Page 25 of Angel's Forever

“None of us are Vincent. We won’t put you through what he did. You must realize that.” He placed a hand on my stomach. “If you are pregnant and one of us has created a life inside you, we will all protect you with our own lives. We could never destroy that. I, for one, don’t care who the father may be. I will love that child as if it were my own and do everything I can for you and the baby to make your life better. However, none of that matters until you find out the truth.”

I knew he was right. I was still living in the past. A past that no longer existed. I wasn’t with Vincent anymore. The three men I loved, and who cherished me, would never do the things to me that I had lived through in my former life. I had to remember that. I had to put that history behind me and live for the here and now. For the future that was so much healthier than I could ever have imagined not more than seven months ago. All three of them would be doting fathers, no matter who the biological father was. Deep down in my heart, I knew that, but the horrific events of the past wouldn’t let me move forward.

“I’m scared, Gino. I’m trying to let the past go, but the thought of losing another child is terrifying me. If I don’t know and something happens, it won’t be so devastating. I don’t think I can go through that again.”

The tears started to fall again as the pain I had felt inside for so long over losing three children at Vincent’s hands boiled over. I was shaking both in fear and anguish as all the emotions of my past came to the surface. The times I had lain on my bed in agony at his hands. The broken bones, bruises, and feelings of loss I could no longer hold back. I was sobbing, unable to control my emotions. Gino just sat there and held me, gently stroking my hair as my head rested on his chest.

“Tesoro, look at me.”

I lifted my head and looked up at his worried face.

“There is no need for you to be frightened. We will all be here for you. And you know Kristen will always help you, and she is only at the end of the phone if you need another woman to talk to. If you are pregnant, that is something to rejoice over, not worry. I know Hudson and Nico will be just as pleased and excited as I am. I also know that Hudson is desperate to have a family, even if it isn’t his own. So come on, no more tears. We don’t even know if you are yet. Let's spend the morning relaxing, and then we can find out for certain.”

As I looked into his eyes and listened to what he was saying, I felt a sudden need to kiss him. I leaned forward and gently rested my lips on his. He ran his tongue over my lower lip as he opened his mouth. I opened my mouth instantly at the tingling sensation he caused inside me and we deepened our slow kiss. The kiss was lazy, but sensual, and seemed to last forever. All the pain I was feeling washed away as he continued to kiss me. After a while, he pulled away slightly and then pressed another kiss to my lips.

“Got it all out of your system now?”

I smiled at him and nodded. He moved across the couch slightly and sat me down next to him so my legs were across his lap and my back resting on the arm.

“You do realize, though, if you are pregnant, you’re not going to be able to do anything. Nico and Hudson will wrap you up in bubble wrap and treat you with kid gloves, especially in the bedroom. Plus both you and the baby will be spoiled rotten. Are you up for that challenge?”

I started to laugh, but then my laughter stopped. “Oh, God. Hudson is probably going to ban me from sex for the entirety of my pregnancy. I am going to be made to be celibate.”

Gino looked at the horror on my face and started to laugh. “I’m sure Hudson won’t go that far. He will probably just calm things down and not go full Dom on you. However, thinking about it, that also means more problems for me.”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing now as the realization appeared on Gino’s face. Talking through the laughter, I tried to reassure him as much as possible.

“I’m sure you will survive, and after all, it’s only for a few months. He was nowhere near as strict with you that night as he was with me. However, that could have been because it was your first time.” I raised my eyebrows at him and burst into hysterics, unable to control the laughter.

“You’re really not helping.”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”

He looked at me with a feigned expression of hurt in his eyes before he started to laugh along with me. “I’m glad I can make you laugh, tesoro. If there is something I love about you, it is hearing you laugh and knowing that I helped make it happen.”

He placed his hand on my cheek, wiping away the tears – of laughter this time – from my face.

“Thank you, Gino. I do feel a lot happier now. I can’t live in the past any longer, especially if I am carrying a precious life inside me. I have three gorgeous and protective men to take care of me, and I have a big papa bear in Viktor, ready to kill any one of you if you hurt me. What more could a woman want to feel loved and protected? You’re right. I should only look forward from this moment on.”

Gino pulled me into his side again and held me while turning on the TV and putting on a movie. I wasn’t really paying attention, as I was exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster. I could feel my eyes getting heavy as the warmth from his body radiated through me.

“Rest for a while, tesoro. I will make sure you are awake in time for your appointment.”

As the weariness took over my body, I heard those final words before I fell asleep in his arms.

Chapter Fourteen

GINO

I LET GABRIELLA REST for a while. I could tell admitting the truth to me had taken a lot out of her. Hudson, Nico, and I had all discussed it a couple of evenings ago while Gabriella had been unwinding in a bath. We also knew that she was getting tired very easily, which was one of the symptoms early in pregnancy. We all had our suspicions, but none of us had been brave enough to confront her with our thoughts. That was one reason why Hudson had made the appointment: to hopefully push her into admitting to one of us. And it had.

We were currently driving to the clinic, and Gabriella seemed to be in a far lighter mood than she had been in days. I hoped this was down to our discussion this morning and that she could finally look forward to motherhood. I was certainly looking forward to it. The thought of seeing her growing a child conjured thoughts in my head that I knew I shouldn’t have been thinking. They said making love to a pregnant woman could be a real turn-on for some men, and I was starting to think I was one of those men.

After everything she had been through with Vincent, I was praying that she was pregnant. I really didn’t care which one of us was the father; it didn’t matter to me. All that mattered was my gorgeous Gabriella would finally be the mother she deserved to be. I knew she would be a fantastic mom. Nico had told me how she had reacted when he’d shown her the photos of Trent’s son, Christian, after they’d returned from Detroit.. I also knew how loving and caring she was to every one of us, learning what each of us needed from her, and that was no easy task.

I pulled into the parking lot at the clinic, quickly got out of the car, and headed around to help Gabriella. As instructed, we always took her out in the Range Rover that Nico had gotten custom made. We were sure that no one would use a gun on us, but we wanted to keep her as safe as possible, and this was the best car to use for that.

“Are you ready for this?”