time in my life I’d ever been comforted by a loving mother, and it wasn’t even my own mother. Who knew who that was.
“I assume it’s Nico’s?” she asked gently, handing me a tissue.
I nodded, sniffing.
“So, probably around a month, then?”
“Yeah, I guess so. I—I don’t—” I choked back another sob. “What am I going to do?”
Pull yourself together first.
“Can I also assume that Nico doesn’t know yet?”
Humorless laughter fell from my lips. “God, no. I just found out. And I don’t see him being particularly excited about this.”
She pursed her lips. “I know my children very well, but they still manage to surprise me. Nico might do the same with you.”
I wiped underneath my eyes, certain I looked like the Bride of Chucky. “Nico didn’t appreciate being forced into marriage any more than I did, Val. How do you think he’s going to feel about being forced into becoming a father?”
Her chin dipped, her expression turning reproachful. “This might catch both of you off-guard and unprepared, but no one forced him into bed with you, Lexi. Nico’s a big boy. He was aware of the potential consequences of his actions, as were you.”
All the kids were playing outside, so I dragged myself over to the arts and crafts area and plopped down into one of the tiny chairs. Val took the seat next to me and patiently waited for me to gather my thoughts.
“But I’ve wanted children my whole life, and even I’m not ready for a baby yet,” I admitted. “How can I ever expect him to be? This marriage was never meant to be permanent. It might technically be legal, but it isn’t real. I mean, we aren’t even a couple, and now we’re going to be parents?”
I buried my face in my knees and wrapped my arms around my legs. “That’s assuming he doesn’t send me back to Russia with annulment papers in my hand and cash for the baby in my pocket—”
“Over my dead body.”
I grinned at her mama bear tone. “Nico has his code of honor. All your sons do. Which is why I know he won’t abandon me.”
I felt her scoot closer. “He’ll do the right thing, Lexi.”
“But I don’t want that.” I squeezed my eyes shut, backtracking. “I mean, I do. I certainly don’t want to do this alone. And I want the father of my child to be involved in his or her life. I know what abandonment feels like. But…” I trailed off, unsure if I should reveal the next part.
“You want it to be about him loving you more,” Val finished for me.
I raised my head, looking up at her through watery eyes. I nodded.
Her own eyes reflected understanding. There may have been some hope mixed in there, too. “Because you love him?”
I bit my lip, hesitating. Then I nodded again.
She sighed, clearly tamping down a smile, and leaned back in her chair. “Then I’m going to tell you something that none of my children know, but I think it’s something you need to hear.”
I straightened my spine and sniffled, desperate for any piece of advice she could bestow.
“Nico was a surprise to Enzo and I, too.”
My mouth fell open in shock.
That didn’t fit with most of the stories I’d heard of their whirlwind romance. I’d been told of head-over-heels love and an emotional proposal in front of a breathtaking background in Prospect Park. A lavish wedding had followed and later on down the road, six children. Everyone had made it sound very storybook.
Her lips curved in a knowing smile. “Let’s just say that contraception back then wasn’t what it is today, and we were a little reckless. We’d only been seeing each other a few months by the time I learned I was pregnant.”
“How did Enzo react?”
She tipped her head back and laughed with her entire body. “Oh, I’d say that was when his heart problems really began. He went completely postal. Left me to go drown himself in whiskey for two full days. Then he came back with his tail between his legs, begging me on his knees to forgive him for being such an idiotic ass.”
I chuckled. “I guess everyone handles it differently.”
Frankly, Enzo’s reaction sounded mild compared to what I feared Nico might do.
She slowly shook her head. “No, mia cara. He wasn’t apologizing for disappearing like that. He was apologizing for getting me pregnant in the first place. He thought he’d ruined my life by not ‘protecting me,’ as he put it. He was