Cruel Betrayals (Savannah Sharks Hockey and Mafia #3)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

ALEXANDRA

I quickly type up an email to Arturo, reminding him of his car’s scheduled maintenance tomorrow. Francesca pushes open my office door and plops down in the chair on the other side of my desk.

“What’s up?” I ask her as I send the email.

“Do you have lunch plans?”

“Not yet. I’ll probably just run home and make a sandwich. Why?”

“How about you take off the rest of the day and come eat lunch with me?”

“Lunch is usually only thirty minutes to an hour.” I pull up my calendar to see if there is any other pressing matter I need to deal with right now.

“Call it a long lunch.” Her phone chimes with a message, but she ignores it.

“I really should finish up the Valentino contract before I leave for the day.”

Francesca leans forward, draping her arms across my desk. “That’s not due for another week. It doesn’t have to be done right now, does it?”

“Well, no, but I don’t like falling behind.”

“You can do it tomorrow morning. Please? I really need girl time. It’s always the guys around, and I’m tired of their testosterone. Pretty please?”

“Alright, I’ll take the day off, but I need to run an errand.”

She raises her eyebrow. “Please tell me it’s something fun and not like mailing something for my father.”

“I want to get something for Joseph to tell him about the baby.”

She squeals. “Yes! Shopping. Let’s go.”

She practically pulls me out of my chair and drags me to the elevator.

“We are going to have so much fun! But first, we need food. Is there anything you are craving?”

“Um, sushi sounds incredible right now.”

She frowns as we step inside the elevator. “You can’t have sushi.”

I push the button for the bottom floor and say, “That’s not true. As long as it’s from a reputable place, and as long as I don’t eat the fish eggs, or overdo it on the mercury, I’m all cleared. I asked my obstetrician, and she said it was alright.”

She stares at me for a few moments. “If you say so, but I’m pretty sure you can’t.”

“That’s just an old wives’ tale. People say you can’t eat raw fish, but that’s not true. They also say you shouldn’t have caffeine or wine, but my obstetrician said I can still drink my coffee in the morning and have a glass of red wine later in my pregnancy if I want to.”

We pause our conversation as we walk through the lobby.

“I’ll drive.” Francesca says as we step outside.

I slide into her passenger seat. “The last time I was in your car was the night I found out I was pregnant.”

“Well, it’s not like you can find out you’re pregnant again. Unless it’s twins.”

I feel the blood drain from my face.

Twins? I’ve barely wrapped my head around one baby. How will I survive if there are two?

She laughs and drives away from the arena. “Relax. I was just kidding.”

“That’s too scary to think about.”

“I’m pretty sure they would have caught baby number two if you were having twins. Besides, you have loads of support.”

I need to get the subject off me and the baby. I’m already nervous about telling Joseph. I don’t need more stress on top of it.

“What about you? Are you and Rhett planning on waiting until after the wedding to start a family?”

“Well-” She stops at a stop sign before turning right. “We are planning on getting married in a small ceremony this summer when he’s off, but I really want to be a mom. I stopped taking my birth control, and we have been trying for the past two months, but no luck so far.”

“That’s incredible. We can have babies that are the same age.”

“My dad would be in heaven. Not one, but two grandchildren; he’d be over the moon. What about your family? When are you planning on telling them?”

“Oh, um, I was emancipated at seventeen, so I don’t speak to my family anymore.”

Although, I did talk to Dad recently. It wasn’t by choice, though.

Francesca reaches across the center console and squeezes my hand for a second. “I’m so sorry, Alexandra. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, but you have a family now.”

Tears fill my eyes. Even though I’m not romantically involved with Joseph, I’ve always felt like I was part of the Marino family.

This baby will always be a part of the family. He or she will be loved, treasured, and will never have to worry about being safe.

“Alright,” Francesca changes the subject. “Are we still craving sushi? I know the best restaurant down by the river.”

“Tacos.”

She chuckles and shakes her head. “Do you want to go to a sit-down restaurant or stop by the food truck in the park?”

“Ooh, the food truck. Those tacos are the best in the city.”

Francesca laughs and drives in the food truck’s direction. My stomach growls as she parks in the semi empty parking lot.

“I guess we just missed the lunch rush.”

There are a couple of people in front of us, but it doesn’t take long to order and get our food.

I carry my plate of tacos to a picnic table under a large oak tree. “I swear they must be mind readers. Every time I come here, I never have to wait more than a minute or two, and the food is always fresh and hot.”

Francesca sits across from me. “I know. Rhett and the guys will order like six tacos each, and it still only takes a couple of minutes. I don’t know how Manny does it, but he’s amazing.”

I glance around the park as we eat in silence. Children are swinging and sliding down the slides as parents watch nearby. Older couples rest on the benches as others run and walk on the walking trail.

“Hey, are you okay?” Francesca nudges my foot with hers.

“Oh, yeah. I was just people watching.” My gaze wanders to a stressed mom who is feeding an infant a bottle while a toddler pulls on her leg, begging and pointing at the slide.

“I know it might sound crazy, but I’m ready for that life.”

I glance at her and follow her gaze to the mom. “You want two kids that close in age? That seems too stressful.”

“I teased Rhett that I wanted three in three.” At my questioning look, she says, “Three kids in three years.”

My mouth falls open. “Why? That’s a lot of diapers. A lot of tantrums, too.”

“I want my kids to be best friends. I want them to grow up and be close to one another.”

I get up and throw my trash in the trash can. “More power to you and Rhett. That’s more than a handful.”

“We have an entire village behind us that would be willing to chip in and help. The same goes for you. My dad and most of the guys will help put together furniture or whatever you need when the time comes.”

“I’ll probably need help moving my furniture around to make room for the baby’s furniture.”

“We will all help out.”

We head back to her car and head to a shopping center.

“Come on.” Francesca says as she locks her car doors. “I know the perfect place. They have everything you can think of for a baby, including maternity clothes.”

Shopping with Francesca should be an Olympic sport. There’s sprinting, heavy lifting, and even pole vaulting. Well, the way she jumped over the gliders on display to get to the newborn onesies was equivalent to pole vaulting.

She holds up a plain white onesie. “Look at these. They are so cute and tiny.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to have to push out anything bigger than that.”

Her eyes widen, and she puts the onesie back. “Good point.”

We walk around the store and stop at the maternity section. She picks out several cute maternity dresses.

“I don’t need dresses right now. It’s not warm yet. Besides, I still fit in all of my clothes.”

“But it will be warming up in less than a month and then you will be grateful you have them.”

A very pregnant woman speaks from the other side of the dresses. She rubs her bump and smiles.

“Bumps can pop out at any time. This is my second baby, and I swear as soon as I hit twelve weeks with both of my babies, none of my clothes fit. I went from having a tiny bump that you couldn’t see under a shirt to looking like I was six months pregnant.”

“How far along are you now?”

Francesca looks at the next rack, leaving me to continue my conversation.

“Thirty-three weeks. He’s due just in time for our annual family Easter celebration. Both families get together and host a huge breakfast, followed by an egg hunt for all the kids.”

“Aww congratulations. I’m eleven weeks, and I’m kind of freaking out.”

“Is this your first one?”

“Yeah, and a complete surprise. This is all new to me, and if I’m being honest, I’m completely overwhelmed. There’s so much to buy and prepare for.”

“I totally understand how overwhelming it can be. For our first, we bought everything we thought we would need. We had the convertible crib, changing table, dresser, glider, and every accessory you can imagine, but the second we brought our baby home, we didn’t use anything.”

“Nothing? You didn’t even use the crib?”

She smiles and shakes her head. “Nope. She refused to sleep in the crib or the bassinet. I always changed her on the floor or on our bed. I still use the glider though. That was an amazing purchase, so I’d recommend that. Oh, and don’t bother getting the diaper trash can. It doesn’t keep the odor away.”

“That’s good to know, because that was going to be one of the things I bought.”

“I just saved you a hundred dollars. You can use it for newborn pictures.”

“Good idea. Thanks for the advice.”

“No problem. There are several great social media groups in our area filled with wonderful women. Just remember, every piece of advice you are given is given out of love, but that doesn’t mean you have to follow it. Do what’s best for you and the baby.”

She turns around and walks away, leaving me wondering if my baby will turn out to be like hers? Will he or she sleep in the crib? Will he or she love their room?

Francesca comes back holding an arm full of clothes. “Try these on.”

My eyes widen as I look at the pile of clothes. “All of these?”

“No, just the top three. The other ones are the same brands, just in different colors and patterns. I didn’t know what size you would fit into now.”

I grab the three dresses and head to the fitting room. I throw on the first dress with a white flowery pattern and stare at my reflection in the mirror. I don’t recognize the woman staring back at me.

The ruching on the side accentuates my tiny baby bump, but allows for my bump to grow. The dress hugs my curves in all the right places and flows down to the ground.

I rub my stomach, feeling tears well up in my eyes.

“How are you doing in there?” Francesca calls from the other side of the door.

I blink the tears away and open the door to show her the dress.

“Oh my God, Alexandra. That dress was made for you. It’s so perfect and makes you look like a goddess.”

My face flames with embarrassment. “You’re making me blush.”

“If you don’t buy this dress, I will. Your bump is so adorable.”

I trail my fingers down my stomach. “This dress makes it stand out.”

Francesca gushes. “How have I never noticed it before? You really should stop wearing baggy clothes. Flaunt your bump.”

“I will after Joseph knows. I don’t want everyone to find out before I tell him.”

“Well, then, let’s go tell him.”

I quickly try on the rest of the dresses and pick out a couple of blouses. We skip most of the store and head back to the baby clothes. With Francesca’s help, I pick out a cute onesie that reads, My Dad is my Hero and a card that says, Congratulations! You’re going to be a DAD!

“Joey is going to love this. I wish I could see the look on his face. You’ll have to tell me all about it tomorrow.”

On the way to the checkout counter, I grab a Daddy and Me picture frame and toss it on top of all the clothes.

I pay for everything and put my bags in Francesca’s backseat. The drive home is silent. I try to remain calm and meditate, but the closer we get, the more nervous I am.

Francesca parks and glances over at me. “Relax. You will be great. Take a few breaths and just speak from the heart.”

“Thanks.”

I run inside and throw the bags on the couch. I grab an empty green gift bag from the back of my closet and put the frame and onesie inside.

Grabbing a pen, I write a note in the card.

Joseph,

While I’m unable to wrap my head around everything just yet, I will try to put my thoughts into sentences. I know this wasn’t planned, and it’s not something we’ve ever discussed, but I couldn’t be happier knowing I am carrying your child.

You are going to be a loving and caring dad for our child. I know this because you are so loving and caring toward me. You protect me and never hesitate to let me know that I’m safe with you.

And while you might be rough around the edges and live a dangerous lifestyle, you are one of the most gentle and kind-hearted men I know.

I can’t wait to watch our baby grow with you by my side.

Love,

Alexandra

I place the card in its envelope and toss it in the bag before heading over to his house with a grin on my face.

Today is a new start for Joseph and me. Today, I will tell him how I really feel and tell him about our baby.

When I pull up to the Marino house, Joseph meets me in the driveway. He must have seen me on the camera. He’s flanked by Gage Roberts and his cousin AJ Fanucci, and all three men have scowls on their faces.

This can’t be good. What happened?

I grab the gift bag from the passenger seat and get out to greet the men. My gaze wanders over the three men before landing on Joseph’s bloody hands.

“Oh my god. Are you okay, Joseph? What happened?” I take a few steps toward him, but the two men at his sides hold out their hands to stop me.

“Don’t act like you fucking care.” He spits out at me with venom in his tone.

He’s never talked to me like this before. What the hell happened?

I shoot the two men a glare before narrowing my eyes on Joseph. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play coy with me. I know you’ve been meeting with Giuseppe Rossi. I have proof of the text messages and call logs. I know you’ve been feeding him information from our meetings.” He crosses his arms and clenches his jaw.

Shit. This isn’t good. This is exactly what I was afraid of happening.

“Look, I can explain.”

He scoffs. “Explain what? Explain how you lied about your identity, Alex Wilson. How you lied about your family’s debt to Giuseppe Rossi? Or how you lied about your loyalty to my family?”

I feel as if all the air has been punched out of my lungs. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I feel like I’m drowning in an abyss.

“It’s not like that.” I whisper.

“It is like that. I know everything.” His tone is harsh and cold. It’s the same tone he uses with hostages.

Does he really think I’m an enemy? Does he really think I would betray his family?

“Please, just listen to me. I’m begging.”

I can beg until I’m blue in the face, but he’s already made up his mind.

“I’ve already heard enough.” I can see the hatred in his eyes. If I were anyone else, he’d throw me in the interrogation room and let his frustration out on me.

But he took it out on himself already.

With no fight left in me, I whisper, “Fine. If you won’t listen to me, listen to your father.” It’s my last ditch effort to keep him from completely hating me.

“I’ll pass. I’m not listening to anyone except the few I trust. Oh, by the way, your access to the house, to the arena, and to our accounts has been revoked. You can stay in the apartment for one month, but after that, you will be evicted. So I’d start looking for other employment as soon as you get back.”

Gage eyes the bag in my hand. “What’s in the bag?”

“A gift for Joseph.” I whisper.

A gift that was supposed to reunite us, not tear us apart.

I drop the bag and get back in my car without another word. I fight off the tears until I can no longer see the Marino house in my rearview mirror.

I pull into a parking lot and let out the sobs I’ve been choking back.

How did my life spin upside down in just a few minutes?

How did I go from being giddy and hopeful to being ripped to shreds and feeling less wanted than the dirt on the bottom of his shoe?

I don’t hold back my sobs. I let it all out.

The only thing that’s clear is if I ever recover from this heartbreak, Joseph Marino will never be involved in mine or my baby’s life. He will be a long forgotten memory, like my childhood.