Fall For My Ex’s Mafia Dad
Chapter 299

"Hey, gorgeous," Ivan says, his mouth turned up in a smirk as I cross the churchyard, beaming at him.

"Look who's talking," I say, laughing and reaching for him when I come close enough. Ivan wraps me in a hug, dropping a kiss to my cheek as I hold Dominic a bit to the side so he doesn't get squished between us.

"Let me see," he says, still grinning as I bring Dominic back around and turn him so that Ivan can peer down into his face. Ivan nods appreciatively, running a fond hand over Dominic's little baby head. "He's a good-looking kid, Fay," Ivan says, turning his grey eyes back to mine, a true smile on his lips. "But then again, with you as a mom..."

I laugh, shaking my head at him. "You shouldn't hit on me, Ivan. I'm a married woman now -"

"Oh please," he says, grinning. "Like that stopped me before." I laugh as he raises his chin towards the baby." What'd you name him?"

"After his father," I murmur fondly.

"I thought you already had a Lil Kent," Ivan says, laughing as his eyes find Titus still running around the yard, greeting all the guests.

"I know," I say quietly, looking seriously up at him now."

That's why we named him Ivan."

Ivan's face drops, his skin going ghostly pale.

I howl with laughter, my head tilting back on my neck, almost losing my footing as laugh so hard my stomach, aches.

"Don't do that to me, Fay!" Ivan shouts, bursting into laughter himself.

"His name is Dominic!" I say, shaking my head and wiping a tear away from my eyes. "And seriously, Ivan, how did you think that would have even happened - we never did more than kiss!"

"Well, I don't know," he sighs, exasperated and a little embarrassed to be caught off guard like that, sitting down on the stone wall for a little support. "You try being a guy in his twenties - we live in fear every day of showing up somewhere and someone telling us that a kid is ours!"

I sigh happily, sitting next to him on the stone wall. "I'm glad you came, Ivan. I mean, I want things to be sorted with us. But... also wanted you to meet the baby."

"Things are fine with us, Fay," Ivan says on a deep exhale, smiling at me. "I know that day was very dramatic but...'ve had some time to think now, and I've done my research - your Fiona was very helpful with that by the way -"

I nod, because she called me, of course, and updated me on what Ivan asked her.

"And," he shrugs, his mouth a little twisted. "I mean, it's hard to find out your whole life was a lie and that everything you've been pursuing since you were a kid is the wrong road. But..life goes on."

I nod, truly understanding him, though out of the corner of my eye I see a very large, very dark figure walking towards US:

"And are you happy?" I ask quietly, knowing we've only got a few more moments to ourselves.

"... very much want you

to be happy, Ivan."

He sighs, looking down at his shoes. "I'm not sure I'm there yet, Fay," he murmurs. "But...l think I will be."

I reach out, taking his hand, squeezing it. And he lifts his head and smiles at me.

"By all means," Kent says, his voice annoyed, "don't let me interrupt."

"No problem," Ivan says, raising his head and squinting in the sun as he smirks up at Kent. "Go back over there where you were and you won't be interrupting at all."

Kent seethes and I hide my smile at just how good Ivan is at getting under Kent's skin. Damn, but they were a great set of rivals.

"I will still punch you, Ivan," Kent says, crossing his arms."

Even if it does set a bad example for my kid."

"Well, it didn't seem to affect your first very badly," Ivan says with a shrug, peering around Kent to where Daniel is laughing with an arm around Jerome's shoulders. "So... maybe keep it up."

I smirk, squeezing Ivan's hand once more before standing and moving to Kent's side, tucking myself against him again. "No punching the invited guests, Kent," I sigh, smiling up at him. "Ivan's here as a peace offering. Yes?" I turn to Ivan as I say my last word. "Yes," Ivan says on a sigh, standing and walking towards us. "As fun as this violent tension between us is? I want it buried." Then, to my shock, he holds his hand out to Kent.

Kent takes a long moment to consider Ivan, this young man who organized his downfall, who worked very hard to put him in jail, who is the reason we can't ever go back to the United States.

But then Kent smirks, and reaches out his own hand, and gives Ivan's a hearty shake.

"Peace, then. Just don't try to hurt my kids, and stop hitting on my wife," he growls. I grin at this, enjoying myself.

"Sure, sure," Ivan says, moving his eyes to mine, making me laugh out loud.

Kent just groans and slips a possessive arm around my waist, turning me towards the chapel. "If you're done reconnecting with your ex?" he says, raising an eyebrow at me, "can we please go baptize our son?"

"Yes, sweetheart," I say, turning my face up to him and standing on my tiptoes, begging for a kiss that he gives me after a long sigh.

Ivan falls in on my left as we walk towards the church and all of our guests.

"Why's he wearing a dress?" Ivan murmurs, frowning down at Dominic in confusion.

I gasp, spinning my head to him with a broad smile. "That's what I said!"

The rest of the day goes beautifully. Janeen - who always liked Ivan - brings him eagerly to her side and chats amiably with him while the ceremony is set up. Gio, I can tell, is not particularly fond of this, but honestly- The boy could use a little jealousy, at this point.

And Janeen, perhaps intuiting the same, wraps her arm around Ivan's and leans warmly against his side.

I laugh, turning my attention completely to Kent and the baby now until it's time for the baptism itself. Then, my entire family gathers close and I pass Dominic into Daniel's arms while Kent stands on my right and my dad takes his position on my left. Janeen comes to Daniel's side, solemn for once, which makes me smile.

The baptismal font at this chapel is hundreds of years old, and outside the front of the church, which I really like.

Dominic is baptized in sunshine, under the open sky. And theres something about that which I think is just...lovely.

My family and I don't understand most of the ceremony, of course, as it is held in Italian. But one thing we do understand for sure are the words "Dominico Davide," which the priest says aloud while he pours holy water over Domenico's head from a seashell three times.

My dad gasps, turning towards me. My eyes are already on him, of course, because I was waiting.

"D-did he say David?" my dad asks, pointing to the priest.

I nod eagerly, wrapping my arm around his. "Dominic David, dad," I say softly as Dominic lets out a few little cries, clearly not liking the feel of the cold water on his head.

. "We named him for you."

My dad tears up, looking between Kent and I, totally moved.

"I am so honored," he says, putting a hand to his chest.

"We're honored," Kent says, putting a warm hand on dad's shoulder. "And Dominic is so lucky to have you as a grandfather."

My dad laughs, nodding and turning his attention back to the baby. "Well," he sighs, "I'm sure more fun than the other one."

Both Kent and I laugh, but Don Bianci - across the baptismal font from us - snaps his eyes up, perhaps not liking the joke as much as we do. But I just ignore it, because dad's right, frankly - and it's too happy a day to care

After the final blessing everyone applauds Dominic - he likes that, blinking and looking around at everyone with a smile on his face - and then the party begins.

Like all the other parties that I've experienced in Italy, this one goes long into the night. It starts at the chapel, with cake and a few toasts, but as the evening wears on we invite everyone to come back to the house with us to continue the celebration. Ivan, unfortunately, begs off at that point.

"Oh, no," I say, frowning at him, Dominic starting to get sleepy in my arms. "Ivan, we didn't even get to catch up -"

"Fay"" Ivan murmurs, a little quirk to his lips as he ruefully runs his knuckles down the length of my cheek. "I don't think I can catch up with you. If I do, I'm very much at risk of kidnapping you again, and I think that we both know that I got off easy on the last kidnapping."

I laugh, shaking my head at him, thinking that he's kidding but...

Well, the way he looks at me?

I sigh. "All right, Ivan," I say, pulling him into a deep hug.

Because as much as I am over him romantically and very much desire a friendship after everything that we 've been through...

Well, if he's not over me? Then I need to let him go.

"Take care," Fay," he says quietly, holding me for a little longer than he probably should

"You too," I murmur, hoping with my whole heart that he, does.

And then I watch quietly as Ivan walks away. I stand alone in the dark for a long moment with my baby sleepy in my arms, watching as he disappears down the road.

"You going to be all right with that one?" Jerome asks, quietly coming close to my side.

"Yeah," I say, smiling up at him. "He wasn't so bad."

"Well, he didn't try to imprison you," Jerome concedes, turning his head to the side.

And I laugh, because I forgot that Jerome went to jail too as part of Ivan's plans.

"Come on," Jerome says, "come back to the party before Kent explodes."

I do as I'm told, moving directly to Kents side and giving him a warm kiss. To his credit, he doesn't say anything about Ivan, letting me have my space with it. Instead, Kent just cups my cheek and tells me how much he loves me, how happy he is to have me at his side.

As we move towards the cars to go back to the house where a mountain of food is waiting, I frown and look around. "Wait," I say, pausing, "where is Janeen?"

"Didn't you see?" Kent murmurs, turning me a little and gesturing towards the side of the chapel in the dark. "Looks like he finally found his courage."

And my frown deepens for a second as I peer into the dark

- but then I burst out laughing. Because I see them now. I see the way that Gio has Janeen pressed up against the wall of the chapel, kissing her for all he's worth. And I definitely do not miss the way that Janeen kisses him eagerly back, one of her legs already hooked up over his hip.

"Leave them the Porsche," I say dryly, turning away and leaning against my husband's side as Titus runs eager circles around us. "I have a feeling they'll be here for a while."

Kent laughs and nods, his arm tight around me. "Come on, my little fawn," he says, pressing a kiss to my head. "Let's go home and celebrate our beautiful son."