Knocked Up by the Beast: A Mafia Romance (Kingdoms Book 1)

by Aria R. Blue

  “If you must,” she says, rolling over to her side and propping herself up on an elbow.

  “Do you think that I’m strange?”

  Her eyebrows knit together. “Where is this coming from?”

  “Everything,” I shrug. “I want things that seem silly to other people. I believe in things nobody else believes in.”

  “Is this about that witch who tried to sell you crystals?”

  I chuckle. “She didn’t try to sell me anything. She just told me to be careful about…something.”

  “Then what is this about?”

  “I don’t know. You’re always telling me that I’m a hopeless romantic and that I’m living in my own world. And I always feel like I’m living in a state of contradiction. My heart tells me to do one thing, but my mind wants something else.”

  My heart wants to reach out to Leo and tell him about the baby, but my mind tells me that it’s too late and that I should wait.

  Sometimes, my feelings and my thoughts don’t align. And it’s during these times that I feel my most vulnerable.

  Julie, to her credit, doesn’t push me to reveal any specifics.

  She really seems to think about it before answering, “So what if you’re a little different? That’s what makes you so refreshing, Belle. You think in ways that astound me. I love the perspective you have on things.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Why do you think I come to you when I’m faced with any problem? You always leave me with a optimistic point of view.”

  Hearing her say that means a lot.

  “I just take some really stupid decisions sometimes,” I sigh.

  “That’s life. We all make mistakes. Is this about that boy?”

  I throw my head back and laugh. “Leo Blackwood is not a boy. You should meet him sometime. I think you’ll like him.”

  “Do you regret not telling him about the baby?”

  I bite my lower lip and think about it.

  Do I regret it?

  “The moment was never right,” I say. “The timing was always wrong. I want him to know of course, but not when we’re going separate ways.”

  “That makes sense,” she says. “You have his phone number though, right? Just in case you change your mind?”

  I look at her. “I don’t want to tell him over the phone. But yeah, I do have his number.”

  He gave me a business card and his necklace to remember him by.

  I know that it’s a promise.

  That he’ll come back for me.

  I hold that thought close to my heart. It’s what will get me through the next few weeks or months until we meet again.

  As long as I’m wearing his diamond around my neck, nothing can go wrong.

  “Let’s go check on Hazel,” Julie says, getting up and dusting the grass off her pants. “It’s not like she’s going to call for help if she needs it.”

  Hazel got back from work a few hours ago. We cried and hugged. A small part of me hoped for a miracle, but she didn’t say a word.

  She’s showing love in her own way though.

  After dinner, Hazel retreated to the small kitchen and started baking. For me.

  “You go ahead,” I say to Julie. “I want to stay here for a few more minutes.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  Julie leaves, clicking the front door shut. It’s just me and the night now.

  I need some time to process everything.

  My life is spinning, spiraling out of control with every day that passes. Some days, it’s the good kind of chaos. But other days, not so much.

  So much has happened so fast.

  The pregnancy, the date night by the falls, the shooting. And now this.

  Leo is in Chicago to deal with some gang stuff he used to be a part of. And I’m supposed to wait for him.

  He said it could be a few months.

  A few months.

  I could have the baby in that time.

  It would mean having to go to all the prenatal check-ups on my own. It could mean giving birth all by myself.

  And Leo wouldn’t even know of it.

  I know I won’t really be alone in this. I’ll have my sisters with me every step of the way. They’ll always have my back. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want Leo by my side as well.

  I stare up at the stars above.

  They don’t seem as bright here as they were at the waterfalls, but they’re still the same stars.

  I take a deep breath of the fresh night air before heading back into the warmth of the cottage.

  The mouth-watering smell of apple strudel greets me.

  It’s a fond memory for all of us.

  Mama used to make it for us all the time. And for Julie, who’s the youngest of us, it’s all she remembers about Mama.

  “Smells so good already,” I say, entering the kitchen.

  Hazel is standing in an apron, furiously working the dough with a rolling pin. There’s a dusting of flour over her button nose.

  Her eyes are bright today. She’s happy that I’m back.

  She turns to smile at me before turning her attention back to making the dough as paper-thin as possible.

  “I thought you were going to help?” I ask Julie.

  “It’s more fun to eat all the filling,” she replies, plucking out all of the rum-soaked raisins.

  “You’re the worst,” I laugh, going over to help myself to some of the filling.

  I reach into the bowl, but Hazel moves like lightning, blocking my hands with the rolling pin.

  I look up at her in surprise. She shakes her head, even as her eyes dance with mirth.

  I hold my palms up. “Okay, ninja. No touching.”

  Hazel picks the bowl up, and scoops all that sliced apple and chopped pecan mixture into the middle of the dough.

  She folds the dough until it covers the filling entirely, and then places it in the oven. I watch as she brushes it with butter.

  There’s a knock at the front door.

  I tear my eyes away from Hazel’s meticulous process, and look at the wall clock out of habit. Except there is no wall clock.

  I had forgotten that they took everything away.

  Swallowing the rising pain, I say, “I’ll get it.”

  Walking to the front door, I look out of the small window. The milky green eyes that stare back at me are fragile and timeless at the same time.

  I’m on autopilot as I open the door.

  The red-haired woman stands in front of me.

  “It’s you.”

  She smiles at me like we’re old friends. “Hello, Belle.”

  “I didn’t think I would ever see you again,” I say honestly.

  “Yet, you were hoping that you would?”

  “Um, yeah. I suppose. You left me with a lot of questions after we had our last…conversation.”

  “Have you met him?”

  I nod.

  Her gaze flicks down to my belly, but only for a second. Electricity shoots up my spine.

  I’ve almost forgotten how eerie and powerful her presence is.

  “I came to tell you that you’re not alone in this, Belle. Even if it may feel that way, you’re not.”

  I nod, even though I’m still in shock. “Okay.”

  “Is there anything you wish to ask me?”

  I had a hundred questions—all of them related to the things she said before. But none of them come to my mind now.

  “Do you have a name?” I ask instead.

  “I have many names,” she answers, a hint of a smile on her lips. “You can call me Zelda.”

  Zelda. It suits her.

  I clear my throat. “Would you like to come inside, Zelda? We made uh, apple strudel.”

  “Not today, my dear,” she says, patting my arm and turning away already. She glances behind her shoulder and says, “Until next time.”

  I watch as she fades away into the darkness once more.

  Like the first time she spoke to me, a
cloud of premonition settles over my shoulders.

  Like the future is being made right this moment. Like I’m standing at a turning point in my life once more.

  I look up at the stars again.

  Some shine brighter than others. The moon is nowhere to be found. But it’s still a glorious night.

  You’re not alone.

  I wonder how many people are looking up at the same stars right this moment. I wonder how many of those people are women who miss somebody. I wonder how many of them are with child.

  I can’t be the only one.

  An invisible golden thread connects us. Each and every single of us.

  Whatever it is that we’re going through and however alone we may feel, we’re not really alone.

  Our joys and our sorrows are all shared.

  We’re part of something greater than we can ever imagine.

  Clarity.

  Even when I was with Leo, I was starting to feel alone. My own fear and self-doubt made me feel alone even in the presence of the person who showed me the most love.

  So that night standing in front of the waterfalls, I made a wish.

  Not for riches or comforts, but for something far more simple. For something that I never had in my life.

  I wished for clarity. For peace of mind.

  And…Zelda just gifted me that.

  “Belle?” Julie calls out my name from inside.

  “Coming,” I shout, closing the door and locking it behind me.

  I join my sisters at the dining table.

  When the strudel is ready, Hazel serves it with warm vanilla sauce.

  And in that moment when the three of us are enjoying the sweet dessert together, everything is okay.

  Everything is unfolding as it should.

  28

  Leo

  1 week later

  Chicago

  * * *

  “A life for a life,” Nicolo shrugs. There’s no hate in his words. Just hurt.

  His black SUV, a whale of a vehicle, is behind him. Two armed men are stationed on either side of it. I know that he has backup men positioned inside as well.

  If he wanted to kill me, he would have done so by now.

  I’m standing in front of Nicolo Monte, a Capo of the Monte Crime Family. With his position, he has every right to kill me. With our history, he has every motivation to.

  But he won’t.

  “It’s not the same,” I say, shaking my head. “And you know it.”

  “It’s exactly the same, comrade.” His icy blue eyes are amused. This is all a fucking game to him.

  “Don’t call me that,” I snap.

  Comrade. A nickname from a lifetime ago. Back when Nico and I used to be inseparable.

  Back when we were best friends.

  But he was born into the Italian mafia, and I was the son of an American gangster.

  Both of us were expected to follow the path our family laid out for us.

  Both of us were expected to be enemies.

  So that’s what we became.

  “A life for a life,” he says again. “You took my girl away from me, so it’s only fair that I do the same.”

  “There was no need for guns. You could’ve hurt her,” I growl.

  “Please,” he laughs. “If I wanted to hurt you, both of you would be dead by now. That night was just a warning.”

  “I’m tired of these games, Nico. What do you want?”

  “You know what I want,” he hisses. “You keep my girl cooped up in your fucking house. Give her back to me. She’s mine.”

  “She’s doesn’t belong to anybody,” I say slowly.

  We’ve been through this before. This isn’t the first time we’re having this conversation.

  “She’s my fucking wife,” he screams.

  “Who wants nothing to do with you,” I say.

  Nico saunters towards me.

  I stand up straighter. I’m not scared of him.

  He might threaten me by pressing his Glock against my skull, but he’s never going to pull the trigger.

  His loyalty runs deep.

  It might have shifted to his family now, but he still respects what we once were to each other.

  He still thinks of me as a brother. And so do I.

  A very problematic brother.

  When his light blue eyes are right in front of mine, they start to burn.

  There’s an all-consuming fire inside them, the kind that will annihilate anything and everything in its path.

  “All I want is a second chance with her,” he says, rage making his voice shake. “I’m willing to give up everything- and I really do mean everything- just to be with her. That girl is my whole fucking life, Leo. You can’t keep doing this to me.”

  I feel sorry for him.

  His idea of a prank might be pulling a gun on me when I’m out on a date with my girl, but I still feel bad for him.

  I hold my palms up. “There’s nothing I can do about this, Nico. I’m sorry.”

  “Yes you can,” he spits out. “Just hand her back to me, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

  This is all about Luna.

  He’s a fool for Luna.

  I’m careful with my words. “I don’t think that’s what she wants. Not right now, at least.”

  “Two. Years,” he hisses. “I’ve given her two years. How much longer does she want me to wait?”

  “I don’t know, man,” I sigh.

  Luna doesn’t seem like she’ll be warming up to him anytime soon. She still hates him with a passion.

  But he doesn’t need to know that.

  “It’s not right,” he says. “What you’re doing. Keeping her from me. Who knows, I might even return the favor one day.”

  I cross my arms in front of my chest. “Are you fucking threatening me, Nico?”

  “It’s called karma. I just said that I might do the same to you what you did to me.”

  I laugh softly. “You just don’t get it, do you? Luna wants nothing to do with you anymore.”

  The fire in his eyes turns into ice—a frosty winter morning.

  He lifts his chin up, and looks down at me.

  I roll my shoulders back. We’re both the same height, but I’m bigger. Nico has slabs of lean muscle making up his body, but I’m naturally bulkier.

  I know that he can hold his own in a fight.

  If it comes to that.

  “Don’t ever,” he hisses, his face contorted in fury. “Don’t ever say her name again.”

  I used to wonder why he was like this.

  Why he was so willing to throw away everything—his family, his relationships, his pride—just to love a woman.

  Now that I have someone in my life I would do the same for, I get it.

  I get why he’s so desperate.

  He’s just a man who’s in love.

  “Look, man,” I say. “You keep putting me on the spot. I can’t help you with this. She came to me. She wanted protection, and I gave her a home. Luna is like a little sister to me now. Don’t ask me to give her back to you when you know I can’t do that.”

  “I just need to talk to her,” he grits out. “She doesn’t understand-“

  “She understands everything perfectly fine,” I say. “But some wounds take longer to heal than others. And what you did to her, it’s unforgivable in her eyes. Maybe she’ll come to forgive you with time, maybe she won’t. But I can’t force her to do something she has no interest in.”

  His jaw quakes. “You’re refusing to let me talk to her?”

  “This isn’t about me, Nico. She has already made up her mind, and I’m going to respect that.”

  Nico barks out a laugh. “You’re forgetting, comrade. You’re forgetting how ruthless I can be. I’m not your enemy. Keep this up though, and I might as well be.”

  Declaring his wrath, he turns around and leaves.

  His men follow.

  The black SUV rumbles to life, and pulls away from the abandoned parking lot.
<
br />   I get back into my rented Cadillac, and stay there for a while.

  Belle.

  I see her when I close my eyes. I see her when I open them. She’s with me in everything I do.

  Spending my days without her is starting to make me feel hollow.

  When I dropped her off at that cottage, she left with my heart in her hands. It will always belong to her now.

  Everything I do, it’s going to be for her.

  Including the quest I’m on right now.

  Tensions are rising between my father and the Russian mob. All I want is to make sure that Belle and I don’t become collateral damage.

  Because as long as my father has enemies, so do I.

  That’s why I came to Nico.

  I was hoping that he’d offer some help. But all he cares about right now is Luna.

  I don’t know how, but he found out that Luna lives at Blackwood Estate. And he can’t get himself to accept that she doesn’t want him in her life anymore.

  When she first came to me two years ago, she was terror-struck. Broken and bruised.

  Something about her reminded me of Ivy.

  And I knew that I had to give her a safe place to live. Damn the consequences.

  Giving her my protection meant enraging Nico and losing him as a friend and ally. But it still seemed like the right thing to do.

  Nico and Luna go way back.

  They were each other’s first love.

  They became each other’s undoing.

  In the beginning, love blinded her. Luna didn’t know that Nico’s family was different. She didn’t know that the Monte’s were one of the three families that owned Chicago.

  It wasn’t until she was married to Nico that she realized what kind of family she married into.

  Their love was real, but so were her morals.

  And the kind of lives the Monte’s lived went against everything she believed in.

  People like Luna and I—we’ve been caught in the crossfire of a life we didn’t choose.

  I was born into it.

  Her mistake was falling in love with a mobster.

  The way their story ended should have been a warning to me.

  Trouble would follow me wherever I went, and Belle might not want to be a part of it.

  But I still have hope.

  The night the bullet bit my shoulder, I discovered how strong and resilient she can be.

  It was in the way her voice trembled, but her fingers were steady as she wrapped the gauze over my wound.