“That—”
“No,” I interrupted him. “She was right. It wouldn’t have been good for your heart. It sure as hell wasn’t good for mine.”
“Maybe, but I would’ve sucked it up to be here with you for that.”
“I know.” I gave him the biggest smile I could, but it was still lackluster. “But you can see the pictures.”
Kyle and I pored over the images for a few minutes, trying to figure out what was what. They were pretty grainy, though. “How far along are you?”
“About eight weeks,” I said. “Technically anyway. It’s more like six, but there’s this weird gap. Anyway, I’m sure you don’t want to hear about that.”
He blanched. “If it has to do with your cycle and when you, well, you know, then no. I’ll listen if you want me to, but I’d rather not.”
A giggle escaped me. My big brother was the only person in the world who ever heard me giggle, but now even that thought made me want to cry. “What am I going to do, Kyle?”
He stared into my eyes for a minute, saying nothing but studying me like I was a precious painting. “This is Marco’s child. If you’ve been with him for these last few months, I have to tell you, kiddo, I think he was good for you. Better than that. You’ve sounded the best you ever have after you told me you got that job. If it was Marco making you that happy, then I think you need to talk to him.”
“But just yesterday, you said—”
“Forget what I said.” He focused the full weight of his attention on me, and that guilt clouded his eyes again. “It’s hard to watch my baby sister grow up and live her own life, but I want you to have a good life. I was in shock, pissed off, and maybe even a little jealous that you’re going to have a baby when it’s all I’ve wanted for so long. I wasn’t thinking clearly. It sounds to me like Marco really cares about you, and if that’s true, then you should go for it.”
I mulled his words over for a long time, but finally, I nodded. “I think you’re right. I need to try to talk to him, but it might be easier said than done. I chased him away and told him not to come back. If he listened, he’ll be back in Florence by now.”
“Then you’ll stay with me in the meantime. We’ll figure it out, sis. It’s what we do.” He rubbed his hands on his jeans and stood up. “Speaking of which, let me see if I can find a nurse so we can find out what time you’re getting sprung from this joint.”
I nodded. “Go for it.”
He smirked at me. “It might take a minute. I think I’m going to take your advice and see if I can get Nancy’s number while I’m at it. Don’t go anywhere, okay, kiddo?”
“I’ll be right here,” I promised.
And I meant it, too. No matter what happened, no matter how far away from him I was, I would always be right here when he needed me. I only hoped Marco would let me be there for him, too.
Chapter 35
Marco
My plane sat on the runway. The pilot was ready, awaiting my instruction to take off. We’d already been cleared to go.
I hadn’t been able to give the instruction yet. At first, because the gaping hole in my heart and the empty seat next to me refused to let me, but then it became because my mother had called.
Strangely enough, she was both the last and the only person I wanted to talk to right then. Well, the only person who was currently on speaking terms with me.
I would’ve given a testicle to talk to Addy, but it didn’t look like that would happen. Despite her ordering me to go away, I hadn’t. I got a room at the hotel right next to the hospital instead and had spent the last twenty-five hours staring at my phone.
I kept willing it to ring, for her to call and ask me to come back. She hadn’t. The damn device hadn’t stopped ringing, but none of the calls had been from her.
After another virtually sleepless night, I’d finally come to terms with the fact that she wasn’t going to call. At least, not now.
There was no way I was giving up on her, but I could give her time if she needed it. Both of us had received unexpected news that would change the course of our futures forever. It stood to reason that she’d want to be with her brother, who had always been with her through hard times, and also that she’d lash out at me.
Over my dead body was my kid going to grow up half a world away from me, though. The problem was that if I needed to spend an extended chunk of time in the States to convince her to come back with me, I also needed time.
Ricci Logistics had a powerful team that I’d put together over the years. The company would be able to function without me for at least a while but not at the drop of a hat. I needed to go put some things in place before I embarked on the mission to win my family back.
And speaking of family, my phone was still buzzing in my hand. It had stopped and started four times since her first call, but she wasn’t letting up.
“Aldo told me to call you,” she said without even greeting me when I finally answered the phone. “That hasn’t happened for a long time. What’s wrong?”
“Everything,” I confessed. The word made the crack in my heart split wide open, and the next thing I knew, I was telling my mother the whole sordid tale. Well, the condensed version.
“Kyle, that’s Addy’s brother, the one
