Emilia
“Wow, this smells amazing,” I announced, slipping into a seat at the kitchen table.
Sam was finishing up at the stove while Mason joined me at the table. “Sam takes after our mother in the cooking department,” he told me with a big grin.
“It’s just biscuits and gravy. Anybody can do that,” Sam said.
“Yeah, but not the way you do, brother,” he said.
“You’re just too damn lazy to cook,” he quipped.
“Lazy? Or busy?”
Sam placed a plate in front of me, and the smells coming off it caused my mouth to water. A heaping pile of biscuits smothered in country gravy with a side of bacon that was perfectly crispy. This pregnant woman’s dream breakfast.
Sam took a seat across from me, and it hit me. I’d only met these guys the day before, and already, I felt welcomed into their household. It wasn’t awkward for me to be sitting there with them eating breakfast without Graham.
In fact, it felt natural.
The guys continued bantering, and I couldn’t help but laugh at their taunts. It was clear the two of them loved each other. They shared inside jokes and nicknames. It made me wish I had a sibling.
I thought about my child. I wanted to have more children one day, to give them siblings to grow up with. That way if something were to ever happen to me, they’d have each other.
They’d never be alone like I was.
If I had sons, I would be proud if they grew up like the Harveys.
It was a shame that my child would likely not know any of them.
Unless, of course… I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do, and I trusted Graham.
My phone buzzed, and I reached inside my pocket to shut it off. As soon as I did, it started buzzing again. I checked the name. It was from my dad. Or at least someone with his phone. I thought about answering, but Sam’s eyes were on me and it made me re-think it. I clicked to cancel the call. A few moments later, I got a notification for a voicemail.
“Maybe we should talk to them,” Sam suggested.
“No.”
He watched me closely, but he didn’t argue and nodded his head.
What if I’d put these people in danger? They might be able to take Antonio down, but the Lombardo family was powerful, and what if one of them - or more - got hurt or killed because of me? What if I ruined their perfect family?
A lump formed in my throat.
“Is everything okay?” Sam asked from across the table, clearly reading my expression.
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I feigned a smile and piled the last forkful of biscuits and gravy into my mouth. “Better than fine actually. This is delicious.”
“Thanks. You know, Graham can cook pretty well himself,” Sam said with a wink in my direction. “Maybe he’ll cook for you sometime.”
“Maybe so,” I said wistfully.
As soon as my plate was clean, I stood up to walk it into the kitchen, but Mason grabbed it off the table.
“No need, I’ll take care of it,” he said.
“Oh, no, it’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me.”
Mason shook his head and sauntered into the kitchen with his and Sam’s plates as well.
“We’re all pretty damned stubborn,” Sam said.
“Yeah, I can tell,” I chuckled. I remained standing as if I didn’t know what to do with myself.
“So you were woken up pretty early,” Sam commented. “If you need to rest some more, I can take up guard outside the door while Mason keeps an eye on the security system.”
“How long do you think Graham will be gone?”
“Knowing him, he’ll get his ass back here as soon as he can. He really didn’t want to leave, from what Mason told me.” He sat back, watching me as he said, “You know, I’ve never seen him act this way with any woman before. Hell, I can’t remember him ever bringing a woman home before.”
“It’s not like that.”
“It’s not?” Sam asked, lifting a single eyebrow.
“No, we’re not serious,” I confided. “In fact, we hardly know each other.”
He nodded, snorting a laugh as he said, “Well, I know my brother, and I’d say he’s pretty smitten with you already.”
I averted my gaze, unable to look him in the eyes. I didn’t want him to see that I was smitten as well. I cleared my throat and regained my composure. “I think I’ll take you up on the offer to rest, if you don’t mind.”
“Certainly,” he said, standing up. “And if you’d like me to throw your clothes in the laundry, you can toss them out the door and I’ll take care of it.”
How could these men be so good? There has to be a catch somewhere, I told myself. I smiled. “Thank you, Sam. I appreciate it.”
I followed Sam to Graham’s room and closed the door behind me. Once I was alone in the room, the silence was almost frightening. I was tired, but I couldn’t really sleep. My mind was spinning. I grabbed my phone and took a deep breath before pushing the button to listen to the voicemail.
I was surprised to hear my dad’s voice. I half expected it to be Antonio telling me my father was dead. I could hear the fear in his voice. He’d been crying, I could tell.
“Emilia, I’m so sorry for everything. I know it’s too late now, but I love you. And I’m sorry. I regret everything, and I just want you to be safe, sweetheart. Whatever it takes. I don’t care about my life or my business. I just want you to be safe and I know now that Antonio will not keep you safe. Please, Emilia—”
The line cut off before he could finish what he was saying, but it was enough. Tears welled in my eyes and my hands were shaking. I leaned against the wall and my knees went weak, so I just slid to the floor.
Hearing my dad like that hurt. I could tell he was scared, yet, there was nothing I could do for him. I could go back, but…
What if this was a ploy to get me home? He was playing with my emotions and meant none of that.
But what if he did mean it. He said he loved you, Emilia. He’s your dad, of course he loves you. How could he not?
No, I argued with myself. It’s likely a trick. You can’t believe anything that comes out of that man’s mouth. Not a single word.
I could hardly breathe and was gasping for air when there was a knock on the door.
“Everything okay in there?”
“Yes,” I croaked. “I’m okay.”
“Just call out if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Sam,” I said, almost too softly for him to hear.
Don’t do anything stupid, Emilia. Wait until Graham gets back and you can tell him everything. He can help you sort out your thoughts and figure out what to do next. You just have to wait for Graham.
I calmed myself down enough to breathe, and once I felt strong enough, I pushed myself to my feet. I walked over and laid down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. But my thoughts kept coming and I couldn’t stop them. Memories of my father flashed before my eyes. The urge to call him back was there, but I remembered my baby each time the urge became overwhelming.
My baby was the only thing keeping me away from Vegas, and I knew it. Otherwise, I might have rushed off to help my dad, sacrificing myself in the process, even though he didn’t deserve it.