by Penelope Sky
“No.” Conway finally smiled. “You’re right. He shouldn’t have.”
Sapphire came next, her waterworks going just like with my mother. “I’m so sorry about all this. It’s all my fault and—”
“Hey, let it go,” I said quickly. “I’m glad it happened. Now he’s dead, and you never have to worry about him ever again. A lot of good came out of this. You’re my family now, Sapphire. And families do everything for each other.”
That seemed to make her tears well up, but for a whole new reason. “Thank you…”
“So I hear I’m getting a niece or nephew.”
Sapphire rubbed her hand across her tummy, feeling a nonexistent bump. “Yeah…in about nine months we’ll have another Barsetti.”
“That’s so great.” I rested my hand on hers on her stomach. “You’ve already made my brother into a man, so I know you’ll do right by his son or daughter. And I’ll spoil the hell out of them. If it’s a girl, I’ll take her to the club and get her drunk for the first time. And if it’s a boy, I’ll take him to the shooting range.”
Conway didn’t like any of that and scowled. “I liked it better when you were unconscious.”
“Funny. I liked it better when it was just Sapphire and me talking.”
He rolled his eyes and stepped away. “She’s already back to normal.”
My parents wanted me to return to Tuscany with them for my recovery, but that just didn’t seem feasible, especially since I wasn’t supposed to fly anywhere. So I stayed with Conway and Sapphire outside of Verona.
It was a three-story villa, so it wasn’t like they didn’t have the room. I pretty much had the second floor all to myself. I spent my days in bed while Sapphire kept me company. She would sit at my bedside, and we would talk. When I was finally able to get out of bed, we would walk around the house or sit in the hot tub.
It would take a few weeks for my arm to heal, and doctors were more concerned about it getting infected than anything else.
My parents stayed in Milan, so they visited me all the time, along with my aunt and uncle.
People were making a much bigger deal than they needed to.
I was fine.
My arm hurt a little. No big deal.
But it was nice to spend so much time with my family.
We were having dinner together one night in the dining room, my parents visiting for the evening. Dante had made an Italian feast, just like he did every other night because he knew it was my favorite. Fresh baked bread, pasta with fresh truffles, and the best olive oil made in Italy.
Along with the best wine.
“Now that it’s been a week, do you mind if I ask what happened?” Conway sat at the head of the table, Sapphire on his right side.
“No.” My dad’s deep voice ripped through the air like a sharpened knife. “She doesn’t have to talk about it ever if she doesn’t want to. Let’s just enjoy our dinner.”
I’d never told anyone the details because no one asked. They were just relieved I was okay, and they were probably afraid to hear what I had to say. My face was swollen from the way Knuckles hit me so many times, but that wasn’t too bad. But to a parent, that sounded like the end of the world. “I don’t mind talking about it. There’s not much to tell, honestly. I came home from school, and he was waiting for me. We exchanged a few words, and I casually went to the fridge because that’s where my steak knife was hidden. When I shut the door, I stabbed him. I was aiming for his heart, but he turned quickly, and I missed. He knocked the knife out of my hand and then took me out of the apartment.” I didn’t share the part of the story where he hit me, knowing it would hurt my parents. “Then they transferred me to one place and then another…and I ended up at that apartment near the opera house. Knuckles told me he wanted to make the trade, and all I had to do was behave and I wouldn’t get hurt. But you know me…I’m a bit of a shit talker.” I chuckled and then ripped off another piece of bread. “I tried to get them to come into the bedroom with water more often, that way they would let me use the bathroom. But one of the henchmen insulted me, so I kicked him in the shin. When he faltered, I grabbed his gun and shot him in the head.” I was craving a glass of red wine, but with my medication, I wasn’t allowed to have any. I’d just admitted to everyone at the table that I killed someone, but I still didn’t feel an ounce of contrition for what I’d done. If I hadn’t killed him, he might have killed someone I loved. Or even me.
Everyone in my family wore blank expressions, unsure what to say in response to my tale.
My father took the lead. “You did the right thing, tesoro. Don’t feel guilty about it.”
“I don’t, and I never will.” My parents taught me to never show mercy. If I thought someone would ever grant me mercy, I would be disappointed.
“If you hadn’t made a run for it, it would have taken us a lot longer to find you,” Conway said. “And it could have gone down in a different way. We all made it out alive, with a few scratches and bruises.”
“Mom told me never to wait for a man to rescue me. She said I always have to rely on myself to be free…and I listened to her.” I held up my water glass, the only thing I was allowed to drink. “So this is for my mother. For being a badass.”
Her eyes were filled with affection as she stared at me.
My father smiled and raised his glass. “I’ll drink to that.”
“Me too.” Sapphire clinked her water glass against mine.
Conway followed suit and did the same thing. “For being a badass.”
“Now you have to find a man that’s badass enough for you,” Sapphire said. “But I’m not sure if you’ll find a man as good as the Barsettis.”
“She probably won’t,” my father said. “But that’s okay.” He gave me a soft smile. “She’s the kind of woman who doesn’t need a man.”
19
Sapphire
Vanessa and I sat with our feet in the hot tub. Neither of us could drink wine, so we settled for lemonade instead. Fall was in full effect now, so the warm sun had disappeared. Now there was a distinct chill in the air, and we wore sweaters and sweatpants that were rolled up to our knees.
“How’s the arm?” I asked.
“Still stings but it’s getting better,” she said. “I have to sleep on my right side, and every time I turn over in the middle of the night, it hurts, so I have to roll back over…but it’s not forever.”
“Have you been sleeping well?”
“Minus the pain, great.”
“That’s good…any nightmares?”
“Nope.” Vanessa wasn’t putting up a façade for the world to see. She really was as strong as she projected, as powerful as she claimed to be. She was confident and centered, refusing to give in to fear or terror. “I’m just relieved he’s gone. I never expected him to show up at my apartment, but now that he’s dead, I never have to worry about him coming back.”
“I’m glad he’s dead too.”
“With assholes like that, they should be buried in the ground. A part of me is glad all this happened. If he was going to stalk you for the rest of your life, that wouldn’t have been right. Now you and Conway can raise your family without any concerns.”
“I guess…but I wish it’d been me instead of you.” I hated seeing the gauze wrapped around her arm. I hated knowing she couldn’t drink wine because her medication was too strong. She was in the hospital for a few days because of me. She could have died because of me. Knuckles came into our lives because of me, and I hated seeing a Barsetti suffer because of it.
“I don’t,” she said seriously. “You’re pregnant…that could have been bad.”
“I know…but still.”
“Girl, look at me.” She snapped her fingers and directed two fingers at her eyes. “You’re family now. And I would do anything to protect you and that little one inside. So don’t feel guilty, okay?”
I smiled. “Well, my last name isn’t Barsetti.”
“Doesn’t matter. And if it’s never
Barsetti, that doesn’t matter either. You guys are a family. You’re the mother of my niece or nephew. You’re going to be part of our lives forever.”
“You’re so sweet. When I first met Conway, he wasn’t that compassionate. He didn’t have a gentle side to him at all. But the more I got to know him, the more I realized he’s just trying to hide it as much as he can.”
“You got that right. Conway pretends to be hard, but he’s soft all the way through.” She took another drink of her lemonade. “Ugh, I miss red wine. This is way too sweet. But water is too bland.”
“What do you do when you aren’t drinking wine?” I asked with a chuckle. “You must drink water then, right?”
She shrugged. “No…wine is essential to my diet.”
“Even in the morning?”
“If there’s a leftover bottle from the night before…why not?”
I looked into the darkness and saw the landscape disappear. Out here, there wasn’t another house within a few miles. The only thing that could be seen was the lights from Verona. But the rest of the world was just dark shapes and outlines. “Since you love wine so much, maybe you should think about joining your parents.”
“I love to drink wine. Doesn’t mean I love to make wine. And I want to explore other things before I settle on something easy. I know I would be happy making wine, but what if there’s something else out there? Some experience I’m not enjoying because I didn’t bother?”
“Good point. And you think painting could be your calling?”
“I’m not Picasso,” she said. “But I’m decent. I just finished this piece of my parents working in the vineyards. It captures everything I love about Italy. I’ll show it to you sometime. When you look at it, I don’t think anyone would think it’s a priceless piece of art. But it does tell a story…a great story. And there’s gotta be someone out there who feels the same thing looking at it as I did painting it.”
Vanessa wasn’t just smart, but deep. She was confident, but she was also open to new things. She lived emotionally but logically at the same time. I hadn’t seen her work, but judging by the way she spoke about it, it was her passion. “I’d love to see it.”
“I’ll bring it by next time. Did you know my namesake was an artist?”
“Your aunt?” I asked.
“Yes. My aunt Vanessa was a painter. She’d make these images, but she would incorporate buttons into her pieces. My father still has them up in his study. I wouldn’t call them masterpieces, but they’re beautiful.”
“Is that what inspired you to paint?”
She looked off into the distance as she considered it for a long time. She took another drink of her lemonade then licked her lips. “I guess it did. I used to see those paintings as a little girl. Maybe that did have something to do with it.”
“I’m sorry your family has been through so much tragedy. It’s another reason why I feel terrible dragging you into it.”
“You shouldn’t beat yourself up over it. My parents want men like Knuckles to be dead anyway. Now that he’s gone, the world is a little prettier. If you weren’t his victim, someone else would be, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So, the world has given us so much, and now we’ve given something back.”
I chuckled. “Good way to look at it.”
“So, are you going to be in the fashion show on Saturday?”
“Conway and I haven’t talked about it, actually. With everything going on…it just slipped my mind.”
“You should do it.”
“You think?” I asked. “I’m not sure if my mind is playing tricks on me, but I feel like I’m starting to show a little…”
“I think you are too. But that’s a good thing. It’s sexy.”
“That’s what Conway says…”
“And he’s right. This is one of the only times I’m going to agree with him. Pregnant women are so beautiful. Whether they’re modeling lingerie or umbrellas, that baby bump is hot.”
“Well, thanks. That gives me a boost of confidence.”
Conway stepped out the back door and walked toward us, wearing his black sweatpants with a matching t-shirt. He stopped at the end of the tub with his hands in his pockets. “Enjoying your evening?”
“I was telling your woman she needs to be in the show on Saturday,” Vanessa said. “She thinks her little belly will be a turn-off, but I don’t agree.”
Conway looked down at his sister, a slight smile on his face. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I actually agree with her. And if you’re wondering, that never happens.”
“Because I’m extremely intelligent, and he’s a little dull,” Vanessa said. “So we just don’t see eye to eye.”
The playfulness in his eyes turned into a small glare. “I love having you around all the time…”
Vanessa grinned. “I know you do, brother.”
“So what are you going to do about the show?” I asked. “It’s only a few days away. Did you postpone it?”
“No, I couldn’t postpone it,” he answered. “I have an alternate in place if you aren’t up for it. So it’s your call.”
“Mine?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah.” He stood tall, his chiseled arms contrasting against the dark color of his shirt. “I know you have the dance moves down. Just a few more practice runs, and you should be fine. But again, it’s up to you.”
“Well, what do you want me to do, Conway?”
He shrugged. “I’d like you to be in the show, but if you’d rather not, that’s okay too.”
I wanted to skip the spotlight. I preferred to stay home and enjoy the peacefulness of the house. All I cared about was the baby growing inside me. I wanted to start preparing for the baby’s room, getting all the supplies for when the baby arrived. But making one final appearance would be great for Conway’s career. After everything he did for me, it was the least I could do. “I want to do it.”
I stood in front of the mirror in my panties, checking my stomach from different angles. If anyone else looked at me, they wouldn’t notice the difference in my figure. I was still thin with a fairly flat stomach. But when I glided my hands down, I could feel the slight rise. It was hardly noticeable, but it was there.
Conway emerged behind me, his figure visible in the mirror. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to see if I’m showing.”
He stopped behind me and placed his hand over my stomach. His hands were twice as big as mine and easily covered my entire tummy. His fingertips were rough from poking himself with needles for the last decade. “I can tell.”
“You can?”
“Not by much. Just a little.”
“Do you think people will notice at the show?” I placed my hand over his.
“I hope they do.” He rested his chin on my head and looked at my stomach in the mirror. His fingers gently brushed across the skin, feeling the little bump that no one else could distinguish. “Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?”
“No idea.”
“They say mothers just know.”
“Well, I don’t know the baby well enough to take a guess.”
“You will soon enough.”
“What do you think it is?” I asked.
“Not sure. My family line has produced more boys than girls, so maybe a boy.”
“Mine is about even. Do you want a son?”
“Yes,” he admitted. “I do want a son. But I want a daughter too.”
My eyes shifted up to his face, feeling the sweet surprise erupt in my veins. “You want another one…?”
His eyes met mine in the mirror. “Yes. Can’t just have one, right?”
“I just…I figured that conversation would happen much later.”
“Well, Carter and I are nearly identical in age, so it’s made us really close. Vanessa and I are seven years apart. She and I have a good relationship, but if we were closer to the same age, we would have experienced more together. So, I always thought if I had
one child, I would immediately have another.”
“So, you want to have another baby right away?” I asked, my eyebrow rising.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
I had been terrified to tell him I was pregnant in the first place, and now he was talking about having another baby. Perhaps that time apart was the best thing for us. He had wanted to avoid sharing his life with someone, keeping his commitment to his bachelor life and his work. But now that he couldn’t live without me, his priorities changed. “I wouldn’t mind that.” It would be a lot of sleepless nights, but I was still happy to start my own family. I didn’t have anyone once my brother died, and now I could start over.
“Good.” He walked to the bed and set his alarm on his phone. His sweatpants and boxers came off before he got into bed. He’d been back at the office for the last week while I stayed home with Vanessa. His show was this Saturday, so he couldn’t afford to stop. He lay in bed then folded his hands under his head.
I got into bed beside him, feeling at peace now that everything was over. No one was chasing me anymore. Vanessa was safe. Conway wasn’t pissed at me because I was pregnant. His family was happy about it. Everything was going well.
He studied my face, his handsome expression soft.
“What?” I whispered.
“I’m just looking at you.”
“You look at me a lot.”
“And you look at me a lot,” he countered.
“Well, there’s a lot to look at…” My hand touched his chest, feeling the hard muscle underneath the warm skin. I’d never seen a man so beautiful. Nox was a handsome man, but he didn’t get my heart beating the way Conway did. No one did.
“I’m glad my sister is staying with us and getting better, but I look forward to the day she leaves.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do. She’s hogging you.”
“I like spending time with her. She’s my friend, not just your sister.”
He released a sigh under his breath. “I don’t like you having friends.”