Eva's laughter rang through the penthouse like a breeze Aria hadn't felt in months light, familiar, utterly normal. They were sitting on the plush living room rug, knees bent, a plate of pastries between them, and the city lights blazing beyond the glass behind them.
"I can't believe he flew me here," Eva whispered. "Like… jet and everything. Does he always move like that?"
Aria smirked. "Luca doesn't do halfway. Even when you don't ask for it."
"Especially when you don't ask for it," Maria chimed in, flopping beside them with a glass of juice.
Aria's hand moved to her belly, more out of habit now than thought. "He says it's not control. That it's care."
Eva's eyes softened. "And is it?"
Aria didn't answer right away. Because that question wasn't simple anymore.
Luca had been quiet all day, working from the shadows of the penthouse but always near. Not hovering just present. When she stood too long, he noticed. When she didn't eat enough, a tray would appear like magic.
She'd once hated the way he loomed.
Now she wasn't sure how to breathe when he wasn't close.
****
Later that night, after the girls retreated to bed, Aria wandered into the kitchen for water. Luca was already there, sleeves rolled, his tie undone, leaning over the counter with something simmering on the stove.
She blinked. "You cook now?"
"I warm things up."
She laughed. "Same thing in your world?"
He poured the soup into a small bowl and set it in front of her. "You skipped lunch."
"I was talking."
"And pregnant. You don't get to skip meals anymore."
She took the spoon without arguing. The first sip stopped her cold, rich, perfectly seasoned, exactly what her body had been craving without her realizing it.
"You remembered the ginger."
"I remember everything," he said, voice quieter than usual.
She ate slowly, aware of his eyes on her, even when he wasn't speaking.
"Do you always look at me like that when I'm not paying attention?" she asked.
Luca stepped closer. "Only when I forget I'm supposed to be letting you go."
She looked up, startled.
He didn't explain. Just reached for the bowl when she finished and set it in the sink, then turned to lean against the counter beside her.
"Your friend," he said after a pause. "She makes you smile differently."
"She's been around since I was eighteen."
"You had a life before this."
"I still do," she said, more sharply than intended. "I'm not a doll, Luca."
His brow lifted slightly. "I know. Dolls don't fight back."
She rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to fight you?"
"I want you real. Whatever that looks like."
The admission knocked the breath from her lungs. She stared at him, trying to find the cracks in the polished armor and found more than she expected.
"So why does it still feel like you're holding something back?"
Luca pushed off the counter, his body closing the space between them in one deliberate movement. "Because if I let everything out, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop."
She tilted her chin, refusing to back down. "Maybe I don't want you to stop."
He didn't kiss her, not yet.
But he touched her jaw, thumb brushing her cheek in the softest stroke imaginable, and for one blistering second, the world narrowed to just that the way he touched her like she wasn't breakable, but still the most fragile thing he'd ever held.
"Go to bed," he said finally, voice hoarse. "Before I forget I'm supposed to take this slow."
Aria didn't sleep.
Not deeply.
Not with that tension thrumming under her skin.
She woke to voices, Maria and Eva giggling in the kitchen again, Luca's deeper tone threading through their chatter.
When she stepped into the hallway, barefoot and wrapped in his oversized shirt, the laughter stopped.
Luca turned first.
And whatever he'd been saying vanished the moment he saw her.
He crossed the space between them in seconds. "Why are you out of bed?"
"I'm fine"
"You didn't sleep."
"You didn't either."
He sighed, one hand bracing her hip. "You're due for your scan next week. I'm moving the appointment to a private clinic uptown."
She blinked. "Why?"
"Better security. And less press. The last one had too many eyes."
Aria stilled. "There were paparazzi?"
"Not directly." His jaw clenched. "But someone recognized you. And if Damon is still hovering"
She stepped back. "You said you'd handle that."
"I am."
"You said I'd be safe here."
"You are."
"Then stop moving the goalposts, Luca!" she snapped. "If I'm safe, let me feel it. If I'm protected, stop locking me away like I'm something to hide."
His hands curled into fists. "I'm trying."
"Then try harder," she said, voice shaking now. "Because I can't keep living like a beautifully kept secret. I miss my parents. I miss walking outside. I miss having choices."
Silence then, finally:
"I'll take you."
She stared. "What?"
"I'll take you to see them. This weekend."
She almost didn't believe him.
Until he added, "I'll be there. You'll be safe. You need closure, maybe they do too."
Emotion hit her so fast it made her dizzy. She swallowed hard, blinking away tears. "Thank you."
Luca didn't answer. He just stepped forward, brushed her hair from her cheek, and kissed her forehead like it was the only kind of softness he knew.
The visit didn't happen that weekend.
Because something else came first.
That night, Eva dragged her into the guest suite for girl talk and movies, Maria joined with a tub of popcorn, and for a few hours, Aria felt twenty-two again.
Until the cramps hit.
She gasped, one hand flying to her side.
Maria was on her feet in seconds. "What is it?"
"Just… I think it's Braxton Hicks ..false contractions," Aria breathed.
Eva helped her to the bed. "You sure?"
"I don't know."
The door slammed open seconds later.
His eyes found her instantly. "What happened?"
"She's cramping," Maria said quickly.
He was beside her in a heartbeat, scooping her into his arms. "We're going to the hospital."
"Luca, I'm okay"
"You're not the one who gets to decide that anymore," he snapped. "You scared me."
That last part wasn't meant for anyone but her.
At the hospital, everything checked out. Just early cramping, nothing alarming. Still, Luca didn't let go of her hand once, not even when the doctor came in, not even when they listened to the heartbeat together and she saw his jaw tremble just slightly.
Back at the penthouse, when he settled her into bed, he didn't leave.
He just held her.
Aria, half-asleep, mumbled, "You were scared."
"Yes."
"You care."
"Yes."
She opened one eye. "Tell me why that terrifies you."
Luca exhaled. "Because I've never wanted anything I couldn't afford to lose before."
Her heart cracked open.
But neither of them said anything else.