Doormat By Sam Crescent NovelM80021 Doormat (Chapter 10)

Misty was perfect. Liana didn’t know why the name came to her, it just did. She glanced across her parents’ kitchen, to see Misty in her bed, both paws out, looking up at her and waiting. She held a finger up to say she’d only be another minute.

Thanksgiving was tomorrow, and she was working her ass off to make it a success. The turkeys were all prepared to go into the oven. They were currently enjoying some brining treatment, which was already a lot of fun.

The pumpkin pie was out of the oven, as was the pecan pie, and she couldn’t forget the apple pie. All of them were ready to go.

She had the cream whipped, and in the piping bag within the fridge. It had been an entire day of food preparation, and she loved every second of it. Of course, her father and brother had tried to help.

Diego hadn’t offered to help, however, he did come and sit with her, and also play with Misty. She loved that he loved Misty. He hadn’t said anything to her, but Liana had seen the way he was with the little pup—always picking her up and carrying her around their penthouse suite. She had even caught him coming back for a walk.

He’d already told her after Thanksgiving, they were heading to their country home to spend Christmas. She knew he didn’t really have the time right now to deal with that. He hadn’t told her exactly what was going on, but something was hitting the family.

Tatiana, Mia, and Clarissa had told her something was going on as well. They didn’t know for sure, but even their husbands had to leave to deal with whatever was happening. Her friends were due to arrive this evening.

Her dad had been so happy at the prospect of her coming home for Thanksgiving. He also liked the fact she was going to cook. He did, however, realize, that meant he and Enzo Jr. would be left with the cleanup, not that it would be that bad. She was not going to abandon him for that.

Liana went to her checklist and saw that she had done everything she could for today. There was a lot of food prepared, and tomorrow she would actually cook and bake it. For now, she was done, and she moved around the kitchen, then reached for the ball Diego had to leave. The moment she did, Misty lifted her head and the game was on. It was time to play, and Liana chuckled as she rolled the ball, and Misty got out of bed, her ears flapping as she moved to grab the ball. She was only a couple of weeks old, but she was growing so fast, and she tired quite quickly. She was a dream.

Unfortunately, the only thing Misty hadn’t been able to do was settle in a different room. So, they’d set her bed up in their bedroom, and each night, Misty climbed inside and snuggled down.

Liana purchased a small blanket for her, because she was so small, and she didn’t want her to get cold.

As she rolled the ball, she knew there was something else she had to do, because there was no point in denying it. The mornings were tough.

Diego hadn’t mentioned anything, but most mornings, she had no choice but to run to the toilet to throw up. At first, she thought it was a small bug. However, a small bug didn’t just appear every morning and then fade throughout the day, with some dry crackers, without any other symptom.

This was pregnancy.

She’d also gotten sensitive to certain smells, and that fucking sucked. Morning coffee, was now out of the window, and to her, that just seemed cruel. How could that be out the window. It just didn’t seem fair to her. But coffee was gone. Also, she found cinnamon to be a little on the strong side, so she couldn’t eat cinnamon rolls at the moment. She did have a craving for chocolate. It was why the pecan pie she had made was also a chocolate-pecan pie. Yep, she had become a sucker for it.

That was just the changes with taste. She also had to deal with the changes to her body. The thickening waistline of her pants, and her breasts were also sensitive.

She continued to roll the ball, and then when Misty had grown a little too tired, she reached down and scooped her up.

“I’m just going to take a shower.”

“I’ll watch Misty,” Enzo Jr. said, surprising her, because Liana had every intention of taking her up to her and Diego’s room.

Diego had left to handle some kind of errand.

“You’re sure?” Liana asked.

“Yeah, yeah, absolutely, it is no trouble.”

“Your brother loves your dog,” her father said.

One look at Enzo Jr., and Liana saw the blush that stained his cheeks, and she couldn’t help but smile. “She’s stunning, isn’t she,” Liana said, kissing Misty’s head and then placing her in her brother’s arms. She saw how delicately he held the pup.

Liana knew, when he finally found the right woman, or when their father organized his marriage, her brother would make one hell of a father. “We’ll be here, waiting,” Enzo Jr. said.

She left them alone and took the steps leading to her and Diego’s bedroom. She checked the time and saw her friends were going to be arriving in an hour, so she had time to shower and take that pregnancy test.

A week ago, she had gone out with one of the guards and used her awesome skill of evading to sneak into a pharmacy, purchase a pregnancy test, and get back to the café without them even realizing she had gone. She was getting stealthy with her pregnancy. No one was the wiser, and if they were, they didn’t say anything.

Liana moved across her bedroom, going straight to the bathroom. She’d hidden the test between some towels, and she reached for it and pulled out the box. Taking a deep breath, she blew it out, and then opened the box. This one had two tests inside. Liana stared at each test, feeling a little sick. She put the test on the counter and gripped the edge. Was she ready to know this answer? It seemed like a pretty big deal to her.

Pregnancy.

Bringing a child into this world.

Staying married to Diego.

The truth was, their marriage for the last few weeks was near perfect. They were closer than ever, and in an odd way, overhearing his conversation with his friends had actually been the best thing for both of them. She was now herself, and Diego liked her the way she was.

Picking up that test, she wondered if she should have a shower first, or take the test.

“Damn it, Liana, just take the stupid, fucking test.” And with that, she went to the toilet, because she already had the desire to pee.

Within less than a minute, the test was complete, and now she had to wait for the results. She washed her hands and waited. And continued to wait.

Time seemed to slow down.

She glanced down at the test, and that was when she saw the lines appear. The two lines that told her she was very much pregnant. There was no faded line. It was a true line.

They were pregnant. She and Diego were going to have a child, and it also meant she was not going to ask for a divorce. Although, divorce had been the last thing on her mind.

She was pregnant. With Diego’s child.

Taking the test, she tossed it into the trash, and then climbed into the shower after stripping out of her clothes. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes and tried not to think. She tried to just allow the water to wash over her body.

She was pregnant.

Those three words kept going around and around inside her head. She was pregnant with Diego’s baby.

The door to the shower opened and she gasped, quickly turning around to find Diego naked, as he stepped into the shower.

“You’re back?” she asked.

“Yeah, they told me you came for a shower, and I figured I’d come and join you.”

Liana looked up at Diego, and it was moments like this that she knew their marriage was on the right track. The old Liana would have been left alone. Diego wouldn’t have come to see her. He would have found any excuse to be apart from her. This was different.

“I’m pregnant,” she said.

The words just spilled right out of her mouth, and Diego looked at her, then he smiled, and it completely lit up his whole face.

“You’re pregnant?”

“I just took the test, and yes, I’m pregnant. I don’t know if they give a false positive, but according to the test, I am pregnant.”

She let out a little gasp, and Diego picked her up into his arms, and then swung her around.

What surprised her even more was, he told her he fucking loved her.

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Thanksgiving went by without a hitch.

Diego couldn’t remember a time in his life when he actually sat down with family. He knew the celebrations happened, but within his own family, there was never any time for celebration.

This was how different it was between families. He saw the way Liana was with her father and brother. When her friends arrived, it was not awkward, but it was as if everyone decided to leave their troubles at the door.

He saw Emilio and Tatiana were able to make peace. At least long enough to get through dinner and a visit. When they left, he saw Tatiana pulling away from his friend.

At least they were able to share the good news, and her father was delighted to hear he was going to be a grandfather.

As for Diego, after Thanksgiving, he kept to his promise and took Liana back to their country home. They spent the final days of November, decorating for Christmas.

He had also chosen a room close to him, and he sat in a chair. Liana was not far along. She was not even showing yet, but it wouldn’t be long before she was, and he intended to get the nursey set up. The crib, along with other furniture, had been ordered. They had painted the room, and Liana wanted it to be a bright cream, which he agreed.

It had been a long time since he held a paintbrush, but he was determined to make this life with Liana work. He wanted her to be happy with him.

Staring down at the plush teddy bear he had picked up on his way home this evening, he sat in the room and wondered what kind of dad he was going to be.

He knew he wanted to get Liana pregnant, and that was his responsibility. Whenever a capo was married, it was time for him to settle down and produce heirs to carry on the next generation, and that was exactly what he was going to do. Only, he hadn’t exactly taken the time to think about what that meant. Now, he faced the reality of being a father.

“Are you okay?” Liana asked.

He looked up to see her standing in the doorway. She had on a negligee, and she looked so sexy standing there.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“You’re holding that teddy bear pretty tightly,” she said.

He looked down at the bear he was holding and then up toward his wife.

“I don’t know what it means to be a dad.”

“Diego?”

“I saw you with your father and your brother, and I don’t know what that means. I’ve never … it was always business with my dad. It was always … dealing with shit.” He ran fingers through his hair. “I don’t know how to be a dad.”

Liana stepped into the room and offered him a smile. “I don’t know what it means to be a mom. I have memories of my mom. I got her until I was ten years old, and then it’s a blank.”

“You’re going to make an amazing mom,” he said.

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. I saw the way you were with everyone, and you have a lot of love and passion. Our child is going to be lucky to have you as a mother.”

She frowned. He put the bear down and got to his feet, closing the distance between them.

“Look at me, you’ve got this.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’ve got.”

He kissed her. “You’re going to be amazing.”

He pulled her into his arms, and she wrapped her arms around him. “Diego, there is something I’ve got to tell you,” she said.

“What?” He felt her tense up. “Tell me?”

She pulled away and cupped his face. “I’m in love with you and I have been trying so hard to not be in love with you. I’m tired of fighting it. I love you and I want to have this child and I want to grow old with you, and that terrifies me so much, but at the same time, I’m not scared. I love you, and there is no one else I want.” And then she kissed him.

“I’m a lucky fucking man,” he said. “I love you, Liana, and no, I’m not just saying that because I think it is something you want to hear. I love you, and even though it terrifies me to be a dad, I want to be with you every single step of the way.”

Just as he kissed her, Diego groaned, because once again his cell phone went off. He kept it with him because they were chasing the drug dealers of the product that had been killing people. So far, they’d been able to shut down the production of the drugs. The scientists were dead and gone. He saw it was Emilio and he quickly put his cell phone to his ear.

“Yeah?”

“I’ve just taken out three men that came to my house,” Emilio said.

“What?”

“Giovanni and Lorenzo have also been hit. Francesco was hit an hour ago. You have got to arm up. They’re coming for you.”

And just like that, the small light in the nursery went off, and the room went black.

Liana gasped. “What is that?”

“They’re here,” Diego said.

If they cut off his power, they were inside his home, and he put Liana behind him and started to walk to the door.

“I’ll call you back.”

“Diego, what is going on?” she asked.

He turned to her and cupped her face. “I need you to stay here, do you understand me?”

“No!” Liana said. “I can shoot. I know I shot that man and my brother took ownership of it to protect me. Don’t keep me in the dark. I can help you.”

Diego looked at her and knew it was as mistake, but leaving her behind was out of the question. Against his better judgement, he grabbed Liana’s hand and walked her back to their bedroom. He had several guns locked away in the safe at the back of the closet. He got to it, opened it, and handed her a gun, loaded and ready. He was surprised to see her checking to see it was fully loaded.

That was when he heard something break downstairs.

Liana’s gaze went wide.

“You stay behind me,” he said.

She nodded her head.

Heading out of the bedroom, he held his gun ready, and he saw the first man already making his way upstairs. Diego didn’t like how cocky the little shit was, so he fired his gun, putting a bullet straight through the man’s skull. He expected Liana to scream or cry, but she didn’t. She was at his back, and as he moved out, he took aim, but Liana was already shooting.

A second guy went down.

Where Emilio had three men, it would seem they had sent most of the men to his home.

He had no choice but to advance downstairs with Liana at his side. Diego hated that she was having to shoot to kill, but she did so, and he trusted her to have his back.

One by one, the men fell, and he lost count, until he aimed his gun and fired, only he had run out of bullets.

The other man smirked, and Diego charged forward, taking him down to the ground. He was out of bullets, but that didn’t mean he was out of weapons. Pulling his knife from out of his boot, he reached up, and imbedded it into his neck.

Diego didn’t linger and he got to his feet and turned to see Liana there, gun in hand. She dropped, and then he opened his arms. She ran right into them, and he held her tightly. The tears he expected, as she sobbed against his chest, and he refused to let her go.

“I’ve got you,” he said.

Just then, Enzo and Enzo Jr. charged into the house, both armed, looking fucking pissed off as they looked at the men that had been killed.

“Fuck,” Enzo Jr. said. “Sis, you had something to do with this, didn’t you?”

Diego pushed some of her hair off her face and stared into her eyes.

“I might have.”

“Is this going to be a problem?” Diego asked.

She frowned. “No, I don’t think it is. They broke into my house, intent on killing my husband, and we have a baby on the way. They got what was fucking coming to them.”

Diego fucking loved this woman.

“So, I guess this means you two are good?” Enzo asked.

He looked toward his father-in-law. “Yeah, we’re good.”

Enzo Jr. clicked, and just then, there was a small bark, and they all turned to see Misty coming down stairs, her tail wagging, and she ran straight to Diego.

He picked up his little pup and saw the disappointment on Enzo Jr’s face. “Don’t you worry, we’ll get you a dog all your own.”

Liana burst out laughing.

Even though they were surrounded with dead bodies, it was strange for Diego, because he truly felt like everything was going to be okay.