Page 53 of Fierce Hearts

She complied without argument, which told me more about her emotional state than words could. The Sofia I knew would have had a sharp comeback ready.

"I'll be back shortly," I said, tucking the blanket around her. "Just rest. Play a game on your phone, read, or watch TV. I won't be long—just going to the kitchen to make a call and get you a tea or hot chocolate. Which would you like?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "To who? And hot chocolate."

"I'm going to take care of everything," I assured her, deliberately avoiding the question. "You need to rest, take care of yourself and our baby. I don't want the stress causing any issues."

She scoffed. "Easier said than done."

I leaned down and kissed her forehead, lingering there for a moment. When I pulled back, her expression was confused, vulnerable in a way I rarely saw.

"Try," I said simply, then turned and headed for the kitchen.

Downstairs, I pulled out my phone and dialed Leo. He answered on the second ring.

"What's happening?" His voice was tense, alert, ready for anything.

"A lot, Leo." I began making the hot chocolate as I spoke. "Ernesto Savoca is forcing Sofia into an engagement with Juan Ference."

"Fuck." The single word carried the weight of understanding. “So it’s forced, not a choice, that changes things.”

The Ference family's reputation was well-known in our circles—particularly how they treated their women. Something neither of us would want for someone we deemed family. Someone who was now my family in even more ways.

"That's not all." I took a deep breath, still processing the information myself, my heart tightening as I said the words. "Sofia's pregnant. With my child."

The line went silent. I could almost see Leo pinching the bridge of his nose, processing this new complication. Something he knew would alter everything going forward.

Because it would alter everything if he was in my shoes.

"What's your plan?" he finally asked.

"I'm moving in with her, first of all. We need a protection detail set up immediately. And we need to find a way to get her out of this engagement without starting a war between the families."

I wedged the phone between my shoulder and ear as I stuck the mug of milk into the microwave and started it.

"This is a fucking mess, Gray." Leo's exasperated sigh came through clearly. "I'll make some calls, see what I can find out about Ernesto's real motivations here, what his end goal is, if it is just an alliance or something more. But we need to be careful. The Donatis have no current feud with either family now that they're no longer in Ironstone, but since you're essentially considered a Donati in my father's eyes, this could drag us all into it if they find out about the baby."

I watched the timer countdown on the microwave. "I won't ask her to get rid of it. I don't want that, and neither does she."

"I never said that," Leo replied sharply. "I'd never even consider it. Sure, it'd be the easy out, but that's not how this should go." He paused. "I know you feel for her. And if it had been Meredith... well, I wouldn't have let her get rid of it either."

The microwave beeped, and I pulled the mug out, phone still cradled against my shoulder as I heaped some chocolate powder into it.

"Meredith told me about when Sofia helped her with the morning-after pill," Leo continued, his voice softer. "I don't hold it against either of them—Sofia for acting fast, or Meredith for taking it. It was a precaution, not an abortion. They did what they thought was right at the time, going off what they knew and making their informed decision at the time."

"I didn't know about that," I admitted. "But thank you for not holding it against either of them."

"It's a completely different thing, like using protection, not aborting an already forming life."

"It'd only be early days, it wasn't that long ago that we were together." I counted the days in my mind. Over two weeks, so she'd only just have missed her period. "Not even three weeks I guess."

She was in the dangerous time too, where stress or anything could cause a miscarriage, and the thought had my blood boiling. I wanted to make all of this go away for her, to not risk the growing life we'd created.

"She could miscarry with all of this stress, Leo," I ground out, running a hand down my face.

"I'll help you both to the full extent that I can," Leo said firmly. "We'll get this sorted. Focus on her right now."

"Thank you." The simple words couldn't convey my gratitude.

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