Page 50 of A Treasure To Keep (Leone Legacy #2)

Andrea

W e speed up to Luci and Alessandro’s house the second Domenico lets us through the gate.

The whole car ride, El has been chattering about how excited she is to meet Gia.

A baby is the one thing I can’t give her.

While she says she’s okay with it, I can’t shake the idea that she could change her mind when she holds Gia.

I’ve even avoided opportunities to go see James’s baby with El, pretending to be too busy.

I’m snapped out of my thought process when I jerk forward when El shifts the car into park, not bothering to come to a complete stop before doing so.

She bolts out of the car, forgetting to close the car door as she runs into the house.

My heart races as I take a second to emotionally prepare myself to go in.

The second I walk into the house, I hear El’s voice from the media room. I make my way in there to see El beaming down at Gia as a tired Luci sits on the sofa. Maybe we should have waited a few more days before coming over.

“Andrea, come over and see Gia. She’s soooo cute.” I walk over to El, noticing how she glows while holding Gia. Fuck. I bring my almost shaking hands to El’s shoulders, kissing her on the forehead.

“You two look good with a baby. Try to at least wait until the wedding night to get pregnant.” El stops rocking back and forth, her smile fading. I don’t miss how she swallows, containing her tears before they have the opportunity to fall.

El passes Gia to me and lays her in my arms. She keeps her body straight, but her eyes focus on the ground as she straightens her dress, taking a step back from me.

Throughout our relationship, I’ve noticed when she’s faking her confidence.

To the average person, she would appear the confident person she normally is.

To me? I know the signs from the lack of eye contact, when she tilts her chin up higher than normal, and how she meticulously straightens her outfit.

It’s my little secret I keep to prevent her from shutting down.

“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” The slight shake in her voice doesn’t go unnoticed by me, and I know she’s headed to the bathroom to get some space.

Once El is out of sight, I turn my focus to Gia, immediately noticing how alert she is. Most newborns I’ve seen are asleep or crying. Not Gia. She’s the perfect mixture of Alessandro and Luci, with his dark hair and her hazel eyes.

I walk over to Luci and sit down. Luci and I haven’t had much time together, but it’s important that she has as much support around her as possible.

Especially with a newborn and Alessandro being in a coma.

“How are you, Luci? Is there anything I can do for you? I can only imagine how hard the last few days have been. If having company is too much, please let us know.”

“Please, stay. It’s nice to have someone other than the people who live and work here around.

If you wouldn’t mind holding Gia while I grab some water, I’d appreciate it.

Breastfeeding makes you constantly thirsty.

” I stop her when she attempts to stand, moving Gia to one arm as I pick up her water bottle with the other.

“No. You sit. I’ll refill your water bottle. Gia is content, and you should rest. Right now, El and I are here to keep you company and help you with anything you need. Don’t hesitate to ask for our help.”

Luci relaxes back into the sofa as I stand, walking into the kitchen to refill her water bottle.

On my way back, I walk by the half bath and go to knock, but my heart stops when I hear El sobbing.

I rest my head on the door, questioning what I should do.

El wants to be alone, but it’s my job as her amour to give her everything she needs and wants. Everything except a baby.

The second I step away from the bathroom door, Marco comes around the corner. We almost collide with each other, and in turn, almost collide with Gia.

Marco’s eyes widen when he realizes that I’m holding Gia. “Fuck, dude. Make an announcement next time.”

“You want me walking around constantly saying I’m holding Gia? C'est ridicule.”

Marco points his finger in my face. He speaks loud enough that Gia starts to fuss. “Listen, Andrea. I look like a fucking idiot whenever I don’t know what you’re saying. Can you—”

At that moment, El swings the bathroom door open, put together, except for the small pink hue to the whites of her eyes.

“Are you two cavemen done fighting? See what you did? Making the baby cry. It’s ridiculous. Here, give me Gia. You two can find some clubs to hit each other with.” El shushes Gia while walking away, which, in turn, leaves Marco and me staring at each other.

Hold on. “Did El call me a caveman?”

“Yeah, the fuck she did. She also did the other night. Or were you too busy staring at how fucking hot she was in that bodysuit? Because I almost missed it, too.”

Marco and I stare at each other for several seconds until we turn our focus to El and Luci’s voices coming from the media room.

We walk into the room, noticing both girls are laughing hysterically.

Wow, El is beautiful when she laughs. She notices my presence and gives me a genuine smile.

Unfortunately, her eyes show the sorrow she holds in her heart.

“Come over here, my love.” I stride over to her, sitting down as she snuggles into me.

We spend the next few hours keeping Luci company and helping her get whatever she needs. It’s about dinner time when I notice it’s a good time for us to leave.

“We should head out. I’m sure Luci needs time to eat and get Gia ready for bed. Mon trésor, let’s get some dinner. You can pick where we go.” I go to stand, but El doesn’t move, tucking her lip nervously between her teeth.

“Actually, Luci invited me to stay the night. Quinn has been helping with her postpartum care, but she could use some help at night. If you don’t want to drive my car, I’m sure we can have someone drive you home.

” Part of me knows that she needs a night away from me and is too afraid to tell me directly.

I give El a sad smile, one that doesn’t go missed by her or Marco before he stands.

“I’ll give Andrea a ride home. I need to go check on a few things in the gambling room, anyway. Let’s go, Lover Boy.” Marco nods his head toward the front door, leaving me behind as he walks out.

I kiss El and head out the front door to get into Marco’s truck. The whole time we drive to the gambling room, I can’t get rid of the lump in my throat. There are plenty of men who would treasure her the same way I do while giving her the one thing I can’t: a baby.