Bound By Blood: Anthology by Cora Reilly

 

Luca

It was way past midnight when Matteo and I entered the elevator in our building. We’d tracked down a gun depot of Tartarus MC in Jersey and burned it to the ground. Despite my hit to their chapter three years ago they were still being a pain in our asses.

Their cooperation with the Russians was shaky but they still had us as their common enemy.

Matteo yawned as he leaned against the mirrored wall. “Any luck on your house hunt?”

I shook my head. “Not yet. Most houses with a yard are too far out of the city.”

“Aria will pop out your kid soon so you better find something.”

“Still two months to go,” I muttered, but he was right. We’d been looking for a new home for us for three months now. The penthouse was too small for us and two kids, and they needed a yard where they could play, even if Aria and her sisters spent the weekends and the summers in the Hamptons.

The elevator stopped on Matteo’s floor and he left with a wave. I felt drained when I entered the penthouse, and the stench of burned wood hung in my nose.

A noise on the stairs made me tense, my hand going to my holster out of habit.

“Dad?” Marcella’s small voice carried through the dark. I lowered my arm and headed for the stairs where I found my daughter perching on the last step, rubbing her eyes. I squatted before her and she opened her arms wide. “Hold me.”

I picked her up and her small arms wrapped around my neck. “Why are you down here?”

“Can’t sleep.”

“Why didn’t you join your mom in bed?”

“I did, but you weren’t there… I wanted to wait for you.”

My heart swelled and I kissed her forehead. “I’m here now.”

She nodded in the crook of my neck. “Where were you?”

“At work, princess.”

“You smell like smoke.”

Fuck. Good thing I didn’t come home covered in blood today. That was something Marcella didn’t need to see. Eventually she would understand what I did but not yet. I didn’t want to taint her innocence so soon. “We had a bonfire.”

“Can we have one too?” she said in her soft, high voice.

Fuck.

I chuckled. “Next time we’re in the mansion.”

“Okaayy,” she murmured, her body already going soft. I carried her upstairs into the nursery and put her into her bed then covered her with her pink bedding. Her entire room was a girl’s dream of rose and white with unicorn drawings on the walls. Five years ago, I’d have never thought that any room in my penthouse would ever look like that. After a kiss on her forehead, I walked into the master bedroom.

The moon illuminated Aria’s sleeping form. As usual, she was turned toward my side. I quickly undressed and put on new boxers before I crept into bed. Aria had stuffed the blankets under her belly while her breastfeeding pillow was wedged between her legs. I supposed I’d sleep without covers again. Smiling, I pressed a soft kiss to her protruding belly then halted when I felt a small kick. My boy.

I lightly rested my forehead against Aria’s baby bump, marveling at the small wonder growing inside of her.

“Luca?” Aria whispered sleepily.

I lifted my head, kissed her mouth and stretched out beside her. Reaching around her, I carefully pulled her as close as her belly allowed. She pressed her forehead against my chest then kissed the skin lightly. “Bad day?” she asked, her voice drowsy and her breathing slow and even.

I drew in her comforting flowery scent, ran my fingers through her silky hair then down the soft skin of her arm.

“Not anymore,” I said quietly. “Now sleep.”

She did, and eventually I fell asleep as well.

I woke covered in sweat. Blinking against the early morning light, it took me a moment to figure out the heat source.

I was stretched out on my back and Marcella was sprawled out across my chest, her hair sticking to my throat and chin. It was incredible how much heat her little body gave off. The second heat source was Aria, pressed against my side, her head on my shoulder and one arm thrown over Marcella and me.

Before Aria, I couldn’t even fall asleep with another person in the room. Now I didn’t even wake when my daughter snuck into our bedroom and used me as her mattress.

It must have been a deeply buried instinct that allowed me to differentiate because the few times I’d had to sleep somewhere else, I’d woken the second someone had as much as moved in the next room. It was as if my body knew I could trust Aria and Marcella and didn’t have to wake when they were around.

While I loved having my two girls as close as possible, I was going to have a heat stroke soon if they didn’t give me some space. Shifting, I tried to move Marcella off my chest without waking her. Tough luck.

Marcella opened her blue eyes, blinked at me then yawned.

“Shouldn’t you be in your bed?” For a while she’d crept into our bed almost every night but I wanted some privacy for Aria and myself, so we’d put a stop to it… mostly.

She gave me a sheepish smile and batted those long lashes. “I had a nightmare.”

“Did you really?” I asked sternly, or as sternly as I was capable of when Marcella was concerned. I was getting better the older she got because I knew she’d have to learn the rules of our world and couldn’t act like a spoiled princess.

She bit her lip, grinning cheekily. “No.”

“What did I tell you about lies?”

“They are bad,” she said, pushing into a sitting position on top of me. A few strands of her black hair stood off to the side.

I touched her chin. “No lying.”

She gave a nod then she slid off me and dashed away.

I chuckled.

“She’s got you wrapped around her little finger,” Aria said with a laugh then kissed my collarbone and chest.

“Like her mother.”

Aria raised her eyebrows and I kissed her mouth before I touched her belly. “How is he?”

Her expression softened further. “Amo’s kicking up a storm. He’s more active than Marcella was. He’ll be a little daredevil.”

I nodded as I stroked Aria’s belly, wondering how difficult he’d be. If he were like Matteo, we’d have our hands full. I still worried about the way I’d handle him. With Marcella I felt such a strong sense of protectiveness, I’d never be able to punish her harshly, but a boy? A boy who pushed my buttons and needed to be strong for the Famiglia.

“Stop worrying,” Aria said gently.

I sighed. “You know me too well. I’m not sure I like it.”

Aria propped herself up on my chest. “You love it.”

She was fucking right. I loved that Aria knew me better than anyone else, but I still tried to keep certain things from her—like the extent of my concerns about having a boy.

“I like Amo better every day,” I said to distract her.

Aria beamed. When she’d first suggested the name, I had hesitated because it wasn’t a very common name in our circles but then I’d figured that it was for the best. I wanted Amo to be special, wanted him to be better than Matteo and I, than everyone else. A better Capo and man than any Vitiello before him.

Aria

The pressure in my lower belly had gotten increasingly worse through the night. My due date was in three days. Staring up to the dark ceiling, I wondered if I should wake Luca but I worried that this was only a false alarm. He’d had a hard day and needed sleep. A strong contraction made me flinch and I cradled my baby bump, pressing my lips together.

Luca stirred beside me. “What’s wrong, love?”

“It’s probably nothing. I didn’t want to wake you. But I’m having contractions.”Luca turned on the lights at once then rolled around to me with worried eyes. He touched my belly lightly as if he thought it would explode if he put too much pressure on it. “Should we drive to the hospital?”

If this wasn’t the real deal, we would spend hours in the hospital for nothing and Luca would lose a whole night of sleep. “I don’t think—”

Another, a stronger contraction cut me off and I panted, my fingers digging into the bedsheets.

Luca shook his head. “We’re going now.”

I could only nod. Luca helped me get out of bed and called Matteo while I got dressed in a summer dress, merely because it was comfy and could be taken off without hassle.

“Mom?” Marcella called from her room. “Dad?”

“I’ll get Marcella,” Luca said and disappeared before returning with our little girl on his arm, who was half-hidden behind her favorite teddy bear.

“You’ll be cold in this,” Luca commented when he saw what I was wearing.

I shook my head. “Trust me, being cold will be the last thing on my mind soon.”

Luca grabbed the hospital bag with one hand as he held Marcella with the other. Her dark hair was all over the place and she was rubbing her blue eyes sleepily.

Slowly I made my way down the staircase, taking one step after the other while Luca kept throwing worried glances over his shoulder at me.

Another contraction made me grab the banister for balance. Luca quickly rushed down the remaining steps and set Marcella and the bag down. “Wait here. I need to help your mom.”

Marcella nodded with big eyes, looking lost as she stood in her pink pajamas where Luca had left her. She didn’t understand what was going on and I wasn’t sure how to explain it to her. She knew she’d get a brother soon but for her he’d magically appear like a present. I wished it could be like that.

Luca wrapped an arm around me and slowly helped me down the remaining stairs. The elevator started moving up and a moment later Matteo stepped into our apartment in sweatpants. His eyes darted from Luca and me to Marcella who was clutching her teddy bear against her chest.

He strolled over to her. “There’s my favorite girl,” he said, grinning, but Marcella didn’t smile, only peered at him with big watery eyes. My heart ached but I wasn’t sure how to make this easier for her. Maybe if I hadn’t been in this much pain already, we could have made something up, but now I drew a blank.

Matteo squatted in front of her with a smile. “How about you spend the night with your favorite aunt and uncle? Gianna’s making chocolate chip cookies as we speak.”

I supposed tonight was a good time to break the ‘no chocolate after brushing teeth rule’.

“Are they good?” Marcella asked, tilting her head in that cute way she had.

Matteo chuckled. “Well, the dough is store bought, some fancy organic stuff, so chances are they’re going to be edible if we head down now and make sure your aunt doesn’t burn them.”

“Okay,” Marcella said in a gravelly voice. Then peered back at Luca and me.

“Go ahead, princess. I’ll make sure your mom is all right.”

Matteo opened his arms and Marcella immediately moved toward him, snuggling close. Matteo’s face softened as he scooped her up and pressed her to his chest. “Make sure my brother doesn’t get into trouble without me.”

I smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Matteo grinned then turned serious as he looked at Luca. “I’ll keep her safe.”

We stepped into the elevator together and descended to Matteo’s and Gianna’s floor. My sister hurried over in what looked like Matteo’s boxers and a cut-off tank top when the doors slid open and kissed my cheek. “Keep me updated.”

I nodded because I could feel another contraction fast approaching. Gianna turned to Luca. “Keep her safe.”

Not waiting for his reply, she tousled Marcella’s hair and kissed her cheek. “How about we paint our toenails? Maybe you and I can even convince Matteo to let us paint his as well.”

She gave Matteo a cheeky grin.

“Yes, please, Matteo. Pleeaase,” Marcella said, batting those long dark lashes at her uncle.

Matteo sent Luca a tortured look. “Hurry up for my sake.”

“I’ll think of nothing else during labor,” I muttered as I clutched Luca’s arm in a death grip.

Luca jammed the button that would take us down and the doors closed to Gianna’s and Marcella’s smiling faces and Matteo’s resigned one. The moment we were hidden from view, I released a sharp gasp and bent forward, propping myself up on my thighs as I tried to breathe through the contraction.

Luca rubbed my back. When we arrived at the underground level, he gently steered me toward the car because I could hardly think straight from pain. “You’re doing great, Love.”

I couldn’t even put into words how grateful I was for the man at my side. Without his support, this would be twice as hard. With him at my side, I just knew everything was going to be all right.

Luca

Seeing Aria in pain was the fucking worst thing I could imagine, even if I knew it would be worth it in the end and that the pain would be forgotten once Aria held our son in her arms. Still I wished I could bear the pain in her stead.

We arrived at the hospital within fifteen minutes and were taken into the delivery room at once. Soon two doctors joined us and started checking the baby’s vital signs. One of them shook his head then turned to us. “We need to do a C-section. The heart rate and the oxygen level has gone down and your wife isn’t dilated enough.”

“Do what you have to do to guarantee my wife’s and our son’s safety,” I said quietly, giving them a warning look they couldn’t possibly misread. None of them would survive tonight if something happened to my family.

Aria’s eyes were wide as she breathed through another contraction. “I want a natural birth.”

“I know, Love, but this is for the best for you and the baby.”

It didn’t take long until everything was prepared for the operation. One of the doctors turned to me before they began. “Usually we warn the fathers that they shouldn’t look over the barrier unless they can stomach a lot of blood, but I don’t think that’s necessary with you.”

I didn’t like his tone one bit and gave him a cold smile. “I can handle blood, don’t worry.”

After that, I focused all my attention on Aria, cradling her head and whispering words of adoration in her ear. I could see the worry and fear in her eyes, probably not for herself but our unborn child. “Everything will be all right.”

I wasn’t sure how much time passed until the doctor finally lifted our son, all wrinkly and blue. For a moment, I thought he wasn’t breathing but then he let out a loud wail and the doctor turned to do checkups. He was much bigger than Marcella had been, definitely my son.

Aria released a harsh breath and I kissed her forehead, then her ear, whispering, “I love you more than life itself, principessa. You gave me the greatest gift of all, your love and our children.”

Tears filled Aria’s eyes and she put her hand over mine.

The doctor carried our son over to us and put him down on Aria’s chest. She stroked his back then looked up at me in wonder, and everything else seemed to fade to black, becoming irrelevant. “He looks like you.”

He did.

His hair was pitch black and his eyes gray, and he weighed at least nine pounds from the look of it.

I nodded. Like me, but innocent and tiny. I reached out and stroked his cheek. My finger appeared huge against it.

Aria looked exhausted and pale. “Would you like to hold him?”

“Yes,” I murmured, my voice strangely hoarse. I gently picked our baby boy up from Aria’s chest and held him in my arms. I’d forgotten how tiny and vulnerable babies were, how much they depended on our care. I wasn’t sure why I’d thought my feelings for my son would be different than for Marcella. In the few minutes that he was on earth, I already loved him with a fervor I only reserved for Aria and my daughter. He still needed my protection like they did, and I would keep him safe as much as I could.

“Amo,” I murmured as I put my finger into his small palm.

Aria watched us with tears in her eyes while I kept checking the doctors who stitched her up to make sure they were focused on the task at hand. When we were finally admitted to our private room, I bent over Aria and kissed her forehead then her lips. “You are incredible, principessa.”

She gave me a tired smile. “Will you stay the night?”

“Of course. I won’t leave your side.”

Cradling Amo in my arms, I watched over Aria as she fell asleep. I wouldn’t close my eyes until we were back home. They would be safe; nothing else mattered.

Because of the C-section Aria wasn’t allowed to leave the next day, but Gianna and Matteo took care of Marcella, probably stuffing her face with chocolate and letting her watch TV until her little brain was completely frazzled. We decided not to have any visitors to give Aria time to heal and agreed to meet in our penthouse.

I carried Amo on my arm and Aria’s bag in my other hand as we stepped into the elevator.

“I hate that I can’t carry him because of the C-section,” she said, looking longingly at our son.

“It’s only a couple of weeks. Your sisters will be around to help you, and Matteo will take care of business as much as he can so I can stay home.”

Gianna, Liliana, Romero, and Matteo were already in our penthouse when we stepped inside. Someone, I assumed Liliana, had decorated everything with balloons and baked a cake with blue frosting.

Aria’s eyes widened in surprise. She moved carefully into our home, trying to hide that she was still in pain, but I caught the occasional wince.

Gianna and Liliana, who carried Marcella in her arms, hurried over to Aria and hugged her while Matteo and Romero joined me. Romero touched my shoulder, regarding Amo with a smile. “He looks like you.”

Before I could say anything, Matteo spoke up.

“He looks like a fat little Buddha with black hair.” He lifted one of Amo’s stubby arms.

Aria sent Matteo an incredulous look and I would have hit him over the head if I hadn’t been carrying Amo.

Matteo flashed the girls a grin. “Come on, it’s the truth. It’s not like he’s an ugly baby but he’s a little Michelin man with all those fat rolls.”

“If he gets as tall as Luca, he’ll grow quickly, then he needs the additional weight,” Romero said diplomatically.

“Let’s hope so. On the other hand, maybe we can torture our enemies by letting your little sumo wrestler sit on them.”

“How about you shut up?” I muttered.

Gianna stalked over to us and pinched Matteo, who flinched, then rubbed the spot. “Look at him and tell me he doesn’t look like a baby Buddha.”

Gianna rolled her eyes then gave me an exasperated look. “Congrats. I hope you don’t drop your kid on the head like someone must have done with Matteo when he was a baby.”

“I’ll do my best,” I said then peered down at Amo who was deep asleep, oblivious to Matteo’s comments.

Liliana came over with Marcella in her arms. “Look, that’s your little brother.”

I gave Marcella a smile, lifting Amo so she could get a better look. She watched her brother with her head tilted to the side as if he was a new toy she was trying to figure out. “Why isn’t he doing anything?”

“Because he’s a baby. They sleep, poop, and eat,” Gianna said.

Aria sighed, but I could tell she was fighting a grin.

“That’s boring,” Marcella said, looking disappointed. Then she glanced over at Aria and stretched out her arms. “Mommy, arm.”

Aria’s expression fell.

“Mommy isn’t allowed to carry anything at the moment,” I said. Marcella’s lower lip began to tremble. Fuck. I couldn’t stand it when she cried.

Gianna sighed and came over to me. “Come on, give me your little poo machine. I’ll carry your future sumo wrestler while you snuggle with Marci.”

I handed Amo to her and her widened eyes flitted over to my wife. “How did he ever fit inside of you?”

Aria laughed. “I don’t know.”

“Good thing you didn’t have to squeeze him out of your vajayjay.”

“Hey,” I said in warning as I took Marcella from Liliana who went over to Gianna to hold Amo’s tiny hand.

“What’s a vajayjay?” Marcella asked immediately. I sent Gianna a death glare.

“Nothing you have to worry about.”

Gianna and Aria burst out laughing, and Marcella peered up at me with a small frown.

Matteo winked. “Missing your bachelor days, huh?”

“Never,” I said as I kissed Marcella’s frown, causing her to giggle then looked at Amo who’d woken and was staring up at Gianna with huge eyes. Aria was smiling as if this was perfection… and for me, it was.