the devil wears a suit and tie • billy russo

chapter 10

"Hey," Iz murmured on a slow Sunday morning as they both lied in bed.

"What's up?" he sat up slightly and rested on his elbow.

"Can I ask you something?" she replied timidly. Isabella couldn't believe she was actually about to ask the question. The one that could possibly change the rest of their lives. She had been thinking about asking it since they moved into their new house, and it was something they'd been talking about for much longer.

"If you make it quick, I've gotta get to the gym this morning."

"Oh..." it was certainly not a quick question, "Never mind then, we can talk about it later."

He raised his eyebrows, "Well, you have my attention now, so you might as well say it."

"It's kind of a big thing though..."

"Iz, the suspense is gonna kill me all day if you don't tell me."

"You have to promise you won't think I'm crazy."

"I promise, now just tell me."

Iz took a deep breath, "Well, I've just been thinking lately... and I'm kind of ready to be a mom. I mean, we're settled now, business and steady, and you know how my dad isn't doing so well these days..." it was true, Javi had been struggling with heart issues for the past few years, and they were finally catching up to him. Iz knew how badly he wanted grandkids, and she couldn't help but feel like time was running out. "I just feel like the time is right. We've been talking about having kids for years, and now we're finally married and you're retired from the military and everything—"

"Iz," he laughed slightly, "you're overthinking it. If you want to start trying for a baby, all you had to do was say so. I've actually been thinking about it too lately."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he pushed her hair behind her ear and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, "your mom called me the other day, practically begging for grandkids. She didn't want to tell you how bad things really were yet, but I guess it has to be getting pretty rough if she's panicking."

"Don't feel like we have to do it just because of my parents. I'm sure my dad would much rather have us happy than having a kid just for his sake."

"Izzy," he smiled softly, "having a family with you would make me happier than anything in the world."

"Okay," she pulled him down into a deep kiss, "you wanna get started on it now instead of going to the gym?"

"You can't do this to me..." he groaned, knowing he would end up scrapping all his plans for the day the instant she gave him that look with those big green eyes of hers.

She bit her lip, "I'll make sure it counts as a workout."

"I know you will, that's why I don't know if I can do it right now. I'm gettin' old, Iz," he joked, "I'm gonna have a to take a nap after."

"There's nothing wrong with that," she smirked, hooking her leg over him, "Besides, who knows how many more days like this we'll get to have once there's a little ankle biter running around."

"You make a very compelling argument—" he had to take a deep breath as she moved her hips ever so slightly against him.

"You know you want it," she purred and started to place slow kisses on his neck, "just let me give it to you."

"Fine," he grinned and pinned her down on the mattress. His mind was racing. A part of him was terrified at the prospect of become a father. What if he ended up an abandoner like his parents? What if he was a horrible dad? What if he couldn't do enough to help Iz? What if something happened to her in childbirth? What if his kid hated him? He had to push it all aside. Certainly everything would be okay.