I drop Ivan’s hand and clear my throat, looking away as if there’s a blush on my face. From the corner of my eye, Daniel glares hard at Ivan, his jaw clenched. Luckily, my dad steps in, as I hoped he would. “Hey, Ivan,” dad says, coming forward with a smile to clasp Ivan’s hand. “You want some piz
I glance down at my stomach though, laying a hand on top of it. “Guess I’m not ever alone any more though, am I, little avocado?” But the baby doesn’t answer, which is perhaps answer enough. The house is dark when I go inside. I go to bed alone. _____________________ I gasp awake a few hours
“Now listen, baby,” Daniel growls, pitching his voice a register lower – and I’m laughing already, because honestly it does sound so much like Kent that I can barely believe it. “I’m very disappointed in you – you need to be tougher –“ Jerome bursts into laughter too and I smack Daniel on the shou
And I nod to him before looking back at my sister. “If you’re ready,” I say softly, seriously. “I’ll tell you now…everything you need to know to make that decision. Because I have to make some big changes very soon – and you’re very welcome to be part of them. But it’s a big choice…and I’ll understa
“Okay!” Janeen says, clapping her hands and putting on a false little smile as she responds to the clear tension in the room. My dad stands at her side, awkward and sad, looking at Daniel like his heart breaks for him. My own heart surges for my dad, who I told the whole plan to yesterday. But he,
“I had to listen to everything to decide what was important to the investigation!” I look up at him then, shaking my head. “You also told me that Kent killed your dad.” Ivan deflates at this, blinking at me in surprise. Then he looks away from me, his jaw tight as he glares out over the ocean.
“What are you saying, Fay?” Ivan asks, all cop now – leaning forward to peer into my face. And I steel myself inside, knowing that I have to be very, very careful with what happens next. I screw my lips to the side and stare up at him, as if deciding whether or not to say anything. But then I clos
I kiss Ivan like I can’t help it, like I give into what I’ve wanted for a long time now. And it kills me, a little, to hear him moan softly as he kisses me back, as he buries his fingers in my hair and rests a hand on my cheek like I’m the most precious thing in the world to him. He breaks the kis
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