Bound By Blood: Anthology by Cora Reilly

 

Gianna

We fell into a good routine and eventually I really thought I’d mastered motherhood while also keeping up my classes in the gym. Of course, Aria’s warning that especially the first year could be a constant up and down proved right.

At five months, Isa was teething and absolutely intolerable most days. I was torn between worry and pity over her red cheeks. Yet, my worst enemy was exhaustion.

Matteo and I decided to spend a few days in the Hamptons to come down. The ocean air usually calmed Isa but even that was barely working. Aria and Luca had stayed in New York because Aria had a pregnancy checkup and Amo some kind of neck-breaking dirt race. I still wasn’t sure how Amo and Luca had convinced Aria to let him choose this insane hobby. Probably Luca’s argument that he needed to harden the boy for the mob had worked its magic.

It was late in the evening while Matteo was out to grab us food at our favorite place when Isa had a particularly bad crying episode.

Eventually I began to cry as well, overwhelmed and doubting myself and my decision to become a mother. Aria would have been the better choice.

I was rocking Isa, trying to calm her down when heavy steps rang out. I let out a surprised cry when Luca suddenly appeared in the doorway to the nursery.

I was only in Matteo’s shirt and I wasn’t even sure if I was wearing underwear.

“Aria decided to spend a few days here,” he said carefully.

“What about that race?” I said, trying to pretend I wasn’t a crying mess.

“It was in the afternoon. We drove here right after.”

“I guess it’s Aria’s sixth sense,” I said with a forced laugh. “She could feel I didn’t have my shit together and came to the rescue.”

Luca nodded, still watching me. “She’s downstairs, trying to settle an argument between Amo and Marcella.”

Isa let out a particularly loud wail, her cute face becoming a grimace.

Luca approached me as if I were a spooked horse. “Let me hold her for a bit.” In the past, I would have chewed his ear off for the commanding tone but I was glad for his presence. He gently took Isa from me.

“I don’t even remember if I put on panties,” I said miserably.

Luca regarded me. “Don’t worry, I won’t lift that shirt to find out. I saw you down there once, that’ll last for a lifetime.”

I snorted, and a knot loosened hearing his familiar jibe. “Bastard, I was squeezing a baby out of me. I don’t always look like that down there.”

Luca smirked. “If you say so. Still, no thanks.”

I lightly punched the arm that wasn’t holding Isabella. “Careful. I’m not too tired to kick balls.”

“Good,” Luca said, then he rocked Isabella again. When he looked back up his expression was stern. “Go to bed. Get some sleep.”

My eyes darted to Isa. “But… I should rock her. I should take care of her. And Matteo will be back with takeout any moment.” I wasn’t even hungry. I should have been because I hadn’t eaten since breakfast but my body only craved sleep.

“And you do care for her. Truth be told, I never expected you to be a good mom but you proved me wrong,” Luca said. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t get help if you need it. Now go to bed before I drag you there. You can eat cold pizza later.”

“I really want to hug you right now,” I admitted.

“Wait a few seconds, it’ll pass,” Luca said dryly, but his eyes had softened slightly, which was a rare enough sight that it made me emotional.

Luca narrowed his eyes. “Bed. Now.”

I rolled my eyes. “Bastard.”

“Bitch.”

I gave him a small smile, then turned and walked back to our bedroom. The moment my head hit the pillow, I passed out.

Matteo

Luca’s car was parked in front of the mansion when I pulled up. When I checked my phone, I saw his message telling me they’d join us. Grabbing our takeout order had taken longer than anticipated, mainly because I was so sleep deprived that I’d briefly dozed off at the steering wheel and decided to pull over for a minute. That had turned into a power nap of almost forty-five minutes.

Now the car smelled of pizza, which was probably cold by now, and my neck was stiff from the awkward position I’d slept in. I was lucky Tartarus or the Bratva hadn’t chosen my moment of weakness for an attack.

I got out of the car, glad for the cooler evening breeze that cleared my head slightly. Grabbing our takeout, I headed into the house. Neither Gianna nor Luca or his family were downstairs. The low murmur of voices came from upstairs. I set the food down on the dining table before I headed upstairs to find Gianna. All doors were closed so I headed straight for our bedroom. Gianna was curled up on top of the covers in my T-shirt, her perky ass naked and turned my way. Usually the sight would have given me all kinds of naughty ideas, but the last few days of teething and colic had sucked the energy out of me.

Fuck.

Isa wasn’t beside Gianna nor in the crib next to our bed. I turned on my heel and stalked toward Luca’s and Aria’s bedroom, knocking. After a moment, Luca opened the door, already only in boxers. “Is Isa here?”

“Yes,” Aria called from the bathroom before she emerged with a squirming Isa in her arms.

“I can take her,” I said.

Luca shook his head. “You look like shit. You and especially Gianna need a good night’s sleep. With Isa in your room that’s not going to happen. She’s fussy.”

Aria stopped beside Luca. Isa’s cheeks were red as she sucked on a teething ring. I ran a hand through my hair. “Who could have guessed that such a small thing could mean so much trouble?” I leaned down and pressed a kiss to Isa’s forehead.

“It doesn’t get better once they double and triple in size,” Luca muttered.

“You’re crazy for wanting this again,” I said.

Aria smiled. “Go to sleep.”

I nodded and dragged my exhausted ass back to our bedroom. For less than a second, I considered lifting Gianna and tugging her in, then I just let myself drop down on the covers beside her and zoned out.

Gianna was snuggled against me, breathing evenly, her red mane all over my face when I woke. I drew back and watched her a moment. She still looked exhausted.

I frowned. How long had I slept? The sun was up and casting its bright light into the room.

I untangled myself and sat up. Where was Isabella? Then I remembered last night. Luca and Aria had taken over. I got out of bed and walked out. When I didn’t find anyone on the second floor, I headed downstairs. Aria, Liliana, and Marcella were singing some ridiculous kid song. When I entered the dining room, Aria was holding Isa on her hip and swaying back and forth, while Marcella sat in front of her, making silly gestures with her hands that seemed to match the song. Liliana had Flavio on her lap and was moving his tiny arms in rhythm to the music.

Luca, Amo, and Romero with Sara on his lap, sat at the table, having breakfast, which in Amo’s case was the cold pizza I’d forgotten all about, but Luca and Romero were throwing the occasional glance at the girls. I hadn’t even heard when Romero and Liliana had arrived. It must have been in the morning. I slanted a look at the clock. It was already eleven a.m.

I headed over to them, shaking my head. “Who would have thought that it ends like this? I remember the days when the three of us were notorious players and party-goers. Now we’re only notorious killers.”

Amo perked up from his slouch over the pizza carton. “What kind of players?”

“Nothing interesting,” Luca said to his son before he smirked at me. “You look like shit. The only women you can have right now are the ten-dollar crack whores in Jersey.”

“Luca,” Aria whispered, shocked.

Luca slanted a look at Marcella who had stopped singing, and grimaced.

“Never mind,” he said.

“I was never a player,” Romero muttered.

“I remember you with more than enough women,” I said with a grin.

Lily’s attention shifted to her husband. “How many?”

Romero gave me a murderous look.

“Why don’t we postpone this conversation to tonight?” Aria suggested.

“Romero was fairly tame,” Luca tried to save Romero’s ass.

“In comparison to you?” Aria asked with raised eyebrows.

Luca sighed. “We men can’t win this argument, can we?”

She came over to me and handed Isa to me before she went over to my brother, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. “No, no you can’t.”

I kissed Isa’s soft forehead, then pressed her up to my bare chest before I sank down. “How was the night?”

“Busy,” Aria said.

“She can wake the dead with her screech,” Marcella said.

“Maybe she’s trying to sound like that boy band you love so much. What’s their name again? The Castratos?”

Marcella flushed then glared. “That’s not funny.”

I sank down beside Amo and grabbed a piece of the cold pizza. “Why’s your little poo machine not teething and being intolerable yet?” I asked Liliana.

She pursed her lips. “I think he’s just starting to teethe.”

Soft steps rang out and Gianna appeared in the room, red mane a complete mess but she’d put on her own pajama bottoms. She scanned our small congregation with a frown. “What’s going on here?”

“Family council to vote if we’re going to have a second kid or not.”

Gianna snorted and dragged herself over to Aria. “Good luck with that. If necessary, I’ll glue my vajayjay shut.”

“Dad, what’s—” Amo began but Luca shook his head. “Later.”

Marcella looked mildly disturbed but didn’t say anything. Gianna took Isa and cradled her in her arms, kissing her gently. “This girl will remain the only one to ruin my birth channel.”

“Ew,” Marcella exclaimed.

I winked at Gianna who grinned. She sat down beside me.

“You look better,” I murmured.

“I feel better. Sorry about the cold pizza.”

“I fell asleep before I could eat a single bite.”

Gianna rolled her eyes. “Next thing I know we’ll buy a condo in Florida and drive one of those cabs. We’re getting old.”

“You’re growing up,” Luca muttered.

Romero stifled a laugh.

“Family… you can’t live with them, but you can’t live without them either,” I muttered.

Gianna tickled Isa’s belly, earning a giggle. She exchanged a look with Aria.

No matter how much we all teased each other, we stuck together. I’d never appreciated family more than I did now.