Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Leo

“Tell me about Leo,” Giovanni said as I started the car up again.

“He’s sweet. He’s always trying to take care of everybody but himself. He’s understanding and accepting. He loves everybody and he’s not afraid to tell you,” I said, smiling.

“He sounds like a good kid. He sounds like you,” he said, smiling at me.

I parked the car and turned to look at him. “He is a good kid. He’s nothing like Johnathan,” I said softly.

“With you in his life, there’s no way he could be,” he said, leaning into me. He kissed me before I could respond, but that was fine with me. He pulled away from me and smiled at me.

“Thank you,” I mumbled without thinking.

“Thank you?” he repeated, laughing.

I groaned and put my head in my hands.

He continued laughing as he stepped out of the car and walked around to open the door for me.

“Thank you,” I said, taking his hand and stepping out.

“You’re welcome,” he said, watching me take Oreo from the back seat.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we started to walk to the front door. Oreo ran up to the door and started scratching at it.

The door opened to reveal Bebe, and she squealed as her eyes landed on me. She ran up to me and hugged me tightly. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said, rocking us side to side.

“I’ve missed you so much more,” I said softly.

Giovanni put his hand on the small of my back as Bebe pulled away from me. Bebe’s eyes dropped to Giovanni’s hand and her smile brightened.

“Are you guys back together? I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long. You know it’s true love when you always come back to each other,” she ranted.

“We’re—”

“Yeah, we are,” Giovanni said, cutting me off. He kissed me softly when he realized I was staring at him and followed Bebe inside.

“Why did you tell your mom we’re together?” I asked quietly.

“Aren’t we?” he asked, stopping.

“It’s not the same as back then, Giovanni. I have a ~kid~ now,” I said, running my hands through my hair.

“So? I thought I made it clear that I love you,” he said, frowning.

“Giovanni, he’s four. I’m not just going to bring somebody into his life—his life that’s in London,” I whispered.

“I have no problem being a part of his life. What are you scared of?” he asked and it was clear he was becoming frustrated.

“This life, Giovanni. The killing, the drugs, anything that has to do with Johnathan,” I said, exasperated.

He scoffed and dropped his hand before turning and walking away. I shut my eyes tightly and released a shaky breath.

“Mom?” Leo said, catching my attention.

I quickly wiped the tears off my cheeks and turned toward him. “Hey, baby,” I said, smiling.

He ran up to me and I picked him up before tickling his sides, making him laugh. “Uncle Alex is so much fun,” he said, holding my face in his hands.

“Yeah? Did you eat?” I asked, walking in a random direction.

“Yeah, we had McDonald's and then we went to the park and then he got me ice cream,” he squealed, bouncing in my arms.

I laughed and put him down just as Oreo ran up to us. Oreo jumped on top of Leo and started licking his face.

“Mom, whose room is this?” Leo asked, snapping me back to reality.

I took a deep breath and slowly sat on the bed as I recognized it as Giovanni’s.

“Well, this is the room I used to spend all my time in. It’s Giovanni’s room,” I said, picking him up and placing him on my lap.

“Can we move here? They have everything. Please, Mom,” Leo begged, taking my face in his hands.

“What about London?” I asked, pecking his nose.

“I like it here more,” he pleaded.

“I’ll think about it,” I promised.

He nodded his head and I pulled his sneakers off his feet.

“Let’s go find a room for you to sleep,” I said, putting him down.

“I’m not tired. Can I go play with Uncle Alex?” he asked.

“Yeah, just sit here for a minute,” I said, standing up and sitting him on the bed with Oreo.

He nodded his head firmly and started to play with Oreo.

I walked into Giovanni’s closet and smiled at the fact that he kept my clothes. I grabbed a pair of shorts and one of Giovanni’s hoodies without thinking and checked to make sure Leo was still on the bed.

“Can I watch TV?” he asked.

I nodded my head and turned on the TV before handing him the remote.

“I’m going to take a shower right in here. Come inside if you need anything,” I said, pointing toward the bathroom.

He nodded his head in understanding and I grabbed a towel before going into the bathroom.

I stepped into the tub and took a shower. I closed my eyes as I washed the soap from my face and Johnathan’s face popped into my head, something that had been happening a lot.

I got dressed in the bathroom and walked into the room to find it empty. My heart started to pound in my chest as I looked around the room for Leo.

“Leo?” I called out, stepping out of the room.

“LEO!” I screamed, panicking.

“Luna, what’s wrong?” Bebe asked, coming up the stairs with Mr. Russo close behind her.

“Leonardo, I—I can’t find Leo. I left him in the room to take a shower, and when I came out, he was gone.” My eyes filled with tears, and I ran my fingers through my hair.

“Which room?” Bebe asked.

“Giovanni’s room. I-I just went into the bathroom. I didn’t leave him alone for long,” I sobbed, shaking my head.

“Maybe he’s with one of the boys,” she offered.

I slowly nodded my head as I remembered him asking me if he could stay with Alex.

She took my hand and led me back down the stairs and into the game room where Leo was playing video games with Lorenzo and Alex.

“Mum,” Leo said, smiling and running into my arms.

I dropped to my knees and hugged him tightly as I did my best to swallow back my tears. “You scared me, Leo. I told you I’d take you to Uncle Alex,” I said, sniffling.

“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling away from me. He frowned as he noticed the tears on my cheeks and wiped them off.

I sniffled and hugged him into me again. “It’s okay, baby. Go finish playing,” I said softly.

He kissed the top of my head and ran back to the couch.

I took a deep breath and thanked Bebe before leaving the room.

“Jeez, Luna, what did you think happened to him?” Alex asked, following after me.

I shook my head and leaned against the wall as I sobbed.

“Did you think he got kidnapped?” he teased, playfully shoving me.

I looked up at him and bit my lip.

“You did,” he said softly. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, letting me sob on his chest.

“Ever since he’s been born, I-I’ve been scared that he’ll find out about Leo and take him from me,” I sobbed.

“That’s why you wouldn’t come home,” he said, rubbing my back soothingly.

I nodded my head, earning a soft kiss on the top of my head. I pulled away from him as my sobs slowed. I wiped the tears off my cheeks and took a deep breath.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled, sniffling and wiping under my eyes.

“Mom, when can I meet Giovanni?” Leo asked, walking out of the game room with Lorenzo and Dimitri.

“I—”

“Now,” Giovanni said from somewhere behind me.

Leo smiled brightly and slowly walked up to him. “Hi,” he said, smiling.

Giovanni smiled back at him and picked him up before walking away.

“He told me about you running from him. He loves you, Luna,” Alex said before walking away.

Lorenzo and Dimitri gave me a sad smile before walking back into the room.

I walked outside and took a deep breath.

“Mom, I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” Leo said, jumping in my arms with Oreo close behind him.

“Yeah?” I asked softly.

“I’m tired,” he said, yawning.

“Did you have fun today?” I asked, walking to my car.

He wrapped his arms around me and nodded his head.

I opened the back seat and put him in as Oreo jumped in. I buckled both of them up and adjusted the seat back before covering them up with a blanket.

“Are you leaving?” Bebe asked as I closed the car door.

“Yeah. Leo’s tired and I wanna get him in bed,” I said softly.

“You could always stay here. We’ve missed you so much,” she said sadly.

“We’ll be back tomorrow. If I don’t bring him back, he’ll never forgive me,” I said, smiling.

She nodded her head and hugged me tightly. “My son loves you, Luna, and in his life, he has never taken the time to stop and smell the roses for anybody but you,” she said softly.

I took a deep breath and nodded my head as we pulled away from each other. I waited for her to go inside before leaving.

“My son loves you.” Her words repeated in my head like a broken record as I drove.

I stopped at a red light and ran my hand through my hair as I waited for the light to change. Before I could process what was going on, a car crashed into mine, making the car flip over.

I gasped sharply as I weakly unbuckled my seat belt to look at the back where Leo and Oreo were.

“L-Leo,” I croaked, trying to get a look at him. My eyes filled with tears when I didn’t get a response from him.

My vision blurred as the world started to spin, but I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t hurt.

“Take them both, leave the dog,” a voice I didn’t recognize growled. The car door was pulled open and I felt a pinch in my arm before I was swallowed by darkness.