Exhaling: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

post-coital haze, Fallyn’s brain started working in overdrive as she hopped off the table and paced the dining room. “But baby proofing! This house isn’t ready for a baby. So many sharp edges. Vitamins? Am I supposed to take special vitamins?” She babbled the same questions Vince had uttered the night before, stopping only when he kissed calmness back into her. “We can keep the baby?”
    Vince sank to his knees and kissed her stomach. “We can keep our baby. We can keep it all.”

6
    Merging and Marriage
    I t was three days before Fallyn convinced her husband that it was perfectly safe for her to leave her house. “They kidnapped you, Fal. Who’s to say they won’t try something like that again?”
    Fallyn sighed, reminding herself that this was how Vince showed he loved something – by protecting it on pain of death. She pulled the milk out of the fridge and poured a little over her oatmeal. “For the last time, they didn’t kidnap me. They gave me a place to crash while I sorted stuff out in my mind. They made the mistake of not telling you where I was, but they didn’t hold me hostage or something, unlike what you did with Danny.”
    “I don’t like it. You can run the business remotely just fine. This is why you hired a store manager.” Vince eyed the orange juice she’d squeezed fresh for him that morning. He knew he should drink it, but he was too anxious to properly digest anything.
    Fallyn had another argument on standby, but pocketed it for a rainy day. She sat on the stool next to him at the marble counter and stirred her oatmeal. She placed her hand on his cheek, pulled him in for a softening kiss and said, “You don’t want me without baking. It’s not good for me to sit around all day with no goals and no ambition. I like being in the bakery. It’s good for me.”
    Running a comparison between Maria and Fallyn wasn’t a thing Vince did intentionally, but when she said things like that and did things like refuse to take his money for everyday expenses, he realized anew how right she was for him, and how much respect he had for her independence. He didn’t want to be one of her brothers who questioned her every move and babied her to the point of exhaustion. He didn’t want to clip her wings, but there was still a part of him that had a panic attack at the thought of losing her again.
    Vince ran his tongue along his teeth before responding. “I get it, and I’m glad you have something that makes you happy. You’re good at running the bakery. I just don’t like it when you might not come home to me. You have no idea how terrifying it all was when you were gone.”
    “I’ll check in throughout the day, then. Deal?” She watched Vince debate this. “Honey, you know you’ve got to get back to work, too. I’m sure you’ve got mountains of stuff to catch up on. I’ll be fine.”
    “I do, I’m just worried.” He checked his phone, ignoring the omelet she’d cooked him. When he kissed her, warmth he’d thought might be lost to him forever flooded through his body.
    “I’ve got to go in and make sure everything’s still good. I left on our honeymoon right after we expanded, doing the desserts for your La Cucina Italia chain. I need to make sure I’m not overlooking anything.”
    Vince pocketed his phone and dug into his omelet. “When did you want to start making the desserts for my other restaurants? You’re doing the one chain, and there’ve been no complaints. I think it’s time you expanded to Cesca’s. That chain needs a little fresh blood in it.”
    Fallyn blinked at him in shock. “Are you serious?”
    “Why not? Your deliveries have been reliable. I checked in with my managers this morning, and our numbers are up since incorporating your desserts. What do you think?”
    Fallyn’s eyes were wide as dozens of possibilities sparked through her brain. “I think Cesca’s is upscale, and I’ve been dying for an excuse to do something a little fancier.” Fallyn