Valeria sat up as soon as she felt movement, and turned her head to find Nick's exhausted face forcing a smile. “You have fifteen minutes,” said the detective, opening the door to let him in. Valeria threw herself into his arms, and Nick put aside what he was carrying in his hands to hold her close. He pressed her against his chest and didn't care that he had already claimed his kiss for the week; he gave her another one, urgent and desperate, because they both needed it. “How did they let you in?” she asked, looking at the small container of pasta Nick had brought her. “Come, troublemaker. Eat while it's hot. I came back to Nino's just to have him make this for you,” he sat her down on the small single bed and settled down next to her. Valeria wiped the tears running down her cheeks and tried to refuse the food, but Nick wouldn't let her. “Love, tomorrow you're going to be out of here. But I need you to be strong; I need you to eat... You can't get sick, troublemaker! Do you und

Nick rubbed his eyes and stretched up a bit as he poured coffee for the social worker, who had paid a courtesy visit this time, after hearing all about what had happened. “I'm sorry, Mrs. Baptiste—” “Lidya, please.” “Lidya... Val has not been feeling well. She's not sleeping, she's barely eating, and what little she does eat she throws up,” Nick said in despair as he sat down with his coffee in front of her. “That's normal.” Mrs. Baptiste sighed. “After all you've been through, nerves suffer a lot. Why don't you both take some time off? Take the vacation you had planned with Alice. Get away from this for a while.” Nick nodded, thoughtfully. “Yeah, maybe it's for the best. I need the troublemaker to think of something else.” Mrs. Baptiste laughed at Nick's moniker for Valeria and stood up. “If I may give you a piece of advice, drive. The road is quiet, there are nice little cabins where you can stay,” she told him. “And now with your permission, I have another social call to mak

Valeria read that news and felt like her chest was going to burst with joy. She screamed, jumped up, hung on Nick's neck and kissed him, not caring that the others were watching. “Finally! God, some good news!” she exclaimed, looking up at the sky, and Nick hugged her from the back, kissing her head as she turned to show the phone to her brother and Emma. Alice's adoption certificate had been officially issued. Legally and irrevocably, Valeria and Nick were Alice's parents, and neither Baxter nor anyone else was going to be able to do anything to take her away from them. “This is something to celebrate!” Elliot exclaimed excitedly and pulled Valeria out of Nick's arms. “In style! Let's go out for dinner!” Incredibly, in less than two weeks, Alice had already identified her favorite restaurant, so that's where they headed. “Did we really have to bring the puppy?” asked Valeria in bewilderment, as the little Labrador curled up in the car on Alice's lap. “Of course, mom. How do you

“Val!” Nick didn't know how he stifled that cry, but he reached her in a second and lifted her in his arms, laying her on the bed. “Val, for God's sake!” He shook her as gently as his nerves would allow and felt his soul return to his body when he saw her react a little. “Nick?” “Troublemaker! Thank God! What's wrong, baby? What are you feeling? Valeria put a hand to her head and shook it slowly. “I—I don't know... I was just coming to bed… I think. My blood sugar must be low, it's nothing.” Nick helped her up a little. “How could your blood sugar levels have gone low, Valeria? You've literally just eaten! Troublemaker, I'm officially scared. We'd better go see a doctor.” Valeria nodded. The truth was that she had been feeling bad for too many days already. “All right, all right... but I'd rather go to my doctor,” Valeria murmured. “As soon as we get back to Los Angeles I'll go see her.” “Of course you will, or I'll drag you to her office myself. Is that clear?” Nick threaten

  Andrew grabbed his tie, which he felt was the only thing he needed to face a battalion of soldiers, and all four of them were about to head out the door when Nick stopped. “Damn it! Valeria has a doctor's appointment in a couple of hours,” he recalled. “I won't have time to get back—” “I'll take her,” said Emma. “I'm going with her to the appointment, don't worry.” “Are you sure?” Nick worried. “She's my best friend; you don't even have to ask. I won't let her miss it,” Emma assured him. Nick agreed, and they left for the Bennet Designs building, where Miles and five other desperate people were about to vandalize the place if they didn't talk to him or Valeria. Standing in the doorway of the boardroom, with a very sour face that had kept them at bay so far, was Bruno. “I'll take over now,” Nick greeted him, putting a hand on his shoulder in gratitude, and then walked into the room, followed by Andrew and the twins. Miles looked like he was about to burst with rage, and Elliot

Saying that Emma was fanning Valeria was an understatement; she thought her hand would drop trying to get Valeria to recover. “Really? Are you sure, doctor? Couldn’t it be a reflection of that gizmo or something like that?” Valeria stammered. “No, honey, there are two of them, clear and sure. What I don't know is the sex, but if you want I can be your obstetrician, and in a few weeks we'll find out together.” Valeria threw back her head and sighed, but kept looking at the monitor. She didn't even understand what she was seeing, but she knew that this was the image of two little things she was going to love for life. She was still clutching Emma when she left the hospital, and Emma opted to take her straight home to see if she could calm her down a bit. She made her some hot tea and forced her to sit quietly on the front porch of the house. “Emma, my God, I'm pregnant! How could this happen?” Valeria exclaimed, covering her face. “That's what I'd like to know!” Emma answered. “We

If Nick Bennet had any button capable of changing his expression in a single second, someone must have pressed it at that very instant, because his face became completely appalled. The arm that was around Valeria squeezed her even tighter and slammed the back of his fist on the front seat. “Speed up, Yuri!” he ordered firmly. But at the same instant the Russian stepped on the accelerator, the car behind did the same. “Dammit!” Yuri growled, making an evasive maneuver, but the car persisted. Wherever Yury moved, the Renault followed. It wasn't even trying to appear casual anymore, it was trying to blow out one of his rear tires, and at the speed they were going that could be very dangerous. “Shake her off already, Yury!” Jack shouted at him. “I can't! There's a curve ahead, I can't take it at this speed or I'll be the one who kill us!” he replied. There was a second of silence until Jack instructed him. “Which side is the lady on?” “Right,” Yuri replied. “Turn left when I tell

Elliot shook Nick as if to vent his frustration. “Do you want to explain to me how my sister is pregnant?” he demanded. “I don't know!” Nick replied wearily. “What do you mean you don't know? Weren't you sleeping with her? Isn't it yours? “I don't know!” Nick shouted, and Elliot froze. “Don't tell me you're going to begin with that again!” he threatened through clenched teeth, and Emma hurried to stop him before he did something stupid. “Yes, it's his! It's his!” she said nervously. “Nick, it's yours.” Nick looked at her, dumbfounded. “How?” Emma sighed. It wasn't her place to say it, but she knew Elliot's temper, and she couldn't let them come to blows in the middle of the hospital. “Nick, Valeria is pregnant… with your child,” she assured him. “She's seven weeks pregnant.” “Seven weeks? But... Valeria and I weren't even together seven weeks ago.” “Aspen,” Emma said, and everyone's eyes widened in surprise. Nick, in particular, looked like he was on the verge of a breakdo

“You finally broke him!” Elliot snorted as Nick went the rest of the way to the police station without speaking to either of them. Richard shrugged. “Layla told me he already knew. I didn't think the fact that it was me was a big deal,” he said, getting out of the car and opening Nick's door. “Come on down, my son, and let's give our statements, and if you behave yourself, daddy will buy you ice cream on the way out.” Nick seemed to react at that moment and got out of the car as well, took a deep breath and looked Richard straight in the face. “I won’t get between my mother and you,” he assured, raising his hands as a sign of peace. “And I won't because you can laugh now, but you're fighting in the big leagues, champ. Layla Bennet will chew you up and spit out your diaper, kid. I mean... daddy!” Elliot burst into laughter and the three of them walked into the police station, looking for Detective Norton. The policeman had no idea that a few months ago Valeria and the twins had bee

Valeria gave Alice a kiss and Zuzu another before they went to rest. It had taken Amelia just under twenty-four hours to discharge her from the hospital, and she was finally in the quiet of her home, but she knew well what that meant. She didn't bother going to her room, instead, she headed to the master bedroom, which she had shared with Nick before they took the vacation trip. She couldn't avoid him any longer and Andrew and the twins were no longer around to serve her as a protective barrier. She lay down on the bed but was unable to fall asleep, and two hours later she was tossing and turning and pacing around the room as if she were being chased by a hundred spiders. She did not hear the soft sound of footsteps approaching the door, but turned around as soon as she heard that voice. “You're going to dig a trench across the room, troublemaker,” Nick muttered, and Valeria saw him standing there. He looked like he had just come out of the bathroom, wearing pajama pants and drying