her to stay in her seat. “Stay. I’ll get it. I was going to get another bottle of wine anyway.”
“Governor, I can—”
“Don’t worry about it.” Donna was already up. “It’s probably Neo.”
With a smile, she headed to the door. Christina was going to love Neo. And Neo would flip when she found out about the baby.
Donna opened the door, but the vampire standing there wasn’t remotely who she’d expected.
“Good evening, Governor Barrone. I’m Richard D’Angelo, emissary for the Prime. I’ve come to speak with you concerning some recent allegations that may have bearing on your ability to remain a nominee to succeed Queen Artemis.”
Donna stared at him, her heart pounding with such ferocity that there was no way he couldn’t hear it. But her heart wasn’t thumping because he was an emissary for the Prime or because he’d basically just told her that she was on the short list to become queen, but because even without introduction, she knew who he was.
Granted, she hadn’t seen him in nearly thirty-seven years, but his wasn’t a face she would ever forget. How could she? His face hadn’t really changed since the last time she’d seen it. He still looked exactly like the yellowing photo tucked in the envelope that held her passport and birth certificate. But then, becoming a vampire did have a tendency to freeze a p
erson’s looks at the age they’d been turned.
She swallowed as she tried to gather her thoughts and form an answer, but her head was a jumbled mess. How was this possible? Was it possible? Obviously, it was. Could she be wrong? No. Not with that same little scar running through his eyebrow.
“Did you hear me, Governor Barrone?”
“Yes,” she whispered. She cleared her throat, finding a little more strength in the anger that had begun to well up inside her. “You’ll have to forgive me for being a little overwhelmed, Emissary.”
He nodded. “I understand the possibility of becoming queen might certainly—”
“Nope, that’s not what did it. Not even close.” She stared at him. Hard. Wondering if he was really going to pretend that he didn’t know who she was. Because Donna wasn’t about to play that game. “It was more the fact that the man I’m looking at now is the same man who used to be such a big part of my life. The same man who turned out to be such a huge disappointment.”
She held her arms tight at her sides, fists clenched as she practically seethed with resentment. “The same man I used to call Dad.”
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About the Author
USA Today Best Selling Author Kristen Painter is a little obsessed with cats, books, chocolate, and shoes. It’s a healthy mix. She loves to entertain her readers with interesting twists and unforgettable characters. She currently writes two best-selling paranormal romance series: Nocturne Falls and Shadowvale. She also writes the spin off cozy mystery series, Jayne Frost. The former college English teacher can often be found all over social media where she loves to interact with readers:
Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram
For More Paranormal Women’s Fiction Visit:
https://www.paranormalwomensfiction.net/
Other Books by Kristen Painter
PARANORMAL WOMEN’S FICTION:
First Fangs Club series:
Sucks to Be Me
Suck it up, Buttercup
Sucker Punch
COZY MYSTERY:
Jayne Frost series:
Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case: A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Ices the Imp: A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Saves the Sandman: A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Cracks a Caper: A Nocturne Falls Mystery
When Birdie Babysat Spider: A Jayne Frost Short
Miss Frost Braves the Blizzard: A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Chills the Cheater: A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Says I Do: A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Happily Everlasting Series:
Witchful Thinking
PARANORMAL ROMANCE:
Nocturne Falls series:
The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride
The Werewolf Meets His Match
The Gargoyle Gets His Girl
The Professor Woos the Witch
The Witch’s Halloween Hero – short story
The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish – short story
The Vampire’s Fake Fiancée
The Vampire’s Valentine Surprise – short story
The Shifter Romances the Writer
The Vampire’s True Love Trials – short story
The Vampire’s Accidental Wife
The Reaper Rescues the Genie
The Detective Wins the Witch
The Vampire’s Priceless Treasure
Shadowvale series:
The Trouble With Witches
The Vampire’s Cursed Kiss
The Forgettable Miss French
Moody and The Beast
Sin City Collectors series:
Queen of Hearts
Dead Man’s Hand
Double or Nothing
Standalone Paranormal Romance:
Dark Kiss of the Reaper
Heart of Fire
Recipe for Magic
Miss Bramble and the Leviathan
URBAN FANTASY:
The House of Comarré series:
Forbidden Blood
Blood Rights
Flesh and Blood
Bad Blood
Out for Blood
Last Blood
The Crescent City series:
House of the Rising Sun
City of Eternal Night
Garden of Dreams and Desires
Nothing is completed without an amazing team.
Many thanks to:
Cover design: Janet Holmes
Interior formatting: Author E.M.S
Editor: Joyce Lamb
Copyedits/proofs: Chris Kridler
Sucker Punch: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (First Fangs Club Book 3) Page 26