Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 286

I come abruptly awake with a little gasp when the car goes over a little bump outside the gates of Villa Bianci. My eyes fly open and 1 look up to see Kent already turned in his seat, looking at me. I give him a little nod, letting him know that Im all right, and then I turn to glance at my dad, who looks at me with worry, and then down at my little boy. Dominic, thankfully, is still asleep. We stopped once on the way for a little break so that I could feed and change him, but he seems pretty settled now.

Which is good because...

Well, we're here, aren't we? We pass through Biancis guarded gate and start to drive slowly towards the house.

I'm a little glad that Dominic is asleep - I don't think a crying infant is going to make our negotiation go any easier.

"You all right, baby?" my dad asks, leaning towards me a little, the puppy alert in his lap and looking curiously towards the window.

"m okay," I say with a yawn, doing my best to stretch my arms out in the cramped space. "I'm just so tired - is this normal?"

"I think it is," he says, giving me a little nod and a smile." Janeen's mom was exhausted for days after she was born.

But it gets better, and I'm here to help you."

"You're the best, dad," I say, smiling at him and reaching over Dominic to squeeze his shoulder. But there's no time to say anything else as Gio pulls up to the house and eases the car to a stop. Alessi and Valentina are standing outside, waiting quietly, their faces solemn.

We're all silent as we start to get out of the car. Kent comes instantly around to me as Janeen pulls up behind us, and I give her a glance as I step out of the car to make sure she's all right before turning to look up at Kent.

"Kent," I breathe, fear starting to coil in my stomach. I was all right on the way here - but now that were at the house?

About to go in, and face Bianci? "What's - what's going to happen?"

"It's all right," he murmurs, cupping my cheek in his palm." I'll handle it, Fay."

I shake my head, still worried. "But what's our plan? What are we going to say to him? How are we -"

"You don't have to worry about this," he murmurs, stepping closer to me and bringing his other hand to my cheek." Please, Fay, all you have to do is stand there - let me take care of this -"

I open my mouth to protest that he's just as exhausted as I am when movement catches my eye. I take a step back, Kent's hands falling from my cheeks as Alessi steps around the car, looking curiously at us, standing so close s**l. s**l. In all of the distraction, I forgot the façade.

Blushing a little, I duck into the car, reaching for Dominic and starting to unbuckle him. Luckily, my dad's there to help my fumbling hands as Kent says some cold greetings to Alessi outside the car.

"You can just take him in the car seat, Fay," my dad says, his voice gentle.

"I know," I sigh, finishing with his straps and lifting my baby into my arms. His little Yankees cap falls off in the process, but it let it, wanting to feel his soft hair against my cheek." Dad, will you take the carrier? I just want to..."

But dad just pats my hands and smiles at me, nodding to let me know he understands. I exhale a little, bolstered by my dad's quiet, steady warmth, and then I steel myself, reminding myself of precisely who I am before I duck out of the car with the baby in my

arms.

"There she is," Alessi says, his face bursting into a warm smile I think despite himself. He puts his arms out and I take a step forward, letting him give me a small hug. "And the beautiful child," Alessi murmurs, leaning back a little to look down at Dominic. "My first grand-nephew. He is beautiful, Fay. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Alessi," I say quietly as he admires my son. I glance up at Kent, who stands stoically with his hands in his pockets, watching us. Because this just feels so... weird.

Now that the baby is here, pretending that Kent is not his father? It's not as easy as it used to be.

Valentina appears around the end of the car, Janeen at her side, and gives a little squeak when she sees the baby.

She's instantly in motion, dashing past her son, reaching for me, reaching for the child -

Haugh a little, remembering how Valentina said how much she likes children, and I tilt Dominic so that she can see him in my arms -

But Alessi just sighs and takes her by the arm before she can get to me. "We have business to attend to, Valentina," he murmurs, holding her back.

Valentina whips her head to him and says something low and dangerous in Italian, gesturing towards the child - I think protesting that it's not fair that he got to see the baby when she did not. But Alessi just sighs and ignores her, looking first at me and then at Kent. "Are you ready?" he asks. "He is waiting."

None of us need to ask who. Kent simply nods and the six of us follow the two of them into the house. Janeen takes a moment to stroke a hand over my hair, murmuring a hello to me and the baby before she falls back with dad. I walk at Kent's side, Gio slightly before us.

When we get into the house, Valentina falls back, kindly inviting Janeen and my father to join her in the kitchen for some refreshments, offering to get a bowl of water for the puppy - clear code that they are not welcome at the meeting upstairs. Janeen hesitates but Kent nods solemnly to her and so they go.

I shoot Gio a look, silently asking if they'll be okay with his mother, and he gives me a solemn nod. So I sigh, and send one last glance after my wonderful family, and begin to climb the steps after Alessi. Were all silent as we walk up the stairs, going slow to accommodate my pace, and then across the house to the same gorgeous study that Bianci has always used for these little chats.

When we arrive, though, I'm a bit surprised to see that Bianci is far from alone.

Relief instantly floods me when I see Daniel and Jerome standing together at the far side of the room, healthy and whole. My knees actually go weak, a little, but Kent is instantly there, his hand under my elbow to support me.

"Do you need me to..." he murmurs, glancing down at the baby.

But I shake my head, determined, and move instantly across the room to my husband. On the way, I catch a glance of Natalia from the corner of my eye, looking devastating in a tight black dress, leaning against the fireplace mantle and studying us all as we come in. "Fay" Daniel breathes, wrapping his arms lightly around me as I come close. He give me a gentle squeeze but then instantly looking down into my arms. "Oh my god, oh my god..." he shakes his head in awes. "Is this.is this him?" "No, Daniel, this is a loner," I say, my voice a little dry.

Daniel starts for a second but then lets out a little laugh, glancing up at me as Jerome takes a step forward, pressing a hasty kiss to my cheeks.

"He's beautiful, Fay," Jerome murmurs, his eyes a little misty.

"You guys are all right?" I whisper, looking frantically between them as Kent joins us, greeting his son with a warm hug

"We're fine," Jerome says, nodding eagerly to me, letting me know that nothing is amiss

"And did..you..." I bite my lip, wondering if everything went okay with...well, with my mother.

"We did," Jerome whispers, reaching out a hand to squeeze my shoulder. "We don't know anything but...Bianci took her.

That's all we know."

"Okay," I say, nodding and glancing up at Kent with a steady exhale of breath. Daniel stares at the baby in my arms, softly stroking his sleeping cheek, apparently in awe of him.

But Kent nods firmly to me and puts a hand between my shoulder blades, turning back to the center of the room, where Bianci is waiting and taking me with him. As we cross, I see Gio moving to Daniel's side, wrapping his favorite cousin in a warm hug. "Apologies, Don Bianci," Kent says. "But I'm sure you can understand Fay's eagerness to allow Daniel to meet his first born son."

"Of course," Bianci says from his place in his leather chair, a little cup of espresso balanced neatly on his knee. "It seemed to me a...unique decision in the first place," he continues, his eyes shifting to me now, "to allow the child's father to make the trip to my home. On such an auspicious day."

I go a little cold at his words, because of course we did the opposite of that - Dominic's actual father stayed where he belonged at my side. Still, it was a great sacrifice to not have Daniel and Jerome there - not to mention the actual sacrifice of my mother. And this guy is just going to sit there, calmly drinking his coffee and commenting on my priorities?

I step forward. "I hope it only emphasizes my dedication to you, Don Bianci," I say quietly, my little baby held tight in my arms, "that I would send my husband on such an important task the day his son was born."

Bianci studies me for a moment, a little smile turning his lips, but then he simply nods. "Bring the child," he says, gesturing towards me with a little curl of his fingertips. "I am eager to meet the next generation of my bloodline." Dread pools in me, just a little, as I bring Dominic forward.

Because, of course, my baby doesn't have an ounce of Bianci blood in him. But if the Don believes that he does?

Well, that can only work in our favor.

Daniel comes to my side as I tilt the baby so that Bianci can see him, Kent standing just behind us.

"Beautiful," the Mafia Don murmurs, studying the child with a small smile. "Congratulations, Daniel, Fay," he continues, looking up at us now, "on the birth of your son. It is a blessing. Family, of course, is everything."

We murmur our thanks to the Don before stepping back a little, and I look around to see that Jerome stands quietly in one corner of the room with Gio, both of them watching intently.

Alessi and Natalia come forward to stand on either side of Bianci's chair, facing Daniel, Kent and I in the center of the room.

And thus the battle begins.