"Are you going to let me in or I am going to stand here all night?" She put her hands on her hips. She looked incredibly beautiful. I stepped aside and motioned for her to come in.
"You look absolutely breathtaking, Maria." I smiled at her and she barely even looked at me.
"What did you want to talk about?" She sat at the bar in the kitchen.
"I have dinner for us. We can eat and then talk." I directed her to the table.
"You have an hour." She sounded monotone.
"What's going on? This isn't you." I asked as she sat down.
"I'm fine. I just have a lot of things to get done." She stared at the table. Something was really wrong and of course she wasn't going to tell me.
"Okay, well here's your food." I sat the bowl of soup and a plate of the salad in front of her. "Enjoy." I sat down and we both ate in silence. I didn't try to make conversation on purpose. I watched her as she ate. She was acting very differently.
"Now," she spoke softly as she sat the bowl and plate aside, "what did you want to talk about?"
"The baby." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"This conversation could have been done over the phone, Nikolay." She had never used my full first name before.
"Ria, I want to be a father to this child, our child. I'll do anything to have a chance to give our child a normal life, well as normal as normal can be in our world. Don't marry Marco, please."
"Well, that's a nice thought but you already know the answer and by the way I'm not marrying Marco. It's hard to marry a dead man." She sounded cold and distant.
"What do you mean a dead man? What happened?" I was concerned, had someone tried to hurt her and he got killed instead?
"It's funny that you should ask, Nikolay, seeing as you were the one he was feeding information to. Information like the location of the Italian boss' supposed mistress who was actually my mother. You got the information and decided to kill her. You pulled the trigger of the gun that killed my mother, Nikolay." She stared at me with anger written all over her face.
"I didn't know it was your mother and I didn't know Marco was the one giving us our intel. You have to believe me, Maria."
"My child will not have a father that's a monster. This child is already saddled with me for a mother and this stupid life. I don't want this for my child, Nikolay but you've left me no other choice. People like us aren't supposed to have children."
"What do you mean people like us? You're nothing like me, Maria." I was really confused, she doesn't kill people so why would she say 'people like us'?
"Just forget it. Nikolay, we can't raise this child together. I will make an agreement with you and we can try to work things out as parents but we just won't work as a couple." Tears were forming in her eyes. She wanted us to work just as much as I wanted us to work.
"Maria, we can be together. We just have to work hard at it and then one day we can join our families together and we can get married and have more children and I will make your dreams come true." I got up and walked over to her.
"Don't make this any harder than it has to be. You killed my mother. You killed the most important person in my life. You took away my mother." She stood up and backed away from me.
"Maria, I wouldn't have if I had known who she really was, I swear." I reached out for her.
"Our child was given monsters for parents." She whispered and walked out the door. I wanted to go after her but I knew that I had just lost her. I still didn't understand why she said that she was a monster. I cleaned up dinner and sat in the bed, replaying every second of the night I met Maria.
An hour later my phone rang, it was Demitry. "Yes?"
"We found her killer."
"Who was it? What happened?"
"She was involved with Marco. She was collateral for what he had done."
"Who killed her, Demitry?" I felt tears falling from my eyes.
"The new Italian boss. Rumors are going around about the boss personally killing Marco and his Russian girlfriend." Fuck.
"I need you to promise me something, Demitry. What I am about to tell you is something that you can't tell anyone." I needed to tell him about everything going on between Maria and I. "The girl I danced with at the party. Elana's friend Ria." I spoke softly.
"What about her?"
"Her name is Maria Anna Salvatore. She's the Italian boss's daughter."
"No..."
"We fucked that night. She told me before I left for Russia that..." I didn't think it would be this hard to tell him.
"She told you what, Niko?" He raised his voice.
"She's carrying my child..."
Chapter Seventeen
Maria
Weeks had gone by since the dinner at Niko's condo. Belle and I were planning the wedding details. Even though Paolo and I were marrying in private I still wanted it to be somewhat special. Once we tell my father, he'll insist on a big ceremony that he'll want the entire family at. I wanted a huge white wedding but right now time was of the essence. I was starting to show because of my small figure. I was staring out at the city from the balcony when Paolo joined me.
"Penny for your thoughts?" He nudged my arm with his.
"Niko killed my mother and I told him I knew about it when I had dinner with him. I killed a close friend of his because she was Marco's fuck buddy. I killed Marco. I killed three people."
"You only killed two people and it was for good reasons."
"I killed the girl I used to be too. I'm becoming a monster like my father was after mama got sick."
"You're trying to protect your family and your child, Maria." He pulled me into a hug.
"I keep trying to tell myself that to justify my actions but it's not working."
"Hey, just think tonight you get to marry me." We both laughed.
"Speaking of that, I need to talk to you and Belle. She's still here right?" We walked inside to the living room.
"Yeah, she's been on the phone most of the morning and afternoon finalizing the details. I'll go get her, she needs a break anyway." He winked at me as I sat on the couch and rubbed my belly. A couple of minutes later Belle and Paolo walked into the living room and sat next to me.
"What's up? Oh, by the way everything is set for the ceremony." She smiled.
"Thank you but I need to tell you both something."
"What's wrong?" Belle had a worried look on her face.
"I want you both to be as happy as you can be so even though Paolo and I are going to be married, I would like for you guys to be together in private. Belle, I'd like for you to move into the condo with us so it's easier for you and Paolo to be together. Paolo and I will only act as a married couple when we're outside of this condo unless people are here. I know you both want to be together and this is the only thing that is stopping you so please, with my blessing be together." I smiled at them and we had a group hug.
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Later that night, Belle, Anna, and I went to get our hair and makeup done for the ceremony. I had mine half up and half down, curled and pinned back for my veil to sit perfectly on my head. Anna had hers up in a ballerina bun with curls hanging around the front of her face. Belle had hers braided in a crown on top of her head. My makeup made me look like a princess and Belle's made her look like a goddess. We got to the church and we finished getting ready.
Belle was in a floor length pale pink lace one shoulder dress and she looked absolutely beautiful. We had chosen a similar dress for Anna but it was more traditional with lace sleeves and little flowers stitched in to make it look like a flower girl dress. I fell in love with my dress the first time I saw it. Belle and I had spent hours at the bridal salon looking at dresses. We must have gone through at least fifty dresses before I saw mine.
My dress was a full lace mermaid style gown with long sleeves and a beautiful lace train. The back buttoned up all the way to my neck. It was a very modest dress and it reminded me so much of the dress that my mama wore for her wedding. It was a
n absolutely gorgeous off white color. I would keep this dress for years to come and maybe one day Anna would wear it for her wedding. I slipped into my white Louboutins and we made our way into the main part of the church.
Paolo was wearing a simple all black tux and he looked absolutely handsome. The music started and Anna walked down the aisle followed by Belle. The wedding march began to play softly and I walked down the aisle slowly. The ceremony started as we began the wedding vows.
"I, Paolo, take you, Maria, to be my wife, I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life. Maria, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." He slipped a solid silver wedding band with a beautiful medium sized diamond onto my ring finger.
"I, Maria, take you, Paolo, to be my husband, I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life. Paolo, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit '' I slipped a solid silver wedding band the word 'familigia' engraved on the top onto his ring finger.
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, you have now been joined together as one. You may kiss the bride." The priest motioned for us to kiss. Paolo hugged me and kissed my cheek and my forehead. I was now Mrs. Paolo Russo. I was a married woman and he had saved my child from growing up without a true father figure. We were going to go home and eat dinner as a family.
Chapter Eighteen
Nikolay
I sat in bed with my laptop checking my emails and ordering a few things for my mother's birthday when Demitry popped into my room. "Hey, what's up?" I smiled at him.
"We need to talk about Maria, Niko." He crossed his arms as he stood at the end of my bed. We hadn't talked about it since I told him three weeks ago.
"I get that you're mad and that you think I'm an idiot for even letting her keep the baby but I didn't have a say in if she kept the baby. That's her choice since I'm not her husband." I shrugged.
"That's right you're not her husband, Niko. She got married three weeks ago but I'm sure she didn't tell you that. Why would that be?" He stared at me.
"I'm sure she's doing it to protect herself." I looked back down at my laptop.
"No, Niko. You're wrong. Elana said that Maria's been in love with the guy since they were teenagers and the only reason she was engaged to Marco was because her dad told her she was going to marry him." I looked up at him with a hurt look on my face.
"What do you mean? She can't love him. She wouldn't do that. It's her enforcer isn't it? She wouldn't marry someone unless she's just protecting herself. She would have talked to me before she did it." I sat my laptop aside and got out of bed.
"Elana said that Maria told her that it's the guy's baby. What if she told you and him that you were both the father? What if she didn't know the baby wasn't yours until before she married the guy and that's why she told you the baby was yours? What if she found out that you aren't the father?" Demitry walked towards the door.
"Demitry, she was a virgin when we had sex." I followed him to the door.
"Well, that changes things..." He shook his head. We walked out of the room and downstairs. We didn't say anymore about Maria or the baby. He met Elana at the door and I went into the kitchen after waving to her. I shook my head and sat at the island.
"What would you like this morning, Niko?" Natasha asked. Natasha was like my second mother. She had taught me how to cook and was always there when my mother and father weren't which was most of my childhood. When I was five and up until I was ten, Natasha was the only one there to be my parent. My mother was always on some trip just to have an excuse to get away from my father. My father was always at the other house to do business and I'm sure he was also entertaining young women in sexual ways.
"Whatever you're fixing, Mama." I smiled at her as Anya came running through the doors with paint all over her hands and dress. I crossed my arms as she came to halt. "What have you been doing, Anya Diana Romanov?" She looked like she had seen a ghost. I never used her full name unless she was in some serious trouble. She ran out of the door and I got up to follow her. She was half way up the stairs when she ran into one of the housekeepers who then dropped a vase of flowers on the floor. She fell over and started to cry and scream. I sprinted up the stairs and picked her up and took her to her room.
She continued to cry as I sat her on her bed. She had some glass stuck in her hand and her knees. I slowly pulled the glass from her hands and knees. "You shouldn't have been running up the stairs, little one." I grabbed the first aid kit from the cabinet in her bathroom. I picked up the rubbing alcohol, the liquid stitches, a couple of gauze pads and some medical tape. "This is going to sting, baby girl, but Papa needs you to be a brave little girl. Can you be Papa's brave little girl?"
She sniffled and shook her head 'yes'. I smiled at her and then began to pour some alcohol over the spots on her knees and quickly put the liquid stitches on, placing the gauze on and taping it into place. I repeated the same process with her hand. I grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet after putting the first aid kit back and wet it with warm water, wringing it out a couple of times.
"I was a big girl Papa!" She was smiling as I came out of the bathroom. I sat next to her and wiped her tears with the warm cloth.
"Yes, you were little love! Let's get you into a new outfit. How about some leggings and a sweater dress, huh?" She giggled. I went into her closet and grabbed the clothes, slipping the bloody ones off and carefully putting the news one.
"Can we eat now, Papa?" She continued to smile.
"Absolutely, Papa is starving." I picked her up and walked back downstairs to the kitchen. Natasha had eggs, bacon, biscuits, and some fruit sitting on the counter with a glass of orange juice for me and a cup of milk for Anya.
"I figured you'd be back down soon so I just kept it in the oven." Natasha smiled and went about cleaning the dishes.
"Thank you. It looks delicious." Anya and I ate until we were full. I sat her down from the chair and she ran into the play room as I went into my office. There was an email in my inbox of a house that my mother had wanted me to buy for a vacation house last year but I had told her no. It was a house on the other end of the street. I opened the pictures up and looked through them. It was a bit off of the beach but it was absolutely beautiful. I decided then and there that I was buying that house.
I'd turn into a getaway for Maria and our baby. Maybe we could see each other on the weekends and at least give our child some kind of normalcy. I emailed the realtor to set up the buy. I didn't need to see anymore. Maria would love it. Even if we didn't get to be there together at least it could be a piece of me for my child.
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It was only a few hours after I sent the email that the check was written, the house was paid for, and I held the deed in my hand after meeting the realtor to get the keys. I opened the door and it was absolutely breathtaking. I walked into the foyer and up the stairs. I walked from room to room and found the room for the nursery between the master suite and the guest suite. I went into town and grabbed some tan and pale green paint. I figured if we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl I would just paint it like this for now. Maria could always change it if she wanted to.
It only took me about an hour and a half to paint the entire room the pale green color. I painted the baseboards and the crown modeling a tan color. I waited for the paint to dry and went downstairs to look for furniture on the internet and see if the stores had some. I ended up going back into town and picking it all up. It was a dark cherry color and it looked so much like my room in the condo. I got a crib that we could use as a toddler bed and then it converts up to teen years too. I got a bookshelf changing table that we could put his or her books and stuff in. I also got a dresser for his or he
r clothes in. I picked up some random stuff while I was there too. I got a new lock from the Home Depot and it had a vintage key. I had them make a vintage style key for the house too.
I finished up with things in the nursery when I got back to the Hamptons. I tied two different colors of ribbon on each key. The house key got a black ribbon and the nursery key got a pink and blue ribbon. I placed them both in a tiffany blue gift box and wrapped the black ribbon around it and tied it in a bow. I placed a card on the top. I locked up the house and went to drive to Maria's condo.
I got to the condo about two hours later. I went up to her floor, placed the box and card in front of the door and knocked on it. I ran back into the elevator as she opened the door and went back down to my car. I drove back to my house in the city and went straight to my room.
Chapter Nineteen
Maria
I heard a knock on the door and got up before Paolo had the chance to. Louis was watching me closely as I opened the door. There was small tiffany blue box with a card sitting there. I had no idea what it was but picked it up anyways. I closed the door and went to sit back on the couch with Paolo and Belle. Anna had been napping because she wasn't feeling well. I untied the black ribbon that held the box and the lid intact. There were two keys with ribbons respectively attached to them as well. I opened the card and immediately knew it was from Niko.
My dearest Maria,
I know that you and I can't be together and that you've made the choice to marry someone else. I accept your choice because I know that you're doing what's best for you. I will always protect you from harm considering you are the mother of my child, you must know that. I can only do so much without bringing a large amount of attention to our previous encounters and the fact that you are carrying my child. So this, my sweet Maria, is my gift to you. You'll find that these keys fit locks within the address of 216 Dune Road, Quogue, New York.
This is my gift to you and our child. I hope that you love it just as much as I do. It's the only thing I knew I could give you and the baby that may give us the option of spending weekends together as our child grows up. Please don't take this as a gift with strings attached. It's all in your name so that no one can trace your connection to me. Your safety and our child's safety is the only thing that matters to me above my duties as Boss.
Dangerously In Love: Mafia In Love Series, Book One Page 8