Wild and Wicked, page 21
He’d RSVP’d yes to Penny’s wedding a couple days after returning from the cabin. At the time, he’d seen it as an opportunity to spend more time with his family, and if he’d managed to claim a dance or three with Gianna, so much the better.
However, as more time passed, he’d been forced to acknowledge that his feelings for Gianna were way stronger than he realized, and they weren’t going anywhere. He’d been tempted to cancel after spying Gianna and Sam together outside her apartment three weeks earlier, certain he didn’t have it in him to let her cheating ex steal those dances from him.
A decorative board outside the entry displayed the table seating chart. After a quick scan, he saw that he’d been placed at a table with Aldo, Kayden, Luca, Bruno, and Vivian. Glancing across the room, he spied his brothers, saw the empty seat saved for him.
Then he kept scouring the room until he found her. Gianna was sitting with Liza, Keeley, Gio, and Rafe. He frowned when he realized there was an empty chair next to her. Was that Sam’s place?
Most everyone was seated, finishing up their meals, though there were a few stragglers—including Gage’s brothers, Matt and Conor—lined up by the open bar. Penny and Gage were doing their newlywed couple duties, walking from table to table to greet and chat with their guests.
The ballroom was large, filled with huge bouquets of deep red roses, as one might expect from a Valentine’s Day wedding.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the ballroom. Aldo saw him first, raising his hand to wave, then pointing to the empty chair next to him. Elio nodded and started to head that way, then held up one finger. There was another table he needed to visit first.
“Elio! You made it!” Liza leapt from her chair when he approached, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Oh my God, you’re so late, I’d given up on you.”
He nodded, though his attention was locked on Gianna. She was giving him one of those sweet, guileless, gorgeous smiles of hers. She was happy to see him. It was written all over her face. He started to return the smile, but then his gaze traveled to the empty chair, and he found himself searching the room for Sam again.
“Dude, you missed the ceremony, happy hour, and dinner,” Gio pointed out.
“Is the bar still open?” he asked gruffly.
“Yep,” Gio replied with a grin.
“Then I’ll be fine.”
“Where have you been?” Liza asked.
“Let’s just say it’s been a rough afternoon…evening…fuck it…day.” Elio took a moment to list all the reasons for his tardiness, before wrapping up with, “So basically, the interstate was a parking lot for a couple of hours.”
“Jesus. I would have turned around and gone home,” Rafe said.
“I thought about it,” he admitted. “More than a few times. But that felt like an even bigger waste of time, considering I would have been right back on the interstate tomorrow in the team bus, heading this direction for the game.”
Unable to resist any longer, he pointed to the extra chair. “Are you missing someone?”
Liza sighed. “Yeah. My date. I invited a guy from work, but he canceled on me this morning. He took a tumble while he was jogging and sprained his ankle.”
“No date for you?” Elio asked Gianna, who shook her head.
Interesting. Why hadn’t she invited Sam?
“I think your seat is with Aldo,” Gio said, “but since dinner is over and we have an extra place, I’m sure no one will care if you join us.”
Liza glanced around the room. “Let me grab one of the waitstaff and see if they can bring you a plate. You must be starving.”
“That’s okay,” Elio reassured her, claiming the chair they’d offered. “I’ll just steal Gianna’s piece of wedding cake.”
Gianna laughed. “You might try.”
Unable to resist, he subtly shifted his chair a bit closer to hers, drawing in a deep breath when he caught a whiff of her citrus shampoo.
God, she smelled good.
“You’d deprive a starving man an extra piece of cake, Freckles? You’re a cruel woman.”
Gianna laughed, but he could see his nickname had captured the attention of both Liza and Keeley.
Gio pointed toward the bar. “Want me to grab you a beer? Or something stronger?”
Elio shook his head. “I’ll get something in a minute. Thanks for the offer. How was the wedding?”
“Perfect,” Liza said, taking a few moments to fill him in on the ceremony, which, according to his sister, was the most romantic thing she’d ever seen. The women teared up, recalling the vows Gage had written for his bride, much to Rafe and Gio’s chagrin.
“The guy really set the bar high for the rest of us poor bastards,” Gio grumbled, while Keeley narrowed her eyes.
“If you’re worried, maybe you should start working on yours now,” she joked.
Gio wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Nah. Figure I’ll leave the vow-writing to Rafe.”
“Is that right?” Rafe asked. “And what’s your contribution going to be?”
Gio gave his best friend and partner a “duh” look before saying, “I’ll be in charge of planning the honeymoon sex positions.”
Rafe rolled his eyes as the women giggled.
“I’m not complaining,” Keeley said. “Sounds like you’ll both be playing to your strengths.”
Elio felt the tension of the last few hours melt away, relaxed and happy to be here, surrounded by his family and friends. The feeling reinforced his decision to leave the team once more.
Then, unable to resist, he stole another long look at Gianna. “You look beautiful tonight,” he murmured, leaning toward her, wrapping his arm around the back of her chair.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Gianna said, her gaze traveling over what he knew was now a wrinkled suit. He’d gotten ready for the wedding in the locker room after practice to save time and he’d gotten a few playful wolf whistles from his teammates. He’d felt well-groomed leaving Baltimore. Now, too many hours later, he just felt disheveled.
“What am I?” Liza asked. “Chopped liver?”
Elio needed to get a grip, or he’d give himself—and his feelings—away. Forcing himself to look away from Gianna, he grinned at his sister. “You look alright.”
Liza narrowed her eyes. “Oh, that’s great. Gianna gets beautiful and I get alright.”
If there was one thing Elio excelled at, it was pushing his kid sister’s buttons. “What words would you prefer, sis? Okay? Pretty good?”
“Stunning,” another voice chimed in.
Elio looked up, frowning when he realized Matt Russo was standing next to their table, listening to the conversation.
“You look stunning tonight, Ms. Moretti,” Matt repeated, his compliment accomplishing something Elio had never witnessed before. Matt Russo had rendered his never-silent sister speechless.
Matt and Liza stared at each other for a moment or two, long enough for Elio to steal a glance at Gianna, who gave him a shocked look as she mouthed “you were right.”
“I want to thank you for coming tonight,” Matt said, clearing his throat, looking around the table at each of them. “Your presence here means a lot to Penny and my brother.”
The Russo brothers had lost both their parents, so it appeared Matt, the eldest, was stepping into that role tonight, welcoming their guests. It couldn’t have been an easy task for him, considering the sheer number of Morettis in the ballroom. Then Elio spotted Conor standing next to Tony’s table, and he realized the brothers appeared to be splitting the duty.
“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Keeley said, speaking for the table, since Elio and Gio were both scowling. Elio tried to school his features, but a lifetime of anger and horror stories from his dad and Nonno ensured his animosity ran deep.
Rafe didn’t talk. Rather, he just looked at Gio, amused by his partner’s furrowed brows and crossed-arms pose. Meanwhile Liza…well…Elio couldn’t quite decipher her mood. She looked at Matt like he was a rattlesnake poised to strike, but she wasn’t afraid. Nope, she was ready for it, shovel raised and ready to chop off his head the second he made one wrong move.
“It was a beautiful wedding,” Gianna added, when it was clear no one else was going to say anything.
Matt nodded, took one last look at Liza, and moved on to the next table. Before anyone could remark on the exchange, the deejay drew their attention to the dance floor as he called for Penny and Gage to come forward for the first dance.
The first strains of John Legend’s “Conversations in the Dark” began as Gage pulled his bride into his arms.
Elio watched the couple swaying to the music and saw the way Gage looked at Penny like a man who’d just gotten everything he’d ever wanted. Until Gianna, Elio had precious little experience with jealousy. Now, as he watched Gage, he knew he wanted what that man had.
A future. A forever with the woman he loved.
He wanted to be able to look at every person in this room, point to Gianna, and say, “This beautiful woman is mine.”
His gaze shifted to Gianna. She truly did look lovely, the pale blue of her dress matching her eyes perfectly. There was a pink hue in her cheeks that gave her a healthy glow, and it set his mind at ease. He’d hated hearing that she’d been sick, but whatever ailed her had clearly passed.
“Mr. and Mrs. Gage Russo,” the deejay said, partway through the song, “would like to invite other couples in attendance to come up and join them on the dance floor.”
Elio didn’t hesitate for a moment, rising and offering a hand to Gianna. She accepted, placing her hand in his, and his heart began to beat a little bit faster. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rafe leading Keeley to the floor, Gio offering to dance with Liza. The six of them made their way to the floor, but once they were there, he swung Gianna into his arms and his vision shrank to just her.
“I’m glad you made it,” she said softly. “I was afraid you might have to cancel.”
“Believe me, I was worried about that as well after two hours in standstill traffic.”
“Elio, I was hoping that…maybe…” Gianna seemed nervous, and he didn’t like it. After everything they’d shared at the cabin, he thought they’d passed the point where she felt uncomfortable or shy around him.
“Maybe what?”
“Do you think it would be possible for us to find a few moments to speak in private?”
Elio sighed, suddenly understanding her anxiety. He’d expressed his opinions regarding her getting back together with Sam, and apparently, she was nervous about telling him she’d forgiven the cheating bastard.
“Gianna. What you and I shared at the cabin…it was special. But you don’t owe me an explanation about Sam. If you want to get back with him, that’s your decision and yours alone.”
Gianna frowned in confusion. “Get back with Sam? What are you talking about? He cheated on me, Elio. The relationship is over.”
Now it was his turn to be perplexed. “But…I thought…”
“You were right about him coming back,” she started. “The day I got home from the cabin, I found him in my apartment.”
“He still has a key?” Elio asked, his voice angrier than he’d intended.
Gianna shook her head. “No. Of course not. The asshole got the spare key from my neighbor.”
Elio’s temper flared. Earlier, he’d hoped her ex wasn’t here. Now he was sorry the man was absent because he’d like to show Sam up close and personal why Elio was known as El Train, the enforcer. “What the hell?”
Gianna laughed. “That’s what I said when I found him there. I told him to get out or I was calling 9-1-1.”
“Good for you.” Then he realized her story didn’t match what he’d witnessed a few weeks ago.
“He left when he realized he’d majorly overstepped.”
“And that was it?” he asked, knowing it wasn’t.
“No. I ran into him one night at the pizza parlor where we use to have a standing Wednesday date.”
Elio recalled the small leftover pizza box Gianna had been carrying. “He’d gone there on purpose? Hoping to see you?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I was a bit calmer that time. He offered me half his pizza. We sat and talked about what happened. It was just as you said. He wanted to get back together. I told him I’d moved on.”
“You have?” Elio asked, every word of her story filling him with hope.
She tilted her head up, their faces so close he could feel the heat of her breath. “I have. It was a good talk. I think we both needed the closure. He walked me home, we said goodbye, and that was it. I haven’t seen him since, and I don’t plan to.”
Elio smiled, then before he could think better of it—considering they were surrounded by family and friends—he gave her a quick, hard kiss.
If she was embarrassed or uncomfortable by the kiss, she gave no indication. Instead, she looked pleased. “Why would you think I’d gotten back with Sam?”
Elio would come clean about his single night of stalking later. Right now, he was more curious about her initial request. “It was just a misunderstanding. What do you want to talk to me about?”
“I don’t want to do it here.” She looked around the room as the song began to come to an end. Her anxiety concerned him enough that he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“Come with me.”
The two of them left the dance floor. He placed his hand on her back, guiding her past their table and out of the ballroom. He took a quick scan of their surroundings. The grand hotel was large with lots of small, cozy seating areas. He took her hand, leading her down the wide hallway until he found what he was looking for. Around a corner was an alcove complete with a love seat, two chairs, and a large palm. It was out of sight of the ballroom entrance, so they could sit in relative seclusion.
“Okay,” Elio said, once they were settled, both of them opting to share the love seat. Now that he was with her again, and he knew she was single, it was going to be difficult for him to keep his hands off her. “It’s obvious something is bothering you. The sooner you say it, the sooner we can move on to the good stuff.”
“Good stuff?”
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, letting her know without words exactly where he hoped this night would lead.
She tried to smile, but the effort was weak at best, and his eyes narrowed with concern. Something was seriously upsetting her.
“What is it, Gianna?”
“I’m pregnant.”
Chapter Eighteen
Gianna prayed Elio couldn’t see her hands shaking. She’d managed to keep her nerves at bay most of the night, genuinely enjoying the reception, the meal, the company.
The problem was, every now and then she’d recall the conversation looming, and her stomach would clench, her chest growing tight.
“I was wrong, Elio,” she started, hating how thin her voice sounded. She was struggling to take a deep breath. She’d practiced this damn conversation nonstop since discovering she was pregnant. This should be easier than this, but it wasn’t.
“What?”
She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “I’m pregnant,” she said again.
Gianna closed her eyes. That wasn’t the way she’d planned to tell him at all. She’d intended to explain about the mistaken period, and the stress at work, about Sam, and then…
“Gianna. Open your eyes and look at me,” he demanded. “You’re pregnant?”
She’d wanted to do this face-to-face, thinking it would give her an advantage. She’d thought seeing his expressions would help her understand how he was feeling. She’d been wrong.
Elio’s face told her no more now than his damn “thanks for telling me” text had back in January.
“I…God…I’m so sorry I told you I wasn’t. I—”
“You’re pregnant.”
She could understand his shock. She’d experienced the same, needing to say those two words, “I’m pregnant,” over about a million times before she could make them sink in.
She nodded, words escaping her. She clenched her hands together in her lap, trying to stop them from trembling.
Not that it mattered. One second, Elio was sitting there, stoic, still as a statue—the next, the biggest, most enormous smile she’d ever seen split his face and he was standing, picking her up, and giving her the most incredible Moretti hug in the history of Moretti hugs. Then he took it further by lifting her off her feet, holding her even tighter.
“Elio,” she said, trying to pull away, though the man was showing no indication of letting her go. “You’re not mad? You’re…happy?”
“Jesus Christ, Gianna! Why would you think I’d be mad?”
“Because we had a four-night stand that wasn’t supposed to be anything more than casual sex. Then the condom broke. And then I told you I wasn’t pregnant because I’m an idiot.”
“Was the test wrong?” he asked.
“No. I never took the test because I got my period. Or…I thought I got it. The doctor said it was most likely spotting.”
His smile faded. “Wait. What does that mean? Is the baby okay?”
“It’s fine,” she reassured him quickly. “I realized this week I’d missed my period. And I’ve had this damn stomach bug, but it kept coming and going. And that was when…well, I started to think it might be morning sickness, even though for me, it’s been morning, noon, and night sickness—so I took a test. Even when I saw the plus sign, I thought it had to be wrong, so I went to the doctor yesterday and she confirmed it. I heard the baby’s heartbeat.”
“You heard…” Elio’s eyes widened. “No more doctor appointments without me.”
She laughed as she shook her head. “It’s still hockey season. You can’t just—”
“I can and I will. I mean it, Gee. I want to be there for every appointment. I want to hear the heartbeat.”
“The next one is the ultrasound. I have the appointment set, but I can change the date if it doesn’t work with your schedule,” she offered.
