Luca tells Leon that he and Paityn are having a baby.
Itâd been a little less than 24 hours since Luca had confronted Paitynâs father. His face was hurting, his neck bruised, and his right hand was swollen. There was a possibility that it was broken, but Luca didnât feel like seeing a doctor. He didnât want to do anything, really, aside from finally talking to Leon. Marcel was in Italy for a few months, so talking to him face to face wasnât an option, and Leon was the next best thing, anyway. He was his big brother, his mentor. Heâd been patient with Luca while he tried to manage the stress of the last few months. Leon had been patient, and Luca felt like a burden â taking time off of work to be with Paityn, getting shot... now this.Â
Luca was sitting on Leonâs couch, bouncing his leg a little nervously. He hadnât said a word in the last five minutes, and he could tell that Leonâs patience was wearing thin.Â
His older brother exhaled impatiently, folded his arms and Luca knew he had to say something or risk making things worse.Â
âAlright. You can start by tellinâ me who fucked you up like that.â
Luca swallowed, stared up at Leon, already dreading the response he was about to give.Â
There was a brief moment of silence, a look of confusion on Leonâs face, as if he didnât quite hear Luca correctly. But once that passed, Leon looked ... angry.Â
âThe fuck do you mean it was Johnny Sinclair? What the fuck were you doing around Johnny Sinclair?â
âI went to see him with Paityn. Jack was there, too. We had to ââ
âAnd you didnât take security?â
Luca shook his head. Leon pinched the bridge of his nose, forced both eyes shut as he very obviously tried to calm himself down. But there was no use. Luca could feel the anger. Leon was probably wondering why his youngest sibling was such a fucking idiot.
âIâm sorry. I had to go though,â Luca explained. Leon remained silent. If Leon responded now, he probably wouldâve blown up. So Luca kept going. âPaityn and I... weâre... sheâs pregnant.â
As if Leon didnât already have enough on his plate, this had somehow catapulted things over the edge. He didnât say anything. He was still processing the idea that a Sinclair had laid hands on Luca. Now this?
Leon clenched his jaw as he tried to figure out how exactly he was supposed to handle this. Lucaâs wife was pregnant, and her father (who happened to be their fucking enemy), had assaulted him. Was there a way to move forward from this cleanly?Â
No. Leon saw red â he wanted war.Â
Luca felt his stomach twist the longer that Leon went without speaking. So he opened his mouth again. More word vomit.Â
âIt wasnât planned. It just happened. And Iâm not gonna be a deadbeat, so I had to go with her to tell her father. I had to defend her, and the baby, because Johnny was saying some shit thatââ
Leon waved a hand in the air, forcing Luca to shut his mouth, as if on command. Heâd heard enough for now. The amount of stress weighing on Leonâs shoulders was enough to drive any sane person crazy. But he was the Costello patriarch, which meant that his shoulders would always feel this heavy. A Costello-Sinclair baby would change things significantly. There was a part of Leon that wished heâd never allowed the wedding to take place in the first place, but he also knew that Luca wouldâve found a way to be with Paityn regardless.
âA baby changes everything, Luca,â Leon finally said. âDo you know for sure that sheâs pregnant?âÂ
âWe went to the doctor a few days ago. Sheâs pregnant.â
âThatâs an entire fucking life that youâll be responsible for. Are you ready for that?â
Luca rubbed at his eyes, exhaled shakily. Finally, he shook his head. No. He wasnât ready.Â
âNo... but I will be. When the baby comes, Iâll be ready,â he promised.
A child was... permanent. Leon knew that Luca loved fiercely, and he knew that his brotherâs love for his wife was real. But they were both so young â and who knows what they mightâve felt for each other ten years down the line? There was a point in time where Leon couldnât have imagined being with anyone else besides Violet. Now, he found himself actively avoiding any thought of her, as if she never even existed in his life.Â
âIâll deal with the Sinclairs. You donât go around them again. You get that? That was fuckinâ stupid, Lu. Donât ever do that shit again, or I swear Iâll ship your ass to Italy for the rest of your fuckinâ life.â
Leonâs words were harsh, stern, but he needed Luca to know that he meant them. No more unsupervised meetings with the Sinclairs, whether his wife was there or not. Luca just nodded.
âWhat about your job?â Leon wondered. A baby was a big responsibility. And taking time off for Paityn seemed to be the norm, so he figured the same would follow during her pregnancy. Leon had cut Luca some slack because of everything theyâd been through, but at this point, there was no way to be half in and half out. If Luca wanted out of the organization, Leon would allow it â but heâd never let him back in. This was a commitment, and Luca needed to understand that.Â
âI can do my job. Iâll be there every day. That was never gonna change. Iâll make it work.â
Leon believed him. At least that wasnât changing. But now he had to settle things with the Sinclairs. Theyâd laid hands on a Costello. That wasnât something that Leon would forgive so easily.