The Complete Legacy Series: Books 1 - 6

by Paula Kay

  Douglas laughed. “Yeah, sorry. We have a lot more to tell you, I guess. The short version is that Gigi and I run an orphanage in Guatemala. It’s our home and—well, we’ll tell you all about it when we see you. And yes, of course I’ll come there. I’m guessing it might be nice for your parents to meet me as well—before their daughter goes flying off to Italy to meet up with a bunch of strangers.”

  Isabelle heard a few muffled words on the other end of the line.

  “Lia just walked in. She’d like to speak to you for a minute.”

  “Sure. I’d love to talk to her.”

  “Isabella? Gigi just filled me in with the good news. You’re coming in a week?”

  “It sounds like it. Thank you again for inviting me. I’m really looking forward to meeting you all.”

  “You have no idea how excited I am—how excited we all are to met you. So, I just walked in when I heard Douglas mentioning your parents, and I wanted to be sure to let you know that they should consider themselves invited as well. There’s plenty of room for all of you here and we’d love to have you.”

  “Thank you so much. That’s very kind of you.”

  Isabella would consider it, but her gut feeling was that she needed to do this trip on her own, knowing and assuming that there’d be plenty of time later for her parents to meet everyone.

  “Okay, I’ll let you go and I’ll be counting the days until I get to meet my granddaughter. You have no idea how happy this has made me.”

  “Me too.” Isabella’s grin was wide.

  “Gigi wants to talk to you for a minute. See you soon.”

  “Bye. See you soon.”

  “Isabella, honey, I’m so happy you’re coming. You don’t worry about a thing. Douglas is going to take good care of you and make sure you get to us safe and sound. You’ll be here eating Lia’s delicious homemade pasta before you know it. Bella, do you like Italian food?”

  Isabella laughed at the question. “I love Italian. It’s always been my favorite.”

  “Well, good, good. You’re going to love it here. We’ll see you soon, sweetie.”

  “Bye, Gigi.

  Then Douglas was on the phone again to tell her that he’d arrange the flight, and e-mail her the details for it and his own travel plans so that they could arrange for their first meeting.

  Isabella hung up the phone feeling a sense of excitement and an incredible peace. She didn’t yet know much about her birth mother, but she did know one thing that was becoming more and more clear to her. Arianna had had an incredible group of people in her life who’d loved her very deeply until the day that she had died—and this same little family seemed to be opening their arms wide to Isabella now.

  Chapter 18

  Isabella smiled at Douglas sitting next to her as he reached over to hold her hand during take-off. She’d surprised herself so far in that she’d not felt the sense of panic that typically would send her racing to the restroom to throw up. She was nervous, but having Douglas there beside her was helping more than she’d even thought possible.

  “Are you okay?”

  She smiled in response. “I am nervous, but yeah. I’m gonna be okay.”

  She was more than okay. She was beyond excited to be taking her first trip out of the country—a trip that would bring her face-to-face with her grandparents on the other end of it.

  The last few days had been a whirlwind of activity. Her parents had been supportive and seemed much more comfortable about Isabella leaving once they knew that they would be able to spend a little bit of time with Douglas.

  She’d had a last meeting with Ms. Carlson, who’d been so proud of her for the decisions that she’d made since the last time they had spoken. Isabella still couldn’t believe it herself. She’d already come such a long way from that over-anxious teenager who seemed to be working so hard to please everyone but herself. Now she was finally getting a sense of the things that made her happy, and it felt good to her to be making these decisions for herself.

  She glanced over at Douglas. His eyes were closed and she wouldn’t be surprised at all if he were asleep for most of the flight. As far as she could tell, he’d been on the go ever since they’d spoken on the phone about her coming. He’d been to Guatemala just for a few days before he got on a flight to Connecticut to meet with her. She smiled as she thought about how that first meeting had gone.

  Isabella had gone to meet him in his hotel lobby, feeling nervous and excited to finally be meeting face-to-face with someone who had known her mother. From the moment they saw one another, every anxious thought had left her. His face had lit up when he saw her and she didn’t miss his eyes filling with tears as he scooped her up into a big hug as if they’d known one another all her life. He’d wiped the tears from his eyes unapologetically, telling her that she looked just like her mother, and then they sat and talked for hours.

  She reached down into her backpack to pull out the pictures Douglas had given her. The first was of Arianna and Lia. Douglas had told her that it was taken during a very special time that the two of them had spent together in Italy. Isabella smiled, thinking about how beautiful her mother was and that she did look like her. The resemblance was really amazing—even overwhelming—for Isabella, who had always felt the struggle of what it was like not to look like either of her parents.

  There were pictures of Arianna with Blu and Jemma, the girl that Douglas had told her so much about who was studying to be an artist in Italy. Douglas thought that they would be fast friends. Isabella liked the way the young girl smiled in the picture, with just a hint of mischief—her blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin the exact physical opposite of Isabella’s own dark hair, eyes, and skin tone.

  And finally there was a picture of Lia with Antonio—her grandparents, looking so happy standing in their vineyard on their wedding day. Douglas had explained a little bit about how they’d gotten together after so many years of being apart, but he’d said that Lia would probably want to share most of their love story herself with Isabella.

  She knew that Blu also had a husband and a little girl name Kylie. And that Lia and Antonio had adopted Gabriela from the orphanage.

  Isabella was starting to get a good feel for these people whom she was about to meet—these people who had known and loved her mother—and she couldn’t be happier. It was the most unexpected gift that she ever could have imagined since the day that she’d been faced with the awful knowledge of Arianna’s death. It didn’t make up for the fact that she’d never have the chance to meet her birth mother, but it seemed to be giving her a sense of peace and closure that she never would have thought possible.

  She felt her eyes filling with tears that she didn’t bother to wipe away as she stared again at the picture of her mother and Lia. She knew those eyes. They were her own eyes looking back at her—without worry or regret. They were the eyes of a young girl who’d found happiness and contentment even amidst the hardships that had come her way so early in life.

  Isabella looked over toward the window, suddenly realizing that somehow they were already flying high in the sky; she’d hardly even realized it once she’d gotten over her initial jitters.

  She smiled as she thought about Thomas and how proud he was going to be of her for not throwing up once during the flight. They’d had a wonderful afternoon together the day before, ending in tears for both of them as it hit Isabella that most likely it would be a very long time until she’d see her best friend again—what with school for her, and Thomas being off on his own adventure for who knew how long.

  In the back of her mind, Isabella had been entertaining the thought of meeting up with him in Europe later that summer after all. She no longer had the job or the money to worry about, and if she could handle the flight, there wouldn’t be much keeping her from doing it. But she hadn’t said anything to him yet because she wanted to be sure that the flight actually was manageable for her. Now she knew that it was, and surprisingly so.

  Yes, she certainly had
come a long way.

  She felt Douglas stir beside her.

  “How are you doing? Sorry, I must have dozed off there for a few seconds.”

  “I’m fine.” She gave him a big smile. “Don’t be sorry. You must be exhausted—all the traveling you’ve done these past few days. I’m just so thankful that you came out to fly with me. Really, Douglas, it means so much.”

  “I know it does, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I am under strict orders by a couple of beautiful Italian women to deliver you safe and sound into their awaiting arms, and that’s what I will do.” He winked at her. “Be prepared for a serious Italian homecoming.”

  Isabella laughed. “I don’t know exactly what that means but it sounds wonderful.”

  “Oh, it will be wonderful alright. Lots of tears and hugs, and then the food. Just be forewarned, I’m pretty sure Lia is cooking up a storm.”

  “Thanks for the warning.”

  Douglas had told her about Lia’s restaurant, Thyme, and also about Chase, the other chef in the family. Isabella thought it sounded absolutely wonderful and couldn’t wait to be in the kitchen with the two of them. She didn’t know a lot about cooking, but it was always something that she wanted to learn more about, especially as it pertained to Italian food.

  She was ready for Italy. She felt a shift, sure and steady within her.

  Isabella was ready now for anything.

  Chapter 19

  Isabella laid her head back against the car seat in the sedan that had been awaiting their arrival in Florence. She watched the scenery out the window, fascinated at how different—how beautiful—it was. She turned to Douglas sitting beside her, smiling at her reaction.

  “Wow. It’s so pretty. Prettier than I imagined even.”

  “It never gets old—the views of Tuscany. Gigi and I come here at least once a year, and every time we marvel at the views. You know, you’ll have to talk to Lia about when your mother came here for the first time. They made this same drive after spending several days in Florence together.”

  Isabella nodded, thinking about her mother, only a few years older than she was now, making this trip for the first and only time of her young life. The thought was both comforting and devastating to her.

  “How are you feeling? You didn’t sleep much during the flight. Are you tired?”

  “I’m a little tired, but also excited. I’m sure I’ll sleep well tonight, but for now I’m just feeling so excited to meet everyone.”

  Isabella was still feeling slightly shocked that the flight had gone as well for her as it had. She’d hardly experienced any anxiety at all, apart from just the initial jitters when they were taking off. Maybe her anxiety issues were finally behind her now. She smiled as she thought about the timing. It certainly felt like she was opening herself up to a more relaxed way of living. She was counting on this trip to Italy to help her even more with that.

  Douglas looked at his phone as he received a text notification. “It’s from Gigi. She’s asking how much longer.” He laughed. “Tonight you’ll meet Lia, Antonio, their daughter Gabriela, and of course Gigi. Jemma’s at a workshop in Rome and won’t be in until very late tonight, so you probably won’t meet her until the morning.”

  “And Blu? When did you say they were coming?”

  “They’ll be here early next week. I think they arrive on Tuesday and they’ll stay for the remainder of your time here—we all will.”

  After some debate back and forth—mostly within Isabella’s own mind about what would be a proper length for a visit—she’d decided to come to Italy for ten days. Lia had told her to come for as long as she liked—a month or the entire summer would be fine with them—but Isabella hadn’t wanted to be gone that long from her parents. It felt like she’d be abandoning them, and even though they’d been so supportive and wonderful during the short time that they’d all spent with Douglas, Isabella knew that it had to be difficult for them to have her gone. She’d be away at college soon enough, so there was no need to do that to them any sooner than was necessary.

  Isabella brought her attention back to Douglas, who was pointing ahead through the window.

  “Here we are.”

  She sat mesmerized as they made their way up the long driveway toward the massive home she could see atop the hill. The whole scene looked like something out of a movie. It was just nearing that time of day when the sky turned into the most perfect shades of pastel colors, and outside the windows were miles of vineyard that stretched as far as she could see.

  “Oh, it’s so beautiful.” She could hardly believe she was there.

  “It is really gorgeous—one of the most beautiful properties I’ve seen in the area by far. Antonio had purchased the land prior to the time when he and Lia found one another again. They’ve done a lot of work on the villa and the whole property in the years since they’ve been married. Wait until you see the inside.” He winked at her as the car pulled to a stop in front of the villa.

  Before they could even take a step out of the car, Isabella saw them—Gigi was first, followed by Lia and Antonio who were hand-in-hand, all with big smiles and tears that Isabella didn’t miss.

  “You ready for this?” Douglas laughed, and Isabella didn’t have a chance to respond before the driver was by her door, opening it wide for her to step out of the car and into the arms waiting to hug her.

  Yes. She was ready.

  She stepped out of the car and immediately the two women burst into tears, Antonio grinning widely behind them as they both rushed up to hug her.

  “Bella, let me look at you.”

  “You must be Gigi.” Isabella grinned at the woman who was just as Douglas had described her.

  Gigi had her hands on either side of Isabella’s face as she kissed one cheek and then the other. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe how much you look like your mother. Doesn’t she, Lia?”

  Lia was standing off to the side, tears streaming down her face as she came to Isabella to do the same, giving her the biggest hug and speaking softly: “I have waited so long for this day. You are so beautiful, Isabella.”

  And then it was Antonio’s turn. There was no mistaking the look on his face. Isabella knew that Antonio had had a hard time at first dealing with the fact that he’d not known that his daughter existed until after she was gone. Douglas had filled her in on that much of the story. And that he and Lia had moved past the hurt, he being left with pictures of Arianna and the memories that Lia had of those last months that she’d known her for such a brief time.

  Now Antonio was hugging Isabella close, and she hadn’t missed the tears in his eyes.

  “Isabella, our beautiful girl. Let me look at you.” He stepped back, creating a bit of space between them, Lia and Gigi still standing close, arm-in-arm.

  “Come, come. Let’s get you inside for some dinner,” Lia finally interrupted. “Are you exhausted? Would you like to have a little rest first?”

  “No. I think I’ll be okay; maybe if I can just freshen up a bit?”

  As she followed the women through the front door into the massive foyer, her breath caught. This villa she’d just stepped into was truly like something she’d only seen in the movies. Everything about it was gorgeous and magical.

  “Oh my. Lia…” She felt a bit shy all of a sudden because she realized that she didn’t know what to call Lia and Antonio, but by their first names seemed most appropriate. Lia was smiling next to her, linking her arm through hers.

  “Yes?”

  “Shall I call you Lia or…”

  “Honey, you call me whatever you’re comfortable with—and that goes for Antonio too, right, dear?”

  Antonio nodded his head. “Si. I can be Antonio, Grandpa, or nonno.”

  “Italian for grandpa—and for grandma it’s nonna. But you call us what you’re comfortable with,” said Lia.

  Isabella nodded and followed the women into the kitchen while Antonio and Douglas left with her suitcases. “Something smells ama
zing in here. I’ve heard all about what to expect of your cooking, Lia.”

  “I’m so happy to cook for you.” She smiled at Isabella and then took her hand to lead her through the kitchen into a massive hallway that seemed to go on forever. “Let me show you to your room. You can freshen up a bit and then we’ll have a nice dinner together. Gabriela’s over at a friend’s house and they should be dropping her off in a few minutes. She’s so excited to meet you too.” She stopped and turned around to hug Isabella close. “Isabella, we’re all so happy that you’re here. It’s like a small miracle after all these years and something none of us take lightly.”

  “I’m happy too. Really. The last few weeks have been so emotional for me and it feels good to be here now.”

  Chapter 20

  The room that Lia had put Isabella in was beautiful. She had her own balcony with views of the vineyard from each side of the property. She could barely make it out now because it was getting dark, but Lia assured her that the sunrise in the morning would be spectacular if she happened to be awake at an early hour.

  Isabella made her way to the bathroom in the suite to splash some cold water on her face and brush her teeth. The smells of what seemed to be an Italian feast had made their way to her room and she was suddenly feeling ravenous. She changed into fresh clothes and made her way back downstairs.

  Before she was all the way down the stairway, she saw a little girl running away into the dining room.

  “She’s coming, she’s coming.”

  She could hear an excited little voice and it made her smile. Douglas had told her about Lia and Antonio falling in love with the then baby Gabriela when they’d first visited the orphanage. That had been over six years ago and Gabriela, now eight, had brought immense joy to their lives—to all of their lives.