by Fields, MJ
Wow. I am spent. My entire body is liquid. He crawls up my body and kisses me one more time. I faintly taste myself on his lips. He gets up and heads to the bathroom, and I roll over and pull the covers over me. I’m sated and happy. I can feel him sit back down next to me. I think he is cleaning the cut on my head as sleep pulls me under.
Twenty-Three
Brie - Present
December has been a hard month for me. I love the holidays. It is my favorite time of the year. Back home, the month was filled with extravagant parties and dances and shows. My social calendar would be bursting at the seams. Then, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day would be spent with my large, loud family, attending mass and feasting and exchanging gifts. Magical. This year, it’s been work and school and a lot of alone time while the girls spend time with their families and Jake spends time with his. He invited me to church with his parents and sisters, but it’s way too soon for that. I need to keep our relationship at a pace I am comfortable with.
Rick and Melanie have had many events to attend, so I have gotten extra time with the baby, and that has been my saving grace. I cannot be sad, looking into his tiny, little face. They have also allowed me to help make his first Christmas extra special. I accompanied him and his mom to the mall for his first pictures with Santa, which he screamed all the way through. I went with them to pick out their tree and spent the night decorating it with them. The tree fascinates him. His little face beams, and he squeals whenever we turn on the twinkling lights. A man after my own heart. He is eight months old now and crawling all over the place, so Melanie can’t place any presents under the tree. She had a couple under it the night we decorated. When we returned from the kitchen with cocoa, Cassian was sitting under the tree with his little fists full of wrapping paper, and it was headed straight for his mouth. Everything goes straight into his mouth nowadays.
God, I love that kid.
* * *
Tonight is going to be special. I’m cooking for my friends for the first time. A full-out Tastes of Italiano holiday feast, complete with homemade broth and bread-dumpling soup, baccala, handmade fileja pasta, marinara, meat sauce, rack of lamb marinated in red wine and herbs, grilled asparagus, roasted rosemary potatoes, with struffoli and Buccellato cake for dessert. It is the week before Christmas, and I took the entire weekend off, so I could prepare and make every dish from scratch. It is therapeutic.
“Girl. Oh my goodness! It smells amazing in here.” Dawn comes bouncing into the kitchen while I’m rolling out pasta. “I can’t believe you are making that by hand. You have been holding out on us. If I had known you could cook like this, I would have been making requests.”
“Exactly why I did not tell you,” I tease.
She sticks her tongue out at me and steals a taste of the sauce that has been simmering on the stove since very early this morning. “Oh, yum. Is it possible to fall in love with a ragu? Because I’m pretty sure my mouth just had an orgasm.”
I laugh at her and shoo her away from the stove. “Go away. No eating until tonight.”
“What? I have to starve all day?”
“Go rummage through the fridge. Just stay out of my bags.”
She pouts and grabs a banana and a coconut water.
“So, who all is coming to this shindig anyway?”
“You, Kelsey, Daniel, Julie, Jake and his two sisters, Melanie and Rick, Uncle Matt and Susan and me.”
That is an even dozen. Any more, and we would not have room to seat them. As it is, we can accommodate six at the kitchen island, and the other six are going to have to eat in the living room or at the outside table. Luckily, Santa Monica in December is warm enough for outdoor dining. In New York, your food would freeze to your fork before it made it from your plate to your mouth.
“Full house. I like it.”
Dawn loves entertaining. She just loves people, period. It is one of her best qualities.
Three hours later, and I’m pulling myself together after finally being able to shower. Everything is as ready as it is going to get. Kelsey has Christmas music playing and a snowflake martini in hand when I come down the hall. It’s good to see her getting into the spirit.
The breakup has been rough for her. One week after she threw him out, Dawn spotted Bradley out to dinner with Tonya. There was a tiny altercation, which ended with Tonya wearing her dinner home. I wish I had been there to see her covered in lobster bisque. He hasn’t stopped calling either. Constantly. How could he possibly think she would take him back after all this? Men are so clueless.
We use the occasion to dress up, so Dawn, Kels, and I stand in front of our tree in our red dresses, and Daniel snaps a few pictures right before the guests start to arrive. One by one, they pop in with gifts in hand. Flowers and bottles of wine. The last to arrive are Jake and his sisters.
“Hey, baby,” he says as he wraps me in his arms. “These are my sisters, Brittney and Emily,” he introduces me to the two girls, who follow him in.
This I can do. No way am I ready to meet his parents and do the whole family Christmas thing with them, but having his sisters over for a casual dinner party at my apartment, that is a step I am comfortable with.
“Hi, girls. So nice to meet you both. I’m glad you were able to make it.”
“Thank you for the invite,” Brittney says as she hands me a bottle of red wine. “We hope you like red. It’s our favorite.”
“I love red, and this will be perfect with the lamb. Please give your coats to Daniel, and he’ll take them in my room. Then, come in the kitchen and make a drink.”
An hour later, and everyone is making their plates. I have Cassian in my arms. The sitter Melanie and Rick had hired for the night had to cancel.
“I’m so sorry. We won’t stay long,” Melanie says as she settles at the island with her plate. “We will just eat and be on our way.”
“Are you crazy? You can stay as long as you like. I love having him here. It doesn’t bother me one bit.”
“So, this is the other guy in your life, huh?” Jake asks.
“Yep, this is my one true love.”
“Ouch. Hey there, little guy. That’s my girl, you know.”
Cassian just turns his big emerald-green eyes to Jake and grins. Then, he snuggles in close up under my chin as if to say, Mine.
Jake bursts out laughing. “I guess you showed me.” He reaches out and pets the baby’s head. “Message received loud and clear, little dude.”
Melanie smiles at us. “He is super possessive of his BB.”
“BB,” Cassian coos, and my heart melts.
“I don’t blame you, little man. She is pretty incredible.”
He kisses the top of my head, and Cassian grunts in protest. Then, he takes his little hand and pushes Jake away from me. We all erupt into laughter.
“Oh my God, Brie. This food is amazing. It’s like eating your nonna’s cooking but even better.” Uncle Matt barely stops shoveling food in his mouth to give me the compliment. What a huge compliment it is, too, because my nonna is the best cook I know, hands down better than any chef.
“Yes, dear, you should be doing this for a living now. I know tons of socialites who would be willing to pay you a lot of money to cater their parties,” Kelsey’s mom, Susan, agrees.
“You think?”
“Darling, I know. If you have a business card printed up, I will be happy to pass it along to all my friends.”
Another source of income would be great. I don’t want to spread myself too thin, but if I could start cooking for a living now, that would bring me one step closer to my dream, and as much as I have enjoyed working at the club, my heart would not be broken if I were in a position to give that up.
“I will have cards printed this week and send them over with Daniel.”
“Awesome, darling.”
I adore Susan. She and Daniel might have had a rocky start, but she is fierce and unashamedly bougie. She reminds me of a young Joan Collins. I mean, she came to a party at her h
usband’s niece’s apartment in a long cocktail dress and fur, dripping in diamonds and rubies. Freaking baller. I want to be her when I grow up.
Around midnight, everything is winding down, and the only ones left are Daniel and Jake and his sisters. The girls are in the kitchen, making to-go plates, when Jake walks with me to my room to gather their coats.
“Hey, I have something for you.” He pulls a small box from his coat pocket.
Oh shit, I didn’t get him anything. Are we at the place where we buy each other gifts? Crap, I guess we are. Jeez, I’m really bad at this girlfriend thing.
I think he notices the panic on my face.
“Hey, it’s nothing big, I promise. Relax.”
He hands me the box, and I carefully open it. Inside is a beautiful blown glass Ferris wheel Christmas ornament.
“So you always remember our first official date.”
“I love it. It’s perfect.”
And it is. It’s thoughtful, sentimental, and inexpensive. I’m so thankful he knew not to make a big deal because I am sure he had to fight against his instinct. He is definitely more the grand-gesture guy.
We head back down the hall to the living room.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
He turns and reaches in his coat again, and he produces a mistletoe.
I freeze.
Then, I throw my hands up and squeeze my eyes tightly shut. “No. No. No.”
I stand there in the dark for a few long minutes. When I open my eyes, the others have come in the room, and all are watching me.
“It’s just mistletoe, Brie. I was just going to ask you for a Christmas kiss.”
I feel so stupid. Everyone has a look of concern and puzzlement on their faces. I want to turn and run to my room and hide, but I don’t.
“I’m sorry. I don’t do mistletoe. It’s just a thing. I had a bad experience with it once.” I know I sound ridiculous, but I can’t explain it any further. “You don’t need it to get a Christmas kiss from me anyway.”
“Okay. No big deal.”
He crumples the offending branch in his hand and cautiously approaches me.
Everyone pretends to disperse, and the girls start putting on their coats.
He wraps his hand around my neck and tugs me in close. “You okay?”
I just nod.
“All right. I have to get the girls home. Thank you for dinner. It was a great night.”
I nod again, still not meeting his eyes. I am so embarrassed.
“Hey, look at me.”
At that, I lift my head. “I’m sorry about the awkward moment.”
He leans in and plants a kiss on my lips. “I got my Christmas kiss, and that is all that matters.”
I smile up at him. Thankful that he let me get away with it and isn’t pushing.
“I wish I could stay and kiss you all night, but I’m the girls’ ride.”
“Next time,” I whisper to him.
He gives me one more long kiss, and they are off.
I wave as they head out the door and down the steps.
When I close the door, Kelsey comes and wraps her arms around me from behind. “That was an awesome party. I say we finish this bottle of wine and put Elf in the Blu-ray. The rest of the dishes can wait till tomorrow.”
“Sounds great to me.”
“By the way,” Dawn yells from the kitchen, “you are making the food next Tuesday. You can make taco-filled ravioli or lasagna or something. We will do Italian-themed outfits. What do Italians wear anyway?”
I look down at my dress. “What do Italians wear? We dress just like you do.”
She comes into the living room with her nose wrinkled up. “That can’t be right. We have to Italian it up a bit.”
Kelsey and I crack up.
“Okay, Dawn, I’ll get us some A.S. Roma football jerseys or something.”
She shrugs. “Works for me. I didn’t even know they had football in Italy. Oh! We can do shoulder pads and put those black stripes under our eyes. Maybe we should do helmets instead of sombreros.”
“Shh, she’ll never know,” Kels whispers to me.
And we laugh.
We all change into our matching Christmas PJs I bought for us and settle in for our movie. Daniel, too. I sigh in contentment. These are my people now. La mia famiglia.
Twenty-Four
Gabby - Past
I wake with a horrible headache. I reach up and wince when I feel the bandage at my temple. It’s tender to the touch. I look around with blurry vision and don’t see Cross, so I crawl down the bed and tiptoe over to the kitchen. I am so thirsty. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and walk over to look out the window to see if his car is still in the drive. I see him out front with Nicco.
Great, I guess he knows about my night now. I move closer to the window to eavesdrop.
“I knew. As soon as she said she felt strange and he wouldn’t let her leave. I knew that punk had drugged her. I told her to lock herself in the bathroom and not to come out. Somehow, the fucker got her to come out before I could get there.”
Nicco is turning bright red with rage. “How did you find her?”
“I called Manny and had him trace the phone number she’d called from. It was Bryant’s apartment. I should have known. He is infamous for throwing X parties. I raced to SoHo as fast as I could without killing myself or anyone else. When I got there, Bryant answered the door and acted like he had no idea who Dante was. When I told him he had Tony Mastreoni’s baby sister with him, he went pale as a ghost and pointed me upstairs. That’s where I found the two of them.”
Cross’s hands are balled tightly by his sides now, and he is pacing back and forth in front of Nicco’s car.
“He had her pinned against the fucking wall with his hand under her skirt. She was begging him to stop. I lost it, man. Completely lost it. I charged at him, and he launched her behind him. She screamed out in pain, and I saw blood running down her face. I just started pounding him. I would have kept pounding him until he wasn’t breathing anymore if I hadn’t been pulled off of him.”
“Why didn’t you call me to go with you? I would have finished the fucker myself,” Nicco says through gritted teeth.
“I tried to call you. She tried to call you. We both were going to voicemail, and I didn’t have time to waste tracking you down.”
“Fuck, it’s Marianna. She does that shit. Turns my phone off because she doesn’t like me getting calls on her time.”
Cross gives him an are you kidding me look.
And Nicco tells him, “It won’t happen ever again.
“Where is she now? I’ll take her to Marianna’s place for a few days to recover, and you and I are going to pay Bryant and Dante fucking Calvacanti a visit.”
“No,” Cross says.
“What do you mean, no?”
“She is not going anywhere.”
“Dude, Angelica is going to flip her shit if she finds her here. Marianna has a spare room and a nursing degree.”
“I said no.”
They just stand there, staring each other down for a few long moments, and I’m holding my breath. Nicco looks angry with Cross for some reason. I make for the door to stop whatever this showdown is because I don’t want my stupidity to get them into a fight, but before I can open it, Nicco breaks the silence.
“Now? Are you sure you want to do this now?”
“I have to do this now. I am done with this dance, Nicco. I have been respectful. I have done what was asked of me, but she is not leaving here. She is mine. She has always been mine. I cannot sit back and watch every man she comes in contact with fight to capture her attention anymore, and I damn sure will not let another one lay a single finger on her again.”
“They won’t make it easy on you.”
“I know.”
“She might not want this. Have you considered that?”
“Yes.”
“Then, what?”
“I’ll cross that bridge if I come
to it, but for now, you need to call a meeting with your brothers. I need to see them face-to-face. As soon as possible.”
“Okay. But, first, are we going to SoHo or what?”
“Definitely. He has her purse and phone, and I want your brothers in on this, too. If his ass is in hiding, we will need all our resources to find him.”
“On it.” Nicco walks to his car with his phone to his ear.
What the hell was all that about?
My head hurts too much to try to decipher it all. I need to lie back down. I run to the bathroom to pee and stop dead when I see myself in the mirror. Oh my God. My hair is matted to my head with dried blood. My left eye is black and puffy, and my right arm is killing me. I peel the bandage off of my temple, and there is a large gash held together by butterfly tape. I feel like I might pass out. I steady myself on the sink. A soft knock comes at the door a few seconds later.
“Tesoro, are you okay?”
“Go away, Cross.”
“No going away, Gabby.”
“Please. I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”
“I have already seen it.”
“Don’t let Nicco in.”
“Don’t think I will be able to keep him out.”
I start to quietly cry.
“Let me in, baby, so I can help you.”
I sink to the floor and wrap my arms around my knees. I start rocking, and a few minutes later, I hear them picking the lock on the door. Then, I’m in Cross’s arms, and Nicco is right behind him. I bury my face in his neck to hide as he carries me from the room, but there is no hiding. He sits on the edge of the bed and rubs my back until the tears subside.
“Hey, sis.” Nicco kneels down in front of us and speaks softly, “It’s okay. Marianna is on her way here to check you out. It’s all just surface. It will heal.”