Married to the Bad Boy(47)
“Relax, hon.”
Her muscles relax under my hand. She turns her head with a smile as I stroke her back.
“You two look so adorable,” my ma says, smiling at us. “I never thought my son would bring home a girl. It’s been at least ten years since he had a girlfriend—”
“—Ma!”
Jesus fucking Christ, don’t bring that up.
Her smile fumbles under my glare, and I grab a stack of plates, ignoring Elena’s curious stare. My hands shake and the ceramic cracks together noisily. Ma winces.
“Watch it! Those are new!”
“Sorry, Ma.”
The oven blows a cloud of steam into the kitchen as Ma takes out the roast ham and lets it rest on the kitchen counter.
“You never told me how you met each other.”
I sit down next to Elena, finding her hand under the table.
Let me do the talking.
“At Tommy’s bar.”
Ma gets the knife out of the drawer and sticks the meat thermometer in the steaming ham. “And you two hit it off?”
Her fingers tighten around mine. They feel ice cold.
I’ve done drug deals with bikers and I’ve never been this nervous. There’s a golf ball in my throat. My heart pounds and my mouth is dry. “Well—ah. Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
She frowns at me over the ham and finally sets the thermometer down.
“Ma, could you come sit down?”
“What?” Her eyes widen. “What’s wrong? There’s something wrong, isn’t there? I can tell.”
“No, not really—”
Her mouth trembles as she rips off her glasses and wipes her face. Tears burst from her eyes. “You’re going to prison, aren’t you?”
My jaw drops. “No.”
It’s a fucking nightmare. The kitchen echoes with her heart-wrenching sobs, and I take her hand in mine.
“I never wanted you to be in this—your father would turn in his grave if he knew—”
“Ma, I’m not going to jail!”
She leans over the table, her eyes blazing. There’s no trust in her gaze.
I feel like such a scumbag.
“Then what is it? What is it, Tony?”
“I’m pregnant!”
My head snaps to a stunned Elena, whose whole face slowly burns red. She looks as if she can’t believe what she just said.
“What?”
The look my mother gives me makes me wish that I was getting the shit beaten out of me. I feel small. My hand drapes over Elena’s shoulder and I pull her into my chest, rubbing her arm.
“We’re having a baby, Ma.”
She rubs her eyes and looks at me as though I must be an apparition.
“You’re having a baby? Elena’s pregnant?”
Elena opens her mouth and gives her a tentative smile. “Yes.”
“You’re going to be a nonna.”
Her mouth trembles and fresh tears spill from her eyes. “Oh my god! I can’t believe it!”
Within seconds, her arms fly around my neck and she squeezes until I grunt. “Ma, relax.”
She dissolves into tears, and her sobbing punches me right in the chest. Elena looks at me, wearing an expression that mirrors what I feel.
I’m going to Hell for this. No redemption.
Then she unsticks herself from my neck and clings to Elena. “You’re going to have my grandbaby? Oh my God, I’m so excited!”
My chest tightens as she embraces my mom back and I’m surprised to see her eyes swimming with tears. Is she acting?
My mom finally releases Elena and collapses on the chair. “Oh thank the Lord, I never thought this day would come. Your father would be so proud—he’d be so happy.”
I have no fucking idea what my father would have felt. He died before I got to know him. I was ten.
“I know.”
“Oh, Tony.”
“Elena wants to get married before she starts showing.”
Ma gulps down her cries and nods. “Of course, but—Oh my God.”
“I’m really sorry to dump all of this on you, Ma. We only just found out.”
“Do you love each other?”
I don’t even dare look at Elena.
“I don’t know your son very well, but I think that he’s a wonderful man—and I want my baby to have a family.”
Overwhelmed, my mother presses her hand towel to her eyes as tears stream down her face, and Elena reaches across the table and takes my mom’s hand.
“Please don’t be upset.”
I watch her quivering mouth and I suddenly have a strange impulse to tuck the hair hanging around her face behind her ear.
“I—I wish it were under different circumstances, but I’m not upset.” She trembles and then bursts out, “Oh bless you! I thought I’d never see my son get married.”