“Did you know you were pregnant before you left?”

  “No, I swear to God. It was too early. I just found out a few days ago. I’m not lying to you, Havros. That much I promise to you. That’s why you need to let me go.”

  He was on me in a flash, his knee resting on the bed as he gripped my arm with one hand, my jaw with the other. “Don’t you understand at all how I feel about you?’

  “No. How could I? You’re hot and cold even now.”

  A look of sadness crossed his face.

  “When you walked up those stairs to get on that plane weeks ago, I didn’t think I could stay where I was. Do you know how many times I wanted to insist you stay? Beg you to stay? Don’t you have any idea how many times I thought about you during those long weeks? Or how many times I wanted to call you?”

  I had no voice, barely any breath left. “No.”

  “Hundreds. You’re all I could think about. You’re all I’ve ever wanted and the only woman who’s made me happy. You brought me from the darkness with your smile and the sparkle in your eyes. You gave me the most joyful moments I’ve ever experienced in my life. It might be cliché, but you are the only woman I will ever be happy with. The moon. The stars. The sun. You’re brighter than all three. I love you, Kara. My sweet kitten. I will love you until I take my last dying breath and into the afterlife. No matter where that takes me.”

  Tears welled up in my eyes. “All I could think about was you. Your touch. Your kisses. The looks you gave me. I just didn’t think you could ever love me.”

  “Baby, you’re nuts. I think I fell in love with you on the day we met. Don’t ever leave me. We’ll make it work. I promise you that I will make you happy.”

  I cupped his hand and there were no words needed. As he captured my mouth, I let go all the remnants of fear and uncertainty, replacing them with the happiness I’d wanted and had only felt with him.

  The kiss was rough and beautiful, soft and hard. It was everything I’d come to love about this man and even more. He was my everything. As he swept his tongue inside, I melted into him, clinging to him as he’d done with me.

  He’d fought to find me, to save me. I’d been a fool, my mind held hostage, but nothing I could ever have control over. That couldn’t happen any longer. I loved him with all my heart, with every ounce of my being.

  He broke the kiss, both of us completely breathless. “We’re having a baby?” he asked in a voice I didn’t recognize.

  “Yes. We are.”

  “Oh, my God. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world. My baby.” He gently pressed his hand against my stomach and I finally allowed my tears to fall.

  For my mother. For my father.

  For the time I’d wasted, yet without doing so, I would never have met the love of my life.

  We wouldn’t be a traditional family and danger would always lurk in the shadows, but I refused to allow that to shatter the beautiful world the two of us had created.

  Havros

  “You look stunning,” I told Kara as I pressed my lips to her neck. “And you smell fantastic. Why don’t we skip the family gathering and head up to the bedroom?”

  “Not a chance, buster. We have guests already wondering why in the hell you summoned them on short notice.”

  “Good news can’t wait.” I took her by the hand, leading her down the stairs. I had no clue what happened, but the moment she’d told me she was pregnant, my entire world had fallen into place. I’d never been happier.

  Although I wouldn’t admit this to anyone, but I’d also never been more terrified. How the hell was I going to be a father? Whew. It was daunting as hell.

  As soon as we stepped into the foyer, the sound of the entire family gathering in the living room brought a smile to my face. Celebrations were needed more often.

  “Are you ready?” I whispered in her ear.

  “Mmmm… For just about anything.”

  We’d taken a couple of days just for us, talking and planning. Learning more about each other. The time had been precious.

  As we walked into the room hand in hand, Dimitrios noticed our entrance first, nudging Willow who immediately flew toward us.

  “You’re back,” she said as she offered Kara a tight hug.

  “It’s like I never left.” I’d never heard such uncertainty in Kara’s voice. That’s right. She’d yet to meet my parents. I had to remind myself we could be a formidable group.

  Willow squeezed her hand. “Can I get you a drink? A glass of wine?”

  Kara glanced up at me, winking. “Just some fruit juice will be wonderful.”

  “Funny. That’s what I’m having. I’ll get it for you.” Willow lifted her brows as she looked from one to the other of us.

  We walked further into the room, my sweet mother rushing to hug me first.

  “I’ve missed seeing that handsome face of yours,” she said, immediately turning her attention to Kara. “And this must be the lovely Kara Banning. Even with all that my son said about you and how beautiful you were, his words still didn’t do you justice.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I chortled.

  “I’m so glad you’ve returned. I hope for a long visit at least.” My mother was prying, but that was so like her.

  Kara’s face turned a lovely shade of rose. “I’m thinking about it.”

  I tapped her on the bottom for the hell of it. She was staying. Period.

  “Son. You look great. Much happier,” my father said.

  “All because you fell in love,” Christos teased.

  “I’m going to kill all of you. I need a drink. Don’t let my family bite you,” I told my sweet kitten.

  “You do remember I bite back, right?” she countered.

  “Yep, she is perfect for this family,” Dimitrios said with a lilt in his voice.

  Soon, we all had drinks in our hands.

  “Why did you call this meeting?” Pops asked.

  “Well, because I think there is some celebrating to be done,” I told the group.

  Willow punched my brother in the gut. “You spilled the beans. Didn’t you?”

  “I did not. I wouldn’t do that because I know you’d kill me.”

  I glanced at Dimitrios, noticing a sparkle in his eyes. “Then please, what else do we have to celebrate?”

  The two lovebirds looked at each other and for a very possessive reason, I wrapped my arm around Kara’s waist.

  “We have news,” Willow said. She looked at the love of her life who nodded.

  “You tell it.”

  “We’re pregnant.” Willow wrinkled her brow as she waited for reactions.

  My mother reacted first, squealing from delight. “That’s wonderful!”

  “We weren’t going to say anything since I’m only about seven weeks along, but I think I’d burst if I kept the news to myself.” Willow was beaming.

  “That’s wonderful, bro,” I told the Boss.

  He was equally as thrilled as his wife, his face positively glowing from the joy he felt.

  There were congratulations all around.

  I cleared my throat. “Well, we have some news as well.”

  “You’re getting married,” Christos offered.

  “Not yet. We’re talking about it.” I had to laugh. We’d talked and she hadn’t agreed. Yet.

  But I was wearing her down.

  “Then what?” Pops asked. “Let’s keep this party going.”

  Kara grinned. “I think you’re going to have two babies appear in our little world about the same time.”

  “Two?” Pops asked. Then his eyes opened wide. “Kara?”

  “Yes, I’m pregnant as well. I find it hard to believe.” She laughed nervously as I squeezed her closer.

  Families could be difficult to deal with, often more of a pain in the ass, but I was lucky to have been born into the one I was. As everyone rallied around both women who’d dropped into our lives, I knew I’d finally found my place in the world.

  Right beside the woman I loved.

  “This is a day for celebration!” my father declared.

  Jonas popped into the room, looking sheepish in doing so. “Boss,” he said to me. “We have company.”

  “Who?” I was furious with the interruption.

  “Don Coppola and a few of his men.”

  The four men in the family looked at each other, but my final gaze was into Kara’s eyes. “Your decision as to whether you want the interruption. This is your special day.”

  “Send him in,” she said. “I want to hear what he has to say.”

  She’d remained rattled about being kidnapped, but as I’d expected, she turned it into another part of her exposés. Yet I knew the one thing that continued to rain down on her mind.

  Her mother’s death.

  I nodded to Jonas and only a minute later, the four men walked in. In Lorenzo’s hand was an envelope.

  “I apologize for the unannounced intrusion,” Lorenzo stated as he walked closer. “But I do have some news for you. Call it a gift and one long overdue.” He handed me the envelope.

  “What is this?”

  “I found the answer you were seeking.”

  More than curious, I opened the flap, pulling out a stack of photographs. One appeared as if taken by a camera across the street from a black sedan. The picture clearly showed a man placing something underneath the engine compartment. I lifted my head toward him. My gut told me what I was looking at.

  “I found the person responsible for killing Mrs. Banning and I’ve handled the situation.” He nodded for me to continue looking. “I’m sorry to say learning the truth was difficult.”

  Kara crowded my space, her face suddenly ashen. I handed her the first photograph, knowing she wouldn’t allow me to keep it from her.

  As I peered at the second and third photos, the sight of the same man only older lying on the ground in a pool of blood wasn’t something I would show at this point.

  “Who is he?” I asked.

  “He worked for my son who was killed. Many years ago, my son believed he was protecting me by eliminating anyone who dared cross me. He tasked his Capo to handle planting the bomb under your mother’s car to create the most suffering for the ambassador. Had I known, I would have stopped it from happening. I’m sorry, Kara. I wish there was something more I could do.”

  She was frowning, but held out her hand. “Thank you for learning the truth. That’s what I needed.”

  He seemed surprised by the gesture. “I’m glad I was able to find the answers and I hope that learning the truth will give you some comfort.”

  “Truth is paramount in my world, Don Coppola. Just ask Havros.”

  The Don laughed. “Well, I’m glad to hear. Incidentally, it would be a pleasure to sit down and talk with your family about how we can venture into a stronger association.”

  I glanced at my brothers and father who nodded. “We would be happy to entertain such a meeting.”

  “Good. Now, I’ll leave you. May peace and joy surround your family. That’s what my father used to say.”

  As he headed for the door, Kara closed the distance, wrapping her arms around me. In my mind truth was important.

  But not nearly as much as love.

  EPILOGUE

  Seven months later

  Kara

  To say I was nervous would be telling a lie. I was nine months pregnant, the doctors forbidding me to return to New York for my own party, the debut of the HBO series I’d flown back and forth to help guide to fruition.

  The butterflies were creating cramps in my system.

  “It’s okay,” Havros whispered.

  “No, it’s not.”

  The debut day was here and I had to watch the event on national television.

  At least I wasn’t alone. Every Nomikos family member as well as my father was inside Apollo Nomikos’ home waiting anxiously for the last five minutes before the program was set to begin.

  I paced the floor, trying to keep calm. The last few months had gone by in a blur and I’d grown to love every family member as my own. But seeing my father right here with me, sharing in my success and my happiness was even more special. We’d had long talks about my mother and why I’d fallen in love with Havros. In the end, he’d come around, maybe even liking Havros just a little bit.

  “You’re going to be just fine,” my daddy told me as he approached.

  “What if it bombs? What if no one watches it?” I asked

  He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. Just to have him here meant so much.

  “I am so proud of you, baby. This is just the beginning.”

  Or it was going to be a flop and my reputation would be toast. Well, at least if that was the case, I could consider working at the new kink club being built in Madrid. The thought almost made me giggle.

  As if the most controlling man in the world would ever allow that to happen.

  “Oh, it’s on! Look!” Willow yelped. I was shocked she hadn’t dropped that baby before now. She was huge and obviously uncomfortable.

  So was I.

  But I’d never been happier.

  I planted my hands in front of my face, peeking out from my outstretched fingers. I’d been asked to introduce the piece. “I look terrible.”

  “You could never look terrible.”

  “Oh, yes, I could.” Which is exactly the way I felt being this pregnant. I was nothing more than a beached whale.

  As the show premiered with the opening credits, the love of my life moved behind me. “Why don’t you sit, kitten.”

  “Too nervous.”

  He cradled me against his chest, wrapping his big, strong arms around me. “But beautiful. I’m going to ravage you later.”

  “Not this girl. Not now. You’re crazy. I’m as big as a house.”

  “I’m crazy only for you and that just means there’s more of you to love.”

  As he nipped my ear, I lifted my arm, pressing my hand against his face. “My God. You’re hard. That’s inappropriate.”

  “Not around you.”

  “Look, there’s my handsome husband’s face.” Willow was way too excited, clapping her hands.

  I cringed inside, the little white lie I’d told about the first subject weighing heavily on my mind.

  “You didn’t tell me the first production was on our family,” Havros growled into my ear.

  “Oops. Surprise.”

  “You will get a spanking for keeping something from me later.”

  “You wouldn’t spank a pregnant lady.”

  “Oh, yes, I would.”

  “You are,” I whispered, “incorrigible.”

  We stood together watching and it felt like I was holding my breath. The labor of love had taken so much from me, but in turn, had given me back my life.

  Yet the man holding me had given me the spirit, awakened my soul.

  And I couldn’t even think about what he’d done to my body.

  Willow gasped and everyone turned in her direction.

  “What’s wrong?” her sweet husband immediately demanded, jerking to his feet.

  “Oh, no. Not now. My water broke,” Willow moaned.

  “Oh, my God.” Dimitrios took her into his arms, scanning the room as if searching for answers.

  I’d never seen the man so flustered.

  “We need to get to the hospital.”

  He was close to being frantic. Everyone was up and all I could do was laugh. This was perfect timing.

  Havros kept me in his arms as the chaotic moment ensued. But I pulled away seconds later. A series of tingles were jetting right to my stomach.

  Another cramp. Oh, no. This just couldn’t be happening. Not now.

  “Uh-oh,” I half whispered.

  “What?” he asked.

  I turned and faced him, glancing down at the pool of liquid by my feet. “I think we need to go to the hospital too.”

  For a brutal, ruthless man I’d thought never capable of love, the look in his eyes was one I hoped to remember for years to come. For the rest of our life.

  Sheer happiness and adoration. For his little growing family.

  For the first time since I was twelve years old, I finally felt complete.

  And hopelessly in love.

  The End

  AFTERWORD

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