most expensive bottles from my “booze bunker,” as Lexi so lovingly called it, which also happened to be one of his favorites. I only pulled out the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve bourbon on special occasions.
“Glad you could make the trip on such short notice,” I added.
His finger tapped against his glass in a nervous gesture, reminding me of his behavior from the other night. “There’s no way I’d have been able to talk Sam out of it, believe me. Not that I wanted to. Jasmine’s her best friend, and she would never have missed this. It’s just that…” He trailed off, looking conflicted.
My senses went on alert. “What’s going on? Everything okay with you two?”
He took a long drink. “Sam’s pregnant.”
Ah. “And you’re…?”
His face broke out into a smile. “I’m fucking thrilled. We both are. God, there’s going to be a mini Sam running around here before too long.”
“You already know it’s a girl?”
He ducked his head, looking sheepish. “Nah. Just a weird gut feeling.”
“Well, congratulations.” I slapped him on the back. “That’s great. And you’re acting like you’ve got food poisoning because…?”
His smile dropped to be replaced by a scowl. “I want her out of this fucking city, Nico. No offense. But with Esposito out there somewhere, I can’t stand her being anywhere near his home turf. As long as we don’t know where he is, I want my wife and baby in New York City as little as possible.”
I got that. I’d felt similarly about Lexi getting in the middle of shit between us and the families. And she wasn’t carrying my child.
“We’re working on tracking him down,” I said. “Ace is monitoring all of his accounts and online activity, and Connelly’s got all ears to the ground. Whether he’s hiding or being held against his will, it can’t last much longer.” Especially since the FBI was leading the massive manhunt. “But you have my word, nothing will happen to your family while you’re in our city.”
Kade nodded, sighing. “I know that. Fair warning from one married man to another?”
I followed his gaze across the garden where it caught on his wife, who happened to be talking to my wife right then.
“You don’t know real fear until your woman tells you she’s carrying your baby,” he said gravely. “You don’t have a fucking clue how far you’ll go to protect her until that day comes. Until you think about someone harming them. I thought the scariest moment of my life was when I saw Sam bleeding out on the floor of the FNN studio.” He shook his head. “Nope. It was the moment I stepped off that plane at Kennedy with my pregnant wife, in Raphael Esposito’s backyard.”
Before I could come up with a response to that, Kade was pulled away by Jasmine’s mother. My eyes inevitably sought out Lexi again, where she now spoke with Gia and Roxy, giggling into her champagne flute.
“Of all the women over the years, Niccolò,” Mom’s voice suddenly said from beside me, “what makes this one so different?”
I tossed her a side glance. “Who says she is different?”
She returned it with one of those I’m your mother and I take no bullshit looks. “A look on my eldest son’s face that I’ve never seen before.”
“Which is?”
“Adoration.”
I guess my talent for camouflaging my emotions was weakening. “Lexi’s a good woman. It would be hard for anyone not to adore her.”
Mom frowned. “I’m sure there have been many good women before her. Is it just the fact that you’ve been forced to keep this one around that has brought about your change in habits and behavior?”
That got a reaction out of me—one of irritation. “You’re saying whatever I may or may not be feeling toward her is due to convenience?”
She shrugged. “You cannot blame a mother’s curiosity.”
“Lexi would have been different even if I’d only been around her for an hour. Many of the women in my past were probably good, but that doesn’t mean they were good for me, regardless of how much time I would have had with them.”
Mom was clearly fighting off a smile.
I rolled my eyes when I realized I’d taken the bait and fallen right into her trap. “Clever, Mom.”
She leaned up to kiss my cheek. “I’m proud of you, son.”
After she walked away, my gaze was a tractor beam on Lexi again.
When I found her this time, she was already watching me. And smiling.
I swear, neither of us batted an eyelash as I crossed the garden to