“Lee, I’ve loved you for those same twenty years—and I still love you,” she admitted. “I’ve always wondered where you were and how you were, but I had a beautiful reminder of you everyday—Annalisa. If you would have reappeared in my life two years ago, I would have divorced Robert like he was second-hand trash. But,” she said, turning to David.
I could see just how much she loved him by the way she looked at him. And, I think he could too, because his eyes were getting misty and he looked very humble at the moment.
“I’m so deeply in love with David that I don’t want anyone else in my life to take his place. But, I also have to confess something to him and it might change the way he feels about me.” She swallowed hard and continued, “I did something several months ago that I didn’t tell anyone about. I told myself that it was for David, but it was actually for me. And now I’m afraid it might be something you don’t want.”
David looked deeply concerned, but he was also very confused.
I think everyone at that moment was bewildered. What had she done?
“You said you knew you’d never have children and that Kimmy would be like a daughter to you. I didn’t want you to be in a relationship that stopped you from having your own family, so—I—I went in for corrective surgery. The doctor wasn’t even sure if it would work, so he put me on a fertility drug. I never told you what I was doing because I was afraid of either getting your hopes up or finding out that you only said you wanted children because you knew there was no danger of us having any. When Joshua was born, I tried so hard to get you to say something that would let me know how you really feel, but you wouldn’t. David, I’m pregnant—the doctor thinks it’s twins. Do you still want to be with me?”
I can’t believe that Micah didn’t realize what was happening to David. I saw it immediately, but I thought he would respond. It was too late by the time I told him to spring to action.
David Gavarreen, one of the south’s bloodiest hit men, tough guy, could rip you apart with his words, 6’2” of solid muscle, had turned completely white and started to sway.
“Catch him!” I yelled.
This was one time Micah simply wasn’t fast enough as David hit the floor, passed out cold.
Mom was on one side, Micah on the other trying to bring him back to consciousness. He’d hit his head pretty hard, but the boy was hard headed and I was surprised he didn’t crack the floor.
David’s eyes rolled open and I could tell he had no clue what had happened to him. “Nadia,” came his unsteady voice. “Did you just tell me—did you just say we’re—we’re going to have a baby?”
“No, David. I told you we’re having two babies.” She leaned over and kissed him tenderly. “I’ll understand if you want to reconsider Lee’s offer—I know I did this behind your back.”
“How far along?” he choked.
“Eight weeks,” she said with a little tremble to her voice.
“This didn’t happen behind my back,” he said as a slow smile began to spread across his face. “I remember exactly where you were eight weeks ago and that was right underneath me.”
“Ah—excuse me—daughter in the room!” I feigned disgust. “I don’t know if I want the sordid details.”
Dad wasn’t too happy about the details either, but I knew he would respect both their decisions.
“Then if both of you,” he said looking to Micah, “are sure that this is what you want, I’m letting you out of the mafia. I will make all of you untouchable. No family or individual will be allowed to come against you, and if anyone tries the offense will be unforgivable and reason for the death penalty. Your mother and I will work together to make sure everything is erased and your pasts will be untraceable.”
“No,” I said suddenly realizing what this would mean. It meant a lifetime of hiding who we were and raising our children with a different last name. It meant our children would never know their grandparents or their Aunt Gwen. “Dad, you can decree all of this without erasing everything about us. The public knows us too well. Perhaps you can pull something like this off, but we are Gavarreens,” I stated. “I don’t want to be anything else.
I think Micah wanted to argue over the last name that he said he never really wanted associated with his son, but I was right; we were Gavarreens—hiding that fact was wrong.
My Dad sighed. I think he was starting to get used to giving into me, but it was still difficult for him. “Fine, but these two,” he said pointing to Micah and the now standing David, “need to know this is permanent. You’re off limits to the mob or to do any work for the mob. And, other than your parents, I don’t want you associating with anyone in the mafia. Stay away, stay out, and be happy with the new life that you’ve chosen. And last, if either of you hurt Nadia or Annalisa, I’ll kill you—personally. Do we have an agreement?”
Micah and David nodded solemnly. Both men were willing to sacrifice the life they once were committed to in order to make a new devotion.
EPILOGUE
The boat floated lazily along the calm waters of the lake. I had my eyes closed as I listened to the occasional splash on the surface when Micah would cast. I’d talked him into this recently, and even though he didn’t think he’d like a pontoon boat, I could tell he loved it. He fished under the canopy in comfort and shade, while I stretched out in the sunshine on the bow on one of the long padded bench seats.
I rose and walked back to where he was, so I could grab a bottle of water, and a kiss.
“Mmm,” he moaned, “Coconut. Gotta love that scent. Are you about ready to head back in?”
I picked up my cover-up and plopped down next to him, “Yeah, you know I’ve got to quit doing this.”
“Doing what?”
“Sunning like this; it’s bad for my skin.”
He leaned toward me and took another slow kiss, “Your skin is beautiful, and you don’t do it very often.”
“I know, but my dermatologist said at my age, I really need to—”
“You are still the sexiest woman I’ve ever known—and thirty-nine isn’t that old.”
I gathered my courage and blurted that I wanted to have some cosmetic work done. I’d told him this before and he vehemently opposed me doing anything to change my face. But, to me, my face was changing anyway. It seemed every time I looked in the mirror I had a new line, a new wrinkle, or another gray hair showing.
“Leese,” he began.
“Micah,” I whined, “just look at these lines.” I traced around the outer edges of my mouth.
“Those are smile lines, Leese. Do you know how hard I’ve worked to make sure you have smile lines?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “What about these?” I said raking my fingers across my forehead and between my eyes. “These are worry lines.”
“I don’t see any lines,” he protested.
I started to open my mouth when he conceded.
“I think it’s a mistake to do something when you are as young as you are, but you can talk to the dermatologist.”
“Nasal folds and crow’s feet, too,” I threw out while he was receptive.
“Leave the smile lines alone and I’ll keep my mouth shut over whatever you want to do, but just remember one important thing,” he said, trying unsuccessfully to hide his grin.
“What’s that?”
“You roll that clock back too far and I’m going to want to get you pregnant again.”
I laughed. We’d stopped at three children and we had recently discussed what were we going to do when they were grown and gone.
Joshua was now a stunningly handsome man at twenty years old. He was home for a few weeks before returning to FSU for his fall classes. He was in the house sleeping-in after a late night catching up with some of his old high school buddies.
He was so much like his father, intelligent, guarded with his emotions, and very analytical. Yet, under that immobile façade, muscled exterior, and turbulent green stare, beat the heart of a truly good man. He tested th
e relational waters, but I knew he was still looking for ‘the one’ who would steal his heart forever.
He’d garnered accolades through his high school career and became a national merit finalist, an honor which his dad had refused to pursue. He didn’t need the scholarship so he backed out to allow another student to receive the monetary reward, but was at least able to claim the title of finalist; that was a bonus for his college resume.
Joshua didn’t know anything about his father’s past until his sophomore year of high school when he announced that he decided on a career in criminology—with a particular interest in forensics and criminal psychology. Unbeknownst to us, he had secretly admired his Aunt Gwen; she was his inspiration. She had retired from the force, but worked with the department on a consultant basis from time to time.
From that point on, and sworn to secrecy, he was slowly allowed to delve into what had been the career and lives of previous generations of Gavarreens. He was, rather alarmingly, fascinated. Micah and I both worried what he would conclude from all this knowledge, (especially when he insisted on having his father teach him how to shoot) but, looking back now, it was just another way for him to dig down into his father’s deep mindset.
I don’t know why I was concerned. I knew my son well. He didn’t have any criminal bend in his consciousness, but rather he had sharp discernment toward understanding criminal minds. He used this information to excel in his chosen career. He was in his third year at FSU and making top honors in his field. Job offers from the CIA, FBI, and NSA had been plentiful, but he was taking his time in deciding what he would do with his life.
The part in all of this that I found hilarious was when we came up to visit him during one of his breaks in his second year and he told us all about this extremely intelligent professor Williams, whose class he tried to get in his first year, but couldn’t. He had to wait for an opening his second year. The first day of class as everyone was being dismissed, the professor asked Joshua to wait. He’d been going through Joshua’s records and noticed, as he put it, “Your parents are pretty famous.”
I still remember my shock as my son looked at me and said, “So, Mom you want to tell me about the brawl at the beach where you knocked a woman out?” Yes, I knew his professor very well. Professor Kevin Williams and I attended Pensacola High School together! We had lost touch with Kevin over the years, but now that once fifteen-year-old brainiac was teaching our son criminal psychology. How ironic!
We went to visit Kevin, and he still had that frumpy ‘I slept in my clothes,’ appearance. It made him look more like the old television detective Colombo, but his mind was as sharp as Einstein. He said he lost Carlie to an investment banker who swept her off her feet a few years after high school. He also said she wrote him many years later and said it was the worst mistake of her life, and that she still loved him. But it was too late. Kevin had married a sweet (and equally nerdy) university science professor, Kalissa Temple. He said there was no way he would have broken Kalissa’s heart to go running after the bombshell who had broken his. I cried, but completely understood his reasons
Our daughter, Annaleigh, or Leigh as we often called her, was a blushing eighteen year old beauty who was in her last year of high school. She could be, at times, deep and unemotional like her dad, but mostly she came across as an independent young woman who had a zest for life and adventure. She hadn’t given firm thought to her future career, although she often said she was leaning toward either being a financial analyst or working in sports medicine. I wasn’t sure how she came up with such a diverse pair of occupations to consider, but it didn’t matter to me. She would decide at some point and whatever she chose, she would have our full and enthusiastic support.
Our baby was our son Caleb, though hardly a baby at 5’11” and 180 pounds (and he absolutely hated it when we referred to him as ‘the baby’). He was a muscular and athletic sixteen-year-old whose life goal, at the moment, was to become a coach. He didn’t seem to care whether it was for the NFL, college-level, or even high school level. He had the knack for inspiring those on the field to try harder, do better, and work as a team.
Micah seemed to think those traits came from his uncle David. Yes, we gave up a long time ago calling him uncle/grandpa David; it just became too confusing to people who didn’t know us well. Mom was simply referred to as ‘Nanna’ by our kids.
And, as much as I loved all three of my children with every fiber of my being, I was done having babies. “I think sixteen years is a bit far of a spread, don’t you?”
“I’m just warning you; you take off ten or twenty years and I’m going to be chasing you all over the place.”
“Deal,” I whispered and then covered his mouth for a sensual, long French kiss.
The fishing pole was dropped as his steel bands wrapped me tightly into his embrace.
“Hey,” Leigh yelled from the dock, “get a room!” She burst into laughter and then was motioning us to come back in.
I sighed and pulled away as he turned the key and cranked the boat. I loved getting everyone together, but I also dearly loved every minute with my passionate and sweet husband.
We weren’t too far so it only took us a minute or two. I threw Leigh the bow line as she pulled us against the boat dock and wrapped the rope around the cleat.
“Nanna and Uncle David just pulled in,” she said, offering me her hand as I stepped onto the dock. I stared up into her sweet face. She had her father’s eyes, but the rest of her belonged to me from the shape of her lips to her silky, straight, long brown hair. I wrapped my arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “And when is Hunter arriving?”
She frowned, “I don’t know if he’s going to come since Daddy and Uncle David scared the crap out of him.”
Hunter was her newest boyfriend. I really liked him. He was a senior and quarterback for the football team, but that didn’t impress Micah. He and David took great delight in intimidating boys who took interest in ‘our girls.’ The girls included my sisters/nieces Breelyn and Brooklyn. When the twins were born, Mom decided she really liked the false name that Celeste had come up with during their short stint as Canadian citizens; Brooklyn was her own idea.
Kimmy also had to find a man who was willing to be grilled and threatened. Andrew Hennesy was the man who stood up to the two tyrants and persevered to claim her as his wife. They had been married just over four years now and Kimmy was eight months pregnant with their first baby.
Bree and Brook were both in their first year at college, but David refused to let them get too far away. They wanted (desperately) to move to a four year university anywhere that wasn’t so close to home that David could spy on them. David made out like a hard-ass when it came to the girls, but they knew with just a smile and a bat of their pretty eyelashes he would cave on almost anything they wanted—except leaving home and boyfriend approval. Other than those two things, he had a soft spot a mile wide for his girls.
I poked Leigh in the ribs and motioned to the far end of the driveway. “I guess they didn’t scare him bad enough,” I said as Hunter’s race-red Boss 302 Mustang headed toward the dock.
“Yay!” she squealed and started to run down the sun warmed boards toward the car.
“Hey,” Micah yelled, stopping her in her tracks.
She turned, “Yes, sir?”
“You aren’t allowed to leave—”
“Dad!” she stated pitifully.
“Unless,” he added, “you get permission from your mother or me.”
She smiled and happily turned and charged for the car. I knew why she was smiling. After everyone finished the Fourth of July picnic, she would ask me if she could go for a drive with Hunter and she knew I would say yes. She had a good head on her shoulders and I didn’t need to worry about the decisions she made.
Bree and Brook pulled in next in Brook’s new shiny, gunmetal Porsche 911.
Micah’s expression showed surprise, “I told him not to let her get a Porsche—damn boy-magnet!”
I leaned in front of him and rose up on my tiptoes to look him in the eye.
“What?”
“I think you need your eyes checked, baby. Bree and Brook are the boy magnets; the car is just a little icing on the ‘cupcakes.’”
“Hey Aunt Leese,” Brook yelled as she ran toward me with her arms wide open.
I met her halfway and gave her a firm hug.
“So what do you think? Is it like your old car?”
“It’s beautiful, Brook. Yes, it’s really close. I get to drive it, right?”
“Absolutely,” she said, offering her key.
“Hold on to that. Your uncle would be pissed if I left for a drive right now.”
She looked at Micah and grinned, “Hi Uncle Micah,” she said sheepishly as she placed a kiss on his cheek.
He hugged her, but his expression was stern, “Brook, you’ve got to be careful with that car.”
She sighed. “Trust me, Daddy has lectured me for hours,” she stressed and then rolled her eyes.
“So, Aunt Leese,” Bree began as she wrapped an arm around my waist and began leading me away from Micah’s hearing and toward my mom, “Is Seth coming with Uncle Ryan?”
All the kids referred to Ryan as their uncle even though he wasn’t a blood relation. “Seth is barely seventeen, Bree.”
“Aunt Leese, he’s the hottest guy on the planet—I don’t care about his age.”
“You are so boy crazy,” I sighed. I knew she was more like my mother was at her age. “I’m pretty sure he’s coming. He’s sweet and shy; don’t corrupt him.”
She got a wicked twinkle in her eye, “I wish!” she said fiercely, “But that would mean that I’d have to have someone keep Daddy occupied—he watches me like a hawk!”
I just laughed. David had good reason to watch Bree.
“You could keep him busy Aunt Leese, at least until I knock off Seth’s halo and burn off his angel wings.”
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