Page 63 of A Treasure To Keep (Leone Legacy #2)

Marco

T oday is the day. The day my lawyer, Andrea, El, their lawyer, and I sit down to go through this bullshit paperwork. We’ll spend the next however many fucking hours trying to get parental rights drafted on a baby that isn’t born yet.

El refuses to talk to me unless necessary.

And necessary includes this meeting we’re having soon.

She blocked me the same night she came to the house after she was served papers.

When I called Andrea in the morning, I didn’t miss her yelling in the background, telling Andrea to tell me that their lawyer will be in touch.

Then she stole the phone from him and hung up.

Andrea has appeased me by messaging me when he needs to, attempting to be the peacekeeper.

Whenever I’m alone, I constantly question why I continue to push this.

It would be a thousand times easier to call it off and let Andrea and El live happily ever after.

Then here comes Alessandro, reminding me that the baby that El is currently carrying might be mine.

Next to my mamma, who’s been MIA since I was a child, that’s the only blood I have.

That is, if the baby is mine. We’ll find that out today after her doctor's appointment.

I’m currently in my bathroom, fresh out of the shower, wearing only a towel.

Every time I see my reflection, I see a young version of my papa, if he were covered in tattoos and had shaggy hair.

I hang my head, closing my eyes, as I try to shake the image of him out of my head.

It’s times like these I wish he were still around to give me advice.

Losing my papa as a teenager was rough. I was on the cusp between childhood and manhood, a time when a father guides their son, turning them into the man they will always be.

I’ll always be thankful to Geno and Alessandro for welcoming me into their home.

Geno helped finish my papa’s job of making me a man.

Not only that, but they gave me a home, an education, and a place to experiment with my gadgets.

Sometimes, that last one came to Geno’s demise.

For example, the one time I caught one of his vintage cars on fire while trying to modernize it.

It was his Ferrari, too. To this day, I’ve never seen him that angry.

And that includes when Alessandro shot Luci.

I almost got sent to a traditional Catholic boarding school over that incident.

Plot twist: When we toured the school, I was caught in the confessional with the lead priest’s niece.

I don’t care what that priest said; his niece was not a virgin when I got to her based on the freaky shit she did to me in that confessional.

You can imagine that I wasn’t invited back.

In my defense, if the Bible hadn’t gotten knocked over, we would have been fine.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much Geno stepped in; he’s not my papa.

I reach for my phone when it rings and notice it’s my lawyer. I’m surprised to hear from him, considering he should be here in half an hour. Maybe he’s early.

“If you’re here, all you have to do is drop your name. You should know this by now. Whoever is at the gate should recognize you.”

“My nephew got arrested, and I’m stuck in court.

I had to fly out to Vegas last night, and the judge is taking his sweet time.

I meant to call you hours ago when I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it.

Listen. El and Andrea are coming from a doctor's appointment, and I received notice that the results of the paternity test were delivered. Dr. Rossi will be there as a medical witness. If it comes back negative, this mess can all be over. If it comes out positive, you need to stop the meeting immediately, and we’ll reschedule when I get back.

” I go to respond, but he cuts me off, hanging up after he finishes his last words.

“Shit. Listen, the judge is calling me back in. Remember, cut off the meeting if the test comes back positive.”

Are you serious? The plan is to have the lawyers mediate this bullshit meeting between the three of us. Four? Should I count the baby? I should cancel this until he gets back.

I’m pulling up their lawyer's name when I get a notification stating that El and Andrea are pulling up through the gate already. It can’t be noon yet. Can it? I pick up my Rolex, noticing that it’s about a quarter ’til noon. They had to be early? When is El ever early?

I’m about to take the last flight of stairs when I hear El’s signature short footsteps walking away from me. That can only tell me she’s heading in the direction of Alessandro’s office.

I grip the handrail tight enough that my knuckles go white as I get the courage to head into Alessandro’s office. “Let’s get this shit over with.”

I exhale whatever is left of my nerves, letting my feet lead me downstairs into my own personal hell.