Too early the next morning, the guard bangs his nightstick against the bars of Kent’s cell, making him jump awake. “Lippert,” the guard says, yawning. “Visitor.” Kent stands, wondering what the hell could be going on. He doesn’t say a word, though, knowing better than to ask. Instead, he simply st
Kent glares at his son. “I said I don’t need it.” “Your sample showed evidence of viable sperm,” Daniel snaps, grabbing the envelope off the table and shoving it back into his pocket. “Another reason to fire that doctor. So, unless you have other concerns about Fay, you should stop treating her lik
My smile is very, very genuine when Daniel finally bursts into the examination room, because it has been absolute torture waiting here with Alessi and Natalia without him. “Ah,” Alessi says, giving Daniel a big smile and taking a minute to wrap his arms around his nephew and kiss him on either chee
The doctor murmurs his agreement with Alessi but then moves around the room, preparing the tests and then calling a nurse into the room to prep my bloodwork. Daniel obligingly opens his mouth, letting the doctor swipe around the inside of his cheeks with a cotton swab, while the nurse ties a rubber
Everything changes the moment we get the test results. Alessi calls Daniel and we all hear his loud, enthusiastic approval coming through the phone that Daniel, wincing, has to hold away from his ear. I smirk, digging into my pancakes and watching Daniel’s face as he speaks in Italian to his uncle,
Especially with the way that he and Daniel look at each other these days. I don’t even think they realize it. “Fay, come and see,” Natalia says, patting the sofa next to her and beginning to open the packages, which all contain baby clothes and baby supplies. “I know that you don’t know what you’re
“I was indeed,” Daniel says, pulling a messy clump of hair from his pocket. “Sorry that it’s…all in a heap,” he murmurs, awkwardly handing the lump of Kent’s hair to the doctor. I feel very odd, watching it change hands, fighting a ridiculous urge that rises in me to jump up and touch it myself. Do
It’s so overwhelming that I fear I’ll drown in it. God, how did Kent do this every day, year after year? He’s so much stronger than me. I successfully evade Daniel all evening, but at night? When it’s just me, retiring to my bed alone? He knows he has me trapped. I kind of expect the tapping on
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