Chapter 10 - THE MAFIA BOSS WHO WAITED
Six months passed.
Vincent kept his promise.
No calls.
No messages.
No gifts.
No surprise visits.
He did not contact my employer.
Did not send security.
Did not ask anyone to report on my movements.
For a man accustomed to controlling everything, it was probably the hardest thing he had ever done.
On the final day of the six months, my phone rang.
Vincent.
I stared at the screen.
My heart pounded.
I answered.
“Hello.”
A pause.
Then his voice.
“Claire.”
I closed my eyes.
“Hi.”
He exhaled.
“Six months.”
I smiled faintly.
“You counted?”
“Every day.”
Silence.
Then he asked, “How are you?”
I looked down at my enormous stomach.
“Different.”
He laughed softly.
“Good different?”
I hesitated.
Then answered.
“Mostly.”
A pause.
“Can I see you?”
I closed my eyes.
For six months, I had imagined this conversation.
Now it was happening.
I took a breath.
“Vincent.”
“Yes?”
“There's something I need to tell you.”
His voice changed.
“What?”
I looked toward the nursery.
The white crib.
The blue blanket.
The tiny clothes folded in drawers.
Then I whispered:
“I'm pregnant.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
For a moment, I thought the call had disconnected.
Then Vincent spoke.
His voice was barely audible.
“What?”
I swallowed.
“I'm thirty-three weeks pregnant.”
Another silence.
Then:
“Claire…”
His breathing became uneven.
“Is the baby…”
I closed my eyes.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“He's yours.”
I heard something fall on the other end.
Then Vincent whispered:
“I'm going to be a father?”
Tears streamed down my face.
May you like
“Yes.”
For the first time in my life, I heard Vincent Moretti cry.
