Page 82 of Mafia King's Forbidden Obsession

“I love you.”

There. I said it and I can’t believe I did. But I mean every single word. For the first time after all these years, I am actually feeling love.

Her face softens, and that pretty smile spreads across her lips.

“I love you, too, Ezra,” she whispers, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me into a hug.

I press a kiss to her forehead, my heart booming with joy.

I’m going to be a father.

Chapter twenty-five

Raven

It’s barely daybreak; the sheets beside me are cold, meaning Ezra’s long gone, but I don’t move. I lie there, staring at the ceiling, letting the quiet of the room settle over me as I replay the events of the past week in my head.

After that night at the club, he’d been returning to the room a lot earlier. Late evening conversation becomes our thing, and the nights end with sex and sleeping in each other’s embrace— with his hand on my stomach.

I love you.

I clutch the blanket tighter to my chest as my thoughts drift back to the way his eyes locked with mine that night… the raw intensity of his words like he’d been carrying them for months.

Maybe he had. Maybe I had, too.

He’d said the words many more times in the past week, and every time they elicit the same flutter of butterflies in my stomach.

Heat creeps up my cheeks at the memory of him saying it last night while pounding into me. I bite my lip, trying to fight the smile tugging at the corners of my lips. But it’s there—undeniable.

This is what Ezra does to me— he makes me feel, makes me think… makes me let go of rational thoughts. A quiet chuckle escapes my lips, swallowed by the silence of the room. Who knew I would fall so hard for my kidnapper. The one of whom I was scared to death.

I sit up, my chest bare as my fingers drift to my neck, where the delicate gold necklace Ezra gave me yesterday morning sits. It’s simple yet holds so much meaning— a small mama bear and cub pendant resting gently between my breasts.

Suddenly, I hear a vibration from the bedside table. I reach forward to pull open the drawer in time to see the burner phone screen light up. A feeling of guilt gnaws at me as I see it’s yet another text from Harper demanding to know where I am.

Letting out a sigh, I shut the drawer. I can’t deny that, at this point, I’ve been procrastinating giving her a response.

I’m not exactly sure what to share with her. It’s unsettling to think about how she’d react if she knew the truth—that I was taken by Ezra and now I’m pregnant.

Do I really want to leave everything behind? My job? And Harper…

Despite Ezra’s overly caring gesture, there’s one thing we haven’t talked about—me. He’s made his expectations for the genders known. He wants twins—one boy and one girl. Last night, he also mentioned how we should make a list of baby names. But we haven’t talked about what’ll happen to me…my freedom.

And maybe…just maybe, there’s no need to. Maybe I should stay and give this a chance.

I may be selfish— prioritizing my own desires over the expectations of those who care about me. Harper… But then this… this is what I truly need.

I’m happy with Ezra…and we can work this −all of this− out.

Instinctively, my hand rests on my stomach, and a small smile tugs at my lips. It’s okay to be a little selfish in the pursuit of my happiness.

Getting out of bed, I wrap the blanket around my unclad body and pad barefoot to the window. Outside, the field stretches endlessly as the grass begins to catch the first hints of daylight.

For the first time, I’m choosing me. For the first time, I found love— true love— outside of my work and Harper. And I’m giving it a chance, even if it comes with its dangers… even if it makes me a fool.

Of course, what is love without being foolish?

As I think, an unwanted thought slowly infiltrates my mind. The stranger at the pharmacy. My palm instinctively finds my stomach again.

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