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Chapter 80

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Mafia Entanglement

Shay was seated on the plane, her hands folded on the table, leaning in. I tilted my head, studying her. She offered a smile but didn’t shift her position.

“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” I asked, taking a seat across from her.

“Remember when the doctor said we’d get our results in a day or two?”

Her eyes were twinkling, and I felt a surge of excitement. She giggled, moving her hands to reveal an envelope. I stood up and pulled her into a hug.

“We’ve been so busy, I completely forgot about that. Let’s move to the couch and open it together.”

Conner strolled past us, a smirk playing on his lips. “About time you guys did that.”

“Fuck off,” I shot back at him.

He ignored my comment and plopped down on the couch with us. He reached out, grabbed my arm, and gently bit down. I yanked my arm away, my other hand instinctively balling into a fist.

Shay placed her hand on mine. I turned to look at her, and Conner burst into laughter before leaving.

“You did that on purpose,” I accused her. She looked away, a smile tugging at her lips. I took her face in my hands, cupping her cheeks. “I guess it was kind of cute.”

She held up the envelope, making me grin. She handed it to me, and I noticed it had already been opened. My smile faded. “Who the fuck opened this?”

“Your mom. She wanted to know the baby’s sex so she could plan the baby shower.” She moved back a bit.

“Did you see?” I tried to keep my disappointment in check.

“No, I wanted to wait for us to find out together. She wanted to know, so I gave it to her and left the room. When she was done, she handed it back to me.”

Her smile was there, but it wasn’t as bright as I wanted it to be. My heart eased knowing she had waited for us to find out together.

I should’ve known she wouldn’t peek without me. Her smile told me she was just as eager to find out as I was. Clearing my mind, I held up the envelope. “Who’s going to do the honors?”

She pointed at me. “You, of course, silly.” She slid over to sit beside me.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the envelope and pulled out the paper slowly, my hands trembling. I unfolded it with my eyes closed, then opened them once it was fully unfolded.

We both scanned the paper until our eyes landed on the gender. A smile spread across my face. She pointed at it and squealed in delight.

“I’m not seeing things, am I?” I asked, turning to her.

Conner walked by and snatched the paper from my hand. “Great, another Zane in the making,” he grumbled.

I jumped up and grabbed the paper back. “That wasn’t cool, man.”

He shrugged, heading over to the mini fridge. “You were taking too long to tell us. I got impatient waiting for you two to spill the beans.”

“My son will be treated with respect and might someday be your boss.” I pointed a finger at him.

He snorted as he sat down at the table and twisted the cap off his beer.

“Yeah, right. I’ll retire when you do, man. That’s how it works. When your son takes over, Noah and I will step down to let his loyal friends take our places.

“That’s what’s going to happen with your dad. His two loyal friends will retire for you and us to take over.

“I know how this business works, man. We’ve been in it with you since we were kids. Now you have to decide if his friends will be from the States or from your homeland.”

“We have time to figure that out. She still has six months, and then his friends will come into the picture when he turns six, just like you two did. So I still have plenty of time.

“I’d love it if you and Noah settled down with someone. Then your sons would be my choice. You two are the sons of my dad’s best friends, so that’s what needs to happen here with us.”

I pointed to both Connor and Noah, who had now joined us at the table.

Noah smiled. “I’ve been interested in a girl at the club for a few months, but I’m not sure if she’d be into all of this.”

Shay crossed her arms over her chest. “Who is she?”

He blushed. “You don’t know her. She works in a different section of the club.”

“Try me,” she challenged.

Noah took a deep breath and looked up at her. “Amanda. I’ve been watching her for a while.”

Shay’s jaw dropped. “The stripper who works on the other side of the club?”

Noah cleared his throat. “Yeah, is that a problem?”

She burst into laughter. “Noah, she’s not into you at all.”

His face turned red, and he glared at her. “Why the hell not? I think I have everything a girl would want!”

She was still laughing. “You don’t have the right equipment for her, Noah. She’s not into guys. Sure, she dances for them, but she goes home with a girl every night.”

His eyes widened as we laughed at him. “Well, shit. No wonder she never reacted when I tried to flirt with her. She wasn’t into me at all, then.”

Shay leaned forward, looking at both guys. “I can set you up with some girls who have been trying to get your attention for months.”

They both looked at each other, then back at her. “Who?” they asked in unison.

“Would you be up for some blind dates and a double date?” She wiggled her eyebrows at them.

Conner tugged at his collar. “Well, uh, what do you have in mind?”

Noah smiled. “Would it be just us, or would you two be joining us?”

“I can arrange for you guys to go out with them, either one-on-one or as a group. These girls have been talking about you for months, but they didn’t know how to approach you. They were too shy to make a move.”

“Hell, I’m game for that.” Noah rose to his feet as the plane’s engines roared to life.

Conner let out a sigh. “Are they attractive? Please tell me they’re not trashy.”

“Conner,” I warned him.

“Hey, dude, there are some seriously unattractive girls at the club. I don’t want to end up with a girl who looks like she just crawled out of the woods.” He crossed his arms defensively.

“They’re both gorgeous. One’s a blonde, and she’s the one who’s into Noah. The other has dark brown hair and bright blue eyes.

“I thought she was wearing colored contacts at first, but she inherited her dad’s hair and her mom’s eyes. It’s a really unique combination.” Shay leaned into me, and I wrapped my arm around her waist, resting my hand on her belly.

“Do we get to know their names?” Connor and Noah asked in unison.

“If they give me permission to tell you, then yes. If not, you’ll find out when you meet them on your date,” Shay responded, snuggling deeper into my arms.

“Fine,” they both conceded.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. They’re in for a surprise if it’s the two girls I’m thinking of.

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