Chapter Three

Alessandro looked at Luca with wide eyes. "That's amazing news little brother. I'm very happy for you." He shook his head with a small smile on his face. "You're going to be an amazing father." He said softly.

Luca smiled brightly. "Thank you." He ran a hand through his hair. "There was one more thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Alessandro asked as he took another sip of his coffee.

"Aurora and I were talking." He exhaled roughly. "Well we weren't going to ask you until you found your saving angel but since you've found her." He said as he gestured to the door. "We were wondering if you would be the godfather."

Alessandro's eyes went wider if that were possible. "You want me to be the godfather to your child?" He asked incredulously as he set his coffee mug down.

Luca nodded. "Yes. You've found your saving angel. You'll be your old self in no time with her around."

Alessandro got up and started pacing as he repeatedly ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know Luca." He said in uncertainty. "I mean. I'm the leader of the biggest mafia in Italy. I have enemies all over the place and I'm not the best person to look up to."

Luca frowned. "I've always looked up to you." He said quietly. "You were always there for me. For anyone who needed you. You're caring and kind. You put everyone else before yourself. You're protective and supportive. You were always the one that kept us together." Luca stood up and walked over to Alessandro. He put his hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "You were the reason that I didn't give up when mom, dad, and Lily were killed. You were the one that kept me together. You may not think so but you are the perfect choice for this. There's no one better."

Alessandro looked at him with pained eyes. "I never knew that." He whispered.

Luca hugged him tightly. "You'll have to share with Evangeline though. She doesn't get excited about much but she started crying when we asked her to be the godmother." He said with a laugh.

Alessandro chuckled. "I'm okay with that."

Luca patted him on the back. "I'm really glad that you found your saving angel big brother. You deserve it."

Alessandro smiled as he looked towards the door. "Do you mind if I stay and get to know her?" He asked.

Luca shrugged. "As long as she's okay with it and you don't interfere with her work."

Alessandro's smile grew wider. "Thank you."

Luca nodded. "Just send her in here for a minute before you guys start spending time together."

Alessandro gave him a nod before leaving the office. He walked into the lobby area where Evangeline's desk sat. "Evangeline?" He asked quietly from behind her.

He frowned as she jumped up quickly and spun around to face him. "Oh." She breathed out a small sigh as she shook her head and tugged on her ponytail. "Sorry. I can be jumpy if I don't know you're coming up behind me." She mumbled.

He shook his head. "It's alright." He gestured to Luca's office. "Luca would like to see you."

She nodded. "Thanks."

He watched as she walked past him and disappeared into Luca's office.

Evangeline blew out a rough breath. She knew exactly why Luca wanted to see her. She had been jumpier than usual. She had been getting lost and haunted in old memories once again. She's had a few violent episodes in the past couple of days. Her nightmares were getting worse and were taking over her mind during the day when she was awake. She is very well aware that Luca knew exactly what was going on with her. He's learned all of her warning signs. Anytime that her memories proved to be too overwhelming.

She closed the door to Luca's office. She took a deep breath and stood across from him. "Alessandro said that you wanted to see me." She said quietly.

Luca cleared his throat. "I think you know why I wanted to see you."

She pulled her hair over her shoulder and tugged on it. "Because I'm jumpier than usual and I've been having more episodes than I usually do." She mumbled.

"Want to tell me why?" He asked as he leaned back in his chair.

She bit her lip as she looked at her feet. "The nightmares have been happening every single night. They're starting to bleed into the daytime. My memories are starting to become too much again." She whispered.

Luca frowned. "How often?" He questioned as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk.

She blew out a rough breath. "Every day. At least three times a day." She mumbled.

He stood up as he huffed out a breath. "Why haven't you told me about this Evangeline?" He demanded. "The last time it was this bad you went comatose." He said in frustration.

She frowned as she tugged her hair harder. "I know, but I'm not your responsibility anymore. You need to focus on Aurora and that baby. They are more important than I am." She whispered.

Luca shook his head. "You know that you are just as important. If you need help we will help you. You don't have to hide from us." He said softly.

She scoffed. "I'm not hiding Luca. You've known what to look out for since I've told you about my past. It is no secret. If I were hiding I would have disappeared. You know that." She said quietly.

He ran a hand through his hair. "What can we do to help?" He asked.

She scoffed again. "Nothing." She said simply. "It's gotten so bad that I can't even be in a room with anyone without a fear of hurting them." She said with fear in her voice.

Luca sighed heavily. "You need help, Evangeline. You can't keep going on like this." He said as he walked closer to her.

She threw her hands up in agitation. "What do you want me to do Luca?" She demanded loudly. "I will not put you or Aurora in danger just to help me. You two will not be harmed during one of my blackouts just because you want to help me!" She shouted in anger and desperation.

He walked up to her and gently, but firmly, took her face in his hands. "Calm down Evangeline. I didn't mean to make you angry or upset. I'm sorry." He said soothingly.

She gripped his arms tightly as she took deep, calming breaths. She was sure that she was leaving bruises but she had to grip onto him as an anchor. There were tears in her eyes as she whispered hoarsely. "I can't risk losing you and Aurora, Luca." She shook her head. "That is not something that I would be able to survive." She said brokenly.

He let her dig her nails into his arms as he quietly said. "You will not lose either one of us. We will be here for you as best as we can." He put his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry for misunderstanding why you didn't talk to me when things started getting worse for you. I should have known that you would keep it to yourself now that Aurora is pregnant."

She sniffled as she squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry for snapping at you." She whispered.

He shook his head. "It isn't your fault." He reassured her soothingly.

She finally pulled away from him. "I have things to do." She mumbled. "I'll bring in any paperwork that requires your signature."

He gave her a nod. "Okay."

She left his office, wiping her eyes as she did. She froze in her tracks when she saw that Alessandro was still sitting in the seat across from her desk. "I didn't know that you were still here." She said quietly.

Alessandro stood up and walked closer to her. "Yeah. I was hoping to talk to you." He frowned when he saw the tears on her face. "Are you alright?" He asked softly.

She wiped the tears away. "I'm fine. Um," She cleared her throat as she moved around him to sit at her desk. "What was it that you wanted to talk about?" She asked softly.

He sighed as he sat down across from her. "Well, I was wondering um," He rubbed the back of his neck as anxiousness ran through his veins. "I was wondering if it would be alright if I stayed with you and got to know you today."

She frowned as she picked up a pen off her desk and started twirling it around her fingers. "You want to get to know me?" She questioned.

He nodded as he folded his arms over his chest. "Yes."

Her eyebrow raised in question. "Why?" She asked in confusion.

He frowned. "I think you're an amazing woman and I would love to get to know you better. Perhaps even take you out on a date."

She scoffed as she threw her pen back on the desk. "Why would you want to date me?" She threw her hands up in frustration. "I'm a mess. No one wants to date me."

He shook his head. "There are many people who would want to date you. From what Charles has told me you won't give them a chance."

She waved him off. "Why do you want to date me then?" She questioned him.

He ran a hand through his hair. "There's something about you. Something unique that I would love to discover. If you'll let me." He said as an afterthought.

She nibbled on her bottom lip as she picked up the pen again. "Um." She cleared her throat. "I suppose that's fine." She mumbled.

He grinned brightly. "Thank you." He said quietly.

She held her bottom lip between her teeth for a minute before she looked at her computer.

He simply watched her for a few minutes before he finally started speaking with her. They spoke back and forth, getting to know the smaller things about each other. Neither wanted to share the darker parts of themselves yet. They both feared that the other would want to leave once they knew their darkest secrets.

Before they knew it the day had passed. "It's time for me to head home." She said quietly as she shut down her computer.

"Wait." He said as he rushed to his feet.

She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him in confusion. "What is it?" She asked.

He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want to leave you yet." He said quietly.

She frowned. "You don't want to leave me?" She asked in a soft voice.

He shook his head. "I'd love to talk with you more." He said as he walked closer to her. "If it's alright with you I would love to take you out on a date."

"A date?" She whispered as she continued packing her things.

He gently took her hands in his and caressed her face hesitantly. "Yes, a date." He knew that she was hesitating and thinking of a way to get out of it so he blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. "We could go to a carnival. There's one that's open all night."

He knew by the way that her eyes lit up that he had suggested the right thing. "I've always wanted to go to a carnival." She whispered out with longing in her eyes.

He let a soft smile slip onto his lips as he twirled her hair around his index finger. "Let's head out then." He said softly.

She blushed as she bit her lip. "I have to say goodbye to Luca first. Then I'd like to go home and change out of my work clothes. I also haven't eaten since lunch so I also have to eat."

He chuckled at her rambling. "That's fine, angel. I can follow you to your house. Then we can take my car to the carnival. You can get changed and we can stop to grab a quick bite to eat."

She smiled brightly. "That sounds like a plan. Just let me say goodbye to Luca."

He grinned. "Take your time little angel. I have all night."

She gave him a nod before walking to Luca's office. She knocked lightly before walking in. She closed the door quietly when she saw him on the phone. "Yes love, I told him."

She grinned and raised her voice a bit. "Hi, Aurora."

Luca shook his head with a smile. "Aurora says hi Evangeline. Also to call her when you get a chance."

Evangeline nodded. "I'll call her tomorrow. I'm going out with Alessandro."

Luca raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off. "You two have fun." He said with a grin.

She giggled as she walked towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow Luca."

She walked back into the lobby. "Alright. We're good to go." She said as she grabbed her things off her desk.

He walked with her to the elevator. "So I'll follow you to your house and then once you've changed we can take my car to the carnival." He said as he stood close to her.

She grinned with a nod. "Yes. I don't live too far from here."

"Just lead the way, little angel," Alessandro said with a small smile.

Evangeline bit her lip as she looked at her feet with a blush.

They were quiet as they walked to their cars. "Okay, I'll see you in a bit." She said with a shy smile.

They got in their cars and drove to her small house. Once they were parked they got out of their cars and walked to her door. "Don't judge the house. Aurora picked everything out." She mumbled as she unlocked the door.

They walked inside and she gestured to the couch. "Make yourself at home. I won't take long."

He nodded. "Thank you."

She went upstairs to get changed while he sat on the couch and looked around. It was a pretty feminine house. He knew that Aurora was completely responsible for the decor. As he sat there he realized that he didn't know what type of food Evangeline liked. He pulled out his phone and called Luca. "Hey, Alessandro. I thought you were with Evangeline."

"Yeah, she wanted to get changed first. So we're at her house now." He said as he leaned back on the couch.

"Why are you calling me then?" Luca asked in confusion.

"I wanted to ask if you knew what Evangeline liked to eat," Alessandro said softly.

Luca scoffed. "Of course I do. You don't?" He questioned.

Alessandro groaned. "We started talking about everything else. Food never came up." He tried explaining.

Luca chuckled. "Okay okay. She isn't picky. Though she prefers simple foods. Pizza, burgers, pasta. Stuff like that."

"Okay, thanks." He heard heels clicking against the floor above him. "She's coming. I have to go." He said in a hurry.

Luca laughed. "Do you realize how childish you sound?" He questioned.

Alessandro groaned. "Whatever. I'll talk to you later." He hung up without waiting for a reply.

He stood up and walked to the base of the stairs as Evangeline started walking down the stairs. He froze as he watched her stop in front of him. She had changed into a tight crop top and a pair of hip-hugging jeans. Summer was ending so there was a bit of a chill in the air at night which was why she

had a leather jacket that seemed to be the same length as her crop top even though he hadn't seen it on her yet. She finished the outfit off with a pair of strangely high-heeled boots, a pair of hoop earrings, and a butterfly necklace that he had noticed earlier. He frowned when he looked closer at it. It looked so familiar to him yet he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

She cleared her throat as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I just threw on my favorite outfit." She mumbled as she looked at her feet. "I can change my clothes if you don't like it though." She said quietly.

He shook his head. "No no. You look amazing. I just got lost in your beauty." He said as he took a small step closer to her.

She blushed as she looked at the ground. "Thank you."

He nodded. "You're very welcome." He held his hand out to her. "Shall we?" He asked.

She smiled. "Yes, we shall."

They got into his car after she locked up the house. "So I know a small, family-owned restaurant not too far from here. They have some amazing food. They have a bit of everything." Alessandro said as he started driving.

"That sounds good." She said as she smiled at him.

He grinned and drove to the restaurant. He stopped her from getting out. "Wait. Let me get your door for you." He said before climbing out of the car and rushing over to her side of the car. He held his hand out to her. "Shall we, little angel?"

Evangeline grabbed his hand and climbed out of the car. "Thank you." She said with a smile.

They walked inside and went straight to a booth in the back of the restaurant. "Do you come here often?" She asked with a small smile.

He chuckled. "Yeah. It's one of my favorite places to eat. They have amazing food here."

Evangeline smiled as a waiter came up to their table. "Hi, there guys. How are we doing today?" He asked cheerfully.

"We're doing good," Alessandro said as he leaned back in his seat.

The waiter nodded with a smile. "What can we get started for you guys today?" he asked.

Alessandro looked over to Evangeline. "Are you ready to order?" He asked.

She bit her lip. "Um. I'm not sure what I want just yet." She said in uncertainty as she looked at the menu.

Alessandro nodded and looked at the waiter. "Could we start with some drinks and maybe some mozzarella sticks?" He asked as he looked over at Evangeline again.

She grinned and gave him a nod. "I'll take a coke please."

The waiter nodded and took Alessandro's drink order before walking into the kitchen. They sat there and spoke about anything and everything as they ate their food. They were enjoying themselves until they finished their food. "Alright let's head to the carnival. It'll be fun." He said.

She nodded and stood up as he paid the bill. They went out to his car and drove to the carnival. He chuckled as she rushed towards the carnival. She looked at him over her shoulder. "Come on Alessandro." She shouted in excitement.

He laughed and raced to catch up to her. They walked closer and she stood there in awe. "I want to go on every single ride." She said in joy.

He gently grabbed her hand in his with a wide grin. "Your wish is my command, little angel."

They went on every single ride and played every single game. It took them hours to get through everything that was there. "That was the most fun that I have had in a long time," Evangeline said with a wide grin as they stopped next to his car.

"I'm glad that you had a good time." He opened her door for her. "I'll take you home. I know you have an early start tomorrow."

She smiled in thanks as she got in.

He drove to her house and even walked her to her door. "I hope that we can do this again soon." He said as he felt his heart race in his chest.

She nodded in agreement. "Definitely." She said with a wide smile.

He grabbed the photos that they got from the photo booth out of his pocket and held them out to her. "Here. I want you to have these."

She took them and smiled brightly. "Thank you."

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he stood in front of her. "Well, I hope you have a good night."

Evangeline bit her lip before stepping into him and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "Thank you." She whispered. "For the entire day."

Before he could say anything to her she rushed inside.

He stood there in shock for a minute before he shook his head with a smile. He walked to his car and waited until her bedroom light went off to leave.