“Oh no, Leese. He staunchly refused the idea of divorcing you or annulling the marriage after you ran away, but… Well, it made better business sense to disentangle his assets from yours.” She gave a nervous laugh, “But a short time later he was practically a pauper anyway.”
“Yeah, the missing hundred and twenty million—David assumed I had something to do with that and I guess, in an abstract way, I actually did since he spent it to get me back in his arms.”
“It was a huge gamble,” she confirmed. “Not about getting you back, but risking his fortune on that show, but he certainly proved his business skills.”
“I know this is completely off topic, but how was he at math when he was in high school?”
“They wanted him for a national merit scholar finalist, but he had no intentions of college after high school because he already had millions in the bank. He didn’t even want to bother with finishing high school since he was already involved in—in his career, but Giorgio told him there was no way, even if he was different, that he was going to drop out.”
“What do you mean by different?”
She gave me an odd look, “I don’t know what you and he have discussed about his life before he met you, Leese. Did he tell you how old he was when he became a soldier?”
“Fourteen,” I answered softly.
“Yes, that’s right, but that’s not normal for a soldier. David was nineteen when he became one and we thought that he was a little too young. But Micah was so focused and—and empty that there was no doubt that he was ready.” She almost looked ashamed to be telling me how she viewed her son, but then she reached out and squeezed my hand. “And then nine years later, you come along and—and, my God, there was a real person inside my son after all. It’s like you woke him up, Leese. Like he’d been unconscious all his life until he met you.”
“But when he was small, he wasn’t that way, was he?”
She looked to be very deep in thought for the moment as she tried to recall a time when her son wasn’t different from other children his age. It worried me that she was struggling with it, but then she smiled softly. “He was an angel when he was little, but even then he was such a deep thinker and then at some point, and I don’t know when, the angel disappeared and all that was left was a young man who thought, planned, analyzed, and calculated his existence.” She quickly wiped a tear that barely escaped her eye before it was caught. “But he’s changed so much since he’s been with you that sometimes I wonder if I even know who he is anymore.”
“Please,” I asked, suddenly feeling so desperate to show her who her son had become. “It would mean so much to him to have the two of you witness his baptism. He really wants you to know that his life has changed. He is someone different; he’s the grown up version of that little angel that got lost along the way. Please, Celeste,” I asked again, squeezing her hand firmly in mine.
“If I can talk Giorgio into it. You have to understand, Leese, he and I were both raised Catholic and, even though we drifted away from our upbringing, it’s very difficult for Giorgio to see Micah making this change that you’ve begun in him.”
“It wasn’t me,” I plainly stated. “God has been changing him—I was just the catalyst.”
Her mouth pulled back in that wide, sweet smile that she rarely exposed, “You were certainly that. I think you may have even rubbed off a little on David.”
I knew who the catalyst was for David and it wasn’t me, but it left me wanting to ask a few questions while the opportunity presented itself. “Has David ever been in love?”
Celeste rolled her eyes, “Sweetheart, you can ask some really tough questions. The answer is maybe. When he was seventeen he started dating one girl from his high school almost exclusively for about a year. I was pretty sure he was falling for her, but he kept his emotions well hidden—well, at least he did until he found out that she had been seeing another boy.”
“What did he do?” The only thing I could possibly imagine from David was him killing both of them.
“Absolutely nothing. Those hidden emotions vaporized and he was empty. He broke it off and acted like it didn’t even faze him, but it wasn’t long after that, that he became a soldier. I often wonder if her betrayal was what triggered his decision. He hasn’t had a woman steady in his life since.”
I was standing there with what I know had to be a puzzling expression as I considered that those emotions were back, and had been for nearly a year. All I could think was what would his parents do if they knew who David had finally fallen in love with? Would they be happy for him or would they think he’d lost his scruples?
“Why?” she asked with a funny lilt.
Evidently my expression was causing her some concern. “Everyone deserves someone to make them happy—I hope he gets that chance.”
“You’re a very sweet girl, Leese. Come on, let’s go find the men and see if we can convince Giorgio to go to Florida this Sunday.”
We started down the grand staircase to the first floor when I asked where they were.
“You didn’t see the whole house—Giorgio has his room and I don’t usually bother him while he’s in it. But, I’d say it’s high time we disturb the ‘boys.’”
We walked out the back, past the incredible kitchen that looked like something that came right out of the early 1900’s and into a huge herb and vegetable garden, down a path that led to a long extension from the southern wing of the house and in through the French doors into a room with the unmistakable aroma of cigars and pipe tobacco. There was a full size, old-fashioned, wooden bar, numerous high backed leather wing chairs around smaller tables, and sports memorabilia everywhere. The only thing modern in the room was a massive flat panel television which had a boxing match playing, but the volume was turned way down. To my shock, there sat Micah with a cigar stuck in his mouth! Giorgio was puffing on a pipe and smiling broadly at the two of us.
“Well, you ladies decided to join us for a boxing match?”
I couldn’t say anything as I gave Micah an annoyed look concerning the cigar. He just smiled and arranged two more wing chairs for his mother and me.
I wanted to be rude and say I wasn’t staying in the room because of all the smoke, but I knew that would offend Giorgio. And, I could tell he was tickled that I had ended up in his ‘bar.’
“So, do the ladies get cigars, too,” I said in teasing.
Micah’s former grin drooped to a frown.
Giorgio only laughed, “I’d offer you one, Leese, but I’m afraid Micah wouldn’t approve.”
“Have you invited your dad, yet?” I asked innocently.
Micah removed the cigar from his mouth as Giorgio looked at him expectantly.
“Invited me to what?”
I reached out and took Giorgio’s hand, watching the grin spread over his face, “We’d like you two to come down Sunday for something special.” I looked to Micah to see if he wanted to take over, but he appeared to be comfortable in letting me make the invitation. “We’re renewing our vows…” I began. Giorgio was already starting to nod his head, but I had to finish. “…right after Micah is baptized.”
The nodding paused.
“Please,” I started to say when Micah Junior woke up and started rolling around. “Oh…” I gasped, pulling Giorgio’s hand against my stomach. I felt him hesitate and then suddenly the grin was a big smile. “It seems your grandson would like for you to be there as well.”
Giorgio was laughing as he placed his other hand on the opposite side of my stomach. “It’s been twenty-four years since I’ve felt this sensation. “Hello,” he said, his face blushing a little as he leaned low. “So you think your grandma and I should come to Florida, huh?”
Little Micah kicked right on cue and I burst out laughing, “How’s that for an answer?”
Giorgio looked to Celeste and asked if she had any other plans for Sunday and she said no. “What time do we need to be there by?”
Now it was Micah’s turn to smile as
he put out his cigar in an ashtray. “It’ll be right after the 11:00 a.m. service, so somewhere around noon, but I’d like you two to come for the service—if you don’t mind.”
“I think we can manage that,” he said as he reached over and patted Micah’s shoulder.
When we finally got back in the car to head for the airport, Micah was quiet, but obviously happy that his parents were going to be with us on Sunday. “Thank you,” he finally said as he pulled out onto the interstate and headed north.
“I may have been the one to convince your mother to join us, but someone else gave your dad a nudge, literally,” I laughed.
He reached across to stroke my cheek with his warm fingers, “Yes, but—”
“What were you doing smoking a cigar!” I suddenly remembered that I wasn’t too happy when I had seen it in his mouth. “You don’t normally like those things, do you?”
“No, Annalisa,” he mused. “Dad offered it to me as a congratulatory thing over the baby. It was the first time he and I got to discuss my impending fatherhood, so I couldn’t refuse—he would have been so disappointed.”
“Oh, I just… Well, they aren’t good for you and they would completely ruin kissing.”
He chuckled, “I don’t plan on ruining that, but don’t be surprised if he shoves another one in my mouth after the baby is born.”
“As long as you don’t light it around the baby, I’ll be happy.”
“What’s in the envelope?”
“Pictures,” I simply replied.
“Of me?”
“I have a baby picture of you, one of you at about five years-old, and a family picture from when you were still little.”
“I’m surprised Mom didn’t load you down.”
“Oh, trust me, I’m going to be getting lots more, but after we get our own place.”
“What do you think about buying that property and building?” he suddenly asked.
I don’t think I have what a gambler would call a poker-face and I was hoping that my expression wasn’t going to give away that I had already made that decision. “I—I don’t know, baby. I mean, wouldn’t it take a long time to build a house? We could find something and be out of Mom’s place before the baby is born, if we start looking right now.”
“I know, but I really like that piece of property and we could design the house ourselves. And, if you want, we could go ahead and find something right now so we don’t have to be at your Mom’s when the baby arrives, then we could sell it when our house is finished.”
“Maybe,” I feigned indecision. “I suppose we could buy one of those house plan books and see if we can agree on something.”
He seemed disappointed that I didn’t have a lot of enthusiasm over his idea.
“But let’s worry about that piece of property after Sunday. I want that day to be perfect.”
“Me, too,” he said, squeezing my hand and finding his smile.
“I’d like to sing a song before and after the baptism, if you don’t mind. I mean, it’s your day—”
“No, Annalisa.”
I thought for a moment he was saying no to me singing, but then he continued.
“It’s our day. God knows without you, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. Of course I want you to sing. Are you going to surprise me, or will you tell me what you’re singing?”
“There is one song that reminds me so much of the struggle you’ve been going through to get rid of your past and I wanted to sing it first. Have you heard the song East to West?”
“I wish I had. You’re going to have to turn me on to some of this good music that you love so much because I find myself going through the radio and stopping on what I listened to before I met you, but I have stumbled across some music that I’d like to sing for you.”
“Me? You want to sing for me?” I knew Micah could sing. He’d done it for me on very specific occasions, namely during our wedding and when he held me in his arms the night of the big party for Remake, but for him to want to sing for me was almost as good of a turn-on as having him speak French to me during lovemaking, “When?”
“I was toying with the idea of singing to you when we renew our vows, but it’s one thing to do it privately in your ear and another thing to do it with people watching. Would you be upset if I just did it in the music studio?”
“Or in bed,” I quickly added. “Depending on what kind of song it is—so is it a surprise or are you going to tell me which song?” I asked mimicking his earlier question.
“It’s a surprise—but I will tell you it’s a country song.”
“You’ve been listening to country?” I gave a light laugh; he just didn’t seem the type.
“Since Remake, I’ve been listening to a lot of different music. It’s just hard to not keep going back to what’s familiar to me.”
“Oh, one more thing about the visit to your parents,” I said, switching subjects. “You don’t hate math!”
“I never… Oh, yeah,” he said as the year old memory hit him. “I guess I did say that to you didn’t I? But, baby, you’ve got to remember I was Evan Lewis at the time, and he had lousy grades in math. If I’d taken those math problems and blew you away on them, you would have been a little suspicious. And besides, I wasn’t in a very good mood at that moment—you didn’t want to be my tutor.”
“Actually, the problem was that I wanted to be close to you, but I was afraid.”
“Of me, or of being close to me?”
“Both. You were the only guy I’d ever felt such an immediate attraction to, and I was afraid of falling in love. That, and being afraid that Mom might decide to call me to come home and then I would have had to tell you goodbye.”
“You honestly never felt that way about a guy before we met? I know what you told me after we left Skopelos, but I had a hard time believing it.”
“You’re special.”
“I was horrible.”
“Not the person I saw—even after I realized you weren’t Evan.”
“That’s what we should name the baby—Evan!”
“NO! His name is Micah. Why do you have such a problem with your son having your name?”
“Because.”
“Because why?”
“Because—because people in the Family have learned to be afraid of that name. You saw the files, Annalisa, you know how many there were. All you have to do is hint to someone in the mafia that Micah Gavarreen has been given their name and they lose it. I actually had three people—” He stopped and gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles lost color.
I could tell these old memories were things better to be left in the dark, but the conversation was already engaged, and I didn’t know if I should ask him to finish his sentence or not.
“Three of my marks committed suicide when they heard I’d been given their names,” he finished. “That, Annalisa, is why I don’t want my son to have my name.”
“Your name is beautiful,” I rebutted. “It means ‘who resembles God,’” I added softly.
That seemed to catch him off guard. He loosened his grip on the wheel as he made the turn into the airport and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Leese. I know you want this baby to have my name, but it just feels like it would be like keeping a part of the mafia on my son—I don’t want him to ever be involved in that world. Nothing good can come out of the mob. It’s bad enough he’s going to have my last name.”
“Ah—Micah!”
“I know, I know—Dad would have a heart attack if he heard me say that.”
“Well, no matter what you think about your name—something good did come out of the mob, and it’s you—and I love you, name and all. But,” I paused because I had stood my ground concerning the name up until this point—I couldn’t hurt him over this decision. “If you honestly don’t want him to have your first name, then I’m going to leave our son’s name up to you.”
His head wobbled as tears filled his eyes, “I’m not trying to take naming him away fro
m you.”
“I know that, but I want you to do it. Just promise me it won’t be something off the wall like the celebrities do when they name their kids.”
He parked the rental car and wrapped me in his strong arms, “Are you sure you want me to do this? I’ve never named someone; who knows what I’ll pick.”
“I trust you. And by the way, I’ve never named anyone either—I’m calling dibs on baby number two.”
“So you’re actually going to let me do this to you again?” he grinned.
“I’m starting to think Italian—you may have to do this to me quite a few times before I’ve had enough.”
“That idea is incredibly appealing to me, but—and I’m almost afraid to say this out loud—I’d like to wait a few years, before the next baby—just to give you some time to be yourself.”
“I’m still me, Micah—baby and all.”
“I know, but I feel like I’m stealing away your youth if I tie you down with—”
I put my fingers to his mouth to stop him from finishing the sentence. “If you only realize one thing from all of this, I hope it’s that you know I am happier right now—with your baby inside me— than I have been my whole life.”
“How did I ever deserve someone like you?”
“I guess you’ll just have to discuss that with your Maker. Let’s go home so you can sing that song to me.” I opened the car door and headed toward the small jet waiting by the hanger.
“I didn’t say I’d do it tonight, Leese. If I’m going to sing to the top female singer from Remake, I’m gonna have to practice a little,” he laughed as he grabbed our bags.
I was getting ready to tease him about how many days he would be allowed to practice, but at the moment my cell phone was softly vibrating in my purse. I boarded the plane as Micah talked with our pilot, giving me a moment to see who was buzzing me. It was a text message from my attorney, Lyle Timmons. The message was brief. It said: “442A 9.6M Y or N?”
Although it was more acreage than I expected and the price was actually lower than I thought it would be, it wouldn’t hurt to counter, especially with the nose-dive real estate had taken over the last couple years. I quickly texted back to counter with eight million and to let the owner know it would be an immediate sale. We were landing in Florida when my phone went off again, this time Micah heard the buzz. I lifted it out of my bag, careful that he didn’t see the screen. This one said: “OK u got it! Close Friday.” I typed my quick response and returned it to my purse. I could tell Micah was waiting for me to let him know who was on the phone.
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