Page 87 of Ties That Bind Us

“Hello, little baby. Your mom and I can’t wait to meet you.” He kissed just above my belly button, and I squirmed at the tickling sensation it caused. He grinned then stood up and kissed me roughly. “This is so incredible. I love you so much, and I can’t wait to be a parent with you. God, you’re going to be the best mother in the entire world, you know that?”

I smiled, watching Nick dance around the kitchen in excitement. He was like a child himself. All of my fears and qualms about the situation were vanishing and being replaced with excitement. I was going to be a mother. Nick and I were going to have a child.

Suddenly, our perfect little family was all that mattered.

Chapter 35

Ava

Tonight was the fundraiser at Nick’s parents’ house. I had been looking forward to the event for weeks, but now that it was finally here, a sinking feeling had developed in my stomach, and I couldn’t put my finger on why. It probably had to do with the fact that this was the first time that both of our families would be together since the night at my parents’ when everything about Andrew came to light. There had been a growing tension between my family and me, particularly my father and me, for the last few weeks, and thinking about being in the same room as all of them had made my nerves a wreck.

There was also a possibility that Gina was going to be there, and I wasn’t thrilled about that either. Since our altercation at Frankie’s graduation, Nick had been tiptoeing around the subject. I believed him, but it still made me uncomfortable. He had offered to speak with his mom and ask her not to invite Gina, but I didn’t want to appear petty and jealous. It shouldn’t bother me as much as it did. Nick was my husband—he loved me, he came home to me every night, he treated me like an absolute queen. Gina’s presence was nothing but an annoyance, and I needed to be the bigger person.

To top it all off, Nick wanted to tell everyone tonight that we were married. It had already been a month, and I was pregnant, and we weren’t going to be able to hide the pregnancy for much longer. I was definitely ready to get it out in the open, but I was still anxious about it. My last conversation with my dad had left a bad taste in my mouth, and I had no idea what his reaction would be.

I straightened out my dress for what had to be the thousandth time. It never took me so long to get ready, but the added pressure of tonight was wearing on me. Not to mention my clothes were starting to fit more and more snugly—I was going to need to do some serious shopping soon. Nick had been downstairs and ready for half an hour, and I was on my third outfit.

“Babe, we’re going to be late if we don’t leave now.” Nick peeked his head into our bedroom cautiously.

“Okay.” I sighed, running my finger down the front of my dress to smooth it out. This would have to do.

“You seem stressed, is everything okay?” He came up behind me and slipped his arms around my waist.

“Just nervous about seeing my dad.”

Nick stiffened at the mention of him. “Baby, you have nothing to be worried about. He’s not going to pull anything tonight. If he reacts as anything less than thrilled for us, everyone will see right through him.”

“I know he’s not going to pull anything in front of everyone, I just . . . he’s still my father, and I’ve lived my life trying to win his approval. It’s just going to take some getting used to.” I smiled, tight lipped. It was hard to explain how I was feeling to Nick. It was black and white for him, but for me, it was every color of the rainbow. My dad was a horrible person. He was selfish and manipulative and constantly tried to undermine Nick. I knew I should hate him, and deep down I did. But it was still hard to wrap my head around the fact that my own father could be so callous and deceptive. It didn’t fit the picture I had of him in my mind, which I had created for years, building him up to be a much better person than he was—the picture of the person I wanted him to be. I had to accept he would never fit that, that I would never win his approval or be more than a tool for him to use. I was slowly getting there, but it wouldn’t happen overnight.

“I know.” He kissed my cheek. “Everything is going to be fine, I promise. I don’t like it when you’re stressed.” His palms found my stomach and he rubbed softly. “It’s not good for the baby.”

“About that . . .” I grinned anxiously. “Do you think we could hold off on telling everyone I’m pregnant for right now? I think the news of the marriage is going to be shocking enough, and I don’t want to steal all the thunder from this evening. Your mom has worked really hard on it and—”

Nick kissed my lips, effectively silencing me. “Say no more. You’re right. We’ll start with the marriage, and let everyone have some time to simmer on that.”

Nick

Ava was tense and I hated it. I hated that Alessandro was still ruining things for her. This should be a fun and happy occasion, and instead she was nervous about seeing him, about telling him she was married. It wasn’t fair to her, and it made me hate him even more. I knew this was hard on her—I couldn’t imagine hearing these things about my own father—but the faster I got her away from him, the better.

When we got to my parents’ house, most of the guests had already arrived. I bypassed the valet to park in my usual spot, and helped Ava out of the car. Something about knowing that she was pregnant made me even more tender with her. She was already glowing, and I couldn’t wait until there was no denying she was carrying my child. In my mind, I had already decided we were having a boy, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic. Ava was taking everything incredibly well too. Based on what she had said previously, I hadn’t expected her to be excited right off the bat, but several times in the last few weeks I had caught her googling nursery ideas and baby names. She would always have this soft smile on her face, as if she was doing it subconsciously. She was going to be such an incredible mother.

“Good evening, Mr. Caponelli, Ms. Moretti.” One of the attendants smiled, greeting us and taking our coats.

I nodded politely to him and we made our way over to the reception table where seating assignments were. I had been here earlier in the week, and knew we were sitting with Leo and his date, and Zane and his girlfriend. I figured it would take a little of the pressure off of Ava and help her relax if we weren’t seated with either of our parents. Gina, who had somehow finagled an invitation, was seated across the room, and I was intent on ignoring her most of the night. I would be happy once everything was out in the open and we could just enjoy a dinner party without all the added drama.

Ava spotted Bella at one of the cocktail tables and we made our way over there.

“Hi, guys!” Bella greeted us, wrapping her arms around Ava and kissing her cheek. “What a beautiful party.”

“Isn’t it? Nick’s mom has been pining over the details for months. It’s absolutely perfect.” Ava smiled, then hugged her sister’s fiancé as well.

“Just think how she’ll plan your wedding!” Bella grinned mischievously.

I could feel Ava stiffen in my arms, and knew I needed to change the subject. “How are you guys? What stock is up this week?” I grinned. Bella’s fiancé loved to talk about his job, and I knew if I could distract him with that, that would be the end of the wedding conversation.

After a little while, the MC announced it was dinnertime, and we made our way to our seats. Dinner was plated, and when they brought out the main course, my dad was going to make his announcement that he was stepping down in two months, and invite me on stage. That was when I was supposed to announce that Ava and I were married as well. I knew she was worried, but it would make things much easier on all of us. Alessandro was right where I wanted him, and honestly, there was nothing he could do. I had enough to incriminate him if it came to that, but I was hoping after he heard my little announcement he would just fade into the woodwork. Since Ava was pregnant with my heir, that automatically made her the head of the Caponelli family if anything were to happen to me. Alessandro would be forced out of the picture for good. Her pregnancy had inadvertently helped me protect her even more from him.

The first course was served and Ava was starting to relax. She loved Leo, and for once, his date was actually pretty enjoyable too. The entire evening was going better than I had expected. We had seen her parents briefly, and the greeting had gone off without a hitch. Alessandro was on his best behavior, but that could all change at the drop of a hat. The man was a loose cannon, and there was no telling what he would do when he found out Ava had married me without him knowing.

---