Chapter 6 - The Impossible Truth
Gabriel walked into the private hospital room like a man stepping onto a foreign planet.
Emma was sitting up in the hospital bed, a small white bandage affixed to her left temple. She looked small against the crisp white sheets, but the color had returned to her cheeks. She was staring down at her hands, which were resting gently flat against her stomach.
When she heard the door click shut, she looked up.
Gabriel stopped at the foot of the bed. For a man who regularly intimidated politicians and rival gang leaders with nothing but a look, he suddenly appeared entirely unsure of what to do with his hands.
"The doctor told you," Emma whispered, her hazel eyes wide and searching his face for a reaction.
Gabriel nodded slowly. He walked around the bed, pulling a plastic chair close to her side, and sat down heavily. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped tightly together.
"Emma," Gabriel started, his voice rough and uneven. He cleared his throat. "Are you... are you alright?"
"I have a headache," she admitted softly. "And I'm apparently very dehydrated. But otherwise... yes."
Silence stretched between them, thick with the weight of the revelation. This wasn't supposed to happen. Their marriage was a contract. It was a business arrangement designed to save an antique shop and secure a mafia throne. It was not supposed to produce a life.
"Gabriel," Emma said quietly, her voice trembling slightly. "I know this wasn't part of the agreement. I know we said two years and a quiet divorce. If you want me to... if you want to end the contract early, I understand."
Gabriel’s head snapped up. His dark eyes flared with sudden, intense fury.
He stood up so fast the plastic chair scraped violently against the linoleum floor. He leaned over the bed, placing his large hands flat on the mattress on either side of her hips, trapping her in his gaze.
"Do not ever speak of divorce again," Gabriel commanded, his voice a low, lethal rumble that left absolutely no room for argument. "Do you understand me? Never."
Emma blinked, startled by the ferocity in his tone. "Gabriel—"
"The contract is dead," Gabriel said fiercely, his face inches from hers. "It died the night you told Carlo Vitiello to go to hell in my dining room. It died the night I moved into your bed. You are my wife, Emma. Before God, before the law, before my family. You are mine. And this child..."
Gabriel paused, his breath catching in his throat. He slowly lowered one hand from the mattress, pressing it gently, reverently, over Emma’s hands resting on her stomach. His large fingers trembled against hers.
"...this child is a Mercer," Gabriel whispered, the absolute awe in his voice breaking through his iron facade. "Our child."
Tears welled up in Emma’s eyes, spilling over her lashes and running down her cheeks. She took one of her hands and reached up, weaving her fingers into Gabriel’s dark hair, pulling him down until his forehead rested against hers.
"I was so scared you would be angry," she cried softly.
"I'm terrified," Gabriel admitted, a breathless, shaky laugh escaping his chest. He turned his head, pressing a desperate, lingering kiss to her cheek, her jaw, her lips. "I don't know how to be a father, Emma. I only know how to be a monster to protect what's mine."
"You aren't a monster," Emma whispered fiercely against his lips. "You're a protector. And you're going to be a wonderful father."
Gabriel pulled back slightly, looking deep into her hazel eyes. The cold, calculating mafia boss was entirely gone. In his place was a man who had finally found something worth bleeding for.
"I need to make a call," Gabriel said quietly, his expression hardening as reality set back in.
"To who?"
May you like
"To Silas," Gabriel replied, standing up straight. "The moment word gets out that you are carrying my heir, you become the most valuable target in eastern Tennessee. The old guard will see this child as a threat to their power structure. Vitiello will not take this well."
Gabriel pulled his phone from his suit pocket. "From this moment forward, Emma, the game changes. I am tearing the old organization down to the studs. I am taking us fully legitimate, and anyone who stands in my way is going in the river."
