And now... There's us

Chapter 14

Emmalin P.O.V

"Okay, where is he?" I huff, and see Nick smirk.

"Right behind you, miele." (honey) I let out a small scream, and hold my stomach. Turning around, I see Antonio standing behind me. I smile, and hug him tight, well not really because of my huge belly.

"I missed you so very, very much." I say, and for some reason my eyes fill with tears. Antonio looks confused at first, but he wraps his arms around me.

"These mood swings have gotten pretty bad, haven't they?" He comments, and I scowl.

"Well it isn't my fault that I'm carrying another human being in front of me." I pout, immediately forgetting about my tears.

"Of course not." He agrees.

We make our way to a place called Monte Casino, where the auditions were being held.

We made it through all the security, and I gave a knowing look to the idiots who thought they could bribe a person to let me in.

"Right. Mrs Donatello?" I raise my hand, and the guy comes up. "You're up in a minute. Good luck." I take deep breaths to calm myself down.

"Sweetheart, we both know you'll do great." Nick assures me, and I give him a smile. I can do this.

Once my name is called, I give Nick one last kiss, and hand him the letter I was still clutching. "This is the last song I will ever sing for my mother." I whisper, then leave before he can ask what I meant.

As requested, there is a grand piano waiting for me on stage. I sit down on the stool, and rub my belly once, before taking a deep breath, and playing the introduction to 'before you go' by Lewis Capaldi.

When you hurt under the surface
Like troubled water running cold
Well, time can heal, but this won't

I put in all the emotion I feel towards my mother into this song. All the pain, all the heartache, all the nightmares...

So, before you go
Was there something I could've said to make your heart beat better?
If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather
So, before you go
Was there something I could've said to make it all stop hurting?
It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless
So, before you go

I really did wonder if there was anything I could've done or said to make it stop, because clearly 'please' 'no' and 'stop' didn't help.

Would we be better off by now
If I'd have let my walls come down?
Maybe, I guess we'll never know
You know, you know

My voice echoes throughout the auditorium, and one of the judges is crying her eyes out, while another comforts her.

So, before you go

But the thing is... She is gone.

There is silence, until the crowd erupts with deafening applause. I say a quick thank you, and walk off the stage, and into my husband's awaiting arms. He buries his face in my neck and inhales my scent.

"I'm so proud of you mio angelo." (my angel)

"Thank you, Nick." I whisper. We make our way off the stage to Antonio.

He gives me a kiss on my temple. "You haven't lost your touch, Tesoro." (sweetheart) He says. Antonio doesn't just give out compliments, so I'm always happy when I get one out of him.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen. As you know, today we will choose ten performances to proceed, and next week, we will choose four to go to the semi-finals. From there, the top two performers will proceed to the finals." I hold my breath, and wait for him to announce the names.

"Right let's begin. Jessica Lopez; Bradley Erasmus; Emmalin Folliero..." I don't listen to the rest of the names, I just smile so wide, that my cheeks hurt.

I made it. I'm in the SASC! Oh my goodness, I think I might pass out.

"I made it!" I squeal, and Nick grins.

"I knew you could do it." He says, with a smile.

Nicholas P.O.V

"Sweetheart, why don't you get some rest at the hotel, while Antonio and I go to a quick meeting with our men?" I ask my wife when I see her rub her eyes. She gives me a sleepy nod, and we call an uber.

Antonio and I speak about how we're going to deal with these guys, while Emmalin is asleep. When we reach the hotel, I tell Antonio I'm going to quickly drop Emma back at our room, and he nods. I carry my angel to our bed, and gently lay her down, making sure she's comfortable.

"Nick? When will you be back?" I smile at her sleepy state.

"I'll be back before you know it, sweetheart." I softly kiss her forehead, then her belly, I place my hand on it, and feel my daughter kick. "If you get hungry, then order room service, okay?" Emma nods sleepily, and drifts off again.

"Okay, what do we have?" I ask, entering a warehouse we've rented for our men to work from.

"Boss, we have a location of their base." One of my men say, and hands Antonio and I each a copy of the info.

"Why did they come all the way to South Africa?" I think out loud.

"I don't know, but hopefully, we won't need to find out." Antonio says, and I nod my head in agreement.

After a couple of hours, we head back to the hotel. I find Emmalin pacing our room while mumbling something. When she sees me, she stalks over to where I'm standing.

"Nicholas, I don't know what's going on, but please tell your daughter to stop kicking so damn much." I chuckle, and her mouth hangs open. "So now she decides to calm down. Well, while you're at it, could you tell her my bladder isn't a trampoline?" I squat down in front of her, and place my hands on her belly. Laying a gentle kiss on it, I speak softly.

"Are you giving your mommy trouble?" Almost as a response, she kicks softly, making me chuckle.

"Are you hungry, Tesoro?" (sweetheart) I ask Emmalin, and she nods.

"Can we go to the restaurant downstairs with Antonio?" She asks, and I send him a quick text.

We head downstairs, and take a seat. Antonio joins us after a few minutes, and we talk for a while until it's time to order. Antonio and I order steak, while Emmalin orders a bunny chow. Seeing my face, she chuckles.

"It's not a real bunny." She says. Apparently, it's a bun with the middle scooped out, and replaced with a chicken curry.

Dinner goes well and we head back to our rooms to get some sleep.