BY CHANCE NOT CHOICE: Marco's Choice - Moretti Brothers Series Book Two

by Sage Young

  Ken did not speak. After a few seconds he just nodded his head. “Muri, can you please ask Victoria to come in please?” Muri stood and walked out the room. A few seconds later, she walked back into the room with Victoria behind her. Ken’s eyes widen and he moved his head back and forth between Kiyomi and Victoria. Victoria moved closer to the bed and Ken had to sit up to get a closer look. “Oh my God,” he whispered. “Father, this is Victoria Moretti, your daughter.” A single tear slid down his cheek as he stared at his daughter. “It is very nice to meet you, Victoria,” he said as he extended his hand, not knowing how to greet his daughter that he was meeting for the first time.

  Victoria looked at her father for the first time and there was an instant familiarity. He was a very handsome man and she noticed immediately where she got her hazel colored eyes. Her eyes filled with water as her heart swelled with love for the father she never knew. Ken was not sure how he should greet her so he extended his hand and Victoria hugged him instead. Ken wrapped his arms around her as he allowed his tears to fall. After a few moments he composed himself and pulled back to get a closer look at her. The resemblance was amazing. He ran his hand along her cheek. “You two are as beautiful as your mother. How is this possible? I don’t understand. The records I received only had one child listed.” Ken said as he racked his brain remembering when he found out that his baby was alive. “We can explain it all when you get out of here. Right now you need to rest and get your strength up to meet your grandbabies,” Kiyomi said as she smiled at Victoria. Ken’s eyes widened again. “Grandchildren?”

  “Yes. My husband and I have triplets and they are about to turn two years old. She looked at Kiyomi and smiled, “…and I have one on the way.” Victoria wasn’t sure if Kiyomi was ready to discuss her pregnancy with their father yet. Ken’s face beamed with pride for his grandchildren that he has yet to meet. They continued their conversation until the doctor entered and announced that the treatments were successful and Ken could go home in a few days.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The next day, Takeo and Kiyomi were sitting in the examination room at Victoria’s doctor’s office waiting for an ultrasound. Dr. Kelly came in and introduced herself.

  “So let’s see how your baby is doing,” Dr. Kelly said with a smile. The doctor’s office had already done the preliminary examination. The doctor squeezed the gel on Kiyomi’s belly as she looked nervously at Takeo. She spoke softly in Japanese, “I’m scare Takeo. What if there is something wrong.” He gave a slight squeeze to her hand that he had been holding since they entered the doctor’s office. He kissed her gently on the forehead and responded in Japanese. “Do not worry. You and the baby are going to be fine.” Dr. Kelly paused as they spoke. She was just getting use to Kiyomi looking exactly like her other patient, Victoria. Now to hear her speak Japanese so fluently, it caught her by surprise. She smiled as she continued to apply the gel. As soon as she placed the doppler on her stomach, you could hear a strong heartbeat.

  The sound of the baby’s heartbeat seemed really fast for Takeo as he looked at the doctor. The doctor’s eyes were glued to the screen and continued to move the doppler without saying anything.

  “Is everything okay Dr. Kelly? Takeo asked trying to be strong but was getting nervous. After a few grueling seconds, the doctor looked at the couple and smiled.

  “I have really good news, Mom and Dad. You are expecting twins,” she said as she tilted the screen towards them. They looked at each other in both elated and shocked. Takeo never imagined they would be having twins. He was unable to contain his smile. His heart filled with even more love for the woman who was giving him this beautiful gift. He kissed her on the lips with more passion than he would have normally done in public. Kiyomi looked at the man she loved and her heart swelled. The love was so powerful that even the doctor could feel it as she smiled at the couple in love. Takeo was concerned with the sound of the heartbeat.

  “Is it normal for the heartbeat to be so fast?” Takeo asked.

  “You are hearing both heartbeats and yes, the heartbeats are strong, and that’s normal. Now would you like to know the sex of the babies?” Takeo and Kiyomi looked at each other and said yes simultaneously. The doctor smiled as she pointed to the screen and showed them that they were having a boy and agirl. They were extremely excited. Takeo kissed Kiyomi on the lips as tears of joy ran down her face. Once they returned to the house, they announced their incredible news. While Victoria was excited she was not surprised. The entire family went to dinner to celebrate. Two days later Ken was released from the hospital, Dominic and Victoria insisted that he stay at their house. Over the next week, Ken, Kiyomi, and Muri bonded with their new extended family. They had been back a few days and although Victoria talked to her best friend by phone, she missed her and needed to get the issue between Muri and Monica resolved.

  After breakfast on Friday morning, Kiyomi, Victoria, and Muri sat in the family room watching the babies play when Victoria turned to Muri and said, “So what happened between you and Marco to cause my best friend to break off the engagement to the man she loves?” Muri instantly put her head down. She was really ashamed of her actions and felt bad that issue still lingered without resolution. “I’m really sorry that I hurt your friend. That was not my intent, but what happened is completely my fault. I was briefly engaged to the man I had secretly loved most of my life. We had been engaged all of two days when he called off the engagement. I guess I wasn’t totally surprised because he is in love with my big sister.”

  She looked over at Kiyomi who did not respond. “Well that night I got drunk and didn’t want to go home so I had my security team take me to the condominium. I remember the guard giving them a key to an available condominium and they dropped me off. I went straight to the bedroom and remember starting to undress because I wanted a shower. I guess they didn’t check the bedroom because I was already in there half dressed. They said good night and left. I remember taking off all but my bra and panties and deciding against a shower. I walked towards the bed when I saw a sleeping figure in the bed. I walked towards the bed and noticed that it was the man who came with the woman from the US. I could see his amazing chest so I walked over to the bed and lifted the sheet. He was completely nude and looking incredibly sexy.” Muri sighted deeply remembering the sight of his body. Muri continued. “I needed someone that night and I figured he was sleep so he was safe. I just wanted to lay beside him for a few minutes but I fell asleep and the next thing I remember is him pulling me on top of him saying, ‘Did you miss me, baby?’ I now know he thought I was Monica. I froze because I have never actually had…” she didn’t complete the sentence.

  “Are you telling me you are still a virgin, Muri?” asked a surprised Kiyomi.

  “Why is that so hard to believe, Ki? It’s not like I had a lot of prospects in Tokyo.”

  “But you have had several boyfriends and you flirt a lot,” Kiyomi said putting the emphasis on “a lot.’

  “So does that make me a whore?” Muri asked and Kiyomi instantly regretted her last statement. “Of course not. I guess if I had made more of an effort to be close to you, you would have felt comfortable enough to talk to me about this. I’m sorry Muri,” she said as she hugged her sister.

  “Like I said, he pulled me on top of him and I froze, when he looked me in the face and realized I was not who he thought I was and he pushed me to the side and Monica walked in. He stood immediately and that made the situation worst because he was naked. I’ve wanted to tell her what happened but she has ignored and avoided me this entire trip.

  Victoria looked at both women. “I need to make sure my friend is okay. Let’s take a ride.” Victoria called the nanny for the triplets and asked her to keep the babies until she returned. Victoria knocked on Dominic’s office door and walked in. Domini and Takeo were talking. “The ladies and I are going for a ride. We will be back soon.”

  “I will accompany you,” Takeo offered.

  “Okay, thanks, but no. W
e have a driver and where we are going is safe,” Victoria responded.

  “You are not going to win that one Takeo, get used to it,” Dominic added.

  Takeo nodded. “I would like to speak with Kiyomi one moment please.” He spoke to her softly in Japanese. “How are you feeling? I don’t want you over doing it.”

  She kissed him softly on the lips. “I feel better than I have in a long time. I’ll be fine, Takeo, and we will be back soon.” He rubbed her stomach and kissed her again before she walked to join the other two women. “I still can’t believe you are pregnant, and by Takeo, and twins no less. He is handsome and I can tell he really loves you, but he always seems so serious,” Muri said as they walked to the car. Kiyomi only smiled as she thought about that side of Takeo that only she knew about. That side of him that was compassionate and sweet. Takeo was also a very passionate man.

  The car pulled up to Monica’s residence and the driver opened the door for the ladies. They walked up to Monica’s door and Victoria rang the bell before using her key to let herself in. They all stood in the living room as Victoria yelled out for Monica. “Mo!” There was no response and Victoria walked to the bedroom. She found her friend sleeping, with tissues all over the bed. Apparently, she had cried herself to sleep. She sat on the bed with her friend and began to rub her hair out of her face. Monica woke up slightly startled but saw her friend and began to cry again. Victoria held her friend. “Don’t cry sweetie,” she said as she moved her messy hair out of her face. “We need to talk. Why don’t you get a shower and I’ll make you something to eat.” Victoria stood and helped her friend up and prompted her in the direction of the shower. Monica stood in the shower and let the hot strays of water run down her body. She really needed to get a grip. There are plenty of men out there and she was stressed out over a no good cheating bastard. Tears sprang to her eyes because she still loved him and wanted him back in her life, especially now. She finished her shower and got dressed in a tee shirt and jeans. She did feel better after the shower. She walked into her living room and her mood instantly changed when she saw the woman who slept with her man.

  “What is she doing here?” Monica asked angrily. “I want you out of my house now. Just because you are Vic’s sister doesn’t mean you are welcomed into my home. Now get…”

  “Mo, please listen to us before you put her out,” Victoria pleaded. “Vic, why should I listen, I know what I saw. The image is burnt in my brain,” she said as her eyes filled with unshed tears that she did not want to give this woman the satisfaction of seeing.

  Victoria sat on the sofa. “Mo, come sit with me.” Victoria wanted to put distance between Muri and Monica before the situation escalated. Monica sat next to Victoria as she took Monica’s hand and began to rub it. “Muri, please tell Monica what really happened in the condominium that night with you and Marco.” Victoria said softly. “I don’t want to hear this shit. I want her out of my house before I forget she is your sister and show her how Philly girls handle this type of situation.” Victoria looked at Monica and rolled her eyes. “Really Mo? Are you really going to go ‘hood’ on me over a man? That’s not even your personality to behave that way. Now please sit with me and listen to what Muri has to say.” Victoria looked at her friend with pleading eyes. “Please.”

  Monica sat back down and listened as Muri explained what happened. Monica sat extremely quiet until Muri finished. Monica inwardly sighed, but she was still angry. Muri continually apologized throughout the conversation, taking responsibly for her behavior but asked that she not continue to blame Marco. “Thank you for coming over but I have a lot of work to complete,” Monica said as she stood. Victoria knew her friend; they needed to give her time to process what was said. Victoria stood. “I expect to see you at the house this evening. Everyone is going to be there and I can’t keep explaining away your absence. You know Francesca will be over here if she doesn’t see you tonight, and do you really want that?” Victoria asked as she caused Monica to smile for the first time in several days. Francesca was Dominic’s baby sister, a free spirit who was in everyone’s business and could talk you into doing anything. She also had no filter, whatever she thought she said. “I will see you tonight,” Monica said because she could not take Francesca tonight by herself.

  Everyone was still getting use to seeing Victoria and Kiyomi in the same room. The babies took an instant liking to their new aunt. Francesca bonded fast with Muri. Muri quickly realized what everyone meant about Francesca, but that was an endearing trait for Muri who liked her even more. Fran was able to show her around town. Monica did come over later, and while she was not ready to become chummy with Muri, she managed to be cordial. She continued to avoid Marco but she could feel his stare when she entered a room where he was. Before she left for the evening, Marco gently tugged at her arm. “Can I speak to you in private?” he asked in that deep sexy voice that she missed. “I can’t right now,” she said and he could see her eyes began to water. He decided not to upset her in front of everyone. He released her arm and walked in the other room.

  Takeo had a long and private conversation with Ken Sato. Both men came to an understanding not only about his intentions towards Kiyomi but also how to deal with Yoshio. Takeo let Ken know that he loved Kiyomi and would do anything to keep her and his unborn child safe. Ken already knew that to be true by Takeo’s actions. Takeo was able to keep his daughters safe when he was unable to. In the end Takeo asked for his Kiyomi’s hand in marriage and Ken agreed. There was a large celebration planned on Sunday for all of their family and friends to introduce their new family members before the scheduled a press conference that following week.

  It was Saturday and Muri was still feeling down about the loss of her friend. Francesca declared that a girl’s night out was needed. She suggested a jazz club, because of the laid back atmosphere, since some the women were pregnant and probably not in the mood for loud nightclub music. Kiyomi, Victoria, Monica, Muri, Jacqueline, Victoria’s other best friend, and Francesca were all going. Normally, Maria, Dominic’s oldest sister, would go but she was out of town. The ladies decided to meet at Victoria and Dominic’s home. Jacqueline was the last to arrive with the love of her life, Kevin, Dominic’s best friend. Kevin greeted all of the women and Victoria told him the men were gathered in Dominic’s office. Jacqueline sat on the sofa and asked, “So where are we going tonight?” She was the oldest of all the ladies but she wore a red snug fitted dress that showed she still had the body of a woman in her twenties. Monica stood by the mantle in a short black dress with a low scooped back. Victoria and Kiyomi both decided to wear something sexy but comfortable. Victoria decided on a cream colored wrap dressed with tee straps while Kiyomi wore a loose fitting champagne colored halter dress that brought out the color of her eyes. Fran and Muri had gone shopping earlier that day and they both decided to wear maxi skirts. Fran wore a tee strap blouse while Muri decided on a strapless one.

  The woman were all beautiful in their own right as they all gathered in the living room ready to leave when the men emerged from the office. They decided to join the women at the club. Dominic arranged for them to have a private section of the club. “Oh no, you guys are not invading our time. It’s supposed to be girls’ night. No men will approach us if all of you are there.” Francesca protested as she motioned her hand towards Dominic, Kevin, Takeo, Suri, Marco, and Rafael. “And why are you going?” she asked looking at Rafael. “Aren’t you too old to go to clubs? “That’s enough Fran, you are being disrespectful.” Dominic scolded her as he stood near Victoria where a silk black button down shirt and black fitted slacks showed off his incredible physique. “I’m never going to meet my future husband hanging out with my brothers,” she huffed. “You’re never going to meet a future husband acting like a child,” Rafael joined in. Francesca flopped on the sofa in protest and folded her arms.

  Marco would have normally commented on Fran’s childish behavior but Monica distracted him in that black dress. While he admired and lov
ed her body he thought the dress was a little too revealing to where to a club. Marco missed her feel, her touch, her smell; he missed the woman he loved. He knew she was purposely avoiding his stare but he wasn’t going to approach her tonight. Tonight was about everyone having a good time and she really needed to have a fun, but tomorrow they will resolve the issue between them.

  Monica continued to steal glances at Marco. When he walked into the living room her body instantly responded. She missed him but her stubbornness prevented her from letting him know that she believed him and wanted him back. She loved him so much that it hurt to be in the same room with him and not be able to touch him or feel his lips against hers. Monica purposely wore that dress to get a rise in him. Marco was very protective of her and would be afraid that the dress might invite unwanted attention. She was mentally smacking herself for being so juvenile in deciding to wear it.

  “Come on Fran, it will be fun. It’s been a really long time since we all went out together,” Victoria said giving her a smile. “I‘ll tell you what we can do. The women will ride in the first limo and the men can ride in the second limo going to the club. But coming back all bets are off.” She then looked over at Dominic, giving him a knowing look. Dominic smiled at his beautiful wife because he knew that was a look of exciting things to come. “I have a feeling our limo drivers will be making several trips. I don’t think I will be able to hang out as late as you,” she said, pointing at Francesca. Fran smiled back at her. “I guess you’re right. I was just looking forward to us hanging out and showing Kiyomi and Muri a really good time.” “And we will have plenty of time for that,” Victoria said patting her on the shoulder. “Now let’s show these men how it is really done.”

  They all laughed as they loaded into the waiting limousines. Monica was thankful for the brief reprieve from having to ride in the same car with Marco. The women rode in silence until Fran spoke. “Are we going to a club or a funeral? Geesh!” She turned to Monica, “…and what’s going on with you and Marco? Your secret relationship was the biggest unkempt secret and now that you two finally admit to what we have all known for months, you two act like you don’t know each other.” “Fran, let it go,” Victoria said in a stern tone. “It’s my fault and I wish I could fix it,” Muri said in a soft tone as she lowered her head. Fran was totally confused. “Your fault? I don’t get it?” “Fran,” Victoria said wanting to change the subject but Monica spoke up. “Yes. Because of your childish insensitive act, you caused our breakup,” Monica said as she inhaled deeply and ran her hand down the front of her black fitted dress that she regretted wearing. “But you were woman enough to come to me, admit your mistake, and apologize.”