“Hey, Fay,” Ivan says, smirking at me as I cross the parking lot to him. His eyes sweep over me, as they usually do, as they didn’t yesterday. “I like your boots.” “Thanks,” I say breezily, stepping close to him and unable to keep myself from grinning up into his face. “So glad you could make time
“Sure,” he says, quiet. “I can handle a Brunette or two. Though I prefer a redhead.” I can’t help the little smile that curls my lips. “Heathcliff’s a redhead,” I say, nodding to my horse. “And you’ve only been rude to him, when the whole point of today was for you to come and meet him.” “Really,
“How,” I whisper, frozen, staring up at Ivan. “How did you know…” And then his face falls as I basically admit it – this thing that he’s thinking, that he’s figured out. And I can see that I’ve really, really hurt him. “Fuck you, Fay,” Ivan whispers, his voice harsh with hate. “Fuck you for pickin
“You’re home early, Fay,” Kent says, stepping closer to me and glaring at Jerome, his expression clearly communicating I’ll deal with you later as Jerome heads back into the house, shutting the door behind him. “I needed to,” I say, stepping close to Kent and then hesitating, glancing towards the d
I head down for dinner just before six o’clock, having spent the majority of my day laying in my bed, staring at the ceiling. But unlike the last time I did that, this day’s staring was fueled by melancholy, not rage, which is…way worse. Because while anger makes me seek solutions and want to tear t
And then I scowl again, realizing that he’s right. That I have no reason, on the surface, to mind that Kent is looking down at Natalia like the long-lost-love she might very well be. So I turn my attention back to Daniel, taking another big swig out of my glass of wine as he leads me over to the t
The food at dinner does me no favors by being absolutely delicious. The salad is tart and citrussy, the lasagna creamy and rich, the desert – coconut sorbet which Natalia annoyingly made from scratch – basically makes me moan when I taste it. And I grudge every bite that I take, wishing to hell an
Something about this – about Daniel coming at Ivan when he is too scared to tell his daddy that he doesn’t like his process – really gets under my skin. “What,” I say, crossing my arms and glaring at him. “Ivan’s as much of a boss as Kent is. And now suddenly he’s full of shit, just because he’s you
My dad greets him with such genuine joy and excitement that it makes my heart swell with joy. They talk for a few minutes about Dominic’s day before dad gives him a little nudge back towards the gate where Kent and I are waiting. Dominic gives dad a kiss before running ahead again. My dad waves to
“Papa!” Dominic shouts, startling me out of my reverie as he drops my hand and darts down the road. I look up, a huge smile breaking out on my face again as I see Kent on the sidewalk just ahead. His back is to us as he speaks companionably with the butcher, a heavy bag of his purchases already hung
As I walk down the street towards the little Italian kindergarten, the whispers start around me, as they always do. I listen to all of them, a big German Shepherd padding quietly at my heels. “Is that her?” “Yes, that’s the one – I heard she was her husband’s mistress before he married her – tha
Both Kent and I laugh, but Don Bianci – across the baptismal font from us – snaps his eyes up, perhaps not liking the joke as much as we do. But I just ignore it, because dad’s right, frankly – and it’s too happy a day to care. After the final blessing everyone applauds Dominic – he likes that, bl
“Well, it didn’t seem to affect your first very badly,” Ivan says with a shrug, peering around Kent to where Daniel is laughing with an arm around Jerome’s shoulders. “So…maybe keep it up.” I smirk, squeezing Ivan’s hand once more before standing and moving to Kent’s side, tucking myself against h
“Hey, gorgeous,” Ivan says, his mouth turned up in a smirk as I cross the churchyard, beaming at him. “Look who’s talking,” I say, laughing and reaching for him when I come close enough. Ivan wraps me in a hug, dropping a kiss to my cheek as I hold Dominic a bit to the side so he doesn’t get squis
He laughs, smiling at me genuinely. “Do I make you nervous?” he asks, blunt. I laugh, unable to help it. “Has no one bothered to tell you, in all these years, that you’re a little terrifying, Don Bianci?” He grins and shakes his head at me. “Well, considering what you accomplished, young lady, I
Two months later, we’re all gathered together again. And it is only with frustration that I see Gio and Janeen standing so close together that their arms nearly brush, even though they’re still not together. I roll my eyes, dismissing the problem for a moment as I move my eyes down to Dominic and
It's an incredible night. Kent didn’t lie, not at all, about the food either. I’m shocked by the mountains of dishes that continue to follow each other, one after another, long into the night. After a few hours of it I just mournfully watch the waiters go by because I couldn’t eat another bite if I