Page 74 of Thorns of Desire

“It can’t end like this. It can’t,” I whispered, terrified. I wasn’t ready to be a mother. I could barely take care of myself.

He pulled me into a tighter hug, his strong hands offering safety. “It’s not the end,amorina. It is the beginning.” I shiftedback, searching out his face, finding nothing but sincerity there. “Now, shall I call the doctor back in?”

I swallowed with an audible gulp before nodding hesitantly. He shifted us around again, putting me back on the table while he went in search of the doctor.

“Tutto bene?” he asked when he returned, worry creasing his brow. When I gave him a blank expression, the doctor said in English, “It must be a shock, but a baby is a joyful affair.”

I nearly snorted, but thankfully I managed to show some restraint and agreed flatly.

I wasn’t sure what Manuel meant when he spoke of beginnings, but now was not the time or place to discuss it. I was exhausted, my brain mush and my emotions all over the place.

“If you haven’t been feeling nauseous, you’re a lucky woman,” the doctor explained. “You’ll need to start taking prenatal vitamins. I’ll send some home with you, along with a prescription to the pharmacy. Any bleeding or spotting?”

“No.”

He looked at Manuel. “She’ll need an obstetrician as soon as you can arrange it.”

“Assolutamente.”

I sighed, then steeled my spine. “You can talk to me, you know. He’s not my husband.”

“Yet,” Manuel chimed in, smiling smugly. What I wouldn’t give to wipe it off his handsome face right now. This situation was getting to me. It was the middle of the night, I was almostkilledmere hours ago, and now I was discussing pregnancy and possible marriage.

The doctor sighed, probably ready to leave us to the tension. “Would you like to listen to the baby’s heartbeat?”

When I nodded, he placed the device he’d used before on my belly and adjusted the volume on the machine. And then we heard our baby’s heartbeat for the first time. A rapidwhoosh,whoosh,whoosh,and a tremor rocked through my chest and all my thoughts about not wanting a baby ceased to exist. Everything changed and especially me.

It was all it took to fall in love.

THIRTY

MANUEL

Ishould have known, recognized the signs. After all, I’d seen Donatella, my nephew’s wife and mother to Enzo and Amadeo, throughout her pregnancies. Yet, just like Athena, the doctor’s words had shocked me. She didn’t have much of a bump at all, but I supposed her breasts were bigger and her skin was glowing.

I’d been driving for the past fifteen hours while Athena slept in the seat next to me. Somewhere in the night, she reached out and put her palm on my thigh, clutching my leg.

It gave me hope that she’d come around to this change we were about to face.

I hadn’t lied—while I’d never envisioned myself having a child, I couldn’t be happier. I’d ensure Athena and our baby were safe until I took my last breath.

I had to convince her to stay—for her sake and our baby’s.

My cock thickened just thinking about her round belly… My child growing inside her… I could not wait to dote on her. She was going to make an excellent mother.

When we heard the heartbeat echo in Dr. Alleghri’s office, I heard her sharp intake of breath, watched her expression soften.

Over the years, women had begged me to fuck them without a condom and I always refused. I never risked it, not wanting to bring an innocent child into this world. Yet, I’d been more than careless with Athena. Fucking her raw at every turn.

Probably because I knew she was the one from the start. She was never a casual fuck to me. And now, I’d keep her with me for the rest of our lives.

Fifteen hours of driving followed by a ferry ride and we were finally home—the island of Ischia. I turned down a long, paved road and drove through rows of cedar trees before coming to a ten-foot iron gate. The moment the men recognized me, it opened and I glided through just as the sun rose over my vineyards and orchards.

It was always the same feeling—pride, relief, love. This island set in the Bay of Naples, Ischia was home and I couldn’t wait to see Athena’s reaction. Would she love it as much as I do?

The road gradually sloped upward and, after breaking through the greenery, we were greeted by the sight of a large open landscape and the five-hundred-year-old castello that rose on top of the hill. Its slate roof gleamed under the rising sun and warm yellow light shone from the massive windows.

The house looked like something out of a fairy tale, and I hoped Athena would see it that way—for her sake and our child’s.