“After you,” I murmur, leaning down to pick up the pup as she pulls the door open and steps inside. Kent’s waiting for her in the kitchen. “Victoria,” he says by way of greeting, looking her over from head to foot. “You look well.” “Bodes well for you, doesn’t it,” my mother says, walking bold
Just as I’m about to pass through the door though, I feel the next contraction take hold. Cursing to myself, I flatten myself against the wall outside of my bedroom and grit my teeth, holding on to the puppy but doing my best not to squeeze him as the pain starts to deepen, an ache building low in m
I wait, giving him a second to recover, and when he lifts his head again he renews his glare at me. “So nice to see you again, Fay,” he growls. “How the hell did you find me?” I shrug, implying that it doesn’t matter how I found the location of the new hotel he and my mom transferred to after th
As I pull the bathroom door open, I grit my teeth again and glare down at my belly. “You’ve sure got crap timing, little baby,” I mutter, but as I step out I almost trip, immediately, over the puppy, who stares up at me with worried eyes. I can’t help the little laugh that stumbles from my lips.
Ivan slumps as much as he can, tied into his chair at the ankles and the wrists. “Took him down once, didn’t I?” he murmurs, and I smirk because – well, he’s right. My mom – she’s underestimating Ivan like Kent once did, which is not a good choice in the long run. “Victoria…” Kent says, his voice
I straighten up, exhaling a steady breath as I rub my stomach, which starts to ache with the beginning of my next contraction. My mind works quick, coming up with a plan. “I’m going to give you a minute to think, Ivan,” I say, working very hard to keep my voice calm and quiet. “Daniel? Could you
When I walk back into the room I find myself laughing, suddenly, when I realize that Daniel has cut one of Ivan’s hands loose so that he can drink the bottle of water next to him on the desk, but that Ivan’s using that free hand to stroke the fur of the puppy, which is now in his lap. “Did you mak
Ivan looks at me evenly, his head slightly turned to the side, perhaps for the first time considering me as the powerful woman that I really am – because honestly, that is a promise I can make right now. Ivan? He’s free. I won’t let anyone touch him unless he comes after us first. “I need some t
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