After lugging the bags to their respective bedrooms, Beppe and Max left Stella and Gia to unpack and get acquainted with the place while they went to the local supermarket to get some groceries.
A few hours and four heavy Tesco bags later, they were all in the kitchen helping to prepare dinner. The kitchen was quite spacious – almost as big as the living room and had an enormous, maple dining table. It came in handy when unpacking all the groceries. Gia was bustling about making risotto, while everyone else did jobs she had assigned.
Beppe could see how her eyes had lit up the moment they had begun discussing dinner, but at the same time there was a tinge of sadness and regret in them. They haven’t talked about it much, but Gia had told Beppe that besides assaulting her, Francesco had vowed to make Gia’s life very difficult when it came to finding a new job. Gia missed cooking and Beppe hated that could do nothing to disperse the clouds in her hazel eyes.
As if picking up on his train of thought, Stella asked,
“So Gia, what are you going to do when you get back to Genoa? Work-wise?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ll probably try to find a job in another restaurant, see how that goes. I’ll stay away from the posh places – I’m kind of sick of that atmosphere. I’ve always dreamt of one day having my own restaurant – a small, cozy place, where people can come to meet friends and relax and eat amazing food at affordable prices. I’ll try and find a job in a family owned restaurant so that I can get a feel of how such a place is run, get some experience and save some money. Maybe one day I'll be able to have that myself.” The dreamy, excited look returned to her eyes and Beppe squeezed her knee under the table. Gia glanced at him and smiled.
“That’s great. You’re a talented chef and you’re ambitious enough to achieve anything you put your mind to, Gia,” said Stella as she finished chopping mushrooms. “What do I do with these?”
“Here, put them in this bowl.”
Conversation flowed around the table and soon the kitchen filled with the mouth- watering aroma of wine, basil, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. The risotto needed to be stirred constantly for half an hour and Gia got busy with the task, while the rest cleaned the table and prepared it for dinner.
“Wait a minute, we never talked about the fact that Beppe is some kind of a mafia heir!” Max exclaimed as he set the table. “I mean, I was so overwhelmed by the whole story I never got to ask about that interesting fact.” He grinned and to Beppe’s horror Stella joined in, clearly interested.
“Oh, yeah! What's with that, Beppe? Did you have some kind of initiation ceremony into the family?” Max laughed and kissed Stella’s cheek.
“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response,” Beppe said, putting glasses on the table.
“You should see his cousin Silvio,” Gia said with a wink as she stirred the risotto.
“Babe! Don’t encourage them!”
“He’s gorgeous, just like Beppe. Only he’s got the most amazing blue eyes – I thought he was wearing contacts. Such an intense blue colour doesn’t exist in nature.”
“Babe!” Beppe said again, but Stella and Max were already hooked on her story and there was no going back.
“And while his face is angelic, he’s got that dangerous bad boy vibe...”
“OK! Enough about Silvio already. Geez,” Beppe exclaimed and everyone erupted in laughter. After a few more mafia jokes, the risotto was ready.
Once they finished eating and cleaned the kitchen, they moved to the living room where the fire was burning in the fireplace. The flames played and crackled, creating a romantic mood. Both couples claimed a sofa each. They cuddled into each other as they continued to talk. Beppe and Gia shared embarrassing stories about Max as a child, to Stella’s delight. Max returned the favor with equally embarrassing stories about the both of them getting into trouble. Eventually the conversation died down and the only sound that could be heard was the wind outside and the cracking fire.
“I think we’re going to go to bed,” Beppe said and stood up, offering a sleepy Gia his hand.
“Go ahead – there’s only one bathroom anyway. We’ll stay here a bit longer,” said Max and tightened his arms around Stella.
Beppe let Gia use the bathroom first and when she came back, all flushed and wet from her shower, it took all of his self control not to unfold the white, fluffy towel covering her body, throw her on the bed and lick every inch of her soft skin. Deciding it’d be better if he himself had a shower first, he kissed Gia, lingering a bit longer than he’d planned, and quietly slipped out of the room heading for the bathroom.
Stella and Max’s soft voices floated upstairs and even though Beppe didn't intend to eavesdrop, he overheard part of their conversation on his way to the bathroom.
“You know I want to marry you, right? I’m not proposing right now because I don't think the time is right, not because I don’t want to...” Max said before Stella interrupted him.
“Of course I know, baby. And you’re absolutely right – now is not the time. Besides, we don’t need to rush things – I love what we have right now. I’m not even twenty years old, Max, I’m in no hurry to get married.”
“I just wanted to make sure, with all marriage talk going on right now, that you know I plan to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. Don’t ever doubt that just because I haven’t put a ring on your finger.”
“I don't, I promise. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Beppe didn’t hear anything else because he closed the bathroom door behind him, and he guessed there wouldn’t be much more talking going on.
When he snuck back into their bedroom, Gia was already asleep. Beppe smiled and stroked her hair, before he wrapped his body around her, switched off the light and sighed. He’d planned something special for tonight, but he guessed it would have to wait until morning. As quietly as possible he got back up, poked around in his luggage until he found what he was looking for and hid it in the drawer of his bedside table.
The next morning, Beppe woke up to the feeling of delicious heat on his back. He was lying on his tummy, hands tucked under the pillow. He felt something wet, sleek and warm tracing every vertebra on his spine, he realised Gia had straddled his hips and was licking her way up his back. Beppe smiled into the pillow. He didn’t move, leaving her to her wake up plan and enjoying every wonderful moment. Soft lips brushed the side of his rib cage, his shoulder blades and eventually settled on his neck. Her hair was tickling his skin the whole time and Beppe shivered in bliss, but kept his eyes closed. Gia must have known he was no longer sleeping because he felt her smile against his earlobe before she gently nipped it, then sucked the soft part between her lips.
She slowly made her way down his back again, leaving a wet trail of sensual licks and kisses, and just when Beppe had completely relaxed, she bit his left ass cheek, making him yelp and jump under her. Gia laughed and pinned his hands above his head, entwining their fingers.
“It took a long time to wake you, had to take drastic measures since you were sleeping so soundly,” she whispered in his ear and chuckled.
Oh, she thought she was so funny, didn’t she?
In one fluid movement, Beppe had Gia pinned under him, turned on just by thinking what kind of torture he would subject her to in return.
Gia lay in Beppe’s arms, her back to his chest, as their heartbeats calmed down. Beppe played with her hand, entwining their fingers together, caressing each finger and sliding his thumb under her palm. Gia purred with pleasure and her body completely calmed down and relaxed.
Gently, without making sudden and unexpected movements, Beppe reached over to the bedside table, pulled open the drawer, took a ring and slid it on her finger. It took Gia a second to realise what had happened. When she did, she jerked upright, staring at the gorgeous piece of jewellery.
“Oh my God, Beppe! When did you get this?” she asked, turning to face him.
“Do you like it?” Beppe smiled, still
laying down, enjoying Gia’s excitement.
“I love it, it’s beautiful. But... how? I thought when you proposed at the concert it was a spur of the moment thing...”
“It was, but that doesn’t mean that I hadn't planned on proposing soon anyway. Come, lay back down and I’ll tell you the ring’s story.” Clearly interested, even more now that the ring had a story, Gia flopped down on Beppe, pushing the air out of his lungs.
“Remember the box Sergio gave me before we left Sicily?” Gia nodded. “It was inside, along with a note. Apparently, it was my grandmother’s. Paolo bought it for her from an antique jewellery shop in Florence two days after he met her. He knew he’d marry her the moment he saw her. When he saw the ring, it reminded him of her green eyes and he bought it right then and there.” Gia admired the ring that fit so perfectly on her elegant finger. It was a slim white gold band, encrusted with tiny diamonds all around, and in the center there was a large, square cut emerald. When it caught the light, the stone flashed brilliantly from within. “It reminds me of your eyes, too. They’re a brown hazel most of the time, but when you’re passionate about something they became the purest green I’ve ever seen.”
Gia tilted her head backwards and met Beppe’s gaze. He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose.
“I noticed there was no inscription on the inside, which is very strange and not in Paolo’s style at all, but there you go. I lucked out because I was able to put my own. For you.” Gia took the ring off her finger and looked on the inside. It read: ‘I love you – then, now, forever. B.’.
“Beppe... I don’t know what to say. I’m overwhelmed. This is all so beautiful – the ring, the story, the inscription... Thank you,” Gia said as she turned around and placed a tender kiss on Beppe’s lips. He held her there, deepening the kiss and flipping them over so that he landed on top of Gia.
“There’s a matching wedding band – white gold with diamonds all around. But you’re gonna have to wait a bit longer for that,” Beppe said when he separated their lips. He traced small nips and licks down Gia’s neck and collarbone until she moaned and writhed under him. He proceeded to kiss her arms, her belly, even her fingers.
Seeing the engagement ring on Gia’s finger, for the first time in his life, Beppe felt complete.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
“Whoa!” Max exclaimed as he stepped into the kitchen wearing a pair of pyjama bottoms and nothing else. “You’re up early! Everything OK?” Max asked as he saw Gia sitting at the table sipping her coffee. She nodded at him as he padded to the coffee machine to pour some of the freshly made coffee into a mug, before joining Gia at the table. “Where’s Beppe?”
“He’s sleeping. We both woke up earlier, but then he fell back to sleep again. I couldn’t. Is Stella still asleep too?”
Max nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t want to wake her up. I have lots of experience with grumpy women in the morning,” he threw a pointed look at Gia, “so I left her to sleep a bit more.”
They sipped their coffee in silence for a few moments before Max’s eyes darted to Gia’s right hand as she wrapped it around the coffee cup.
“I see he gave you the ring?” he said.
“You knew about the ring?”
“Not exactly. But, when we went shopping before the concert, we went to Westfield and Beppe ditched me in a changing room with a dozen pairs of jeans to try and three sales assistants fawning over me. I don’t know what he bribed them with, but they didn’t leave me alone and kept me in that changing room for a good half hour.
“When I finally managed to get out, Beppe was still nowhere to be found, so I went to the till to pay for my jeans and saw him coming out of the jewellery store across the hall with a huge smile on his face. When he came to find me, he didn’t say anything, so I didn't ask. I suspected he went in to buy you a ring, but it could have easily been any other piece of jewellery, I wasn’t sure.”
“He didn’t buy the ring there,” Gia explained. “He engraved it. This ring was his grandmother’s and Paolo wanted him to have it. He’d bought it in a little antique jewellery shop in Florence.” Gia bit her lower lip to stop it from trembling. She could do nothing about the tears welling up in her eyes though. When she looked at the ring, all she saw was Beppe’s face when he said the emerald reminded him of her eyes. The ring was an antique piece of jewellery and had probably graced the hands of many other women, all of them carrying their own love story, but for Gia, this was her ring. It was old and beautiful, and held so much history within the depths of the exquisite emerald. It proudly wore a few scratches on its band, just like Beppe and Gia’s relationship.
Gia felt Max’s thumb brush across her cheek to wipe the tears that had escaped her eyes. He moved his chair closer to give her a hug and kiss her temple.
“I’m really happy you two managed to find your way to each other. I always knew you loved one another, but there were times when I honestly doubted you’d ever make it work. You’re so much alike and that rarely works long term, but with you two it does. It’s like you’re one person separated in two equal parts. When we were kids and only one of you was with me, I always felt like half of that person was missing. The moment the other arrived, everything fell into place. It might sound cheesy, but you really do complete each other.”
Gia smiled through her tears and sniffled. Max let go of her and stood up, coming back in a few moments with a packet of tissues.
“I really hope those are tears of joy,” he teased as he handed her a tissue.
“They are. Joy and surprise. You don’t usually talk to me like this. We used to be so close before, but then when...” Gia couldn’t say the words ‘dad died’. She still felt so guilty for leaving Max alone during that terrible time.
“Shh, it’s OK, sis.”
“How can you say that? It’s not OK!” Gia felt a rush of self recrimination shoot through her body. She shook free of Max’s loving embrace and stood. “I left you all alone to take care of our dying father when you were just fourteen years old, Max. How can you say that’s OK?” For the first time ever, Gia allowed her guilt and her disgust with what she’d done to fully penetrate the thick shell she’d built around her heart. The pain it brought was too much and she felt her chest heave painfully. She’d never told Max any of this before, but now that she’d started, she couldn't stop. “I was such a selfish coward. I couldn’t bear seeing the man I idolized so weak, so scared, and so helpless. I couldn’t bear to see dad wasting away. He was dying before my eyes and I could not deal. The longer I stayed away, the harder it became to reach out to you or to him. He must have died feeling so disappointed with me.”
Gia sunk to the floor, a flood of emotion pouring out of her – love for her father and brother; shame in herself and what she’d done or hadn't done; the realisation that she’d never be able to atone for her mistakes. She’d managed to keep all those feelings reined in for so long that now that she’d set them free, Gia didn’t know how to stop them.
Max’s strong arms wrapped around her again as he sank to the floor next to her. He held her and rocked her back and forth, whispering soothing words in her ear until the darkness in Gia’s soul began to clear. There was still a heaviness in her heart, but it wasn't quite so burdensome. Gia wasn't sure how long she’d cried in Max’s arms, but it had felt like hours.
“Better?” Max whispered, still holding her close. Gia nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. “You should have told me all that a long time ago, Gia. Carrying such shame and guilt around must have been torture.”
“I’m still carrying it. How could I not? This doesn’t change anything...”
“It changes everything, because now that I know how you really feel, I can tell you how wrong you are.”
Gia started shaking her head frantically, unwilling to allow Max to let her off the hook. What she’d done had been cowardly and selfish and there was nothing he could say that would change that.
“Listen to me,” Max commanded, palming her cheeks a
nd tilting her face up until their eyes met. “I never blamed you for not helping with Dad. Never. If anything, I was glad you were so strong. You continued to live your life and fight for your dreams, without letting his cancer crush you. I know how much you loved him and how much you idolized him, and I know how hard his illness and his death were on you. And yet, you managed to graduate with honors, find a high-flying job and keep your dreams and ambitions alive.
“I, on the other hand, started drinking and doing drugs and beating people for no reason. Who do you think made the right choices?”
“How could you not, Max? You’d spent the past two years of your life looking after our bed ridden father with no help from me or Mum. And when he died, we still weren’t there for you...”
“No. My choices were my own. I needed help and didn't ask for it. All of that is on me, Gia, not you or Mum. You had your own demons to deal with.”
Gia shook her head again. She couldn't accept that she might not have been able to help her brother had he asked.
“Dad’s death was hard on us all, sis. Hell, you and I still have a chance at a happy life, but Mum will most likely never recover. She lost her soul mate, her other half. She’ll only be a half of a whole until the day she dies.
“You have to let go of this guilt and forgive yourself, because nobody else blames you for anything. And I can tell you, Dad didn’t die disappointed in you. He was proud of you until his very last breath and I’m sure if he could see you now, he’d be proud as hell of the woman you’ve become.”
Doubt and relief at Max’s words battled in Gia’s heart. She wanted to believe him so badly, but it would take time. Her soul did feel lighter now that she’d confessed everything. Finding out that Max in no way blamed her eased a bit more of her guilt and shame. Gia hoped that she’d be able to rebuild the close relationship she'd once had with her brother. Today was definitely a first step towards that goal.
Then, Now, Forever (Heartbeat #2) Page 24