by Kara Hart
“I’ll bring her over to the next dinner. She’s an amazing woman and an even better mother. I really think you’d like her.” I smiled back, wishing I could be back in that small, dead-end town again. I wanted to read bedtime stories to Jen with her, to go to that park and watch fireworks, and to fall into her ass over and over again.
“Well, I can't say I'm thrilled you're leaving the business, but I'm happy for you son.” This might have been the only time I had heard words like that fall from his mouth. There was no malice, no anger, or resentment. It was all thrown on the table with love and respect.
I gave him a manly hug and pounded his back. “I'll always be a Luciotti,” I said.
“I know it.” He smiled. “You should get back to town. You better bring another one of us into this world,” he added.
“We’ll see. He could be a doctor or lawyer, or something greater than me.” I dreamed of a son. A nice boy that could play and learn from Jen would really be something great, but if it was a girl, I'd be just as happy.
I swear, I saw the great Don Antonio start to tear up a little. “If it happens, that child will be greater than all of us. Trust me on that.” He walked me out to the front of the house and faced Ricky.
“My oldest son, Ricky. You have a lot to learn, but now is your time to prove yourself within the ranks. Lucas has informed me he has a family now. He wants to pursue that, to really make something out of it. I told him he has my blessing.”
Ricky’s shoulders hunched with anger. His jaw gnarled inward with contempt. “Dad, what the f—”
“Before you start spouting a bunch of bullshit, let me finish my train of thought. This leaves a good deal of responsibility resting on your shoulders. I'm getting older, Ricky. There's not much else to say. I'm going to need a successor. If you allow yourself to have a little dignity, I want to train you for the Don’s seat. What do you say?” My dad folded his hands. His index finger spun the gold family ring he proudly never took off.
Ricky’s eyes creased with suspicion. He squinted, trapped in heavy thought. “What kind of trap are you setting up for me, little brother?” he finally asked.
“No tricks. It's all yours. I think you'd make a great Don. Make this family proud, Ricky. You deserve it,” I said. I didn't always like my brother, but he was blood to me. He was part of my insane family. Overall, I had respect for the man who got dealt a hand of shitty cards. Maybe this time he could start over. Like me. He could find a way to make this all work for him. All it took was stumbling into the right café.
He straightened his collar out and stood proud. “I won't let you down, sir,” he said to my father. Somehow, I knew wouldn't.
18
DAHLIA
“T hat's it?! You're done? Just like that?” I ran towards him and jumped on his back, throwing my arms around his rock of a body. “Why does this feel too good to be true?”
“I promise. It's not. This is the real deal. I'm out of the game. For good. And the whole situation with Cade. It’s set. He’s going away, for a long time. But he won’t be killed,” he said, exhaling sharply. It was like a huge weight had just dropped from his body. He grabbed ahold of my ankles, which were around his sides, and dropped me backwards onto the bed.
“I can’t believe it. You seemed so…dedicated,” I smiled. “I thought you’d pack it in and I’d never see you again.”
“Well, I do own that house up in the bend. I would’ve been back sooner or later,” he laughed.
“That place? That’s yours?” I asked him, incredulously.
“Yeah. Well, it was just sitting there for decades. I think it used to be this retreat area, back when Monroe was much emptier. Cappos would come down after a big job and lay low. Now it’s mine ‘cause nobody wants it.” He shrugged, running a finger down the arch of my naked back. This, being here in my room and feeling so free, was what I wanted to do with my life. No more café, PTA meetings, morning runs. Only this. I knew it was an unrealistic goal. It was unrealistic enough to assume he’d stay with me. I still had my doubts.
“But it’s a nice house! It must be worth some money,” I said.
“Yeah, which is why I’m going to sell it and get out of here,” he said, fingers stopping at the top of my ass cheek.
“What? You’re selling it? Why?” My heart beat at double speed, right before I felt it drop into my stomach. I knew something would ruin this. I knew it was too good to be true. Was it because I had a daughter? Or maybe it was because of the whole Cade fiasco.
“Yeah, have you seen it? It’s a wreck. Besides, I think it’s about time I high-tail it out of here. Don’t get me wrong. I love Monroe. It’s a beautiful little town. But I don’t think I can stay here forever. I think I want to go somewhere with an ocean. You know, renovate a house by the beach. I’ve got the money and the time. I’m a retired man… Why not?” he said, thinking to himself. I pushed him off me and spun around so I could face him.
“Yeah,” I said. “I guess you’re right. Maybe it’s for the best you leave this town. Not much good comes out of living here, I guess.” I felt my blood pressure rise. I was furious. No, I was enraged. I could just see the headlines now: “Woman goes crazy, takes down all of Detroit Mafia.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. I was going to kill him. “And I wanted to know if you and Jen could come with me,” he said, reaching down to massage my scalp. Wait, what?
“Um…” I began.
“I know, it’s crazy of me to even ask. I just think it could be nice. I’ve got money. You could do whatever you want. You could stay home with Jen or if you want to work, you could do that too. Anything you want. I’ve always wanted to start a business. I figure if there’s an ocean nearby, I could learn to fish or maybe I could take people out to see the whales. That might be a little too freaky for me though.” He laughed and pressed his lips together, waiting for my response.
I was quiet for a good few seconds. I didn’t know what to say. When he just kept staring into my eyes, with that look of confidence and slight hesitance, I knew he was for real. “You want me to move to the coast with you? You want me and Jen to move in with you?” I threw the bed covers over my face.
“Sorry, didn’t know that would freak you out so much. It was just a suggestion. This is the 21st century. We could, uh, talk online, right? I could text you or something when I got there.”
“Are you kidding?” I repeated, still under the covers. I could only imagine the look on his face.
“Yeah, I guess I came off a little stron—”
I threw the covers away from my body and wrapped my arms around him. “You jerk! Of course we’ll go with you!” I practically yelled it and Jen opened the door and peeked her little head in. Lucas nearly jumped through the roof, covering us up with the bed sheets.
“Wait. You’ll go?” Lucas said, reaching down to grab a pair of paints from the side of the bed. He crawled into the denim and buckled his belt closed.
“Uh, yes! I thought you were leaving here for good. Like, leaving me for good.” I smiled, kissing his rough cheek.
“Ew, Mom. Gross. Where are you going?” Jen asked, eyes creased, like a detective who had just broken a case.
“Jen, what do you think of the west coast? Beaches, beautiful trees, the expansive ocean…” he said to her, jumping out of bed. He grabbed his shirt, threw it on, and walked toward her.
“We’re going on a vacation?” She jumped into his arms, making cat-like noises. “Cheetah’s don’t like the ocean, you know.”
“Oh, are you a cheetah now?” Lucas said. She wrapped her arms around his neck and growled.
“Yes! And I’m going to bite you!” She squealed. Lucas placed her on the bed and gave a fake cry of horror.
“You forgot one thing,” he said. “Cheetahs also hate getting tickled!” I knew the cue. Both of us glanced at one another, until we both reached out and tickled across her armpits.
“No!” she yelled, giggling loudly. “No, stop! Mom!” We stopped, laughing an
d falling across the bed.
After some time, Jen turned to me and said, “Are we going back to Seattle? I miss our old house.”
Lucas glanced at me. I arched my eyebrows. Seattle. The home of my many miseries. I didn’t see it like that though. I saw it as my real home, the home that got stolen from me right when I was getting settled in.
“Remember when we’d walk on the beach?” I asked her.
She nodded, quiet and cute, as a child often does. “And we found our secret tree world. Do you think it’s still there?” Her eyes grew wide with imagination. Years ago, we had found a spot off to the side of the beach with an endless set of twisting trees. That was the secret tree world and it was all hers, her first discovery.
I smiled and kissed her cheeks. I missed all of those memories. Monroe was like a freeze frame on our life. It put so many of the things that we dreamed of on hold. “Yep. It’s been sitting there for years. The tree people have been waiting and waiting for you to come back, but you never did.”
“I want to! I do!” she yelled, turning to Lucas. “I’ll take you there if you want. You’re my mom’s new boyfriend, right? I bet they would let you in without a fight.”
Boyfriend, huh? Well, I guess that was accurate. He did just ask me to move in with him. “I would never fight the secret tree people,” he said, playing along. “They’re a beautiful people from a vast land. We have to protect them!”
“Yes! That’s what I said!” Jen exclaimed. “Mom we have to go back!”
Lucas looked at me and shrugged. “I was thinking Seattle, but I didn’t want to say it out loud. I’ve never been and I heard they have good coffee. That’s all a man needs, really.”
“Coffee and quiches, right?” I laughed.
“Or a good omelet,” he added.
So it was settled. He’d put the old house up the bend on the market and together we would take off for the coast.
When Jen left the room to go play, we had some more peace and quiet together. “So I’m your boyfriend now, huh?” he asked. A sly smile had snuck up onto his face.
“Only if you want to be,” I whispered.
“I guess that’s fine. I’m not really a man of titles,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “Weren’t you a made man? Isn’t that a pretty prestigious title?”
“I’m not sure prestigious is the right word. But you’re right. I’m a man of many titles. But I’m trying to change that. I’m trying to be a man of action, rather than words,” he said, getting out of bed and walking toward the door to the hallway. “Come on. Let’s eat some breakfast. I’m making waffles.”
Uhhh. So he didn’t want to be my boyfriend? I was confused. What the hell was going on here anyway? We were moving in with each other, yet he couldn’t take the plunge and call me his girlfriend? After feeling stupefied and a little let down, I caught up to him and grabbed his arm. “Fine. Don’t be my boyfriend then. I just thought—”
He placed his finger across my lips. “Shh,” he whispered. Okay, I thought, a little patronizing. Maybe I was going to regret being with this guy after all.
“Cue the mood!” he suddenly yelled. All of a sudden, an old, beautiful folk song turned on the kitchen speakers. It was something like Donovan or Simon and Garfunkel. It instantly reminded me of driving from the coast to Michigan.
“What the hell?” I spat out. He grabbed my hand and led me out into the kitchen. Jen had shut all the curtains to the house and there must have been at least a hundred candles lit across the entryway of the kitchen.
I loved you before. I’ll love you again. Until the rose petals fall all over again.
The music played lightly before us and Lucas fell to his knee. “Before I met you, I was nothing. I was like a ghost, wandering from room to room. And then I came here.” Jen ran up to me and handed me a glass jar. Inside was a large piece of metal, flower petals, what looked like soil and coffee, and pieces of pine and leaves. “And then you made me wreck my car. As soon as I saw you, I knew you were trouble. I knew I needed to stay away.”
I looked at the piece of metal inside and realized it was a piece from his car, the day we first met.
“Lucas…” I whispered.
“But I couldn’t stay away. Deep down, I knew you were something special. Like a diamond in the rough, or a flower growing in the cracks of the sidewalk.” He gestured for me to open the big glass jar.
“Look inside, Mommy.” Jen smiled.
I reached inside the jar and dug around with my index finger. Finally, I hit something rigid in the center. I pulled it out and nearly collapsed.
“It doesn’t have to happen now if you don’t want it to,” he said. “But I’m going to fight for you until the end of my days. No matter what, I’m going to try and earn that rough spot in your heart. And, of course, Jen’s heart too.” Jen smiled wide, pressing her tongue against the gaps of her teeth.
“Do you see it, Mom?” she asked me.
I lifted my fingers out from the jar and held the small object in the candlelight. It was a ring, complete with a center diamond.
“It’s an antique. It belonged to my great grandmother. Before she died, she passed it onto me.” He moved closer toward me. “Look, I know it might be a huge jump in our relationship and I completely understand if you want to high-tail it out of here right now. If it’s too much, just give me the word and I’ll take it all back. But I was just hoping… Well, I was just hoping I could spend my life with you. Because you’re the coolest, most beautiful, and downright sassy girl I have ever met. And I love you. I just do. I fucking love you. Will you take this ring and marry me?” he said. I could’ve sworn his eyes were moist with tears.
I turned to Jen, laughing a little. “You didn’t just hear that word.” Of course, my eyes were like the Pacific Ocean and I could barely get a real word out. I wiped the tears from my face and sat down on one of the kitchen stools. “Yes! I will. I’ll marry you, dammit! I love you too. I think I’ve loved you from the moment you stepped foot into this town,” I said, letting the down the floodgates. Tears poured down my cheeks.
“I knew it! I knew you did!” he exclaimed. He bent down and grabbed ahold of my hand. “I’m with you now. Forever. If you ever need me, I’ll be there. If you’re ever pissed at me, I’ll be apologizing until the cows come home. If you ever need a friend, I’ll be that friend. I want to be everything I can for you, Dahlia. I don’t want to waste my life anymore. This is the only life for me now.” He bent forward and kissed me like he had never kissed me in his life. It was deep and perfect, the kind of kiss that touched something deep down and filled me with warmth.
“Gross!” Jen yelled, once again ruining my intimate moments with Lucas.
“Does this mean I have to meet the Don?” I laughed, pressing my forehead against his.
“Oh, you’ll meet the Don alright. He’s going to want to pour all of his money into a huge wedding,” he said, shaking his head at the thought. I imagined that opening scene from The Godfather. A hundred mobsters and politicians, a traditional band playing old Italian songs. For some reason, I imagined Carmelo there with a big smile on his face as I walked down the aisle. “Don’t worry. We can have a small wedding.”
“Thank God,” I laughed.
“On the beach. Just a few friends and family. My father will understand.”
I threw my arms around him. “I don’t care what kind of wedding we have, Lucas. I just want you.”
Jen applauded. “Beautiful,” she said. “Now can we go to the park and play already?”
Lucas laughed and jumped up on his feet. “I promised her we’d go to the park if she helped me with this,” he said. He lifted her up into his arms and said “Yes, little cheetah. Let’s go swing.”
She roared and giggled loudly and I couldn’t help but feel like my life was turning into something wonderful. This was a new day for me: the end of a terrible era. If it were a month ago, I would say I wouldn’t have wanted this to happen. I didn’t know a man would
swoop in and change my life for the better. I thought I was good with being alone, struggling to raise Jen on my own. But now things felt light and full of color. Everything was waiting for me back in Seattle. And I was going to get everything I had ever dreamed of. I was going home.
I was the mobster’s wife. And I didn’t want it any other way.
EPILOGUE
Dahlia:
Six months later…
“Honey. Wake up. There's something I need to tell you,” a man’s voice sounded into my ear like a thousand trumpets. It was that dark and familiar voice. The one that bellowed like a wolf. It was Lucas and his cock was rock solid, like a beam of steel.
“Holy…” I moaned, lowering my gaze.
“Not that,” he said, covering himself up. “Sorry, I just get excited watching you sleep naked like that.” He slapped my ass and pulled the covers off the bed. “Come on. Up, up!”
I groaned loudly, squeezing my eyes tight. “No. Let me sleep,” I pleaded. The wedding had taken so much out of me. It was two days after and the festivities were still taking their toll. “I'm never going out again.”
“Sure you won't. By the way, did I tell you how beautiful you looked walking down the shoreline in your dress?” He sat on the foot of the bed and put on a pair of shorts, covering that perfect dick of his.
“Like a million times. Doesn't mean I ever get tired of hearing it,” I said. “Your father though…” I couldn't hold back my laughter. His father had actually showed up to the wedding wearing a hot pink suit.
“My family is interesting to say the least.” He chuckled lightly.
“He looked like s bad guy from Miami Vice!” I exclaimed. “Anyway, they were all sweeter than I thought. I think they're envious of you.”
“Mom!” A sharp cry from the living room shot me up from the bed. “Moooom! Wake up!” There was the sound of small footsteps echoing in the hallway. Outside was the sound of the ocean breeze. I still couldn't believe I was back here. And the house he had bought us was incredible!