_______________________Luca's Pov________________
Detroit wasn't Luca's favorite city but to be fair it wasn't his least favorite either. It was fine, especially for quick business. Several Italian families had promised to meet with him and all the alliances seemed to be going well.
A rival Sicilian gang close to where Luca had been born was the most interesting meeting of the day. They had approached him at breakfast in a diner with his men all around.
They had a deep seated hatred for the Purple gang.
After their intimidation tactic on Caroline in New York, he wasn't exactly fond of them either.
It was nice to catch up with fellow Sicilians though.
"How's your wife Mr. Changretta? I went to school with her." Lorenzo, that had been his name, he was heading up the gang here in little Sicily Detroit.
Luca thought he was fine up until he asked about his former school mate, Luca's mate. He knew why it bothered him, he missed her, she was pregnant and he hated being away from her.
Lorenzo wasn't coming off like a creep or like a forlorn school crush. Just normal small talk.
" She's very pregnant and energetic." Luca replied. He could ask if they'd been friends or dated but he thought better of it. He was a jealous man by nature but he knew she loved him more than anything and she was a good faithful women.
He'd lucked out with her.
" I remember when my mate was pregnant. I swear, she'd rearrange furniture and get on a ladder to adjust pictures and things on a daily basis. I'm lucky I survived with her trying to give me daily heart attacks. " Luca chuckled with him.
"I can relate, I think she's rearranged the nursery about a hundred times. One day it'll be perfect." He laughed thinking about her latest melt down on the pain color not being warm enough. It was beige, he hadn't realized there were so many shades of beige let alone cold tones or warm tones.
" After the baby comes. That's when they get too tired to change anything around." The other man smiled warmly. It was nice to have a conversation that wasn't about babies, gangs or politics right now.
He was beyond excited to be having children with Caroline. He had been doing just fine till he met her, but life seemed to have more meaning for him now, like he'd just been waiting.
"Babies, she's having twins. Doctor picked up two heartbeats on the last visit." Luca had been stunned when she'd told him that and showed him the little paper confirming two.
"When you start you just go all out huh?" Lorenzo laughed as did Luca. It was true, his mate and cousins had made the same joke.
"Twins run on her side. She's not amused when I pointed that out." Luca hoped the next kid they had was a single pregnancy. He was so excited for the babies but two, well that was more than anticipated the first time. He wondered how chaotic his house would be the first few years...or the next eighteen years.
"I was surprised you came down with her pregnancy and her father visiting. Must not like your father in law huh?" Lorenzo's little brother Antonio had addressed him now. Luca side-eyed him and grabbed a cigarette. I needed to process this information. I hadn't known but he couldn't show that. I was a boss, these boys were foot soldiers, I couldn't lose my cool or seem like I didn't have an idea on what was happening back home. Don't need a little upstart seizing an opportunity.
I smiled but I knew it was more like baring my teeth. Before the meeting I just got off a phone call with my beautiful mate. Antoni better be fuckin jokin, for her sake too. I hated secrets.
