The Secrets She Kept

Chapter 17

Once everything stopped, I was frozen in shock. I felt paralyzed. "Are you alright sweetheart?" Some guy extended his hand towards Kate helping her to her feet. "I'm alright." I was surprised to see Kate kiss the man, before turning towards me. "You alright?" She asked. It wasn't until Luca came over, and kneeled in front of me, and lifted my chin making me look at him, that the fear and adrenaline rushed back and I began to sob. His face softened at the sight of it, he quickly pulled Leah and me into his arms. "We need to get Robbie back to your place." Carla whispered to Kate. I lightly shoved Leah into Luca's arms and rushed over to Robbie. "Robbie?" I placed my hands over an open wound on his chest. It was closer to his shoulder than the center of his chest. Was that a good thing? "Lana I need you to let go of Robbie. I need to take him." I didn't even realize Antonio was here. I clung to my brother as I realized something very scary. If Robbie does, I'll have lost my only sibling. "Lana?" Antonio tried to get my attention. I couldn't force myself to move. Soon I felt hands on my arms as Antonio tried to pull me off of Antonio. I quickly spun around and punched him. "You need to back up, we have to take him." Antonio said while rubbing his jaw. "Why should I trust you?" I spat. "He's innocent." Something in his tone said I could trust him, but I wouldn't. Antonio grabbed me and began to pull me away. "Stop!! Get your hands off of me!" Antonio threw me over his shoulder as I kicked and screamed. "Luca!" Kate shouted as she watched me struggle. Luca rushed over, snatched me away from Antonio. "Don't grab her like that again!" Luca growled at him. A bunch of men lifted Robbie and took him away. "Robbie!!" I screamed trying to go after him, only Luca had my hand. "Let go!" I yelled. "Lana, calm down. Look at me. You have to let them take him. He will die if he stays here." Luca held my face with both of his hands. I couldn't help but break down again. Luca pulled me into a hug, and I buried my face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. "You need to calm down, for Leah." Luca whispered in my ear. He was right, I might be scaring her by freaking out. I slowly calmed myself and pulled away from Luca. I walked away to find Leah. "What the hell took you so long?" Luca's voice boomed throughout the house. I turned to see him yelling at some men. "We got here as soon as we could! We were across town." A kid yelled back at Luca. "Don't you yell at me kid!" Luca and the first guy stared at each other like they would pounce on each other any minute now. "Luca, we got here as soon as we could. Everyone is okay, Robbie." Delilah stopped mid-sentence, she looked over to where Antonio and some other guy had carried Robbie out. Her facial expression softened and she looked as if she might cry. "Robbie will be fine." Her cold expression returned as she turned and headed outside. "Are you okay?" Carla grabbed my arm. "Who are they?" I asked motioning to the guys Luca was arguing with. "The first one is Luca's younger cousin, Ben. The other one, that's mine, Tyler."

"Yours?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I never told you about that."

"Let's go, we're headed to Moray Island!" The guy who helped Kate shouted. "Oh, and that's Thomas, Kate's man." Carla wiggled her eyebrows up and down. "Alright, I've got to go, I'll see you later. Be careful!" Carla gave me a right hug, before heading out with the others. I scanned the house, and my heart broke. Pancakes and batter were flung everywhere, shattered glass was all over the floor, and Robbie's once beautiful home looked as if it had been hit by a natural disaster. "Lana, we need to get back to the house." Luca lightly grabbed my hand. "This is what I was afraid of." I whispered.

"I know." Luca admitted.

"What if Leah had been hurt?"

"I know, I'm so sorry Lana. I can't protect you all if you're not with me."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if we were cooking breakfast at my home, this wouldn't have happened, no one gets near my home without my men stopping them."

"Are you threatening to take Leah?" I asked with tears in my eyes.

"No Lana, I'm asking you both to come home with me."

"Luca, I don't have a place in your home. I'm nothing more than the mother of your child. You said it yourself, there's nothing left between us."

"Lana, you know that's not true. You're everything to me and more. The anger that I feel for missing the first five years of my child's life, is nothing compared to the love I feel for you." Luca confessed his true feelings. Still, I didn't know how to feel about it. "Let me show you." He held my hand tightly. "How?"

"I don't want to lose you or Leah ever again. I don't want either of you doubting my loyalty to you, I never want to feel as helpless as I did today being ambushed like that." I was confused as to where this conversation was going. "What are you trying to say?" I asked, searching for clues in his expression. "Marry me Lana." All the air had been sucked from my lungs. Every muscle paralyzed, and I swear for just a moment, my heart completely stopped. "I love you Lana, and I know you still love me. Let me show you I can love and protect you. Let me back into your life." His words would make any girl fall, but again I have more to think about than just myself.

"Luca, I."

"Please don't say no."

"Luca I can't."

"Do you love me?"

"I don't know, we were young, and I was."

"Stop it Lana. Right here, right now, look me in my eyes and tell me you don't love me. That you couldn't love me." He suddenly grabbed my face and searched my eyes frantically. Something about it looked so desperate yet so real. Like I was seeing a real and vulnerable side of him.

"I loved you once Luca, but I have no idea who you are now, we've both changed."

"Then take all the time you need to decide. Let me take you on a date, we haven't really gotten a chance to just talk alone and be together."

"I don't know Luca."

"Lana we don't have to get married right now, we can stay engaged as long as you want. Until you're ready."

"What if I decide I don't want to get married?"

"We will figure out how we want to live separately in a way that protects us all."

"How?"

"We will worry about that if the time comes, but for now Lana, marry me."

My head was spinning. Too much has happened today. It was supposed to be special for Leah's birthday. Now I just hope and pray she doesn't remember it. Robbie was off fighting for his life, and Luca proposed. Could I truly marry Luca? I do still love him, and Leah would be thrilled. It might actually be safer. But what if I really don't like the person he's grown to be. What if he's a completely different person.