Page 106 of The Proposal

“Arabella is petrified of spiders,” Dante chimes in, which has me wincing. He’s right, I am.

“Holy cow, is that a real gun?” Giovanni screeches, finally noticing the one in my husband’s hand.

“The fu … fudge!” Alexander growls.

“I thought the girls were in trouble,” Dante retorts, with a casual shrug of his shoulder.

“Put that thing away!” his brother barks.

I use that opportunity to get us both out of here so we can talk alone. “Come,” I say, shoving him out of the bathroom.

“I don’t want that thing in my house,” Alexander barks.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dante replies, rolling his eyes. When we are out of earshot, he asks, “What was that about? I didn’t believe that spider story for a second, and you looked as guilty as sin,Bellezza.”

I wince again. “Did I?”

“Yeah, you did.”

“I …”

“You what?” he asks, frowning. “Has something happened that I need to be concerned about?”

“Umm …”

Dante grips my elbow and leads me into our bedroom,slamming the door behind us. “Start talking, Arabella,” he growls.

“It’s nothing bad,” I say. “Well, to me, it’s not … you might think differently.” My eyes dart down to his hand that’s still holding the gun. “Can you put that thing away?”

He tucks it into the back of his pants, which isn’t exactly what I meant, but I keep that thought to myself. Even if he’s unhappy with the news, I highly doubt he’ll shoot me. Well, I hope he doesn’t.

When I turn my head away, he steps forward and grasps my chin, returning my attention to his face. As soon as he sees the tears brimming in my eyes, his expression softens, and without hesitation, he pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me like a shield.

“Talk to me,Bellezza, what is going on? You’re freaking me out.”

“I’m … I’m pregnant,” I sob into his shirt.

His hands move up to my shoulders as he draws me back to make eye contact. “You’re what?”

“Pregnant,” I repeat. “Please don’t shoot me.”

“Shoot you? Why the fuck would I shoot you?”

I shrug as more tears leak from my eyes. “Because it’s too soon … maybe you’re not ready for a baby.”

A huge smile breaks out on his face, and goddamn it, it’s disarming. This man is beyond handsome even when he’s frowning, but when he smiles … I can’t even.

“You’re pregnant … with my child?”

“Of course, it’s your child,” I snap, poking him in the side.

“After that shooting remark, I just had to double-check.”

“Are you mad?”

“Are you fucking kidding?” he asks, picking me up by my waist and effortlessly swinging me around in a circle.

I release a small laugh as all the uncertainty I felt a few minutes ago vanishes instantly. He’s happy, and that makes a world of difference.

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