Nine months later...

Xia's POV:

"I'm pregnant!" Arabella squealed, smiling uncontrollably. Ellie and I looked at each other and smiled in pure happiness. 

"Oh my God! Congratulations, Bella!" I hugged her, making sure not to hug her too tightly because my belly that had doubled in size.

Yup, I'm pregnant too! Six months in, to be precise. 

Once Rico and I got married to each other eight months ago, I became pregnant a month later. We haven't tried to know the gender yet because we wanted it to be a surprise on the day that I give birth.

In the last six months, I have gone through everything from morning sickness to eating weird food combinations to peeing at random times of the day...and night but I know that everything is going to be worth it in the end.

Everyone was delighted at the news when we first found out about the new member of our family except one person: Nico.

At first, he thought that Rico and I didn't love him anymore which was why there was going to be another child but as days passed by, we explained to him that it was anything but that.

Once my baby bump started becoming more noticeable, Nico unconsciously started getting protective over his sibling. He didn't let anyone other than Rico to touch my belly until a few weeks later; I know for a fact that he's going to be the best older brother to either his future brother or sister.

"I'm so happy!" Bella exclaimed, pulling away from the hug. "We're going to be preggo besties!"

She hugged Ellie too and pulled away, asking her, "Sooo, you want another child? We could be a preggo trio!"

"Well, I think I already am..." She paused. "...with those twenty chicken nuggets I had an hour ago for lunch."

The three of burst out into laughter at her sentence. We had gotten much closer in the last few months and now having someone to relate to during a pregnancy, would be even better.

"No, no, no." I worriedly said, trying to control my laughter. "I gotta pee now. I'll be back."

"Alright!" They replied, while I scurried off to the washroom. It was the weekend so Bella, Ellie and I decided to have a movie marathon at my old apartment. Yup, the place that had been renovated my Toni.

We would have sleepovers here and sometimes, Nico, Kace and even Valentina, Belle's daughter, would join us too. Once I finished doing my business, I walked over to the sink and while I had been washing my hands, I happened to glance at the shiny gold band around my ring finger. My wedding ring.

My life seems so...unbelievable. Two years ago, if someone would have told me that I would fall in love with a mafia boss, marry him and have my own children, I would have laughed in their face.

But now, I feel blessed to be able to have so many people around me who love me, care for me and are just...there for me. There are times that I think of Adrian and how my life would have been if it weren't for what he did but I always come to one conclusion: everything happens for a reason.

Sighing, I walked out after wiping my hands dry and took a seat along with Bella and Ellie on the couch who had been waiting for me.

"We're watching Monte Carlo!" Ellie announced.

"Oooo, fine by me." I said, taking a sip of water from the glass in front of me. We cuddled up with each other and ate popcorn, something that I had been craving all day.

Four hours later...

"Momma!" The adorable five-year-old boy entered, calling out to me while Rico and I were cuddled up next to each other on the bed in our room.

He had been taking a nap when I came back home so I didn't wake him up, thinking that he would get cranky if he hadn't gotten his sleep.

"Yes, Nico?" I questioned, too tired to move from the position that I was in.

He climbed up on the bed and crawled over to where I was, placing his tiny warm hand on my grown belly. "How is Peanut?"

Yes, that is what he named the baby. Peanut.

"Just fine." I smiled. "But, little Peanut missed you today."

"Really?!" He asked, getting excited. "I missed you too, Peanut."

He bent down a little and wrapped his arms around me, in a way of hugging his sibling. He was being so gentle without even being told to do so.

I glanced at Rico, who had been smiling at the sight in front of him. Placing a peck on his cheek, I asked him, "What are you thinking about?"

He turned to me and smiled, showcasing his dimples, "I'm thinking about how beautiful my family is. How beautiful life is. How beautiful are children are. How beautiful you are."

He kissed the tip of my nose after saying the last line.

"You're beautiful too." I grinned.

"My dear wife, are you trying to flirt with me?" He whispered, making sure that Nico wouldn't hear him speak.

"I'm not flirting, my dear husband." I denied, using the same tone that he did a few seconds ago. "I'm just being extra nice to someone who is extra attractive."

All he did was slightly shake his head in disbelief at my response. I mean, I wasn't going to admit to flirting now, was I?

"Momma, when can I hold Peanut?" Nico asked, lifting his head up from my belly.

"Soon." I replied, the thought of being able to hold to my child bringing a smile to my face. 

"Come out, Peanut." He whispered to my belly, which brought a huge smile to my face as well as Rico's. "I want to meet you."

Nico crawled closer and wiggled between Rico and I, cocooning himself in the blanket like he always did. It had been his favorite thing to do lately.

"Do you want a baby sister or a baby brother?" Rico asked the little boy.

"Umm," He paused, thinking deeply for a second. "I think I would like a baby giraffe." 

"A giraffe?" I asked, wondering if my ears had deceived me. He nodded his head eagerly.

"Someone's going to be disappointed." Rico mumbled under his breath.

"Peanut is going to be a human, Nico." I smiled. 

"Oh." His face fell in sadness but that emotion went as soon as it came. "But it's okay, I still love her just the way that she is."

"Her?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I want a baby sishter." He grinned, mispronouncing the word. "I can comb her hair like I do to yours. Oh, oh, and Dadda and I can have a complepletition together!"

"Sure, Nico." I chuckled. "We can have all the completions you want."

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❤️