Gianna cringed. “I still have to tell Lily. I can’t postpone it anymore. It’s not fair.”
“Then tell her.” I paused, knowing Gianna would loathe what I had to say next. “You should stop teaching classes. Hiding your bump in gym clothes is much harder, especially if you do all those yoga poses.”
Gianna nodded slowly, surprising me. “I know. It’s been hard to avoid ab exercises these last few weeks. Eventually my clients will get suspicious.”
Wistfulness swung in her voice. Gianna loved her job. She loved feeling useful. A life as a trophy wife wasn’t what she was born to be. She pulled her legs up against her body, her gaze returning to the ocean cloaked in darkness.
When suddenly she jumped, her eyes going wide and darting down to her belly.
“What is it?” I asked, alarmed.
Gianna didn’t say anything at first and only stared down her body. Slowly she lowered her legs and met my gaze. “It’s nothing. I think my stomach is acting up.”
Gianna was lying. “Are you sure you are okay?”
She glanced down at her belly again and nodded slowly. “I’m fine. I’ll just do a few detox-days once we’re back home, then everything will be okay.”
I had a feeling her reaction had little to do with stomach issues and more with the baby.
CHAPTER SIX
Gianna
I’d avoided this conversation with Lily for too long. I wasn’t even sure why. Lily wouldn’t condemn me any more than Aria had. Maybe she would have a harder time understanding my reasoning, after all she was blissfully happy being a mom. But now in my sixth month I couldn’t keep my pregnancy a secret from her any longer. I didn’t want to.
As we’d all agreed on, I’d driven out to the Hamptons after we returned from our vacation. The official explanation why I no longer taught Pilates and yoga was that I had broken my wrist during vacation and it needed time to heal. Now I just needed to stay out of the public eye until early April when the kid was due.
I sat wrapped in a cozy blanket on the couch and watched the flames licking at the top of the fireplace. I wasn’t really a winter person but roaring fireplaces always gave me a sense of peace.
The sound of a car pulling up caught my attention. Matteo had stayed in New York to take care of business with Luca, but Aria and Lily would join me with their kids today and stay until Christmas so we could all celebrate together. Of course, I wasn’t alone in the mansion. Two guards had accompanied me and were manning the security cameras to make sure I was safe.
My belly flipped when Lily entered, followed by her own bodyguard who carried Sara. He sat the kid down who immediately rushed toward me with a grin and climbed on the couch beside me. I smiled at her. She was a much quieter kid than Marcella or Amo. Judging by the line dancer in my belly, it wouldn’t be the hesitant type.
Lily joined me, her eyes crinkling with worry. She glanced at my hands, which were unscathed and frowned. She must have heard the broken wrist rumor from one of the women in my yoga course.
“I’m fine,” I said immediately. “We needed to figure out a lie for why I’m lying low.”
Lily leaned back, waiting, and as usual, her hand pressed to her very prominent belly. Even though she was only a week ahead, her bump was already much bigger. Maybe because it was her second kid or maybe because she wasn’t so desperate to hide it from the world. Sara curled up with her head on Lily’s lap and my sister immediately began to stroke her hair.
I looked away, losing myself in the flames. “You know I don’t want kids.”
Lily nodded, but her frown only deepened.
“And I still don’t…” I pushed down the blanket, revealing the bump that my sweater and sweatpants couldn’t hide anymore.
Lily’s eyes shot open, her shock almost comical in its scope. “Wow. I—” She snapped her mouth shut and shook her head.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
She licked her lips and touched my shoulder, her gaze full of questions she obviously didn’t dare ask.
“At the very beginning of April. You’re only one week ahead,” I said. I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “Aria and Luca are going to adopt it.”
Again surprise then Lily nodded as if it made sense. “So they’ve known from the start?”
I put my hand over hers. Sara was completely oblivious to our conversation and stared almost hypnotized into the fireplace. “I was worried it would affect your pregnancy. I wanted you to enjoy it without anything disturbing your happiness.”
“I’m the youngest sister, but I’m not breakable.”
“Don’t be mad.”
Lily smiled. “I’m not mad, Gianna. This must have been difficult for you. I know kids were never part of your plan.”
“Matteo and I weren’t careful. It’s our fault.”
Lily didn’t say anything. “And you are sure about Aria and Luca?”
“They are amazing parents. You are, too, of course, but you have a baby on the way yourself…”
“That’s not what I meant. Are you sure you want to give it to them?”
“Yes,” I said immediately. I’d been tremendously relieved when Matteo and I had finally made the decision. It was the only option.
* * *
The weeks until Christmas dragged on infinitely. I seemed to be stuck in a kind of endless loop of boredom, stuck in the Hamptons, without a real purpose. Not to mention that the kid seemed to seriously consider becoming either a kickboxing champion or line dancer. Despite Aria’s curiosity I’d asked the doc to keep the gender of the baby a secret.
My boredom was the reason why I almost ran over Matteo in my excitement when he finally joined me in the mansion for a longer period of time to celebrate Christmas. The rest of the family would arrive later the same day.
“Whoa,” he grunted as I collided with him. “Someone’s excited to see my pretty face.” Before I could retort something, he pulled me even closer and kissed me. I deepened the kiss at once. I hadn’t seen him in almost two weeks and was desperate for his closeness. I dragged my lips away. I was already wet and aching for him. “Not for that arrogant face, for your skillful tongue and cock.”
Matteo’s grin got wider. “Your libido’s even more potent than usual.”
“Shut up, and let’s go upstairs.”
I grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to our bedroom, ignoring Matteo’s soft chuckling. We always had the same room when we stayed in the Hamptons, so it felt like a second home away from home.
He let himself fall on our bed, spreading his arms. “I’m all yours. Use me as you see fit.”
I rolled my eyes but knelt on the bed beside him, not wasting any time as I unzipped his pants and tugged at them. Eventually Matteo lifted his ass so I could drag them down. “Won’t you help me?”
“You enjoy being independent.”
I slapped his hard stomach and finally Matteo got undressed. The sight never ceased to amaze me, but Matteo didn’t give me much time to admire him, which was probably for the best. He helped me out of my sweater and my pants before he pushed me down on the bed. Left in my bra and panties, he let his eyes rake over me. For the first time ever, I felt self-conscious. Growing a belly just wasn’t something I could really identify with. Luckily, Matteo wasn’t one to waste too much time before the fun started. With a devilish grin, he bowed over my breast and snatched a nipple between his lips. He gave a hard tug that had me moaning loudly. He pulled back slightly. “I think my favorite girls have grown.”