Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 189

I drop Ivan's hand and clear my throat, looking away as if there's a blush on my face. From the corner of my eye, Daniel glares hard at Ivan, his jaw clenched. Luckily, my dad steps in, as I hoped he would.

"Hey, Ivan," dad says, coming forward with a smile to clasp Ivan's hand. "You want some pizza? We've got plenty."

"No, thank you, sir," Ivan says, friendly. I cross to the fridge and grab a bottle of water before coming back to Ivan's side. "I'd hate to deprive Fay of any pizza; I know she's going to be up in the middle of the night wanting a slice."

"Considerate," I say, raising my eyebrows at him with a little smile before nodding towards the back deck. Ivan nods in agreement and, after some murmured hellos to everyone else in the house, he follows me out onto the back deck. We settle ourselves into two little deck chairs that are seated close together facing the ocean and I wrap a waiting throw blanket around my shoulders before turning to him.

He's charming, over the next hour or so, as he always is, but I force myself not to fall into the ease into which he usually lulls me. Instead, I keep my answers tensed and clipped - wanting the evening to be more awkward than our usual ones. I find that it's harder than I thought it would be, though - Ivan's a great conversationalist.

A lull falls between us after a moment and I stare out at the sea. I jump a little when I feel a hand gently touch my forearm.

"You're tense, Fay," Ivan murmurs, and I turn to look at his worried face. "Are you...anxious? About what's coming next?"

"I guess so," I say, shrugging and speaking a truth that I know he doesn't understand, because Ivan - I'm absolutely positive - suspects nothing of my plans. That much I've done well.

"Tell me," he says, letting his hand linger and softly starting to stroke my arm.

"It's just..." I say, hesitating, and then I sigh. "It's so final, Kent getting sentenced to twenty years in a few days, and then being sent off to the state penitentiary. I mean, we knew it was coming but..."

"Something about it?" Ivan prompts, being genuinely kind. "Feels different?"

"I guess so," I say, smiling a little. "Just...door slammed shut, you know. And...it kind of stinks that Daniel isn't going to be allowed to be there for the sentencing. This one's not public, you know? So," I shrug. "I hate to see him hurt like that."

"I know you do," Ivan murmurs, "you're a good person, Fay."

I laugh inside at this, but the laughter doesn't give me any real joy. I wish I was a better person than I am, or am going to become in a few days' time.

"Do you want me to come and tell you?" Ivan says softly, and I turn my head to the side, inviting him to say more. "What happens at the sentencing," he clarifies, and I blink as if in surprise.

"Will you be there?" I ask, even though I already know the answer.

He nods. "I've done a lot of the questioning. I'm actually one of the ones who signed the paperwork saying that his testimony has been satisfactory - so, I've got to be there, in case the judge has questions. If you'd like...I could come by afterwards, let you guys know, so that you too can ask questions."

"Ivan," I whisper, reaching out to place my own hand on his arm - the most intimately I've touched him in months. "That would be incredibly kind - and Daniel might feel complicated about it, but I know in the long run he would appreciate it. Would you?" "I will," Ivan promises, giving me a steady nod. "I'll come after it's done."

"Thank you," I murmur, leaning towards him.

Ivan leans forward too.

But then I hesitate, and bite my lip and turn away. I hear Ivan sigh, just the tiniest bit, but I don't look at him.

"It's late," I murmur, my voice almost embarrassed.

"Sure," Ivan says, understanding my request. He gets to his feet and helps me stand up too. He keeps my hands in his as he looks down into my face. "Goodnight, Fay," he says quietly, his heart in his eyes.

"I'll see you soon, Ivan," I whisper.

And then I stay outside in the darkness while Ivan makes his own way through the house and down the stairs. I stay out on the deck for a long time, looking out over the water, sorting through all of my thoughts and feelings. Janeen, at one point, opens the door and calls out to me, asking if there's anything that I need.

But I tell her that there's not, and she leaves me alone. They all leave me alone, and I'm grateful for it. I need it.

Because what's coming next? It's going to be chaos - and all I want right now is just...a few minutes of peace, all by myself.

I glance down at my stomach though, laying a hand on top of it. "Guess I'm not ever alone any more though, am I, little avocado?"

But the baby doesn't answer, which is perhaps answer enough.

The house is dark when I go inside. I go to bed alone.

I gasp awake a few hours later, my hands immediately going to my stomach.

"Oh my god," I whisper, my eyes already wide and unblinking as I stare down at myself - as if I'm going to see something, even though I know that's ridiculous -

But then it comes again - just a...a little tiny fluttering, low and deep inside me.

I squeal a little bit with excitement, but when I do the fluttering stops.

"Oh, sorry!" I whisper down towards my stomach, going very still. "Sorry, baby! I didn't - well, you're going to have to get used to those kinds of weird noises, I think - I make them all the time -" And then the fluttering comes again, and I give a little shriek of joy. Baby! The baby's moving!

Gasping with happiness, I leap out of my bed and dash out of my room without even really thinking about it, or where I'm going - and I head to the door closest to mine, throwing it open.

"Daniel!" I whisper-shriek, "Jerome!"

Jerome sleeping in his boxer briefs - starts up first, snapping awake and grabbing instinctually for his nightstand, throwing open the drawer and grabbing a -

Oh my god, a gun - as Daniel groans and sits up next to him -

"Jerome!" I gasp, stepping back in shock and fear. "Put that down!"

He isn't pointing it at me or anything - it's still mostly in the drawer, but I can still see the handle of it pressed tightly into his palm.

But as Jerome blearily focuses on me he groans and drops the gun, slamming the drawer shut. "God damn it, Fay," he mutters, leaning back on the pillow and covering his face with his hands. "Have you seriously learned nothing - do not burst into a mafia bedroom in the middle of the night -"

"What is happening," Daniel murmurs, still not getting it - still half asleep and half-dressed in his pajama pants with no shirt, his face pressed into his pillow -

"Jerome tried to shoot me," I say, grinning and jumping onto the bed now that my first shock is passed.

"What?" Daniel gasps, turning towards me. But when he sees my happy face, and that I'm exaggerating, he kicks at me and puts his head back down. "Go away. Or I'll let him."

"No!" I say, laughing eagerly. "You guys have to wake up! The baby moved! I want you to see if you can feel it!"

"What?" Jerome says, suddenly excited and pulling his hands from his face. "Seriously?" And then he's sitting, leaning forward, peering at my stomach at the dark. "What's it like?"

Daniel murmurs something grouchy but sits up too, rubbing his eyes and looking at me. "Is it okay? Does it...hurt?"

"No," I say, shaking my head and grinning, my hands on either side of my belly. "It doesn't hurt, it feels like...like butterflies - it's so cool!"

Jerome reaches out now, putting his hands on my belly next to mine. Then he nudges Daniel, who sighs and reaches out too.

"Okay wait a sec," I murmur, looking down at the six hands pressed against my stomach, wondering if the baby knows how excited everyone is to feel it move. But the baby - perhaps stubborn, like its dad - doesn't do anything.

"Is it happening?" Daniel murmurs. "Am I...am I not feeling it?"

"No," I sigh, slouching back with a pout. "It stopped."

"Bummer," Jerome sighs, and he takes his hands away.

"Maybe we can like...make it happen," Daniel murmurs, leaning close. "What were you doing, Fay? When it happened?"

"Nothing," I reply, shaking my head. "I was asleep. Well - I was dreaming." And then I blush as I realize that I was dreaming about Kent. About just talking to him about nothing.

When I look up at Jerome, I see him smirking at me, putting the pieces together. "Do you think it was your conversation this afternoon?" he asks. "That brought the baby out of its shell, made it start moving around? I mean, if you were hearing Kent...maybe the baby was too." "Does it work like that?" Daniel asks, confused.

"I don't think so," Jerome says with a shrug. "But, Princess Baby certainly felt what Fay was feeling during the phone call. It makes...a certain kind of sense."

"All right then," Daniel says, grinning at both of us before laying himself down on the bed, resting his head on my knee and peering closely at my belly. "Let's see if we can get Prince baby to come out of his shell again."

"He's not a hermit crab," I murmur, but I can't stop smiling.

"What are you going to do?" Jerome asks, curious.

"I'm going to talk to it," Daniel says, "like Kent."

And I burst out laughing, dying to see where this goes.