Mafia's Final Play (Mafia's Obsession #3) - Summer Cooper Page 0,79

something that she and Marie had bonded over. She’d become a friend, and when she met Trina, it was as if the trio was complete and she’d fit right in.

Marie worried that once her hormones settled and she spent some time with the babies, she’d change her mind. But at the same time, she’d come to know Mariella. That experience told her the woman wouldn’t change her mind. She knew these were Marie’s babies, she’d always said it. Legality aside, they’d been conceived for Marie, not Mariella, and Mariella was definite about that.

Matteo took his babies in his arms and instantly fell in love, just as much as their mother had. The second photo proved it when it was sent to the happy new parents. Mariella and Antonio, their children, their babies.

“Our family is complete now, Matteo,” she whispered as she stood over the chair where he sat as he held the babies. “We have it all, all we could ever want.”

“We have a healthy, stable you, two healthy babies, and each other. Yeah, you’re right. That’s all we need. And I will protect all three of you with every fiber of my being.”

“Oh my God, I’m going to die from the diabetes I catch from you two.” Trina pretended to gag as she walked over to Mariella. “Can you believe people go that gooey over babies?”

“Fuck off, Trina. I saw your face when Antonio was born! You were in love,” Matteo said quietly, with a hint of laughter.

“You’re all going to make me gag if you don’t stop.” Mariella laughed as she tried to move around. Trina was there instantly to help her. Mariella had needed stitches and had to be careful. Trina would be her support for the next few days, and Marie and Matteo would be on call too if she needed them. Trina, however, would be there for the surrogate mother when she went home, she would help her as she healed up and recovered.

“When can we take them home?” Matteo asked the nurse that came in.

“Well, if the doctor clears them, probably tonight. If not, a couple of days usually. They’re healthy and doing well, so I don’t see a problem.”

“Oh, really?” Matteo looked at Marie in panic. “We didn’t bring their car seats.”

They had a new SUV, just for the babies, and he’d not put their seats in yet. They were a week early, after all.

“We can get them, honey, don’t freak out.” Marie was busy giving her daughter a bottle when the nurse brought it in, and Trina was feeding Antonio.

A nanny would show up at the house when Marie called her, she’d been on standby for a week now, just in case. Marie had wanted the nanny just as a helper, not as the woman that would raise the babies, but she knew her mother had barely coped with her. Secretly, she had fears that she wouldn’t be a good mother, but from the moment she saw her children, it was obvious she wasn’t her mother at all. Plus, it would be nice to have someone to help her and Matteo with the babies.

They could afford it, so why not, she’d finally figured.

Marie looked down at her little Ella’s face and couldn’t believe the baby was hers, all hers. “You know,” she whispered to the little girl, “you’re already more than I could have hoped for.”

The baby clutched at her finger as Marie held her bottle, her eyes unfocused, still that newborn blue that so many babies were born with. Later, they would change into a different shade, either Mariella’s brown or Matteo’s grey, maybe some other shade in their DNA, but Marie didn’t care. They were her babies, and she loved them already.

“I’m going to be the best mom I can be to you and your brother, Ella. I promise that. You won’t ever know any of the fear or the pain I had. I will fight tooth and nail to make sure of that. Never.” She kissed the baby’s head and felt an ache that she’d thought had disappeared long ago start to ease. Tears filled her eyes, and she almost sobbed she was so overwhelmed.

She’d kept it secret for so long, how afraid she was that she’d be terrible at this, that she’d feel the same hate her mother had felt when she’d seen Marie the first time. But it hadn’t been like that. It was the opposite, and for the first time, she truly knew it wasn’t her