Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 399 -

*Olivia*

Somewhere between the adrenaline rushing through my veins and the weakness that hit me so suddenly my knees clacked together, I forgot to breathe.

I grasped the edge of the sink as my legs gave out from under me, and I hit the cold bathroom tiles.

I stared at the test clutched in my other hand, unable to believe my eyes as the positive sign stared back at me. At first, the sheer shock sent my whirling thoughts straight into denial. There was no way I could be.... I wasn't....

But the damning evidence was right in front of me.

Slowly, shakily, I unlatched my hand from the sink, and like I was touching something precious, my hand covered my flat stomach. Somewhere within there... there was a life, a little flame growing inside of me... one with dark hair and gorgeous blue eyes just like their father.

I choked on a sob, tears pouring down my face like a waterfall as my heart thundered in my chest in a storm of emotions. I was scared for sure, I had no clue how to take care of a child or anything about pregnancy in general. There were too many unknowns. What if I accidentally hurt my little bean?

I paled as I realized I had drank alcohol not too long ago. Oh god, what if I ruined it already? What if I had killed the little life inside of me before I even knew they existed?

I clutched my stomach with both of my hands, dropping the pregnancy test to the floor. I bit my bottom lip, my mind filling up with anxiety and grief already. But a wave of calm settled over me and I took a shuddering breath.

My rational mind took over as it pushed my emotional hindbrain back into its corner. Gio and I had just gotten married. I was on birth control. Pregnancy tests weren't one hundred percent reliable, just like birth control, especially store-bought

ones.

It could be a false positive.

Oh.

Realization hit me like a truck going too fast in the opposite lane and crashing headfirst into my heart. There was no denying the sinking feeling settling under my skin, the one that caused my heart to skip a beat.

I stiffened, my heart dropping to the floor as I slid back and thumped my head against the bathroom sink. My legs stretched out before me, I glanced at the pregnancy test and flipped it over so it was face-down.

I stared blankly at the ceiling.

It could be a false positive.

So why did that make me so disappointed?

It took a few moments of tracing the tiles on the ceiling before I finally worked up the courage to take the next step. The best way of being sure was to go to the doctor, so that's what I did.

I called my doctor's office sitting on the floor of the bathroom, scheduling an appointment for a few hours from now so we could run the tests and determine for sure if I was pregnant or not. I was thankful that they were able to get me in. Sometimes it paid to be the wife of the Don.

I hesitated to call anyone else. Dahlia would be excited for me, happy to be an aunt, but... if it turned out I wasn't, she'd make it her mission to make me and Gio have a niece or nephew for her.

I thought about Tallon or Alessandro, but neither of them would be good with any of this. Tallon would start panicking at just the thought of a baby, and Alessandro would start treating me like I was diseased or fragile like glass. He'd probably order the men to put me into a bubble for my own protection.

And Gio....

I didn't know how Gio would react.

Would he be upset? Happy? Excited? Or angry? We never even talked about kids before, which was kinda an oversight seeing as we were now married. I was young and Gio... wasn't.

But the thought of a little baby that looked just like him, with cute little dimples as it smiled and curly brown hair and blue eyes shining, gave me so much joy. Gio holding that little baby, kissing his forehead like he did to me, and beaming as he taught his son to walk-it all sounded wonderful.

A little girl that would wrap him around her finger, letting her sleep in his arms as he did his paperwork, teaching her how to order the men around as she toddled around the compound.

That future, that sweet, hopeful future-I wanted it.

I held my head in my hands, both anxious and full of excitement, my heart racing at both extremes as I realized I wanted a family with Gio.

Fuck.

I didn't know how the next few hours passed, but they did, and soon enough, I found myself sitting in that tiny room inside of the doctor's office without knowing how I got there. Someone must've driven me, but I was in such a dizzy state that I had no clue. It had to be Dom. I didn't trust anyone else.

I kept laying my hands over my stomach, trying to see if I felt anything different but of course I didn't. It would be way too early.

"Mrs. Valentino?" The doctor asked as she stepped into the room. I jumped a bit, still not used to that being my last name.

"Uh, yeah, I guess that's me," I smiled politely. "I'm not used to it since we just got married, but please, you can still call me Olivia."

"Olivia," Dr. Gallo smiled. "What brings you here today?"

"Actually, I missed my period, and I'm never late, like never," I emphasized, meaningfully, "and I took a pregnancy test and it said it was positive, so I just... you know...."

"Wanted to be sure?" she finished with a smile.

"Yeah," I nodded, relieved.

"Well, we can do a simple blood test to determine that. It'll be very quick, a few minutes to come back," Dr. Gallo said politely. "Is that something you want to do, or would you like to try a urine test? It'll take longer, but some people prefer it over getting pricked."

"The blood test is fine," I told her hurriedly. I wanted results as quickly as possible.

"I'll have a nurse take your blood, and I'll be back to tell you the results as soon as I can, alright?" the doctor asked, and I nodded.

The office wasn't very busy today, or maybe it was the influence Gio had because as soon as the doctor left, a nurse was rolling in with a vial and needle. It didn't hurt too badly going in, but I turned a bit green as soon as I saw my blood pooling after she pulled it out.

She stuck on a bandage with a butterfly pattern and left it at that. I nervously played with my phone as I waited for the results, even tried out that stupid matching game that my phone came with.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait long. Within twenty minutes, the doctor came back to give me the results. My already fragile heart, beaten and bruised from all the emotions I'd experienced today, could barely stand as she gave me the final verdict.

I walked out of the clinic feeling like I'd just been sentenced by a jury, unsure of how to feel or what to believe anymore. But now, now was the time I needed to talk to my husband.

As I settled into the car and drove back home, the phone rang in my ear before picking up with a soft, "Hey."

"I'm heading home now," I said mechanically. "I need to talk to you."

"Are you alright?" he asked immediately, his voice going serious.

"Yeah. No. Maybe," I said, confused. "I'm just... I need to talk to you."

"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes. Wait for me in the bedroom, alright?" he said, his voice a bit alarmed, and I didn't blame him. Even if the whole Dmitri thing was over now, his protective instincts were still haywire. He still lived a dangerous life.

"Okay," I said quietly and hung up before I could hear his answer. I was in a bit of a daze as I somehow got out of the car and into my bedroom without toppling over or ending up curled on the floor in an anxiety attack. I sat on the edge of the bed and I waited.

Soon enough, just as I expected, Gio burst through the door with a concerned look on his face. He quickly spotted me, rushing over and falling to his knees as he grasped my hands.

"What happened?" he demanded. "Are you hurt? Did someone do something?"

I smiled a bit, reminded how lucky I was to have him as a husband as he flipped my arms over and then trailed his hands down my legs, searching for any sign of injury. He looked suspiciously at the bandage.

"I'm fine, Gio," I giggled, grabbing his cheeks in my hands. His eyes were blown wide with the scare-the thought of me in danger-and I smiled helplessly as I waited for him to calm down.

"Are you sure?" He squeezed my knee with a frown. "You sounded... upset on the phone. Is there something bothering you about school? Did I do something?"

"Honey," I called affectionately, "I'm fine. I just needed to talk to you."

To my surprise, he sighed in relief but avoided my gaze as he broke away from my grasp and hid his flushed face in my lap.

Ooh-a new side.

A grin curled on my face as I spotted the tips of his ears turning bright red.

"Something wrong, dear?" I tested, smirking as I noticed him flinch the tiniest bit.

"The sheer power of that," he mumbled into my legs, probably not intending me to hear, but I did. I filed that little tidbit away for later.

For now, though, I had something important to tell him.

My smile fell along with my good mood as I remembered the kind words from the doctor, the ones I now needed to repeat to my husband.

"Gio," I started, avoiding his eyes as he looked up at me. "I went to the doctor today."

"Are you okay?" Gio asked, slowly, and I could see the gears turning in his brain, fishing for any kind of idea of why I had gone to see a doctor. But I wasn't sure he would like the answer. I swallowed, then decided to rip it off like a Band-Aid.

"I missed my period," I said softly, checking his mood as I bulldozed my way through the emotions I'd had an entire afternoon to sort and process. He only had a few seconds.

"I'm never late so I took a pregnancy test. It was positive."

I wasn't even sure what I expected at this point, the understanding hit him first, and his whole face went blank. There was nothing on his face, but I could see the emotions whirling past in his eyes.

It was like waiting for the spin of a slot machine. Which one would it land on?

I bit my lip, clasping my hands together as I waited for the result.

But finally, it hit him. His eyes burst wide open and his whole face lit up with wonder and awe.

"You're pregnant?" He grinned. "Olivia!"

His lips hit mine, and I gasped at the suddenness as his sheer excitement poured through his every movement.

"You're happy?" I breathed out between kisses. He moved on to kissing my forehead, my cheeks, anyplace he could reach.

"Of course I'm happy!" he beamed. "How could I not be, carina? This is wonderful news!"

And that made it all the more heartbreaking what I had to tell him next.

My lip wobbled as my eyes heated up, a sure precursor to the waterfalls that were bound to happen next. I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Gio."

"Olivia?" he asked, gentle and sweet as he lifted a finger under my chin so he could see my watery eyes.

"I'm not pregnant," I blurted, the voice of the doctor echoing in my ears as she told me exactly what I didn't want to hear. "It was a false positive. The blood test at Dr. Gallo's office confirmed it. I'm sorry." Gio stiffened for a moment, gazing into my eyes deeply before finally, I could see the resolution come over him like a warm blanket of air.

He tilted his head, serious as he asked, "Do you want to be?"