Even more pleasing is the sight of two other figures leaning against the rail, looking out into the dark. “Oh good,” Daniel says sarcastically, turning towards us as he hears the door open. “Someone else has joined us for this insanity.” I laugh, because his voice is just as bitter and exhausted
I’m practically vibrating with excitement and anxiety as we wait for the sailors to attach the plank that will allow us to disembark from the ship. Of course, we have to pass through an empty shipping container and exit through a secret back door that Daniel assured us will allow us to bypass securi
Kent laughs and urges me towards the back, saying a few words to the driver in Italian as a couple of our suitcases are loaded into the van along with us – just the personal stuff which we wanted to keep by us. The rest – all of our possessions, clothes, even all the baby stuff Natalia bought for me
Janeen, hearing my words to Kent, of course chimes in. “I mean, we could have done all of this without him,” Janeen points out, and I can hear the smirk in her voice. “Not with this much class,” Kent returns calmly, making me laugh. And with that he snaps his fingers, getting Daniel’s attention.
“Is this our new house?” Janeen says as she takes Kent’s seat next to me, her eyes wide. “That’s what he said!” I reply, laughing, and we both shake our heads at each other. Because we could see the house on the way up the road – and the gorgeous fields next to it, and a glimpse of the pool beyo
The villa is a place of dreams. Daniel puts me down pretty much the moment we come inside and my shoes click against beautiful white tiles of the floor. Kent immediately takes Daniel’s place at my side, wrapping an arm around my waist and leading me through the house as if he’s been here a thousan
“Code’s on the counter!” Kent replies over his shoulder, waving, his attention clearly elsewhere. The hallway is short but dark, and it ends in another ancient wooden door. I bite my lip and look up at Kent, my stomach turning over in anticipation. Because I know my man has taste. So whatever’s
Late that afternoon I’m laying out by the pool, catching the last rays of the sun. Kent is in the kitchen cooking dinner for all of us. I offered to help but he shooed me out immediately, grumbling something in Italian about me being useless in the kitchen – or at least, that’s what Daniel interpret
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