Jaded Hearts
Chapter 29

Taylor

The vineyard that Matt’s grandparents lived on was really beautiful. As far as I could see, there were green hills covered with lush vines of grapes. It really made me wish I could sample some of the wines they made.

“So, tesoro, we need to be careful about the possible pregnancy issue. If Nonna suspects anything, she’ll immediately tell my mom, and I really don’t want to have to deal with that right now.”

“But how can we avoid it? We’re at a winery. What if someone offers me a drink? If I just turn it down without a good reason, I’ll seem rude.”

“I’ll handle that; don’t worry.”

I didn’t see how he was going to “handle it,” but I let it go. Hopefully, things would go smoothly. We pulled up to the house, and I took a moment to admire how gorgeous it was. It was your typical stone-faced Italian villa covered with vines and the most fragrant flowers. I’d guess that it was over a hundred years old, but it was in perfect shape.

Before I got the chance to open the door and climb out of the Jeep, a tiny ball of energy, who I assumed was Matt’s Nonna, ran out the front door. She looks just like Giana, with pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. She was just a little older, but still aging extremely well.

“Matteo, it’s so good to see you! It’s been too long since you came to visit your Nonna,” she said while wrapping her arms around his stomach. Her head maybe came to the top of his rib cage. She looked so small, wrapped in Matt’s huge arms.

“Ciao nonna, come stai?”

She waved him off. “I’m fine, but English only. At least until this lovely lady of yours is more comfortable with Italian.” She then turned to me with a huge smile on her face.

“Hello, dear, I’m Maria. I’m so happy to have you in our home. I’ve been waiting for my grandson to replace his mate for so long, and you’re finally here.”

She pulled me into a hug, and it felt like I was hugging my own grandmother. It was perfect. “Thank you for having me. I’m really excited to meet everyone.”

Maria was about to say something else when she suddenly stopped and took a small step back, looking me up and down. “Matteo, have you told Giana yet?”

Matt looked confused for a moment before he answered. “Told her what, Nonna?”

“That she’s going to be a grandmother. What else?”

My eyes almost popped out of my head. “What? Why would you say that?” I asked.

“Because you’re pregnant, bella. Not too far along, but still pregnant. Did you not know?” I just looked over at Matt. How did she even know? What was I supposed to say? Panic was going to set in any second now.

“Nonna, Taylor isn’t pregnant. Why would you think that?”

“Matteo, I have six children, twenty grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Five if you count this one here. I know when a woman is pregnant, and Taylor is pregnant.”

“But, I didn’t …”

“It’s alright, sweetheart. I won’t say anything to Giana, but understand that as soon as she sees you again, she’ll know. Matteo, bring in your bags and take them to guest room in the east wing. It has the best views and the most incredible breezes when you’re out on the terrace. Perfect for a shewolf with child.”

“Uhh, yeah. Okay, Nonna.” Matt grabbed our stuff and walked inside.

“Go on with him, dear. You two have some things to talk about, I see. I’ll see you at dinner.” She patted me on the arm and walked down the path towards a small garden beside the vineyard.

I quickly caught up with Matt, and as soon as we reached the room, I lost it. “What the hell was that? How could she know by just looking at me?”

Matt shrugged his shoulder and took a deep breath. “Experience, I guess? Do you want to go grab a test just to be sure?”

“It’s been little more than a week, Matt. A test wouldn’t pick up any hormonal changes.”

“Wolf pregnancies are much quicker than human ones, baby. They only last five months, so a test would probably be able to confirm it for us if my Nonna can already tell.”

“Five months? Are you serious? Why didn’t anyone tell me this before?” My breathing was becoming ragged, and I could feel myself growing hot. I was about to have a panic attack.

“Taylor, calm down. We’ve been preparing for this for a while now. You knew you were probably pregnant, so what’s wrong?”

“Thinking I could maybe possibly be pregnant and being told that I definitely am are not the same thing, Matthew. And five months? That’s all the time I get to prepare for a child? Holy s**t, I need to sit down.” I threw myself back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to calm myself down.

This was not what I was expecting when I arrived here, and the revelation felt like it was crushing me. Matt sat beside me and took my hand in his.

“What do you need me to do, tesoro? Whatever it is, I’ll do it. Just tell me how to make this better for you.”

He made everything better just by being himself. But I did need one thing. “Could you go get a pregnancy test, please? I need to know for sure.”

“Of course, baby. I’ll run into town and be back as soon as possible. Why don’t you take a nice bath or a quick nap? Whatever it takes to help calm you.”

“A nap sounds perfect. I’ll do that.”

We heard a knock on the door. It was Maria. “Mateo, I made Taylor some mint and chamomile tea. I figured she could use it.”

“Grazie, Nonna. That is exactly what she needs right now.”

Maria walked in and placed the teacup on the table beside me. “You drink this and rest, sweetheart. You’ll feel better soon.”

“Thank you, Nonna,” I replied.

I don’t know what made me call her that instead of her name, but it just felt right. The smile that spread across her face said that she agreed. “You’re very welcome.” She kissed my forehead before walking out of the room.

Matt walked over and fluffed a pillow behind my back as I sat up. After I got comfortable, he passed me the cup.

“Drink your tea. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

I nodded my head and took a sip of the most incredible tea I’d ever tasted. By the time the cup was empty, fatigue had kicked in, and I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Matt

I didn’t expect Nonna to pick up on the pregnancy like she did. I had never seen anything like that. But I’d never known her to be wrong about anything, so I doubted this would be any different.

I made the drive into town and stopped at the first pharmacy I could replace. I easily found the “family planning” aisle, but the pregnancy test choices were insane. Why were there so many? One line or two? A cross or just a single line, digital readout? I would go crazy trying to figure this out, so I took one of everything.

Nine tests in all. I’d let Taylor decide which one she wanted to use. When I got to the register, I dropped them on the counter in a big heap. Luckily, the clerk didn’t ask any questions. She just scanned them all and bagged them up. She probably saw stuff like this all the time.

I took the bag, quickly jumped back in the truck, and headed back to the villa. I hoped whatever the test said, it would be what Taylor wanted. As long as she was happy, I would be happy.

I got back to the house a little more than an hour after I had left. Taylor was still asleep when I walked in, so I gently shook her awake. “Wake up, baby. I’ve got the test for you if you want to take one.”

She rolled over, and when her eyes landed on the bag, she let out a small giggle. “One test would have worked just fine, Matt. You didn’t need to wipe out their inventory.”

I just chuckled. “I didn’t know which one you’d want. There are too many options to choose from.”

She looked through the bag and quickly agreed. “Wow, this is a lot. I guess the digital one is the easiest, though. Pregnant or Not Pregnant. No weird lines to try and decipher like hieroglyphics.”

“Did you want to take one now, or wait for later?”

“What do you think we should do? This affects you, too, not just me.” I thought for a minute and had to be honest. I wanted to know as soon as possible if this woman, who had become my entire world, was now carrying my child.

“Take it now. I need to know, Taylor. We need to know.”

She nodded her head and walked to the adjoining bathroom. I sat on the bed to wait, but she called me in with her. “Get in here, handsome. You’re going to be involved every step of the way.”

When I got to the bathroom, she was opening the box and looking over the instructions. “It looks pretty simple. I pee on it, then wait five minutes. Kinda hard to mess that up.”

“So how ‘involved’ do you want me? Should I hold the stick while you pee on it?”

“Ha ha, smart a*s. Just wait in here with me, please?”

I hopped up on the counter while she took care of step one. When she was done, she replaced the cap on the end and passed it to me. The test had a digital countdown that started soon after she handed it to me, which was nice. At least we knew the thing was working.

Taylor walked over and washed her hands, then we stared down at the test together.

“This will be the longest five minutes of my life.”

“Just think about something else to take your mind off it. How about you tell me what your dream wedding looks like?”

She smiled, then hopped on the counter beside me. “Something small and on the beach. I’ve always loved the beach ever since I was a child.”

“Maybe we could have it here? We could get married at the same spot I proposed to you. How does that sound?”

“Expensive. But incredible.”

“Don’t worry about what it costs, tesoro. If it’s what you want, then it’s what you’ll have.”

“I can’t spend your money, Matt. It’s not right. I didn’t earn it.”

“You’re my fiancé, Taylor. Everything I have is yours.”

She laid her head on my shoulder and laced our fingers together. “My mom has always wanted to see Italy. She would love it here.”

“Then it’s settled. We’ll get married here on the beach. I’m pretty sure Nonna would be more than happy to cook and provide the wine. Plus, we’ve got Morgan for the cake. That’s half the planning already taken care of, right?”

“It’s probably a little more than that, but it’s a good start.”

“All I need is you at the altar. None of the rest of it matters all that much.”

She tilted her head up and gave me a soft k**s. “I love you so much, Matt. I never would’ve thought the cute guy from the club would turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“I love you more.”

When the timer I’d set on my phone went off, I reached behind me and grabbed the little stick that would dictate our future.

“You ready for this?” I asked, looking at her nervous face.

“No, but just tell me what is says. Rip the band-aid off.”

I flipped the test over in my hand and stared down at the screen. There it was, plain as day. “Uh, tesoro?”

“What does it say?”

“Looks like that little caramel baby that Shane was so excited to meet is on its way. We’re pregnant.”