“Why not?”
“Because most of the time, they didn't see him. But don't lose hope. We still have several to interview yet.”
“What happens if they can't charge him with the rape?” Anxiety ripped through me. If they let him out, he would definitely return and this time it would be for revenge.
“We can still charge him with attempted murder. We have your text and his.”
“You and I both know what would happen if they let him out.”
“Don't worry. They'll keep him in as long as they can.”
I had a really bad feeling about this now. Maybe I shouldn't have squeezed his balls so hard. But I didn't regret it. My only regret was I didn't rip them off completely.
Chapter 15
Alessandro
Gabriele would talk of nothing except Piper coming over. Ever since Piper had called last week to cancel, his disappointment ruled everything he’d done. His only focus on when she was coming today. Ms. West is coming in six days. Then five. Then four. When Sunday finally arrived, I wanted to leave so the three of them could enjoy each other’s company without me.
“Papa, aren't you excited for Ms. West to get here? She's going to love your cooking. I just know it. Then she'll want to marry you.”
“You remember what she said about us dating, don't you?” My patience was near its end.
“Yep. When are we moving?”
I squatted down to be eye level with him. “Gabriele, you know how much I love you, don't you?”
“As much as the whole world.”
“That's right. If we move to America, then we wouldn't see Nonno, or your other grandparents much. Would you like that?”
“No, but I'd also like for you to have a, um, what do you call it?”
“A wife.”
“Yes. A wife. And I want a mama. And Papa, the airplanes could take us to see Nonno and the others and Ms. West could come too. She would love it there. Let's take her for Christmas. Can we?”
My father came into the room and Gabriele ran over to him. “Can we, Nonno?”
He laughed and asked, “Can we what?”
“Take Ms. West with us for Christmas?”
My father glanced at me and chuckled. “That will be your Papa's decision, little one.”
Gabriele ran around in circles then back upstairs to his room, yelling, “I'm going to draw her a picture.”
“You can't encourage him,” I hissed.
“How did I encourage him?”
I rubbed my face and stormed toward the kitchen. He was fast on my heels.
“You heard what I said. That was not encouraging. I'll be gone tomorrow, so you'd better get your head on straight. He won't have anyone here but you and the nanny. One thing is clear. That boy needs a woman in his life and so do you. Every day you become more harsh with him and me. You are not the son I remember. What has gotten into you?”
I wanted to say, Piper West, but I clamped my mouth shut. Instead, I began prepping our dinner for tonight. I pounded the chicken to the thinnest possible, and I made a lovely salad. Then I prepped the pasta--homemade of course. Once everything was done and in the refrigerator, I went upstairs to check on my son.
I found him finishing up his drawing for Piper. It was of a Christmas scene.
“I see you made a Christmas tree.”
“Papa, this is me, you, and Ms. West at Christmas. Do you like it?”
“Yes, it's perfect.” In actuality, I would rather have groaned.
“How much longer until she gets here?”
“It should be any time now.”
He grabbed the picture and ran down the steps.
“Be careful you don't fall,” I called out after him.
He set the picture on the large coffee table and hopped around the room in anticipation. He was so eager, he couldn't sit still. Finally the bell rang, announcing her arrival.
Gabriele beat me to the door, but when we opened it, we both gawked at her. Standing there was Piper, but she looked terrible.
“Ms. West, what's wrong with your face?”
“Gabriele, that's not polite.”
“It's fine. It would be hard not to notice.” She circled a finger around and said, “This was why I had to cancel last week.”
“Please come in.” I ushered her through the door and into the living room, where we all sat.
“I had an altercation with an intruder.”
“What's an altercation?” Gabriele asked.
Piper took his little hand in hers. “Gabriele, do you remember when I talked about someone breaking into my apartment?”
“Yes, and you said it was okay. Didn't she, Papa?”
“Yes, but let her talk, little one.”
“It turned out to be a friend of mine. He came over for dinner last week and it was a setup with the police.” She briefly explained what happened, and I was sure there was more to the story. I had the feeling she omitted the key parts because of the little ears in the room. Gabriele asked all kinds of questions, and while I listened intently, the more she spoke, the more I knew she was hiding things.
“Did the police save you again?” Gabriele asked.
“They sure did.”
“But not before the bad man hurt you.”
“That’s true. But he’s in jail now.”
“Are you scared over there, Ms. West?”
When she didn’t immediately respond, Gabriele said, “See, Papa, Ms. West should stay with us. She's scared over there.”
She rubbed his head. “I'm fine now because he's locked up in jail.” Her eyes clouded over so I knew there was more, but I didn't ask. I'd wait until we were alone, away from young ears.
Then Gabriele handed her the drawing he'd made. “Here. It's a present.”
“Thank you, it's beautiful.”
“Are you crying, because it's supposed to make you happy, Ms. West.”
She dabbed her eyes and I felt terrible for all those awful things I'd said to her.
“No, I'm not crying. I have something in my eyes.”
“Papa, get it out for her.”
“Piccolino, why don't you go outside and practice your football? We’ll be out in a minute.”
“Okay, but don't take too long.”
He skipped toward the kitchen and when I heard the door close, I took her hand. “Are you all right? What really happened?”
“You're not going to bite my head off, are you, because today's not a good day for that.”
“No, no head biting, I promise.”
“I'm not all right. This has been a terrible week.” Then she explained in minute detail what had taken place that night.
I wanted to rip the guy's head off. He punched her and broke her nose! Fury razored through me, shredding my guts in the process. I was literally on fire. What kind of a man did that? A criminal, not a man.
“It sounds like it. Why didn't you call?”
She laughed, but not a funny laugh. “You don't exactly make things very easy on me, so you weren't first on my list.”
“About that. Can we call a truce?” She checked me out and I noticed the stress lines around her eyes. They were shaded by purple bruising, but they were there, nonetheless. “I want to help, Piper. Honestly, I do.”
“The police confiscated my phone for evidence and I didn't get a new one until after my surgery. My family doesn't even know about this.” She softly wept. I knew she was very close to them by some of the things she'd said on the flight over here.
“Why haven't you called them?”
“I don't want them to worry.”
“Someone needs to worry. What happened to you is serious.”
“That's not the worst. If the women he raped don't identify him...”
“Stop right there. He's raped women?”
“Yes. That's why they’re so desperate to catch him. Only things got out of hand. Like I said, he knew they were there. He texted me. The police didn't know about his threat to slice my throat becaus
e it was in a text and he didn't verbalize it.”
“Fuck, Piper. And you've been alone all week?”
“No, I had Emma with me for a few days. She's with the police department. But I am now and I'll be honest, if they let him go, I don't know what I'll do. Probably go home.”
“It's November. You don't have that much longer.”
“I know, but he'll come back, Alessandro. He will and the next time will be the end of one of us. I have a feeling it won't be him.”
Instincts took over and I pulled her into my arms. It was a reflex action, I told myself. I felt sorry for her, was all. But when she wrapped her arms around my waist, it felt better than anything had felt in a very long time.
“If he gets out, you'll move in here. My father leaves tomorrow. No one will have to know. You can set up a dummy address with your friend Emma.”
She leaned back and studied me. “You can't be serious. What about the university policy?”
“If they find out, which I doubt they will, I'll go forward with your police report and tell the truth. If I risk my job, then so be it. I've already applied in the states, which was my plan anyway.”
The lines between her eyes deepened. “Wait. You've applied in the states?”
“That's right. In New York.”
“Are you stalking me?” she asked, apprehension lacing her tone.
“Maybe. I think it's more Gabriele who is stalking you.”
“In that case. But really, you'd move to the states?”
“That was in the works before this position became available. And as you know, this one is only temporary. That's why I was in Denver.”
“What about your family?”
“They want me to be happy, along with my son. Gabriele needs to be far away from our home. There's a long story that accompanies it. I may tell you one day, but not now.”
She slowly nodded, but I still wanted to wipe the shadows off her cheeks and have her eyes glisten with joy and not sadness. I cupped her face and smiled. That’s when I heard a voice happily yell, “Is she going to be my mama?”
Well, fuck us both.
Chapter 16
Piper
It was bad when a small child caught you cozying up to his dad and your entire face turned beet red. Not only that, Alessandro dropped his arms like I was a hot potato.
“Gabriele, we've already discussed this. No, Ms. West cannot be your mama. We have to get to know one another before that could happen.”
“But, Papa, you were going to kiss her. I know it. And the only people you kiss are ones you love. That's what Nonna always told me.”
“How do you know I was going to kiss her?” Alessandro asked.
“I’m real smart like that. Besides, she’s pretty and needs a kiss.”
Shit. Now what? Alessandro looked to me for help, but I didn't know a thing to add. Maybe this would help.
“Gabriele, have you ever kissed any of the girls at school?”
“No. But some of the older boys do. I see them sometimes.”
“Well, older people like to kiss and that's what they do sometimes, but only if they really like someone.”
His eyes grew huge as he asked, “Then you really really like my Papa? Do you love him? Because two people have to love each other, right. I love you, Ms. West.”
“Come here, please.”
He ran over to us and I squeezed him hard. “Yes, I love you, you little squirt. You are the most adorable little boy I know. But right now, your Papa and I like each other. We are not in love and that's what it takes for two people to get married. Does that make sense?”
“I think so. But if you love me, you can be my mama.”
I was digging myself deeper and deeper into a hole.
It was Alessandro's turn. “Listen, picollino. In order for Ms. West to be your mama, we have to get married first. So that means we have to love each other too. It's a process. Do you at least understand that?”
He put a finger to his mouth and stared at us. “Maybe. You have to love her and she has to love you back. Then she can be my mama.”
Alessandro clapped his hands. “Yes!”
“How long will that take, because I'm ready now?”
I couldn't help myself. I burst out laughing and pulled the precocious boy onto my lap. “For someone so young, you sure ask some thought-provoking questions.”
“What's that?”
“It means you've stumped the grown-ups.”
I received a toothy grin for that. God, he was cute.
“I have an idea,” Alessandro said. “Why don't we go to the movies and eat dinner after?”
“But I thought you cooked.”
“Not yet and it will only take thirty minutes to cook when we get back.”
He checked the movie times and there was one starting in a half hour. We gathered everyone together, including Antonio, and left. I couldn't decide which was better—watching the movie or listening to Gabriele giggle. His laugh was the absolute best.
We arrived home and Alessandro went to work in the kitchen. I observed him and his masterful cooking skills. He'd prepared the majority of it ahead of time, so all he had to do was cook the homemade pasta and chicken, which didn’t take very long. He served the pasta in a butter wine sauce and dinner was ready in less than thirty minutes. It was restaurant worthy.
“This is better than any scaloppine I've had in a restaurant. It's so delicious. Thank you for making this and inviting me over.”
Gabriele grinned around his mouthful of food and Alessandro reprimanded him. “I'm sorry, Papa.” He swallowed his bite and said, “Ms. West, if you were my mama, you could eat this food all the time because Papa is a very good cook.”
I hid my smile beneath my napkin.
“You're not very subtle are you, my son?” Alessandro asked.
“I don't know what that is.”
“It means, you get straight to the point.”
“Yes. I love Ms. West and you should too, Papa.”
“Good of you to tell me. Now eat your dinner, like a good boy.” He smiled again, this time without any food.
“Ms. West, you should come to our house at Christmas.”
“Here?” I asked.
“No, our big house at home. In the country.”
I was confused.
Antonio filled me in. “He means in Italy.”
“Ahh. I'm sorry, squirt, but I'm planning on going home to New York to see my family.”
The poor thing looked crushed. Then he perked up and said, “Why can't they come to the country too?”
“Oh, well...”
“The house is bigger than this one.”
“But...”
“And Papa, Nonno, Nonna and my other ones are all there and they all cook lots of food and cookies and pies.”
“Cakes, picollino,” Antonio helped him out.
“Yes, that.”
“But my sister has two new baby boys so she may not be able to come.”
“Why can't the baby boys come too?” Gabriele asked.
“My other sister is in school and there's my dad.”
“They can come too.”
Alessandro ruffled his son's hair. “Gabriele, maybe you should let her think about it and you should ask your nonni first. They are the ones who do all the work.”
“It's fine with me,” Antonio said. “You know all of your grandparents would love it,” he said to Alessandro.
I looked at the man in question and asked, “But would Alessandro?”
He answered, “I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind.”
I leaned back in my chair. His answer surprised me. I figured he’d say he'd have to give it some thought. After the way he'd treated me, I thought the man intensely disliked me.
“I'll talk to my family. Can you tell me where it's located so I can give them a little information?”
Antonio smiled warmly. “Yes. It's in Tuscany. Do you know Siena? It's not very far from there.”
“Of course I've heard of Tuscany, but not Siena,” I said.
“She doesn't know about the horses, Papa. We must take her sometime.”
Alessandro laughed. “Yes, we must.” He said to me, “Siena has two horse races every year that date back to the 1600s.”
“That's amazing.”
“They're in July and August. We'll have to go.”
Gabriele yelled and said, “Yes. They are fun to watch, Ms. West.”
“If you live in the Tuscan countryside, I'm sure it's beautiful and I can convince my family to come.”
“Do they enjoy wine?”
“Oh, just mention wine and my brother-in-law gets giddy. He fancies himself a connoisseur. He has quite a cellar.”
Antonio stood and said, “Then it is settled. If they say yes, you are spending Christmas with us. Call them now.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.” He snapped his fingers and Gabriele did the same.
“Papa, it's” —Alessandro checked his watch— “in the middle of the night in New York.”
“I forgot. Forgive me. You can call tomorrow, yes?”
Laughing, I said I would. “But you’re sure? Two crying babies can be a bit much.”
“Piper, the house is large. We won't know they’re there,” Antonio said.
“As long as you're sure.” Then I wondered what kind of a house they had if it was so large they wouldn't hear two screaming babies at night.
Later, when Alessandro took me home, I thanked him and asked again about the Christmas thing. “Are you positive? I don't want this to be a week or whatever of you being uncomfortable with me and my family hanging around, disturbing your vacation.”
“You won't be. You'll have your space. Don't worry about us being on top of each other, I promise.”
“Okay. I'll ask them tomorrow. And for how long?”
“At least two weeks if they can. We have a month off. Maybe you can go back to the states with them after and spend some more time with them. But you need at least two weeks to enjoy it.”
“I'll let them know.”
“Or, if you want to stay the entire time with us, Piper, that's fine too. It's up to you.”
“What airport should I tell them to fly into? My brother-in-law has his own jet so he can get pretty close.”
The Best of Forevers Page 39