Filed to story: Falling for My Ex's Mafia Dad Novel Free PDF (Fay Alden & Kent Lippert)
I smile at her and nod, but, inevitably, my gaze turns back to my son.
“Will you call dad?” I suddenly ask my sister as I feel her move away from my side. “He went to town will you call him? Tell him to come back?”
“You got it, sis,” Janeen says quietly, and then she’s gone.
And abruptly it’s just me, and Kent, and our son. Sitting on the living room floor in our suddenly-quiet house.
“Kent,” I whisper, my whole body trembling a little with pain and exhaustion and shock as I turn in his arms a little so that he can see the baby too. I glance up at him. “Is this real?”
He laughs a little. “It’s real, love,” he murmurs, leaning forward to kiss my hair, and then my cheek, and then to peer at the little baby in my arms. Slowly, Kent raises his hand and brushes it against the baby’s cheek. The baby is quiet now, blinking his little eyes and wiggling a little. “He’s beautiful.”
“He’s mad,” I whisper, studying his face curiously. Kent bursts out laughing again.
And the baby he really is mad. He has a tiny button nose, and perfect pink little lips turned down in an angry frown. And eyebrows god, they’re already knit together, like he inherited the expression from his dad…
“He’s bound to be mad,” Kent murmurs, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “He was just born, it’s probably a very shocking experience.”
“Poor baby,” I murmur, leaning forward to press a kiss to his little head. And then I pull away, content to stare at him, to study him again. “I can’t believe you’re here,” I murmur, stroking his little cheek with my finger. He has a little fuzz of hair on his head already, but I grin when I see that it’s not Lippert black.
I mean, it’s not red either but it’s light. Will it darken? What color will it be?
“I think he looks like me,” I say quietly after a moment of studying my kid, smug.
“No way,” Kent murmurs, his voice deep and content, rumbling in his chest. “He’s got my looks. Lucky kid.”
“He’d better not,” I say, dry. “I am not having another Lippert clone wandering around this house I won’t be able to tell the three of you apart.” Kent laughs again, harder this time, before tucking a finger beneath my chin and lifting my face up to his.
“And how are you feeling?” he asks, worry returning to his voice now. Because, as much as the doctors have given me the okay, it’s still been one hell of a day.
I stare up into Kent’s gorgeous face for a long moment before returning my eyes to my beautiful baby. And as much as I’m thrilled to finally hold him in my arms…
I don’t know. I feel…very conflicted. My body hurts and my mind suddenly flashes to Ivan, and my mother with her arms tied behind her back
And I sigh, and close my eyes, and lean heavily against Kent. “I feel tired,” I say, meaning it. A bone-deep, soul-deep kind of tired. Kent tightens his arms around me as he sighs, letting me rest my head against his chest.
“I know, sweetheart,” he murmurs. “You can sleep now. You can rest. I’ll make sure of that.”
I nod, believing him for a moment.
But then I remember that I have a newborn.
“No, I can’t,” I say, frustrated, sitting up a little.
“What?” Kent goes tense behind me.
“I have to feed him, Kent, and take care of him,” I murmur. “He’s just a little baby ”
“Well, I’ll help you.”
“Damn right you’ll help me,” I say, turning to glare at him a little. This just makes his face burst into a grin and, impulsively, he leans forward and kisses me.
And I kiss him right back, leaning into it, wanting it, needing it. And I laugh a little as the kiss, and all of Kent’s love behind it, brings me slowly back to myself.
“I love you, Kent,” I murmur as I pull back a little, feeling the baby squirm in my arms. “And I’m really happy. I am just…very tired.”
“I love you way more,” he replies, sighing. “And him too,” he says, nodding to the baby.
“Do you want to hold him?” I ask, sitting up straight and realizing suddenly that I’ve been selfish, hogging the baby.
“Of course I want to hold him,” Kent murmurs, “it’s my kid. I’m going to hold him so much he’ll be sick of it.” And then he gently unwraps his arms from their place around me and takes his son into his arms.
I realize how hard I’m smiling when my cheeks start to ache. But I can’t help it it’s just such a wonderful sight, watching Kent rock our brand-new baby in his arms.
“Hey, little guy,” Kent murmurs, smiling down at our son, who fusses unhappily in his arms.
“He likes me better,” I say, leaning over to stroke a finger down the baby’s belly, still wrapped in his towel. “He’s not so fussy with me.”
Kent shoots me a little glare, but he ignores my words. Instead, he just leans forward and kisses his son’s soft head, murmuring to him softly in Italian. And I don’t know precisely what he says, but the gist is clear: that he loves him, and that he always will, and that no matter what happens in this world? He’ll always keep him safe.
And my eyes fill with tears, because I know that it’s very, very true.
That Kent in so many ways he’s ruthless, and cold, and has a capacity for violence that in some ways goes unmatched.
But with me, with the baby, his family?
With us, he is unerringly kind and protective.
And most importantly, mine.
Or, at least, ours now. Because as I lean my head again against him and stare down at my baby in his arms, I feel the very true connection between all of us.
We are a family now. And Kent and I? We’ll fight to the death for that.
Gio gives us a good chunk of time alone with the baby, but when his friend the OBGYN arrives, things start to become a little more hectic. Sheâ??s a really nice, very pretty young woman â?? Janeen scowls freely at her, I smile to see â?? and after a full check of the baby and I she gives us a clean bill of health.
â??Home births are more common in Italy than the United States,â? Gio murmurs, standing close behind his friend and translating for me. â??So, it is not quite as shocking here. Though,â? he flicks his eyes to me with a smirk, â??most new mothers donâ??t keep their labor secret from their families and partners.â?
â??Well,â? I say, smugly tossing my wet hair back over my robed shoulder, â??most new mothers donâ??t have quite as busy a morning as I had the day their child is born.â?
I had a quick shower while the doctor checked out the baby, and now that Iâ??m all clean Iâ??m cozied up in bed. Honestly, though, considering everything that needs to be done Iâ??m not sure it was the best choice â?? I can feel my eyelids starting to close now that Iâ??m comfortable and warm, even despite my determination to stay up.
â??Shall we feed him?â? the pretty OBGYN says in halting English, smiling at me, and I nod eagerly to her, starting to take my robe off so that I can give the baby his first little meal.
â??Iâ??ll leave you to it,â? Gio murmurs, turning away from me as Kent comes into the room, hanging up his phone.
â??Oh please, Gio,â? I say in flat tones, laughing a little. â??I think the secrets of my naked body have been fully revealed to you today â?? who cares if you see a little breast â??â??
â??I do,â? Kent says as he strides over to the bed, his voice clipped. Then he snaps his fingers and points over his shoulder with his thumb. â??Out, Gio. Give my wife her privacy.â?
â??Not your wife,â? I sigh, but I smile anyway, liking the return of jealous, protective Kent. The OBGYN murmurs to me in Italian, and while I donâ??t understand her words, her gestures and gentle touches are a very clear guide about how to feed the bay. And before I know it, I gasp â?? because heâ??s latched! And I can feel him drinking.