Page 41 of Fatal Love

“Rachel?” Riley’s voice whispered as she ran her hand down the back of my head. “Honey, could you be pregnant?”

I rested my head against the cool porcelain and drew in a breath. “I don’t know.” It was the truth. “With everything going on, I lost track of my cycle. And this isn’t the first time I’ve been sick like this. When we were in Italy, I had a bout of sickness—and Antonio’s sisters said the same thing. But then this…” my voice trailed off, unable to speak the words.

“When was your last period?”

My mind tried calculating when my last period was, the realization made me suck in a breath. “Before my house was blown up.”

“That was almost four months ago.” Riley patted my shoulder. “Come on, we need to have Drew take us to the store.”

“Oh my god, Riley. I can’t be pregnant right now.”

“Why not?” She quirked a brow at me in question. “I know you’re scared. Hell, I was too. But the truth is… this family is loyal and will love you no matter what. What has you so freaked out?”

“It could be either of theirs, Riley.”

“And?” She followed me into the bedroom and huffed. “You love them both, right?”

“Yes.”

“And they love each other and you, right?”

“Again… yes.”

“Then there isn’t a problem, as far as I can tell. Antonio and Michael knew what they were signing up for when they decided you were part of the love they shared. This doesn’t change a thing.”

“But Michael’s gone, and if it’s his, he’ll never know.”

“Stop it, Rachel. You may or may not have a part of a man you love inside you. Does it really matter who the father is? Would it change your love for either man?”

“No.” I blew out a big breath and shook my head. “I’m just overwhelmed. This is not the best timing.”

“Maybe it is.” Riley patted my shoulder and started toward the door. “Fuck.” She grunted, causing me to tilt my head in alarm.

“Riley?” I glanced beneath her legs and realized there was a massive puddle of water forming between her legs. “Did your water just break?”

Riley turned to look at me over her shoulder, her eyes wide with fear. "Oh my god."

“Hey. It’s all right. This is good, right? Let me get Drew. Seems like my problem can wait. We need to get you to the hospital.”

Holding Riley’s hand in mine, I helped her downstairs. Drew was standing near the door, looking at his cell phone. When he heard our approach, he looked up and paled. “Holy shit, Riley. Rachel, what’s wrong?”

“Her water broke. Get the car and call the boys. They need to get Vincenzo to the hospital.”

Drew moved quicker than I expected. She winced as the first real contraction struck, forcing her to double over in pain. “Holy fuck.” She whined, her breath whooshing out in response.

“It’s okay. This is normal, and you’re going to get to hold your beautiful babies in your arms today.”

She pressed her hand to her back and held on to me as we eased our way down the front steps to the awaiting car. Drew ran around the backside and pulled open the door. “Vin’s meeting us there.”

I smiled as I helped her into the backseat and buckled her seatbelt. “Is this the first contraction you’ve felt?” Riley cut her eyes over to me. “Riley, have you been having contractions all day?”

“I thought they were Braxton Hicks. Oh god.” She closed her eyes and moaned. Her grip on my fingers had become exceedingly tight, telling me what I feared. She was having contractions every few minutes.

“Drew, step on it! Or we are going to have the babies in this fucking car.”

“Don’t think this is going to make me forget your minor issue. Madison was there for me when I found out… and now it’s my turn to be there for you. Holy cock balls!”

Drew’s expression was comical as he glanced in the rear-view mirror. I knew he was freaked out that she might have the babies in the back of the SUV, and he didn’t enjoy seeing her in pain—nor did he want to risk Vincenzo killing him if he had to look at her lady parts. She had been through enough over the last few months, and the last thing either of us wanted was for her to have these kids without her husband.

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