"I can't believe our honeymoon is over." Grace sighed as she watched the trees go by through the limo window.

  "From what I know, you're a workaholic, so I didn't think you'd complain about it being over." Zain smirked, his arms crossed, as he stared at her. "I guess you enjoyed it, then." He wiggled his eyebrows.

  "Of course I did. It was our honeymoon; we'd have a problem if I didn't. Are you going to say you didn't have a good time?"

  "Like I'd ever say that. I had the time of my life. It was weird to be away from Boss for so long..."

  "Have you ever been away from him for long?"

  "Not more than a couple of days since I joined the Bertolottis family. Even when I was a brat during my early years, he dealt with me personally. I think he was worried about others holding my origin against me."

  "And you were probably such a handful that he worried someone else would snap?"

  "Quite possibly. I'm glad it all happened, though. With how I was treated before coming here, I can only assume I'd turn into a horrible person. I'm not exactly a boy scout, but you know what I mean. I'm an underboss with morals."

  "I wonder if we would've met if you stayed with the Kuros."

  "Maybe, but we would've been on opposite sides."

  "I might've gotten you into handcuffs." Grace chuckled and then covered her mouth.

  "Something wrong?" He scooched closer on the seat and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  "Na, I'm okay." She fanned herself. "Just a little nauseous. Maybe I'm nervous about going back or something. I'll be fine."

  "If you say so..." Zain pulled her closer to lean on his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes as he thought about everything and kissed the top of her head.

  The limo pulled up to the Bertolottis estate and people were already outside waiting for them. The driver opened the door, and they got out.

  "Gracey." Ray held his arms open for her.

  Feels like he wants me to run to him, but... She looked at the crowd awaiting them.

  "Go." Zain nudged her.

  "Grandpa." Grace rushed up to him, just short of a run, and they hugged.

  Ray lifted her in the hug. "I missed you so much, Gracey." He swung her around and a couple of the people around them chuckled.

  "Grandpa! I'm not a little kid." I'm surprised he can lift me so easily.

  "You always will be to me." Ray set her down. He turned to Zain, who was being welcomed back and asked how things went by the others. "Zain, welcome home." He held his hand out to Zain.

  "Considering how close you two are, I'm surprised it's a handshake, not a hug." Grace looked back and forth between them.

  "At one point we used to kiss the back of Boss' hand..." Zain trailed off. "But he never liked that, so he got rid of the tradition. And other than you, and it being a wedding or something, I don't think there's anyone he'd want to hug anymore—" Zain's eyes widened, and he froze as Ray hugged him. "B-Boss?"

  "There doesn't have to be an occasion to hug someone. You're family." He patted him heavily on the back and stepped away. "Welcome home, Zain, but don't expect a hug all the time. Only Gracey has a 'hug at any time' privilege with me."

  "Yes, sir." Zain smirked and shook his head. "She's a miracle worker, and I think this family is better with her here."

  "I agree."

  "The air does seem lighter these days."

  "That's because the boss is happier with her around."

  "It's not just the boss." The men around them chattered and nudged one another as they laughed.

  "I'm always happy to see Grace." Pez lunged at her for a hug.

  "I guess if you make the leaders happy, the rest can be happier, too." Zain moved back over to Grace and took her hand.

  "How about we head inside, and you can tell me about your honeymoon?" Ray suggested.

  "I was hoping to sleep... The ride back tuckered me out." Grace yawned as if on cue.

  "And you were feeling a bit funky on the way back. You can rest, and I'll talk to the boss." Zain kissed the back of her hand.

  "I'll take her." Mary latched onto Grace and escorted her back to her room. "So, did you two have a good time?"

  "Yup, but why did you say good like that?"

  "You should know what I mean." Mary closed the door behind them and turned to her. "So, Zain was saying you weren't feeling well?"

  "A bit nauseous, but I'll be fine. I probably need a bit more sleep, that's all." Grace yawned again.

  "Why don't you take a shower, and I'll go make you some ginger tea?"

  "I'd rather crawl into bed now... A quick shower it is." Grace caved because of the glower Mary was giving her. Grace headed straight into her bathroom for a shower.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  She stood under the showerhead as water beaded down her, but neither her fatigue nor nausea subsided. What the hell is going on?

  When she came out, she found a box left behind on the counter.

  "No way... That can't be..."

  Knock, knock.

  "Grace, are you okay in there? You've been out of the shower for a while, but haven't come out. Your tea is going to get cold," Mary talked to her through the bathroom door.

  When Grace still didn't answer, Mary opened the door and found Grace sitting on the floor in a daze. "Grace!" She rushed over to her and noticed what was in her hand.

  "This can't be right... right? There's no way... It's too soon." Grace shook her head. "This can't be right; you can't tell this early. I just got back from my honeymoon."

  Mary looked at the stick in Grace's hand, and the positive listed on it. "If it's showing positive now, I'm betting it's from before your honeymoon. We can try another one or get a doctor's appointment if you want."

  "How could this happen?"

  "Did you use protection every time?"

  On the honeymoon, we did... I can't remember from the first time! Oh, my gosh! The stick fell out of her hand. "How could I be so stupid?" Grace smacked herself in the forehead. "I don't think I even thought about that the first time. It just kinda... happened. Ugh..."

  "Grace." Mary petted her head. "It's not the end of the world. In fact, I know Ray will be happy to hear about this."

  "But..." Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted children. "They're going to have me under constant observation, again! Grandpa wants this baby to be around, and he wants to take care of it, but I still need to learn all the ropes."

  "Grace." Mary pulled a stool over. "Sit here, and I can dry your hair while you talk."

  Grace nodded and sat on the stool, still feeling out of it.

  Mary gently dried Grace's hair. "I promise he will be a doting great-grandfather."

  "I know he will be, but... This is too much! My life has already taken a huge turn, and now this? I'm not ready."

  "Oh dear," Mary sighed. "You know you'll have a whole family of people looking to take care of you and the baby."

  "That's part of the problem! I don't want everyone treating me like I'm fragile."

  "You're pregnant, so we have to treat you with extra care."

  Grace growled and tossed the stick in the garbage. "Can we keep this between us for a while?"

  "You want to keep this a secret?" Mary set the hair dryer down on the counter and crossed her arms. "We will not keep this from your grandpa or your husband."

  "Oh, come on," she groaned. "Why not?"

  "I will not lie and hide a pregnancy from him."

  "Not forever; just for now."

  "No."

  "Why not?"

  Mary pointed a stern finger at her. "Because I know you'll do reckless things because no one else knows the truth. We're telling both Zain and Ray today after your nap."

  "We?"

  "Of course, we." Mary held her hand. "I know this is hard for you, and I won't let you do it alone."

  "As for the nap... I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

  "I guess we should gather those two now."

  "But they're busy since Zain just got back. I'm sure they're partying or something. I'd rather not disturb them."

  "You're not getting out of this or delaying it. We know—"

  "Do we, though? It could be a false positive."

  Mary pulled out her phone and called Ray.

  "Ha..." Grace's shoulders slouched. Guess I know who she's most loyal to even now.

  "Are you really going to tell them, looking all dejected like this? You should have your head held high and... find your own way of saying it."

  "My own way?" She's right. I have to do this in a way suited for a mafia boss.

  Grace took a deep breath as she stood before the door to the grand hall. She could hear music and chatter coming from the inside where they were celebrating their return. They love any excuse to drink.

  "You can do this." Mary adjusted Grace's hair.

  "You don't think this is too much?" Grace asked, referring to her dressing up in her mafia boss outfit she used to face down the Marini family.

  "Maybe, but I thought this was what you wanted."

  "It gave off an aura of a boss before... but now I feel silly."

  "Grace, tell your grandpa and husband what's going on." Mary gave her a gentle push.

  "Fine." Grace took a deep breath and shoved the doors to the grand ball open. The doors slammed against the wall and everyone turned to her. Dammit, why'd I go so big on it? Grace spotted Ray and Zain and sauntered up to them, with Mary right behind her.

  "Gracey?" Ray's eyes widened. "Why are you dressed up?"

  "I thought you wanted to relax..." Zain rested his hand on her shoulder.

  "I will soon enough, but I have something to tell the two of you."

  Zain braced himself. "Okay..."

  "Grandpa." Grace took another deep breath. "You're going to have to fast track teaching me to be the next boss, and your retirement."

  It only took a second for him to realize what she was telling him. His eyes widened, and then so did his smile. "Are you telling me what I think you are?"

  Grace nodded.

  "Oh my gosh, Gracey!" Ray laughed as he picked her up in another bear hug, knocking her hat off in the process. "This is fantastic news!"

  Is grandpa the reason Zain likes to give bear hugs? "Ah-ha..."

  "No wonder you came in dressed up. This is a time for a grand celebration!" Ray cheered, and most of the members of the family exchanged confused glances.

  "Grace is pregnant," Zain said, and they all cheered.

  Holy crap... Grace flinched from their roar.

  "Don't worry, Gracey." Ray finally set her down. "They're happy for you, and for the next generation of Bertolottiss. Congratulations, Gracey."

  Grace forced a smile. "Thanks."

  Ray kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry; I'll be here every step of the way to help as much as you need me to. You're not alone in this."

  "Of course she isn't; I'm here, too." Zain hugged her from behind.

  "And the kid's uncle Pez will make sure they have a place to hide away from all this chaos, and deck them out with the best tech." Pez held up his smoothie. "Congrats, Grace."

  "Thanks, Pez..." Grace gave him a nod, since Zain didn't want to let go.

  "I guess we know why you were feeling sick now," Zain whispered into her ear. "Let's get some fresh air." Zain pulled her away from the crowd and headed for the balcony. "You know, I thought we were being careful, but I guess it wasn't enough. Promise I didn't pull any crappy tricks." He leaned on the railing and took a deep breath.

  "We weren't always careful..."

  Zain frowned as he thought back. "Wait... Are you saying it was from the first time?"

  Grace nodded and leaned on the railing beside him.

  "Damn... I know Ray was pushing for it, but I wasn't exactly planning for it yet."

  "Are you... upset or disappointed or something?"

  "What? No way. I'm having a baby with the woman I love. It's fantastic news, it's just... I probably have a lot to learn."

  "Are you sure about that? The children at the orphanage seem to love you. If anything, you'll be a better parent than I will."

  Zain's eyes widened, and he laughed. "How is that possible? There's no way I'll outshine you. But really, I think Boss is going to outshine both of us. He'll spoil them rotten like he wanted to do with you."

  "If it's a girl, probably, but what about if it's a boy? Won't he want to train them to be the next leader after me?"

  "I can't deny that, but it wouldn't be right away. He wants to do everything right this time while he still has a chance, and that means he'll protect the baby with everything he's got. And from personal experience, he's a skilled, tough guy who knows how to take care of himself, and how to protect others."

  "So, you're sure we're going to do alright with a baby?"

  Zain wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to stare into her eyes. "Of course; how can we not with the full support of this family?"

  "On that note... How in the world am I going to learn how to take over a mafia family in such a short time?"

  Zain kissed her forehead. "You need to stop worrying so much. Everything's going to be okay. You don't need to learn everything all at once, and you won't be alone even after he retires. He'll still be around to talk to, and I'll be right beside you the entire time. You're not alone, Grace."

  "I guess that's true. I'm not alone; I have more people than ever before supporting me."

  "And I look forward to seeing you grow into a true mafia queen." Zain kissed her.

  THE END