Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 952 : Girl Talk

*Bianca*

Mia and I joined my mother in the kitchen to help with dinner while Leo and Alessandro remained in the living room. We ditched our empty paper cups in the trashcan and washed our hands.

“Put us to work, Mom,” I said cheerfully.

“Wash and peel those, please,” she replied, pointing at the sack of potatoes.

Mia and I got to work quickly. We dumped a bunch of potatoes in a large strainer and set it in the sink. Mia scrubbed the skin with a thick bristled brush under running water. I began to peel the ones she would hand me.

“So, Bianca, how are you feeling?” Mia asked.

“I’m feeling all right at the moment,” I replied easily.

She chuckled. “I meant, how are you feeling about everything with Leo?”

“Oh, right,” I nodded my head. “Honestly, I feel really good about everything. For the first time in a long time, I feel relaxed in his presence. Safe.”

Mia nodded slowly. “Well, that’s good.”

“I know things were rocky before I came home, but after everything that had just happened, I feel like we are meant to be together. We literally survived a mafia shootout,” I exclaimed. “I don’t know. I just feel more confident in our relationship now.”

“As long as you are happy,” my mom began to speak. “That’s all that matters.”

“How is Taylor taking that?” Mia asked, randomly.

The truth was, I hadn’t thought too much about Taylor since we left the hospital. I knew he was still recovering from his gunshot wound to the leg. And I also knew he had feelings for me, so I was trying my best to keep my distance. I didn’t want to hurt him anymore than I already had by rejecting him.

Leo was the love of my life. Not Taylor. It was always going to be Leo, no matter what.

“Well, I can’t imagine he’s overly thrilled,” I replied.

Mia chuckled. “I’m sure he isn’t.”

“I love Leo,” I told her. “It’s not my fault Taylor has feelings for me.”

“No, of course not, sweetie,” my mom said in a comforting voice. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

“Have you spoken to him?” I asked in Mia’s direction.

“I have, yes,” she replied, her facial features softening. “He’s going to have to do physical therapy for his leg.”

I nodded. “I do feel bad for what happened to him.”

“He asked about you,” she said, eyeing me.

I sighed. “What did he say?”

“He asked if you and Leo had gotten back together and if he was still here,” she replied.

“What did you tell him?” I questioned, curious.

“All I told him was that Leo was still here until he was well enough to fly home,” she said. “He did say he wasn’t happy about Leo still staying with you, but that he was grateful for what he did to save your family.”

“Leo did save my family,” I said, reflecting on the past few days.

“He did at that, honey,” my mom said with a sweet smile on her face.

I focused my attention on peeling the potatoes as the kitchen grew silent. There wasn’t much left to be said about Taylor. I was grateful for everything he had done to protect me, but it wasn’t fair to keep him around knowing how he felt.

“I should warn you before the rest of the family gets here,” my mom said, breaking the silence. “Not everyone is supportive of you being with Leo.”

“Why?” I asked, quickly.

“Well, honey, they are weary of you being with someone who is the head of the mafia,” she explained.

I rolled my eyes. “I mean, I understand, but it’s my life.”

“Don’t worry, Bianca,” Mia said. “If anyone says anything, I’ve got your back. I’ve been the wife of a mafia leader for a long time. It’s not as bad as it can be portrayed to be.”

“Thank you, Mia,” I said, grateful.

“You know I fully support you, honey,” my mom said, walking over and hugging me.

I melted in her arms. There was nothing as healing as a mother’s hug.

“Thank you, mom,” I whispered against her shoulder. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, honey,” she smiled and squeezed me gently.

“I have to ask though,” my mom said, releasing me from within her grasp. “What are you going to do about the baby? You know I would love nothing more than to have you stay home and let me help you.”

I smiled and tilted my head. “I know, Mom, but I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do yet. I love Leo and I’m going to be with him, no matter what.”

“Well, you both are welcome to stay here,” she winked.

I chuckled. “The first thing we need to focus on is getting Leo back on his feet. Then, we can figure out what we are going to do about the baby. We still have plenty of time.”

My mom nodded. “All right, sweetie. Just don’t wait too long, time has a way of sneaking up on you.”

“I know. I know,” I sighed.

I had to admit, she was right. I had already wasted so much time hiding it from Leo, I was further along now and didn’t have as much time as I would like. However, I needed Leo healthy before we could make any real decisions.

As for moving back home, however, I knew it was not an option. Leo wouldn’t up and move to another country. He still had his mafia family back in the states. My school was there, as well. There was too much we would be forced to leave behind if we moved here.

The sound of my ringtone tore me away from my thoughts. I pulled my phone from out of the back pocket of my jeans and my eyes grew wide as I saw the lit up screen.

Shit.

“Who is it?” My mom asked, looking concerned.

“It’s my school,” I groaned.

“Hello?” I answered in my polite voice.

“Hello Bianca, I am returning your phone call,” the man said.

“Yes, thank you,” I replied. “I was hoping to get my break extended.”

A scoff came from the man. “An extension of a holiday break? That’s impossible.”

“Well, see, my boyfriend was recently injured and isn’t able to fly home yet. We are in my hometown in Italy, you see,” I explained. “I can’t just leave him in another country.”

“That’s not really a problem of ours, however,” he spoke in a rather rude manner. “The only exception we could make is if there were a death in your family. Did he die?”

Now, it was my turn to scoff. “No, he didn’t die! But he could have!”

“All right, all right,” I heard Mia before I saw her approach me. She took the phone from my hands.

“Listen here,” Mia spoke, sternly. “You are going to give Bianca an extension on her break and allow her to return to her classes once her boyfriend is cleared to fly back to LA. Otherwise, I do believe some mysterious unfortunate events could possibly take place that would absolutely be traced back to you. Do we have an understanding?”

Mia was silent for a moment, nodding her head. Then, she smiled.

“Fantastic. Bianca will be back attending her classes in a couple of weeks,” she said as charmingly as possible.

Mia hung up the phone and handed it to me. “There you go.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Thank you. That was amazing.”

She shrugged. “It was nothing. Sometimes a little threat is needed to get what you want.”

“Is that what the mafia does to you?” My mom joked, eyeing Mia.

Mia laughed. “Hey, it got her the extension, didn’t it?”

“Yeah. Yeah,” my mom shook her head.

Dinner was almost done by the time Alessandro entered the kitchen. His facial expression was neutral, but something felt off about him. He gave Mia a look and without any words being exchanged, she went to stand by his side.

“Are you two going to stay for dinner?” my mother asked them.

“Oh, we are terribly sorry, Lucia, but we must be getting back home,” Alessandro spoke.

“Maybe next time,” Mia smiled.

My mom nodded and shooed them away. “Not a problem.”

“I’ll be back to see you though,” Mia said to me.

I nodded and waited for them to leave. I followed behind them as they walked towards the front door and veered into the living room. Leo was still sitting in the same spot, but had his eyes closed.

I walked over to him and sat down beside him gently, not wanting to hurt his wound.

“Are you all right?” I questioned, concerned.

Leo opened his eyes and smiled. “Yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Alessandro seemed weird when he came into the kitchen and then him and Mia just left kind of abruptly,” I told him, watching his facial features.

He shrugged. “He was weird?”

I sighed, letting my shoulders droop. “Leo.”

“What?” He laughed nervously. “It’s nothing, Bianca.”

My arms crossed themselves over my chest. “It’s not nothing, you just don’t want to tell me.”

“It’s nothing you have to worry about,” he replied, placing his hand on the back of my head in a caring way.

“That’s not true,” I told him. “I’m always going to worry as long as I am left in the dark.”

He sighed, letting his hand drop to his lap. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“I think we need to talk,” I said, sitting up straight.

Leo looked at me, suddenly appearing nervous. “All right.”

Before another word could be spoken, I heard the front door open. It took about two seconds before two of my little cousins came running into the living room.

“Leo! Bianca!” One of them shouted and jumped onto the couch.

“Hey guys,” I replied, painting a smile on my face.

“Is dinner ready yet? I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!” The other one said, falling to the floor in a rather dramatic way.

“After dinner,” I told Leo, staring into his eyes.

The two kids grabbed each of my hands and dragged me out of the living room and into the kitchen. My mother was finishing up dinner while my aunt and uncle shed their coats.

“Here, honey,” my mom said, handing me a stack of ceramic plates. “Will you help me set the table?”

“Sure, Mom,” I smiled, completely distracted by my thoughts.

The conversation I was about to have with Leo was long overdue. It was important that we had it, however. Especially before we left to go back home.

I could tell he was scared and unsure what I wanted to talk about. Although, maybe that was a good thing. Having him sweat a little bit would do him some good. Because if he wanted to make this work, make us work, he would need to listen to everything I had to say and put in the effort even after we would return home.