Even though I was devastated and furious with him for what he’d done, I had to do the right thing. I couldn’t let him continue to believe a lie that would forever alter the path of his future.
Dalton
Another dinner with the Venettis was in the books. I didn’t know how many more times I could sit there and listen to her parents talk about how glad they were that I was back in the picture and how happy the news of Gianna’s pregnancy made them. They apparently didn’t care much for Antonio.
I had to endure Gianna hanging all over me at dinner and afterwards as we visited with her family. I couldn’t peel her hands from my arm and back without them noticing, and she’d asked me not to break the news to them that we weren’t back together after our long chat the other night.
“Please don’t tell them,” she begged, tears welling in her eyes. “They’re so glad you’re back in my life. It would break their hearts.” Then she asked the one question I hadn’t wanted to answer. “Do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive me and give us another chance?”
“Gianna…” I began, unsure how to break the news to her. I’d already made it clear that we weren’t a couple, and that just because she was pregnant with my child, it didn’t mean we were back together. I couldn’t just forget that she’d slept with someone else and called off our wedding for him, ruining any chance at a future for us. But she was more emotional than usual, thanks to the pregnancy hormones, and I didn’t want to be the cause of her next breakdown. “Let’s just try to get through the next six months without putting too much pressure on ourselves. We need to focus on the baby for now.”
That was my way of letting her down easy, but I wasn’t sure she got it. She was still touching me more than necessary and leaning in to kiss my cheek every time we parted ways. She’d even been bold enough to go on about how much the surge of hormones had increased her sex drive. This whole subtle don’t-upset-the-pregnant-lady approach wasn’t working, and if she kept on like she was, I’d be forced to tell her it was never going to happen and possibly suffer her wrath.
She was exhausted when I dropped her off at her condo, so she didn’t put up too much of a fight this time. When I arrived home, there was a familiar car parked in my driveway. I pulled up next to it and shut off the engine, hesitating a moment before getting out. Walking up to my front entrance, I noticed Aiden sitting on the steps leading up to my porch and my guard went up. The last time I saw him, I thought he was going to kick my ass. He wanted to. I could see it in his eyes. I hurt his sister and he wanted to make me pay. I hoped he’d cooled down since then.
“‘Bout time you got home,” he said in greeting, rising from the step.
“What are you doing here?” I was wary of his motive for being here, so I kept my distance. If he decided to throw a punch, I wanted to be out of his reach.
He let out a slow breath and a feeling of dread settled around me. “I’ve got something to tell you. Can we go inside?”
“Sure.” I unlocked the door and led him inside. We walked to the kitchen and I flipped on the light, motioning for him to have a seat at the bar.
“You got any beer?”
“Yeah.”
“Grab two. We’re both going to need it.”
What the hell? “Okayyyy.” I drew out the word, letting it hang in the air. Reaching into the fridge, I grabbed two beers, handing his over before opening my own.
“Might want to take a seat.”
I sat on the third stool at the bar, leaving an empty one between us. “What’s this all about?”
“Taylor wanted me to bring something to your attention,” he began, and I balked at the mention of her.
“Why couldn’t she just tell me herself?” I was dying to see her so I could explain myself to her. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing by putting things on hold with her while I figured out this whole pregnancy issue with Gianna, but once again I was wrong. I should have just waited and talked to her when I got back, but I panicked. I was a coward, too afraid to face her, which ended up hurting her more.
“I think you and I both know the answer to that.” He was right. The look on her face when she saw me with Gianna nearly broke me. “She doesn’t want to see you, especially after you came into her restaurant flaunting your pregnant ex-fiancé in her face, but-”
“Wait a minute.” I held my hand up. “I wasn’t flaunting anything, and I didn’t know she worked there.”
“How could you not know? She told you she got the job!”
“She only told me that she got a job as a hostess. I assumed she was working at Exeter.”
“Well, shit.”
“What?”
“She thought you took Gianna there on purpose, to drive the point home that the two of you were back together.”
“We’re not back together,” I declared hotly, my voice harsher than I intended. One eyebrow ticked up in suspicion, but I continued. “We’re having a baby and I’m trying to be supportive. I want to be there for her, for both of them.”
“Yeah, about that…” His voice trailed off and he averted his gaze.
“What? Just spit it out already.” I was growing impatient. He had a message from Taylor, and it sounded important.
Aiden took a deep breath. “Okay, okay. Gianna and her friends came into Francesca’s for lunch today, and Taylor overheard a conversation between two of them in the bathroom,” he began, curling his lip like the thought of Taylor in the bathroom disgusted him. “They were talking about Gianna lying to you.”
My back straightened and I leaned forward. “Lying to me? About what?
“About the baby.”
My hackles rose and I gritted my teeth. This was serious. These accusations were serious. I needed to know the rest. “What about the baby?”
“Man, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this,” he began, genuine remorse flitting across his face, “but the baby isn’t yours.”
I shot up from my seat, knocking over the barstool in my haste. “What?” I shouted. “How could you possibly know that?”
“She had a DNA test. The baby belongs to Antonio, but she doesn’t want anyone to know.”
“Bullshit!” I snapped, even though I’d had my suspicions. I just didn’t believe she could deceive me like that.
“Apparently her parents threatened to cut her off financially when she broke up with you and moved Antonio in. They didn’t like him and didn’t approve of the relationship.” That much I knew was true. “When she found out about the baby and realized it was his, she hatched a plan to get you back so she could be back in her parents’ good graces.”
“I don’t believe this.” My anger boiled over and I kicked another barstool into the floor. I gripped my hair and pulled at it in frustration.
“I have the recording.”
“The recording?”
“When Taylor realized they were talking about you, she started recording on her phone. She was afraid you wouldn’t believe her without proof, and Gianna would get away with lying to you.”