His Promise: The Mafia’s Babies by C. Tamika

“Serena, we have to go!” I heard Christian voice call out for me yet again. “I’m coming!” I yelled back andseveral more times to look at my dress and my perfectly curled hair.
Christian had arrived home a few hours earlier, but I had no time to see him as I was preparing myself to Even though it was a double date, I still felt the need to be pretty. Dana could not outdo me.
I quickly grabbed my clutch before I ran down the stairs. “Ow.” I closed my eyes and rubbed my foreheadbumped against his chest…yet again.
“You really need to stop doing that.” He said his usual sentence and pushed me away. “You look…amazina warm smile while I gave him a big one in return. “Thank you, so do you.” I complimented him back.
“You sure love praises, don’t you?” He asked and stuck out his hand as he led me to the car. While he waat his face and wondered if he was really in a good mood or just playing pretend. All I wanted to know whappened at that meeting, but he wasn’t sharing it with me—so I would not push it.
“What’s on your mind?” Christian asked me. I blushed and looked down, not realizing that he could actustaring. “You.”
“Me?”
“Maybe…there’s something you want to tell me?” Christian asked. My mind went blank as I thought aboto tell him, but there was nothing. “No?” I spoke. “Hmm, okay.”
“Serena, from now on I want us to be honest with each other.” He smiled and looked at me for a second.honest—that was the reason why he did not tell me about the meeting. “Sure, we can do that.”
“Good.” He sighed.
After a while, we had arrived at a huge restaurant where I normally wouldn’t even glance at because I nemoney for it, but things had changed.
A man immediately came running over to Christian the moment we arrived. “We’re so happy to have youof you. Your brother is already at your usual spot.” He told Christian and led us the way.
“Do you come here often?” I asked him and looked around in awe. The restaurant was filled with chandesuits, and classy women who were swimming in diamonds. “Yes, the Lamberti’s own this place—Johnny’He grabbed my hand and led me to a private room in the corner. “Just be yourself, don’t close yourself odo.” He pressed a kiss against my cheek and opened the sliding door.
“There they are!” I heard Dana’s voice as she looked at me and patted the seat next to her. “H-hi.” I greesat down next to her while Christian sat next to Gio.
Even though I had patched things up with Francesca, I had yet to do so with Gio—so everything still felt have you been?” Dana asked me with a kind and welcoming smile on her face. “Still pregnant.” I shruggemaking her laugh.
“Yeah, I see. All sudden you’re the talk of the town.” She laughed at me and handed me a menu. “It appelooked at me with an unreadable expression on his face. “We should order because I’m starving.” Dana lconversation.

I stared down at the menu and pulled weird faces at all the unfamiliar dishes while the three laughed at mokay, Serena?” Gio asked. I was shocked at him making effort to interact with me and looked up at him.
“Huh, me? Oh yeah just uhh…what are these?” I asked, giving up—making them laugh once again.
“Serena, what do you like to eat?” He asked me, while Christian burst out laughing at his question. Christlot to say about my choice of food.
“Well, I like tacos and fries—oh and pizza,” I spoke. “Hmm pizza, what kind of pizza?” He continued askin“Frozen pizza?” I answered, misunderstanding the question—causing the three to laugh again. “I’m sorryany rich people food.” I buried my head between my hands.
“You’re different but that’s okay. That’s why Christian likes you, right Christian?” Gio told me and lookedwho had a stupid smile on his face. “Right.” He smirked at me. As expected, he loved seeing me embarra
“C’mon, I’ll order for you.” He offered and grabbed the menu from my hands. “You at least know pasta aright?” He joked with me while I looked away embarrassed.
Not long after someone came in to take our order, and I was extremely grateful Christian took over for m“Serena, considering the circumstances I thought I would never be able to meet up with you…ever again,unprovoked and looked over at her husband. Why did she have to bring that up?
“What’s in the past is in the past so…” I forced a smile at Gio who had done the same. “Babe, don’t you tperfect time for that thing we spoke about?” Dana pushed him.
“What thing?” Christian wondered, as did I.
“Serena, I don’t think I’ve properly apologized for treating you the way I did—but I’m sorry.” He politelywithout breaking any eye contact. Was this real?
“Thanks…and I’m sorry for throwing a drink on your mom and for not reaching out to you to fix things aapologized in return as he nodded his head. “Let’s just leave it behind us now.”
“Well won’t you look at that, are you drunk?” Christian asked his brother and grinned at his apology. “Nobehavior has shocked me.”
My eyes immediately shifted to Christian, as I expected to get some kind of reaction out of him, but ther“Have you visited him?” He asked, and Gio nodded his head.
“I have Luca watching him, but I was thinking…maybe we should get him some professional help and pertruth—he’s completely out of his mind,” Gio suggested.
“Maybe, but let’s not talk about that right now.” Christian ended the conversation, as soon as he startedhim a pat on the back.
“Trust me or not—him being like that gave me a good wake-up call. I don’t ever want us or our children that. I want our babies to get along an—“
“Babies?” Christian interrupted him. “Oh, shit…well you are the first one to know,” Gio said.
“I’m three months pregnant!” Dana cheered with an excited look on her face. “Congratulations,” I told hside hug.
“Pregnant? Again?” Christian spoke in disbelief. “You’re pregnant every year!”
“That’s not true.” Dana pouted. “There was like one and a half year between each pregnancy and it was o“So a year.” Christian stood by his statement and looked at his brother. “What will you do if you get anotHe spoke with a terrified look on his face.
“What can I do?” Gio spoke with a defeated look on his face.
“You know what’s funny? Twins run in Christian’s family—twins run in your family, but you guys are not hDana said.
“Thank god,” We both spoke at the same time and looked up to smile at each other. At least we were onabout that one.
At that moment someone brought in our food and my jaw almost dropped at the size of the plates. I hadmyself for rich people’s food to be served on tiny little plates, but it was the complete opposite.
“Do you like it?” Christian asked as he observed how I ate the pasta. “I do, it’s perfect—It’s…wow.” I deschands, making the others laugh.
“I think your cheek agrees,” Christian smirked and leaned forward to wipe my cheek with a tissue. “I thinembarrassed.
For the rest of the evening, we had a great time and I began to open up a lot more about myself. Gio andvery well and Dana was one of the nicest people I had ever met—if I had only known about this earlier.
“We should do this again,” Dana told us after we were finished. “I’m going for a smoke real quick—I’ll beChristian spoke and stood up while Gio did the same. “And you?” Dana frowned her eyebrows at Gio.