Page 88 of Married to the Ruthless Mafia Heir

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "The doctors are watching me. Go to sleep. You have a meeting tomorrow."

"I'm not sleeping." He tucked the blanket around me. "I'm keeping watch."

I looked at the faint shadows under his eyes, my heart aching. This man who commanded New York's underworld was now likea child on his first night watch, stubbornly guarding me and our baby.

"Dante."

"Yeah?"

"Are you nervous?"

He was quiet for a moment. "A little."

"You get nervous?" I couldn't help laughing. "The mighty Don of the Moretti family, who's been through worse—you're nervous?"

"This is different." Dante took my hand, his thumb stroking the back of it. "You and the baby are everything to me. I can't help being nervous."

I looked at him, suddenly at a loss for words.

He lowered his head, pressing his face to the back of my hand. His voice was muffled. "Elena, you have to be safe."

"I will." I touched his chest, still bandaged. "We'll both be safe."

Two days before my due date, Maggie came. She brought a huge thermos of food she'd made herself and a bag of toys for the baby that covered the entire nightstand.

She showed me each one. "This is a silver spoon, silver cup, silver bowl. This is a stuffed animal, these are blocks..."

I looked at the little things covering the table and laughed. "Maggie, the baby will be too small to play with these."

Maggie waved her hand. "These are gifts from me. It's enough that they'll be there with him."

Dante stood nearby, looking at the odd assortment of toys, unusually helpless. He hesitated. "The baby supplies I had prepared... are they enough?"

Maggie glanced at him and smiled. "More than enough. Your things take up half a room. I've seen them. Very thorough."

They were both there, giving me courage and strength.

So when my water broke, I didn't panic. Not long after I pressed the call button, doctors, nurses, and the midwife all rushed to my room.

"Control your breathing. When you feel the urge, we'll start pushing—"

The midwife told me the rhythm. I followed it, breathing deeply.

Dante paced beside me, wanting to come closer, but I waved him away. "Don't—"

Childbirth was too bloody, too terrifying. I didn't want him to see it.

He looked at me through the curtain, nervous. "Elena, I won't come over. I'll just be right here."

I gripped the midwife's hand, following her commands—breathe, push. My body felt like it was tearing apart. But I couldn't think about that anymore. I only knew my child was about to be born.

"Almost there, I can see the head, one more push—"

I gasped for air, my eyes finding Dante through the curtain. He looked at me with encouragement. I bit down and pushed one last time.

"Waaaah—"

"It's a girl!"