Turn Towards the Sun Book Two: After the Rain

by Jennifer Domenico

  “That she is. Checca was emotional. I’m sure you know that by now.”

  “Oh, yes, she called me right after she spoke to you. She’s over the moon, as she put it.”

  “That’s cute.”

  “You’re cute.” He grins. “I told Alex, Grayson, and Calvin this morning.”

  “So that’s it for now?” I ask.

  “That’s it for now.”

  “So, bath and lovemaking after dinner?”

  Enzo shakes his head. “No bath and, I was thinking, a nice massage for you.”

  “Why no bath?” I ask. “We always take baths.”

  “I take it you haven’t read the papers the doctor gave us yet. No hot baths.”

  I feel my cheeks blush. He’s got me there.

  “But why no sex?” I ask.

  “We don’t always have to have sex,” he says. “There are many ways I can show you my affection.”

  That’s a weird response. I realize that he is probably nervous about it. For once, I decide to let it go. I’m actually pretty darn tired and I feel bloated anyway.

  “I’ll take the massage,” I say.

  “Good, and tomorrow you can read the paperwork.”

  “I will.”

  We finish eating and climb into bed. I lay on my stomach and Enzo straddles me, rubbing oil between his hands. I close my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his hands on my skin. Before I know it, I can no longer fight the urge to snooze. I drift off into a restful sleep, dreaming of joyful, happy babies.

  17 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “Look at my belly, babe. I think it’s starting to pop a little.”

  I stand sideways, rubbing my tiny baby bump as I gaze in the mirror.

  “It’s beautiful,” Enzo replies. Bending down, he plants a kiss on it.

  “I wish I would start showing more. The maybe-she’s-just-fat stage is no fun. You can’t even tell I’m pregnant yet.”

  “You do not look fat,” he insists. “You’re glowing and more breathtaking than ever.”

  I smile and slide into my black knit dress, excited to go to my ultrasound appointment.

  “I can’t wait to hear the baby’s heartbeat,” I say.

  “I just hope we’re having a healthy baby. That’s all I pray for.”

  “Me, too. Still, I’m excited,” I add.

  “It’s good to be excited.”

  I wrap my hair in a bun and slide on some sandals. It’s warm outside and it’s only early March. I’ll be at my most pregnant during the hottest months. Guess I didn’t plan that well. At least we have the pool. I imagine I’ll be living in it all summer.

  “After the appointment, we’ll go to La Bellissima,” Enzo says.

  “Sounds good. I have plenty of work to do.”

  “So do I,” he says. “I’m putting Alex and Calvin in charge of all hotels outside of Phoenix for the next year. We have some paperwork to do to accomplish that.”

  “Why are you doing that?”

  “So I can stay here and be with my wife. We have plenty to do between Phoenix and Italy. We need to ask the doctor how much longer you can travel. I’d like one more trip to Italy before the baby is born, and there is no way I’m going without you.”

  “From what I read, travel isn’t a problem until the last trimester,” I inform him.

  “Perfetto.”

  He puts his watch on, the one I bought in Vegas. He wears it every day, which is nice since it costs the equivalent of a small car.

  “Andiamo, amore?”

  “Yes, let’s go.”

  Cassie is sitting on the couch watching television when we come out of the bedroom.

  “Good luck with everything today,” she says.

  “Thanks. What are you up to today?”

  “I have to work at ten. Gabby is coming to the salon. I’m going to give her a cut and some highlights.”

  “Cool. We’re going to the hotel after the appointment, so we should be back around dinner time,” I tell her.

  “We’ll be here.”

  I walk out to the garage where Enzo waits for me, holding my door open. As we drive to the doctor’s office it feels like a good time to bring up a certain topic.

  “Babe, while we’re at the doctor, I think you should talk to her about sex.”

  “What do you mean by that?” he asks.

  “Don’t think I haven’t noticed your avoidance of sex with me. It’s safe, you know.”

  “I’m not avoiding sex.” Enzo’s lips fall into a flat line. He clearly doesn’t like that I’m calling him out on it.

  “Yes, you are. I think you’re worried about hurting me or the baby, but you shouldn’t. Maybe the doctor can explain how it all works to us,” I say. “I can’t go nine months without my husband’s lovemaking skills.”

  He reaches over and takes my hand in his. “We’ll ask the doctor.”

  After the car pulls into the parking lot of the office, I wait patiently for my door to be opened for me. If I thought he treated me like a princess before, it’s actually intensified since I became pregnant. I’m preparing myself for even more of this treatment as my pregnancy progresses. I just hope the doctor can assure him that I’m not breakable.

  “Dr. Warner will be right you,” the receptionist at the front desk tells us.

  A few moments pass and another woman leads us into the ultrasound room, where I undress and put on a hospital gown. I climb onto the table, filled with nerves and excitement. I can’t wait to see the baby. It is one thing to know it’s there, but it’s another to actually see it.

  “Hello, you two. How are we today?” Dr. Warner asks as she enters the room.

  “Good and excited,” I reply.

  “Great. Well, we’ll get started in just a moment. Do you have any questions for me so far?”

  I’m just going to jump right in.

  “Is it safe to have sex, doctor?” I ask bluntly.

  “Of course,” she replies. “As your pregnancy progresses you may have to experiment with different positions for comfort, but it’s all just fine. You can’t hurt the baby.”

  I glance at Enzo and smile. He returns my smile with a hint of shyness.

  “What about traveling? Are there any restrictions on me?”

  “As long as your pregnancy is normal, you can travel as much as you like. We don’t recommend airplane travel during the last weeks of pregnancy because it could induce labor. I’d ask that you check with me before you go on any trips.”

  “Okay. We can do that,” I say.

  “Alright, then, let’s get started.”

  Dr. Warner squeezes some warm gel on my tummy and starts to move the machine over me. The image on the screen just looks like shades of gray until she gets to a little spot that appears to be moving. The doctor clicks something on the keyboard and moves the wand around. I cannot tell what I’m looking at, except movement.

  “Well, here it is,” she announces. “There’s your baby.”

  I squint at the screen. Enzo grips my hand so tightly that it almost hurts.

  “That little movement is the heartbeat,” she explains.

  “Is it a good heartbeat?” Enzo asks.

  “Yes, it’s very strong,” Dr. Warner replies. “With your next ultrasound we should be able to see the baby’s gender. Until then, keep doing what you’re doing.”

  Enzo kisses my forehead and shakes the doctor’s hand. Excited isn’t a sufficient word to explain his mood.

  “You can get dressed, Ava. I’ll see you on the way out.”

  “Thank you, doctor.”

  I stand up to get dressed. Enzo is pacing around the room, brimming with joy.

  “This is such a wonderful day. My life is full of them now because of you. If I was asked before I met you to talk about a momentous occasion, any story I told would have been about my work. Now I measure my life through moments with you,” he enthuses.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” Enzo repeats. “I wouldn’t have any of this if
you hadn’t sat next to me on the plane that day. That’s when I started living.”

  I kiss his nose. “Can you believe that wasn’t even a year ago? So much has happened in our lives since. I can’t even remember my life before you.”

  “I didn’t exist before you.” His hands run up my legs and settle between my thighs. “I would give anything to make love to you, right here, right now,” he says.

  Hallelujah! His desire has returned.

  “Not sure how the doctor would feel about that, but I’ll definitely take a rain check. You can bet I plan to cash in on it.”

  He grins. “I do hope so.”

  We see our way out, head to the car and start our drive to La Bellissima. I love seeing the hotel take shape. The rooms are nearing completion and the grounds are gorgeous. We’re getting to the finishing touches now and we should be on track for our August opening, much sooner than the original December deadline.

  “What are you working on today?” Enzo asks.

  “Well, we’re still not sure about the hardware for the doors and bathrooms. We had one picked out, but once we got it installed, Francesca decided she didn’t like it. The bathroom fixtures we ordered from Italy just arrived, so we’ll be looking at those today.”

  “You’re still enjoying this, yes?”

  “Very much,” I answer. “I love it, actually.”

  “You’re very good at it. You were meant to do this type of work. I’m glad you’ve had this experience before the baby comes.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Because you know you won’t be working once it’s born.”

  Whoa. What? Ah dang, here we go. I had a feeling Enzo would pull this card on me at some point.

  “I am going to work,” I tell him. “Maybe not at first, but eventually I will.”

  “It’s not negotiable, Ava. Your job will be to raise our family.”

  “I’m sorry,” I continue, “I didn’t realize it was still 1955. Last time I checked it was 2013, and I live in America. I’ve already agreed to this live-in nanny nonsense, and now you think I’m just going to sit at home all day, baking brownies. No way, mister.”

  “I’m not going to fight with you on this. A mother’s job is more important than any other, and I expect it.”

  “Too bad, I expect to have a balanced life,” I snap.

  His eyes shift towards me briefly, before returning to the road.

  “Che cazzo, testa dura,” he says, barely loud enough for me to hear.

  “Huh?”

  “It means you are the most stubborn woman on this planet,” Enzo explains. “Why must you fight me on this? It’s very important to me to have this stable home life. It is how I was raised.”

  “I was raised by two parents who worked. It teaches independence. I turned out fine, no?”

  “Why don’t we talk about this later?” he suggests.

  “There is nothing to talk about. I’m working. Once La Bellissima is complete, we’ll be working on the Italy projects. Me and the baby will be traveling with you anyway, so we’ll just bring the nanny along. It will be fine. I’m not budging on this. It’s important to me.”

  He glances at me once more, but stays silent. I consider it a win for me.

  Enzo pulls into the hotel parking lot. Franco and Dax are standing in the driveway discussing something. Whatever it is, Franco looks very pleased. We get out of the car and walk towards them. Dax averts his eyes from me. Since the incident a few weeks ago, he won’t even look at me, much less speak.

  “Buon giorno,” Enzo says to the two men.

  “Ciao, Enzo, Ava,” Franco says. He kisses us on both cheeks.

  Dax shakes Enzo’s hand and nods his head politely towards me.

  “Dax was just telling me that we are well below budget for the hotel. If we stay on track, we should be able to open in early August and come in thirty percent below our estimated budget.”

  “Bravo. Good job.”

  “Thanks, Enzo. I’ve had really good luck this time with permits and workers. It’s all been very smooth,” Dax says.

  “How are you feeling, Ava?” Franco asks.

  “Very well, thank you. Is Checca inside?”

  “Yes, she’s in the casino.”

  “Thanks. See you later,” I say.

  I walk in to find Francesca sitting at one of the card tables with some tiles in front of her.

  “Ciao Checca. What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Ah, buon giorno, Ava,” she says. “I’m glad you are here. Yes, look at these tiles. I think I want to put them on all of these columns.”

  Francesca has mirrored tiles of various sizes in front of her. Throughout the casino are some large, square columns and she has never felt completely satisfied with how they look. Thus she has been looking for a way to jazz them up for some time.

  “I like these. They add some bling to the look and the room can handle it.”

  “Yes, bling,” she says, smiling. “I like the bling, no?”

  “With the chandeliers, I think it will look very nice. Do you want to ask Enzo?”

  “Yes, I think we should,” she agrees. “He might think it’s too much.”

  “He might, but he is going for Vegas appeal, so he should be okay with it.”

  I look up to see Enzo walking through the lobby, and I call out to him. He approaches us with his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed and happy. I love seeing him like this.

  “Yes, fratello, what do you think of these tiles for the columns?” Francesca asks.

  Enzo picks up several of them and holds them up to the light. Then he takes the smallest one and places it up against one of the columns. “I like this one,” he says.

  “Yes, I like that one too. It’s not too much?” Francesca asks.

  “Not at all,” he replies. “I think it will look good. Nice job.” He kisses her cheek.

  “Yes, so how did your appointment go today?” she asks.

  Enzo’s face breaks into a glorious smile. “It was wonderful. Everyone is healthy.”

  “That’s very good. I can’t wait to meet my new niece or nephew,” she says.

  We spend the next few hours working in the big office in the back area, which Enzo set up for us. No more Girasole. It’s a little bittersweet, but now that we’ll be spending a lot of time at the new hotel for quite a while, it makes sense to have an office on site.

  “I like how this handle looks, Checca. What do you think?”

  I’ve picked out a vintage-looking crystal handle. I think it looks elegant, adding a touch of class to the rooms. I hold it up for her to see.

  “Yes, Ava, it’s very nice; the best one I think. Let’s go have one installed,” she suggests.

  We head up to the rooms, where Francesca gives the handle to one of the nearest workers. “Please install this so we can see,” she asks.

  The man quickly attaches it and steps back. The doors to each room are dark purple and the long, rectangular crystal handle looks awesome.

  Francesca claps her hands. “I love it!”

  “Me, too,” I say. “It looks great.”

  “Yes, you’ve done so well,” she tells me. “We work so well together, no?”

  I laugh softly. “Yes, and I plan to continue to work with you, in spite of your brother’s objections.”

  She smiles. “Yes, he told me he wants you to stop working. He said I would need to get a new assistant.”

  “He did? Oh, that brat. What did you tell him?”

  “I told him it was impossible as no one else would live up to my standards. I said I would just have to wait until you were ready again.” She laughs her throaty laugh.

  “I told him that I plan to continue working,” I say. “The baby can come too. I’ll have a nanny.”

  “He agreed?” she sounds shocked.

  “I didn’t say that. I’m sure he’s still thinking about it.”

  “Yes, he can be very old-fashioned. Ah, these men from Europe. I had a similar talk with Eduard
o, but I resolved it before the babies come, no?” She laughs again.

  “I didn’t have enough time. I thought I would have months, but I got pregnant just like that. Crazy.”

  She smiles. “Yes. Crazy wonderful.”

  “I do know that I don’t have as much stamina. I get tired easily, like right now. I just want to take a bath and go to sleep.”

  “Yes, go home then,” says Francesca. “I’m fine here. We made good progress today. Let’s go find Enzo, no.”

  “Okay.”

  We head downstairs to the large office. Enzo is talking on the phone and twirling around in his chair when we enter. His face lights up when he sees me and my heart warms with love. I will never get over how incredible looking he is, especially when he smiles that way. Walking over, I lean against his desk and wait for his call to end.

  “Okay, thank you. Ciao, ciao,” he says and snaps his phone shut. “How are you, bella?” he asks, reaching up to rub my belly.

  “Tired. Can we go soon?” I ask.

  “You’re at a stopping point?”

  “Yes, Enzo, we are done for today. We have a lot accomplished,” Francesca tells him.

  “Okay, I’ll finish a couple of things,” he says.

  I hug my sweet sister-in-law. “See you tomorrow, Checca.”

  “Ciao,” she replies, leaving the room.

  Enzo and I are alone again. I run my hands across the smooth mahogany desk. It’s a striking piece of furniture, an antique he found in a Florence market and had shipped all the way to Arizona.

  “This desk is so beautiful, Enzo.”

  “Yes it is, like you.” He shuffles some papers and puts them into a folder.

  I can’t tear my gaze away from him. My heart is filled with so much love and happiness that I want to say something, but what words can I use that haven’t already been said a hundred times?

  He looks up and locks eyes with mine. “What are you thinking, my love?”

  “I just can’t think of another unique way to tell you how happy you make me feel.”

  “Your words are nice,” he replies, “but I can see it in your face and tell by your actions. I feel it.”

  Turning towards me, Enzo wraps his arms around my waist. He then rubs his slightly stubbly face against my thighs, inhaling as he does. I throw my head back and run my fingers through his hair. I crave his touch, more so now than ever before.