Exhaling: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection Book 3) Read Free

explained the situation to Doctor Henderson in clipped sentences. “I need you to do a DNA test on the two of us. I don’t want you to let anyone else handle the process, only you. Bring the results right back right here as soon as you get them. I’ll need to see the printout myself.”
    “Okay.” Doctor Henderson knew a lot about medicine. He knew a lot about the BMW he drove. He knew a lot about golfing. Doctor Henderson knew enough about the D’Amatos to not ask questions, so he kept his mouth shut through the blood and cheek swab samples. “It would help if I had a sample of either of the parents’ DNA so I could get your results quicker.”
    Vince’s tone was stony. “Do what you can with just us.”
    Fallyn didn’t flinch when the needle poked her, nor did she care when Doctor Henderson took a swab from the inside of her cheek. The doctor looked inside her mouth and frowned. “She’s severely dehydrated. Do you want me to set up an IV drip?”
    Vince nodded, but Fallyn shook her head, finally coming to life. “Do you have a pregnancy test in your bag?”
    Vince let out a choked cry and clutched his chest, as if in the throes of a heart attack. “What did you just say?”
    Fallyn hung her head. “I’m three weeks late.”
    Doctor Henderson moved slowly, lest he spook the man he’d never seen so all over the place. “I do.” He pulled the wrapped package out of his bag and handed it to Fallyn, who ambled on rubbery legs toward the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

4
    One Last Time
    F allyn knew what the results would be. She knew in her heart over a week ago when she’d been bent over the toilet in her bakery’s bathroom. She let Vince in to stop his incessant knocking, and they sat on the edge of the tub together, his arm around her and her head on his shoulder. “No matter what, a baby is good news, Fal. Don’t forget that. We’re not related. I can feel it. I would know.”
    The seconds that ticked by were excruciating for Vince, but Fallyn wished for an eternity more of them so she didn’t have to feel the harsh swirls of emotion that would come upon the confirmation. When the second line appeared on the stick, her heart lifted and crashed at the elation of being pregnant, and the utter devastation that if she and Vince were related, she would not be able to keep the baby. Vince dismissed Doctor Henderson with a fistful of cash, locked the front door again and ran back to his wife.
    Vince was silent as he turned on the shower. He was quiet and respectful as he undressed her, keeping his lust on hold for a better day, of which he willed there to be many. He helped her into the shower and then undressed himself, stepping in with her. He watched her not know what to do, as if she’d never seen soap before. The fear in Vince rose up as he realized that if the results were as Declan predicted, this would be the last time he would shower with his wife. Fear gripped him around the throat, daring him to submit to its power. Vince knew that no matter how bad the storm inside him raged, he couldn’t let Fallyn see him question their connection. Vince took his time soaping up every inch of her, taking the best care of the prize he’d stolen out from under the nose of her family.
    There were too many things to think about, but his heart kept dwelling on one word: baby. He washed her stomach, palming the child he’d always wanted, but had only recently found the one woman he’d take that leap with. He traced back over the many times they’d made love, ruling the careless time in the tub to be the culprit. Or perhaps it was the reckless abandonment in the vineyard when they’d celebrated him acquiring more land to add to his family’s vineyard. He wanted to celebrate. He wanted to kick Declan’s teeth in. He wanted to run Fallyn to a hospital so they could check everything to make sure his wife and the baby were healthy. One look at her, and he knew Fallyn wasn’t healthy. He’d brought her