The Secrets She Kept

Chapter 24

"Really Luca, why are you laughing?" I groaned as we continued walking through the mansion. "I just like that you finally think of this place as your home." Luca chuckled. "Well it is, isn't it?" I teased him. "Yes, yes it is." He pressed his lips to mine, making my heart skip a beat and my stomach swirl. "Let's go out tonight." A mischievous smile stretched across Luca's face. "Really?" I raised a skeptical brow. "Yeah, go get dressed, I'll have mom watch Leah for us. We haven't had a chance to be alone yet." I was actually excited about this idea. He kissed me lightly one more time before walking away. I couldn't help but smile. Maybe I've been overthinking things this whole time. Maybe I should just say yes to his proposal. It would be nice to be married before the twins are born, right? I quickly hurried to get ready. "Momma!" I quickly spun around to see Leah running towards me.

"Hey baby, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, whatcha doing?" Leah smiled brightly at me.

"Well, Daddy is taking me on a date so I'm going to get dressed. Is it okay, if you stay and play with Mimi?"

"Yes!" Leah squealed excitedly. "Momma, can I ask you something?"

"Anything." I ran my hand over her head.

"Can I help you name the babies?" Leah's little eyes were so hopeful. My heart filled with joy.

"Of course you can!" I smiled lovingly at her. She threw her arms around me and squeezed me tight.

"Thank you, Momma! I'm going to tell Mimi!" Leah wiggled out of my arms and ran back down the hall. I continued in the opposite direction to finally get ready for my night out with Luca. I went with something a bit simple yet elegant. My hair was difficult so I just fluffed it out a bit and let it be. A knock at the door grabbed my attention. The door slowly opened and Luca entered, stopping my heart. I couldn't help but look him up and down, which he did not miss. I blushed. He was wearing a black suit, with a button up white shirt, with the top buttons opened a bit revealing collar bone. "Wow, you look beautiful Lana." He smirked at me. "You clean up nice Luca. I didn't think you had it in you." I teased, causing his smirk to spread into a smile. "Are you ready?" He extended his hand to me. I nodded, taking his hand in my own. He led me outside into one of his cars. It felt a little like a dream. I feel like our relationship really took a sharp turn. I was happy with it. We made it to a beautiful restaurant which made me feel a bit out of place. Luca pulled my chair out for me, and I thanked him in return. "I want to talk to you about Alexa." Luca ruined the moment at the mention of her name. "Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I just want to see how you felt about it?" Luca asked with a stern look.

"Well, I don't really know. I mean I know I don't want her in our home, with our daughter. I'm not sure about anything else." I explained.

"I want you to know, I will do whatever you need. I do insist she stays with us if it is my child, until it's born. After that, we just have to figure it out along the way." Luca placed his hand on mine.

"I don't know what to say Luca. The only thing I'm really worried about is Leah and how to explain it to her, you know, if the child is yours." I felt stressed at the idea of having that kind of conversation with Leah. Her life is so chaotic right now.

"Just try not to worry about that right now. We will worry about it, if it's mine." He smiled trying to comfort me.

"Can I ask you something?" I mumbled a bit.

"Go ahead." Luca squeezed my hand a little.

"Do you love her?"

"No." He responded without hesitation.

"Surely you feel something for her?" I couldn't help feeling insecure.

"Maybe I did once, but nothing ever close to love. I'll admit I do have a soft spot in my heart for her at times. She wasn't always the Alexa we know today. She was kind once, and innocent. If you're really asking how I feel about you, my proposal still stands. I want to marry you Lana." Something about his answer didn't give me any satisfaction. I wasn't sure if I should press on for more.

"Luca, I'm sorry for how hard I've been on you. It was hard raising Leah alone, I was always looking over my shoulder and scanning every room for Antonio."

"I understand that Lana, it's why I didn't confront you two years ago, people were already threatening you and I had nothing to do with my daughter then. I figured if I stayed away, it would keep you both safe."

"I guess we both were protecting her this whole time." I shrugged.

"I know this second pregnancy wasn't planned, Lana but I promise you, married or not, I'll always protect you and our children. I promise you'll never do it alone again." It was as if he had just said what I needed to hear this whole time. Without a doubt I knew, he would keep his promises and that he meant them. After dinner, Luca took me to the beach and we spent the rest of the evening walking along the shore. We talked and finally got the chance to catch up on everything we've missed in each other's lives over these five years.

"What was it like when Leah first started walking?" Luca asked almost nervously. As if asking about Leah would set me off. It made me feel guilty.

"It was hell. I realized I really needed to baby proof the apartment. She was always getting into stuff, but that's nothing compared to when she was learning to crawl. She would position herself on her knees and squeal and cry, terrified to move!" A snort escaped me.

"Lana, I know I may not always express it, but I truly love you. More than I ever thought possible. As angry as I was to receive pictures of you and my daughter, just seeing you. You were holding Leah and laughing, I couldn't help but smile. It's something that never went away, and even if you drive me crazy sometimes, I can't ever stay mad or irritated with you. I never apologized for my actions, but when it comes to you, I'd apologize for the rest of my life if it meant you'd love me back." I couldn't read Luca's expression, it was as if so many different emotions were rolled into one.

"I don't know what to say, other than I love you too Luca."

"It's been a while since I've heard that from you."

"As much as you drive me crazy, and as much as I've tried to push you away, I'm always drawn back to you. Maybe we were just always fated to be together." My heart raced with joy. I felt nothing could shatter this moment.

"Lana, say you'll marry me. If you marry me, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep you and our children happy for the rest of our lives. I can't promise we won't fight and at times, you won't hate me, but I can promise I'll never stop loving you." Luca's eyes pleaded with me. Without hesitation, I knew the answer. "Yes, I'll marry you."