The Mafia's Babies by Kaycee Romano (little readers TXT) 📕

Dr. River Johnson stared at the two packages that Mateo had sent her last week. She knew it was a laptop and a phone, but she wasn't going to open it.

Yes, she was petty. Sue her!

The day after Mateo and the rest of the members of the Mafia left, River had woken up with renewed irritation. The night before she was too tired to be annoyed by the tone Mateo had used on her but after a good night of sleep, one that wasn't even interrupted by her dear daughter, she woke up, her fiercely independent ass feeling extremely miffed with the dude for his audacity.

So she waited all day for him to call and apologize but he didn't. Alessia called. Adam called. But Mateo Adesso didn't find it necessary to call.

For two days he didn't call, and then the next day she found out that the Capo was calling the housekeeper, Janet, to know the whereabouts of her and their children. That was the last straw.

River really didn't know what his problem was but if he was under the impression that he could just take off without any explanation while she was stuck in a ranch in a place, she wasn't familiar with, he was in for a shock.

She had made up her mind to go back to New York with the kids at first. But as always, her motherly concern weighed down on her reckless pig-headedness.

So with great disappointment, she was staying. And she was angry and annoyed at her baby daddy.

And hence, when the package came a week ago, she refused to open it. But with the kids back to studying and having nothing else to do from nine to three were starting to weaken the surgeon's resolve.

She could take the gadgets and have some fun with it right? Check her emails and see how the little drama at the hospital turned out. She was positive that both the gadgets must be encrypted and hence untraceable.

River had never had such a long vacation before and she was starting to hate it. Sitting idle just wasn't for her.

The doctor was perched on the seat built onto the window and just enjoying the view.

The kids and their tutor, Nancy Davidson, were sitting on a picnic mat on the spacious lawn up front. The middle-aged woman was super good at what she did. Even Lucas enjoyed the classes, and that was saying something!

"Mrs. Adesso!!" Linda, one of the young maids who believed that the doctor was actually married to Mateo, hurried in.

Thankfully, these people did not have the time to have full-blown conversations with the kids and they never brought up Mateo being their dad. She was eternally grateful for that, because when the time came, she wanted to be the one to tell them first. She didn't want them to know from any other sources. And yet, she was deterring her chances.

"Yeah?"

"Mr. Smith called. Capo was shot!"

Capo was shot!

Mr. Smith called. Capo was shot!

Shot!

River's hand flew to her mouth as she took a deep breath to prevent the tears from falling.

She looked down and rubbed her eyes and then finally said, "The kids... The kids shouldn't know. Yet."

Linda nodded with pitiful eyes, moving forward to give River a hug. Linda was a very friendly and emotional and she was around the doctor's age, a bit younger, so they had formed a friendship through these past few days. Though she did keep a lot of things from the maid. Well, it wasn't like they were best of friends and River Johnson just couldn't bring herself to trust anyone.

"I am just going to check up on him." The doctor told her and she nodded, leaving the room.

River turned around and stared at the packages. She guessed it was time to let go of the grudge.

She quickly grabbed the smaller one and opened it, turning on the rose gold iPhone.

It already had a few additional app and features added, fully charged and the kids' and her picture as wallpaper. When was this picture even taken?

River sighed as she ran her finger across the screen, tears trickling down her eyes. If it wasn't for her, there could have been a picture of all four of them in here.

What if it's too late now?

"Shut up River!" She scolded herself. "What the hell are you even saying?"

She quickly went to contacts. Adam's name stood first and then Alessia's. She went for Alessia because though she spent less time with her than Adam, River still somehow felt more comfortable around her.

She quickly dialed her number and pressed the phone to her ear, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt as she waited for the Italian to pick up her phone.

"River?" Her thick Italian accent reached her ear.

"Alessia, Mateo-" River started but was quickly cut off.

"He's stable. He is in the ICU, recovering from the surgery but he is fine, out of danger."

River let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding.

She felt relief wash over her.

He was stable. He was fine. He was out of danger.

That's all she needed to hear.

"Thanks Alessia." She said, her voice breezy.

"I will keep updating you, okay? You don't have to worry yourself so much. It's totally normal for that sloppy motherfucker to get shot or stabbed." Alessia sounded bored. River chuckled – she assumed that it was the Italian hitwoman's way of consoling herself and the doctor.

"Yeah." River sighed. She felt weak now that the fear had passed. God, the news had her heart racing too fast that now her chest ached. Why did he have to get shot of all people?

"Okay, I will call you later. I need to work out things with the men."

"Yeah, catch you later."

Alessia's words echoed in her head.

'Don't let your fear get in the way of the precious time you four could spend together. You all already lost five years of it.'

Maybe it was a sign that she shouldn't deter telling the kids the truth. What if something had actually happened to him today? Then the kids would have never been able to spend time with their father!