“Marriage?! You offered her marriage?! Now you’re talking!”
“You deaf? I asked her to move in with me, not become my wife.”
“Same thing. It’ll eventually lead to you wearing a tux,” his friend said in a teasing tone.
He speared him with a wintry glare before staring blankly ahead. “Whatever. No possibility of that ever happening. She’s nowhere to be found.”
Rocco eyed him for a moment, as if weighing things in his mind.
“Well, Lonzo my friend, today’s your lucky day—”
Fifteen minutes later, he saw Rocco out.
Next, he gave rapid-fire instructions to Patrizia: clear his calendar for an entire week and to arrange for necessary transport.
He would be leaving for England first thing in the morning.
“Dana, don’t be stubborn about this. You need to tell them both. Leandro and that good-for-nothing whom my husband calls ‘bestfriend’,” Mel insisted as she gave her that no-nonsense stare that pierced her even through the screen of her tablet.
Jordana wasn’t ready to deal with that. Yet.
Mel and she began communicating more than a month ago via Skype. She felt guilty for hiding her condition from her bestfriend, so she went clean.
Mel was flabbergasted when she revealed her connection to Leandro.
But when she stood up and shown her friend her pregnant state, Mel was floored.
Her friend was furious when she told her that Lonzo was involved in the child’s gene pool.
Since then, Mel had been urging her to sue the man for child support.
She refused, but Mel wouldn’t drop it.
“You should’ve told him from the beginning.”
She shook her head.
“Honey, look. Whether you like it or not, Lonzo have rights over the child. He has a right to at least know.”
“If I had told him, he’d probably push me for termination,” she said.
Mel was horrified. “He told you that? When?!” she asked incredulously.
She sighed. This was exactly what she tried to avoid. Mel was loyal and that might affect her friend’s relationship with her new husband, who was Lonzo’s bestfriend.
“He never wanted to have children,” she stated.
“Aren’t you jumping the gun a bit?” Mel asked her gently.
“I think it’s best he didn’t know,” she insisted. Lonzo had told her again and again that he did not believe in marriage. Love, he said, had no place in his life. He was full of hate, cynicism and bitterness. That wouldn’t be good for her kid. A child needed love to grow up happy and secure.
“Forgive me, Dana. I know Lonzo can be an ass most of the time but I find it hard to believe he’ll force you to abort his child. I’d still give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides which, it’s too late for him to push you to have one.”
“Mel—”
“The baby’s almost due, Dana. Now is the time to tell him. And Leandro, too. That man will surely be a doting uncle.”
She sighed again. “I’ll think about it.”
“Don’t think. Do it. My God, Dana...you’re almost about to give birth! Do it for the baby. At least tell Leandro about your condition so he can look after you if you deliver early. He’s your brother!” Mel exclaimed.
“That’s what I am afraid of. You know his temper, how overprotective he can be. He’ll pull an avenging angel act for sure. And I don’t want that.”
“Your health and the baby’s is the priority.”
She smiled at her friend.
“I’ll think about it, Mel.”
“I worry about you.”
“Don’t. Besides, I already made arrangements with the nearest hospital. They’ll be here the moment I feel contractions.”
“Promise me that you’ll think this through. When’s your due date? Maybe I can ask Rocco to let me see you for a week or two—”
“No, no need for that, Mel. Please, I don’t want to impose on you two newlyweds! It wouldn’t be proper.”
“I guess, you’re right. The bloke panics whenever I’m out of his sight. Thinks I’m some sort of breakable china. Sometimes it drives me mad I just want to bash
“You deaf? I asked her to move in with me, not become my wife.”
“Same thing. It’ll eventually lead to you wearing a tux,” his friend said in a teasing tone.
He speared him with a wintry glare before staring blankly ahead. “Whatever. No possibility of that ever happening. She’s nowhere to be found.”
Rocco eyed him for a moment, as if weighing things in his mind.
“Well, Lonzo my friend, today’s your lucky day—”
Fifteen minutes later, he saw Rocco out.
Next, he gave rapid-fire instructions to Patrizia: clear his calendar for an entire week and to arrange for necessary transport.
He would be leaving for England first thing in the morning.
“Dana, don’t be stubborn about this. You need to tell them both. Leandro and that good-for-nothing whom my husband calls ‘bestfriend’,” Mel insisted as she gave her that no-nonsense stare that pierced her even through the screen of her tablet.
Jordana wasn’t ready to deal with that. Yet.
Mel and she began communicating more than a month ago via Skype. She felt guilty for hiding her condition from her bestfriend, so she went clean.
Mel was flabbergasted when she revealed her connection to Leandro.
But when she stood up and shown her friend her pregnant state, Mel was floored.
Her friend was furious when she told her that Lonzo was involved in the child’s gene pool.
Since then, Mel had been urging her to sue the man for child support.
She refused, but Mel wouldn’t drop it.
“You should’ve told him from the beginning.”
She shook her head.
“Honey, look. Whether you like it or not, Lonzo have rights over the child. He has a right to at least know.”
“If I had told him, he’d probably push me for termination,” she said.
Mel was horrified. “He told you that? When?!” she asked incredulously.
She sighed. This was exactly what she tried to avoid. Mel was loyal and that might affect her friend’s relationship with her new husband, who was Lonzo’s bestfriend.
“He never wanted to have children,” she stated.
“Aren’t you jumping the gun a bit?” Mel asked her gently.
“I think it’s best he didn’t know,” she insisted. Lonzo had told her again and again that he did not believe in marriage. Love, he said, had no place in his life. He was full of hate, cynicism and bitterness. That wouldn’t be good for her kid. A child needed love to grow up happy and secure.
“Forgive me, Dana. I know Lonzo can be an ass most of the time but I find it hard to believe he’ll force you to abort his child. I’d still give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides which, it’s too late for him to push you to have one.”
“Mel—”
“The baby’s almost due, Dana. Now is the time to tell him. And Leandro, too. That man will surely be a doting uncle.”
She sighed again. “I’ll think about it.”
“Don’t think. Do it. My God, Dana...you’re almost about to give birth! Do it for the baby. At least tell Leandro about your condition so he can look after you if you deliver early. He’s your brother!” Mel exclaimed.
“That’s what I am afraid of. You know his temper, how overprotective he can be. He’ll pull an avenging angel act for sure. And I don’t want that.”
“Your health and the baby’s is the priority.”
She smiled at her friend.
“I’ll think about it, Mel.”
“I worry about you.”
“Don’t. Besides, I already made arrangements with the nearest hospital. They’ll be here the moment I feel contractions.”
“Promise me that you’ll think this through. When’s your due date? Maybe I can ask Rocco to let me see you for a week or two—”
“No, no need for that, Mel. Please, I don’t want to impose on you two newlyweds! It wouldn’t be proper.”
“I guess, you’re right. The bloke panics whenever I’m out of his sight. Thinks I’m some sort of breakable china. Sometimes it drives me mad I just want to bash
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