“Clever pup,” Kent says, leading the puppy and I into the room and closing the door behind us. Kent and I shower and change into our pajamas before the three of us bundle up in the bed then – Kent groaning at my insistence on keeping the puppy by my side – “Just until he falls asleep!” I insist
Kent and I – we stay up for hours as he spins out the story of my mother’s past. I get quite mad at him, of course, for taking so long to tell me about it. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” I ask, resting my head on the pillows, ignoring the cramping low in my stomach for now – too tired to wo
But that can’t happen. It’s just…not an option.So, even though I’m more intensely uncomfortable than I think I’ve ever been in my life – and aware that it’s only going to get worse - I breathe through the contraction, and steel myself, and nod, knowing that we’re going to have to move fast. I glance
I moan softly as I put the puppy on the grass and wait for him to do a little business, breathing sharply through the short contraction. I assess myself quietly, remembering what I’ve read online and in the baby books Natalia bought me – that I’m only really in trouble when I can’t talk or breathe t
Gio nods once, a good soldier, and heads off. I sip my coffee, looking up at Kent, who wraps an arm around me. We stand quietly for a long moment as our troops get themselves together, as Gio comes out – surprisingly first, though I suppose Daniel and Jerome are taking a minute to make peace – and s
“We’ll tell you when you need to know,” Kent says, his voice dry as he leans back and slips his hands into his pockets. “And when your boy here proves that he can complete this without betraying us?” Kent shifts his gaze to Jerome here and shrugs. “We’ll tell you more.” Daniel heaves a sigh and gl
“And why,” she asks, dry, “would I do that?” “What?” he asks, a little humor leeching into his voice now, and I have to admit that I’m impressed with his performance. “You didn’t think I’d buy your threat? Admit it, Victoria, you went to Fay because she’s naïve. She wouldn’t know how to handle it,
Victoria sighs as she pounds on Ivan’s door, hoping to hell that he’s up. She clenches her teeth as she hears movement in the room, clutching her hands impatiently. A moment later the door swings open and Ivan flinches back from the bright morning sunshine. “Why aren’t you up?” Victoria asks, he
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