I laugh, snuggling closer and looking down at my belly, adding my own hand. “Be careful, baby,” I say softly. “Daddy’s going to be very tempted to turn you into a sauce –“ “A delicious sauce,” he adds with a nod. “The best.” I murmur something noncommittal and Kent scowls at me, gripping me
My eyes fly open when Kent’s arm tightens around me the next morning, but it wasn’t his touch that woke me. Instead, it was the knock at the door. “Shit,” Kent growls, still not moving and holding me close, clearly working at once to wake the hell up and decide what to do. “Maybe it’s Da
“How did she do yesterday?” Kent asks, abrupt. My eyebrows raise as I realize – quite suddenly – that he’s asking that for my benefit, so I can hear Gio’s honest answer. And that they’re having this conversation in English for my benefit as well. I smile slowly, grateful for my considerate man.
The door shuts and Kent’s footsteps cross the room again. In a heartbeat he’s through the closet door, looking down at me, at the phone in my hand. Quickly, he reaches out and presses the record button on the screen, ending the recording before taking the phone from my hand and placing it carefu
“What do you think?” I ask, turning so he can see me in the dress. “Will I do for the day?” “You’re gorgeous,” he murmurs, cupping the back of my head and pulling me in for a slow kiss before pressing the coffee into my hands. “Now go back to my son’s room, and try not to let anyone else figure
As we pull down the driveway I grin as I watch Janeen balk at the size and splendor of this house. “Noooo wayyyy,” she breathes, and then she stares wide-eyed at Kent and Daniel. “Are you serious? You – you two grew up here!?” “Just dad,” Daniel says over his shoulder, turning to smile at Je
Gio then turns and shouts something to the crowd and everyone starts to move, sweeping us not through the house but towards the gardens. I smile as I look around at this gigantic, happy family, so excited to greet their long-lost son. I glance over my shoulder but just shrug when I see that Kent has
When night truly falls and the garden becomes too dark to be practical, we all troop back to the front of the house, heading indoors. Kent takes the opportunity to dislodge Natalia from his side, somehow, and is waiting for us at the entrance to the garden. “How did that go,” he murmurs, looking
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