I saw him before he saw me. He was descending the spiraling staircase, and I could clearly see from my position on the soft, Ivory couch that felt a little too expensive to be sitting on. Luca was running his hands through damp hair and buttoning the last few buttons of a black, short sleeved shirt polo. He was obviously going out to have a fun night. I was sure I would be ruining that.

My heart started to pound with anticipation and fear, this wasn't going to go well and I knew that. But this had to happen. I told myself. I didn't really have a whole lot of options.

"What is she doing here?" He had almost made it to the front door, if it hadn't been for his quick glance into the living room. I'm sure he would have made it out to party another night without a care in the world if he had just...not looked left.

The look on his face was worse than I expected. I actually flinched back. There was so much anger. I looked away, quickly placing my focus on his cool and completely composed father. My words had become stuck in my throat. The man seemed unbothered by his son's rage, his gaze on his phone as his thumb leisurely ran across it.

"This is the girl you knocked up, correct, son?" The man finally lowered his phone after a full minute and placed it face down on the sturdy coffee table before him. I realized only then that Luca hadn't told him. My mind struggled to understand how he had found out. I certainly hadn't told anyone.

Luca was silent, so silent and for so long, I glanced at him. He was pale, that handsome face of his was completely drained of color as he stared at his father. Suddenly his hazel eyes snapped back to me. "What did you tell him?" He sneered at me.

I reared back slightly after getting hit with the spite in his voice full force. I forced my face to be blank, or I hoped it was. "I-"

"Boy," Giuseppe cut me off sharply, "I asked you a fucking question." Despite the cursing, the words were said calmly. The edge to them was impossible to miss; however.

Luca's jaw noticeably jumped as he stared at his father. "You're just going to believe some random girl who claims I knocked her up?" He finally asked. I glared at him, was he really going at it this way? Was he really going to deny being the father? He and I both knew-

"You know damn well, I have my ways of finding out all about the childish games you play, Luca."

"You mean you spy on me!" Luca yelled. "Who's the infiltrator this time? A teacher? One of my so-called friends?"

"Who are you raising your voice at, boy!" Giuseppe was suddenly standing, towering over the slightly shorter Luca.

Luca took a half-step back, as his hands clenched at his sides. "I'm not..."

"I think you are!" Giuseppe roared. The sudden change in demeanor frightened me badly. One minute the man was calm, collected, the next, his neck was completely scarlet and he looked like he could break Luca in half with his bare hands. One glance at the current focus of the man's anger showed me I wasn't the only one frightened.

Luca looked like a little boy attempting and failing to look brave. His eyes darted to and away from his father's face and his fists shook at his sides. "Now, I asked you a question!" Luca remained silent, staring at the floor now and refusing to look away. Giuseppe moved fast, but I caught the movements considering I was watching with such wide eyes. The man's massive hands smacked into Luca's chest so hard I could hear Luca's sharp exhale of breath and the contact of the hand meeting his chest. Giuseppe gripped his shirt and literally jacked Luca up off his feet. "Are you deaf now!"

"Y-Yes!" Luca finally spoke. "I-We had sex, and it is possible I'm the father!"

I stood quickly completely regretting coming here. I knew I would, but damn, I wasn't expecting this. It wasn't even Luca not wanting to admit he helped me become pregnant, but his father. The man suddenly scared me. "I-I think I'll go now..."

"Sit down!" Giuseppe snapped at me and I found myself doing as told out of shock and fear. Luca glanced at me, right before Giuseppe let him go and he stumbled back a few steps. Luca was breathing hard and watching his father like a hawk, not in an angry way, but in an on ready to bolt at any moment kind of way. "What are your plans?" The man asked as he straightened his jacket, his demeanor calm now.

Luca ran a hand across his chest, over the now crinkled shirt. "W-what do you mean?"

Giuseppe sneered like the boy, his son, in front of him disgusted him. "How are you going to take responsibility? Because you will be taking responsibility."

I watched wide eyed and on the edge of the couch as Giuseppe sat back into the chair he had recently vacated, as cool as a cucumber. I wanted to speak up then, say Luca didn't have to 'take' responsibility, I could do it on my own, but something told me the words would just set the obviously unstable man off again.

I didn't want to be a part of this family and I certainly didn't want my child anywhere either of these men.

"I will make a suggestion," Giuseppe leaned back into his chair and removed a cigar from the inside of his suit pocket and placed it between his lips, like he was some sort of crime boss. A chill ran through me. Maybe he was...no... not possible. He eyed his son coolly. "You will marry her. You will be the father of your child. Matos are not deadbeats. Matos take care of their responsibilities. You will straighten up and you will grow up. You are no longer a boy, proof grows in the stomach of your future wife."

Did he say 'marry' and the word 'wife'? No...no...no. His words sounded so final I almost believed him, except for there was no way I was going to be Luca's wife. I thought he meant he would try speaking to Luca about being in his child's life, not this.

I expected Luca to speak up, but he just stood there, as pale as he had been when he had first seen me sitting in his living room. He looked as if he was facing a speeding truck.

"I...I..." I took in a deep breath, I had to speak up. "I won't marry, Luca. This isn't what I thought you meant when you said he would take responsibility." My voice sounded small even to my own ears. I'm usually more outspoken, but God, is this man intimidating.

He didn't even bother looking at me as he lit his cigar and blew smoke into the air. "Neither of you have a choice." He said simply.

I blinked once, hard. "Excuse me?" Did I hear him correctly? Did he just say I didn't have a choice?

"You are seventeen, correct? If I understand the law correctly, you don't need a parental sign off. Good, less work that way. We will do this quietly in the morning at the courthouse and we wil-"

"I think I do have a choice!" I said loudly, finally finding my damn voice. I stood on my feet and he simply watched me. "This is crazy! I-I won't do this. Look, sir, I understand-"

He cut me off once again, damn, this man was rude. "You do not want to make an enemy of me, Ms. Tyler."

I glared at the man, feeling that my own breathing had quickened. "Are you threatening me, Mr. Mato?"

He smiled a slow smile that reached his eyes in a menacing sort of way. "That and promising you, dear."

My blood ran cold. What did I get myself into? I looked at the quiet Luca, for help, for something, I don't know. He was staring hatefully at the wall above his father's head, lips pressed together tightly. I could tell he felt my gaze by how his eyes lowered just a little.

"I'm going out." He finally spoke, words I wasn't expecting and that also confused me.

"Be back in time for your wedding!" His father called out dryly as Luca stormed from the room.

And then it was just Giuseppe and I. The sweet, smoky smell of his cigar was starting to make my stomach hurt and make me feel nauseous. I wanted to leave. I needed to leave. "Why?" I found myself saying instead of leaving.

"He hates me," Giuseppe surprised me by saying. He sounded like he couldn't have cared less that his son hated him, which shook me more. "He promised he would never procreate, just to spite me. He said he would never marry and never have children. He knows how important heirs are to...our family. Well, look at him now?" The man laughed deeply. I stared at him, feeling sicker now. "I could have always had another child I suppose, but the whole pesky deal with his mother's family puts a damper on that and she's gone, so he's my only choice." He seemed disgusted. "But no longer..." He stared at my stomach, making me want to cover up and run away. "Don't disappoint me, Ms. Tyler, you will find those that do regret every choice they've ever made in their miserable life."