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Mateo stared at her as she laid there. She had yet another panic attack.

He felt guilty. He believed it was his fault that this had happened. She was going through a rough time. The past two months hadn't been easy for her, and though she knew the lay of the lands, this still wasn't her lifestyle. She was a respected orthopedic surgeon who lived a bright and sunny life. She didn't know how to live the life as the baby mama of a feared Capo of the Sicilian Mafia.

And yet, he had been inconsiderate. He took her understanding for granted and failed to recognize the emotions she was battling every day. For that, he felt extremely guilty and he didn't know what he could do to ever make up for it and make her feel safe.

How was he supposed to convince her that she and the twins were safe? He was always dragging them around, sometimes across the country and sometimes across continents. He had to deal with everything once and for all.

Mateo had made Alessia and Adam take the three kids out before he called the doctor. Dr. Regio, the family physician and the most reputed in the country, said that River was physically fine but she was probably bottling up too much of emotions which might have led to this.

And Mateo completely agreed with her, knowing very well that that's what River always did. And he knew that he was an insensitive arse about it as well.

River was so strong that sometimes he forgot that even she had her limits.

A lot happened in the past months. There have been drastic changes in her life, scary revelations and fatal attacks on them. And she was still putting up a strong front.

But he also figured out what was the trigger to her panic attacks. Even the last time, she had a panic attack after the kids were kidnapped. And this time, though she was the one who was poisoned, her biggest fear was what would have happened if one of their twins had the cookies instead of her.

The thing that threw her off her composure and triggered the panic attacks was one thing – Danger on their two babies.

Bless their five-year-old hearts, the kids got over whatever happened as if they were a bad dream – or he could thank the fearlessness they had inherited from both their parents or their inability to comprehend the situation. The two of them saw the good in every situation and were happy. But he was also worried that though they were just five, they were bottling all their fears and emotions up just like their mother. He hoped that was not the case but he couldn't rule out the possibility.

"Hi baby."

Mateo looked over at Susan Johnson and then at River. She was squinting at the ceiling. Mateo heaved a sigh of relief – she was finally waking up.

"Hi Mommy." She purred, voice thick with sleep. All of a sudden, the soft carefree look on her face disappeared, as if she realized she had woken up from her dream. She quickly sat up, at which her nurse friend Jacqueline Meyers hissed out in protest. "I am fine." She mumbled.

"Yeah we saw that." Sebastian Shane was quick to sit next to her, taking her hand in his. Mateo knew that they were like siblings and that Sebastian was happily married but that didn't stop the ugly green monster of jealousy clawing at his heart – he was supposed to be the one sitting next to her with her hand in his.

"I thought we had a lot to say-" He gestured to himself and Jacqueline. "-but now we realize we need to listen to a lot of things you have to say first."

River gave him a look and then turned to Jacqueline. "All I need is an exclusive quality hug from Jacqueline Meyers." She held her arms out. Jacqueline quickly moved forward, embracing her, rocking both of them back and forth.

"See! All better!" She declared, looking at all of them. Her smile flattered when her eyes met Mateo's.

He wondered if she was still mad at him for yelling at her. She probably was.

"Is somebody jealous?" Alison Shane pulled at her husband's cheek that looked like an ugly grumpy kid.

"Awww... Come here." River pulled him by the arms and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Mateo couldn't help but scoff. She couldn't even give him a smile and then she went ahead and was treating this other dude like a baby.

"Okay someone else is jealous." Alison mumbled to Jacqueline, who coughed to hide the laughter that bubbled out of her lips.

Mateo guessed he wasn't supposed to hear it but he heard it anyway.

And he was not jealous!

Why would he be jealous of Sebastian Shane? He should be jealous of Mateo. Because she was his. Sebastian and all other men out there had missed out on such a powerful and unique woman.

"Where are the babies and Nanna?" River asked as she put on her slippers, and she was looking at him. Finally.

"The bambini are with Adam and Alessia. They might have gone down to the beach. Your Nanna decided to cook for you."

"According to her, my cooking doesn't have the rejuvenating power that hers do." River's mother added, rolling her eyes, which forced a laugh out of River's lips.

"Come on, let's go find the kids." Mateo held out his hand for her to take. She hesitated, looking in between his hand and his face.

"You know it's a conversation you can't avoid, River." He said sternly. She stared at him for a few seconds, contemplating and then finally took his hand, sighing.

"We will be back in a bit." She told her family and walked out with him.

The two of them didn't speak while inside the house. River even tried to remove her hand from his once but he held on firmly, giving her the message that he did not plan to let go. Ever.

"How are you feeling?" Mateo finally asked as they walked down stone path towards the beach. The couple could see the five of them at a distance, Kiara and Lucas playing in the water hanging on to Adam's arms while Alessia was holding little Mia by both her arms while making her walk on the shore.

"Like I had a bloody panic attack."

Mateo laughed out loud and she let out a small chuckle.

That one is never going to get old, was it?

"You know I have told you time and again not to bottle up your feelings." He turned to her, stopping in her tracks.

She turned to look at him. "You told me that one time, kind sir. Do not exaggerate." She gave him her cheeky grin.

Mateo wanted to flick her nose. In fact, he did.

"Hey!!!" She whined, rubbing her nose which turned apple red within seconds.

"So you do turn red. You just don't blush." Mateo laughed.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Shut up! I need the kids in my arms."

"I thought a hug from Meyers was enough." He rolled his eyes, taking her hand back in his as they continued down the path. It was pretty long and Mateo was kind of glad that it was.

"Hugs from others are like temporary dressing of bullet wounds, and hugs from our twins are like surgery that take out the bullet and stitch up the wound for good."

Mateo gave her a flat look. "That's the kind of lame analogy one would expect from a doctor like you." He shook his head.

This time, she stopped walking and turned him to face her by yanking at his arm. "Excuse me?" She looked thoroughly offended. Uh oh. "Did you just call me lame?"

"No, I just said whatever you said was lame." Mateo shrugged, but he wasn't able to stop the chuckle that left his lips.

She rolled her eyes again and started speed walking. It wasn't hard to keep up with her because his legs were a few inches longer than hers. "Oh come on, you cannot be offended by that."

She didn't reply and completely ignored him.

Mateo sighed. Yet again, they had managed to stray from the topic they were supposed to discuss.

"How about we race till where the kids are?" Mateo asked. The five of them were pretty far but he knew both of them could handle it.

"Nope. I am going to enjoy the breeze, the view and take a stroll. You can go if you want to." She slowed down and started to walk leisurely and much to his annoyance, Adam and Alessia were also walking away with the kids. They were probably taking them to the rock caverns.

"So can we talk now?" Mateo asked.

"About?"

"About your habit of bottling up your emotions till you have a panic attack?"

"That's blunt." She didn't look him in his eyes.

"I know."

"Look." She stopped again and turned to him. "I am a mother. I get scared, but I can't show it because my kids always pick up on my moods and emotions."

"You can talk to me."

"Well, let's see. We have been having a very bumpy road since we met this year. I don't think I had time for a deep conversation with you-" Mateo tried to disrupt but she stopped him with by holding up her palm and continued. "-at least not about me and how I feel. It was always about you and the twins, no offense."

Is that how she felt?

Mateo felt his annoyance make its way back. She could have always talked to him but she didn't. He found it easy to talk to her, maybe because he knew she was part of his future and family. But he guessed River never saw him that way.

This was her problem. She doesn't say anything and just expect people to catch on.

"Forget it." She breathed out.

"HEY!"

Before Mateo could say anything, he was interrupted by Adam's voice.

They turned around to see Adam and Alessia walk back, the twins on each of his shoulder and Mia in Alessia's arms.

"I thought you were going to the caverns." Mateo said as he moved forward, taking his kids into his arms, kissing them on each cheek.

"Yeah we were, then we saw you and slowed down for you but you lovebirds were taking too long." Alessia said and looked at his feet. "Who wears sneakers to the beach, dummy?"

"Mateo Adesso." Adam laughed out loud which earned him a death glare from his best friend.

"It's midday. Couldn't you wait till evening to go to the beach?" River asked as she ruffled Lucas' hair before taking Mia from Alessia.

"But Mommy, you said we could go when the sun was up." Kiara interjected.

River let out a sigh and nodded.

"Then let's go back for now, have the food GG made especially for you guys and then come back in the evening after Papa changes into sandals." She said and the kids nodded while Mateo narrowed his eyes at her.

They all decided that was a smart plan and walked back into the house. Adam took Mia and sat her down on his shoulder.

"Papa, how long are we gonna stay with Grandma and GG?" Their little Kiara asked.

"How long do you want?" He asked his children.

"Um.. Forever?" Lucas asked, making him chuckle.

"You want that?"

The two darlings nodded.

"Papa is going to fix some things and I promise you, you can stay with them forever after that." Mateo swore to himself that he was going to eliminate all the danger in their lives and give them whatever they wanted.

Mateo Adesso was the Capo of the Sicilian Mafia and also the son of one of the richest and most powerful family in the whole wide world. He should be able to give his children the world but at that moment, he wasn't even giving them a normal life. He knew that he was doing it for their own good.

The only thing that made the Mafia business tolerable was that despite the brutality, they followed principles. But this character names Mona Petrov was getting in the way of it all – she was jeopardizing the system and Mateo didn't think that her sleaze ball of a brother, Sergey Petrov, who also happened to be the freaking Boss of the Russian Mafia, was going to step in until he started facing accusations and backlash from his allies. Sergey was crooked like that. He pushed the limits and walked on thin ice and took action only when it directly affected him.

Mateo listened to the gibberish the kids were talking amongst themselves. They were so beautiful that no matter how much time he spent looking at them, he still felt awed just like the first time. They were angels.

They were almost nearing the house when Mateo realized that River and Alessia had fallen back and were maintaining some distance as they talked to each other. And something told him that they were up to no good. So he did the most obvious thing to do – He nudged the man-child named Adam and gestured to the ladies.

"Are you talking girl stuff?" Adam asked, turning around and walking backwards.

"No, we are talking sane stuff." Alessia retorted. "Turn around dumbass."

Mateo laughed at the angry pout and "Hymph!" that Adam made before he turned back around. They fell silent and continued walking.

"Papa, I want to climb the stairs myself." Kiara insisted. The huge stone stairs made her feel like a little princess walking up the mansion.

"Me too." Lucas said.

And as expected, Mia too wanted to walk up the stairs herself.

The adults laughed as they helped them up. The kids ran inside as soon as they reached the top.

"Careful!" River called after them.

"Okay!" The three yelled back.

All four of them turned around when they heard the engine of a car. They saw a black Porsche come to a stop in front of the house - a car Alessia, Adam and Mateo know all too well.

"Here comes Mr. Killjoy." Adam muttered under his breath.

"Alessia, inside." Mateo's face turned stoic immediately.

"I can handle him, brother." She scowled at the tan man that got out of the car. "I am not the old Alessia anymore."

"I know that." Mateo said in Italian. "But that doesn't change the fact that you are my sister. Now go inside."

"Fratello, I am not going to run away from him." Alessia asserted, glaring at the man who was grinning at her disgustingly. His stare was so lewd and almost sadistic that River wanted to punch him in the face. She didn't know what this man's relation to Mateo or Alessia was, but she knew that they hated him.

"Enough with whatever bullshit you brother and sister are talking." Adam spoke up, his eyes dead set on the tan Italian at the porch. He was watching the four of them like a hawk, his eyes lingering uncomfortably longer on the two women.

"Alessia, River, inside. Now." Mateo said.

River turned to him and then looked over at Alessia. She looked at her with determined eyes, telling her she wanted to stay. But River shook her head. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but she knew that now was not the time.

"Let's go." She said in a low voice.

Alessia let out a sigh and marched inside after throwing a dirty glare the visitor's way. She was quickly followed by River.

"Oh, come on, where is the fun in that?" Antonio de Pedis pouted mockingly as he strained his neck to watch the women move inside.

He walked up the stairs while Mateo and Adam blocked his view towards the house. A man like him could destroy a family just by his wretched presence.

"You really had the audacity to come back here, you son of a bitch!" Mateo glared down at him, but Antonio was the least bothered. In fact, he had the guts to laugh at what the Capo said.

"Of course, I had the 'audacity', because I know very well you are capable of doing absolutely nothing to me." He chuckled and turned to Adam. "What the hell are you looking at? Go inside, dog!"

"I will." Adam growled at him. "After I claw out your heart from your rotting body."

"Oooh, you have gotten more pig-headed." Antonio laughed. "Did you get promoted to lapdog now?"

"I will kill you if you speak any more bullshit." Mateo glared at him.

Antonio did his mocking ugly pout again. "Now now, don't be like that... Brother-in-law."

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