by Vera Roberts
He studied his ex’s eyes, trying to get a glimpse of what she was thinking. A part of them were hopeful. A part of them, he couldn’t quite read. He didn’t like the vibes he was getting from her. “Moni…” He murmured. “What’s this about?”
Simone reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. She retrieved a photo and slid it across the table to her ex-boyfriend. “Her name is Elena.”
Eli glanced down at the photo – a biracial girl with curly hair and light eyes. “She’s beautiful.”
“She’s yours.” Simone stated.
Eli studied the photo carefully as a range of emotions coursed through his body. After a short while, his body settled on one emotion that was loud and clear – anger. “Bullshit.”
“Eli,” Simone reached over and touched his hand. He rejected her. “I know this might come as a surprise to you but…”
“No, a surprise is going to the gas station and seeing the gas went up ten cents. A surprise is finding twenty dollars in your jeans pocket.” Eli knocked back his drink. “This ain’t no fucking surprise, Simone.” He emphasized her name. “This is a straight-up shakedown.”
“A shakedown? A shakedown?” It was Simone’s turn to be upset. “That’s what you think of me? Of this?”
“You come to me after three fucking years and tell me I have a child? And am I supposed to be happy about that shit? Birthdays, holidays, firsts of everything and you take me out to some fancy-ass restaurant, hoping that I wouldn’t get too upset about it because you’re telling me this in person. You don’t tell me you were pregnant but you hightailed it out of New York without even saying goodbye?”
“You didn’t give me a choice, Eli!” Simone’s eyes were watery and she gritted her teeth. “You made up your mind pretty damn clear on what you wanted and it damn sure was not me.”
“So you’re punishing me for working on my marriage?” He asked. “I knew your ass was a two-dollar ho when I fucked you and that’s why you were treated like one!”
“I’m not punishing you at all,” Simone was calm in her response, “our daughter had a right to know who her father is and I felt you should know.”
“Your daughter had a right to know,” he corrected.
The change in pronoun bothered Simone more than it should and she quickly took a sip of wine to calm her impending anger. She briefly looked around to see if anyone else was watching the spectacle at their table and thankfully, no one was for the time being. “Our daughter,” she corrected again.
“So is this your payback? Three years and a reality show later, this is your payback.” Eli stood up and got out his wallet. He tossed some dollar bills on the table. “Good one, Simone. Good one. You got me. You really fucking got me.”
Simone stared down at the numerous twenty-dollar bills before her. The way Eli flippantly tossed them at her told her everything she needed to know about he truly felt towards her and their daughter. She finished her glass of wine, stood up, and left the dollar bills on the table. “If this is the game you want to play, Eli, fine. I’ll play this game with you. You’ll hear from my lawyer through a press conference. Let’s see how well Faith takes that news when you being a deadbeat father is headline news all over the world. Good day to you.” She hastily walked out.
Eli took several deep breaths to calm down his racing heart. A daughter? A three-year old toddler? How was he supposed to react to that? He never knew about her pregnancy and she damn sure didn’t try to get in contact with him regarding the birth or child rearing.
Just when things were going better for him, a possible reconciliation with Faith in the works and a wonderful night with Erica, here comes Simone with her bullshit and Eli had to deal with it. If he ignored her, he was going to be in the news for a different reason and it would look bad on everyone associated with the D’Amato name.
It was time to man up.
****
Simone rushed out to her car and broke down before she entered it. How stupid could she have been? Springing a child on Eli after all this time? Did she honestly think he would just accept Elena without asking any questions? Of course, he wouldn’t and he would have every right to question the paternity.
Simone didn’t know if she was more upset at her getting involved with Eli or the fact he once again left her to fend for herself.
She wiped away the hot tears and decided she was going to handle everything once and for all. She’ll tell her mother and Darren what had happened and they would all figure out a plan. It didn’t have to messy and she wanted to avoid everything of the sort. No, it was time to be adults about this. A child’s life was at stake and Elena didn’t deserve two hot-ass messes for parents.
“Simone?”
Simone recognized Eli’s voice and shook her head. “You made your point so just leave me alone!” She yelled.
“No,” Eli walked up to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her into a warm embrace. “I’m very sorry for what I said back there. It was foul, disrespecting you like that especially if you’re the mother of my child. It’s going to take some time to adjust to this news and I need to work through some things. I want to be there for Elena, though. We’ll figure out a way to make this work.”
Simone felt the tears fall from her face again. “You’re not just saying that to get out of child support, are you?” She half-joked.
“No,” he pulled away and thumbed away her tears, “We need to make sure she’s okay. You still have my number?” She nodded. “Okay, call me anytime. We’ll figure something out, Moni.” He softly kissed her forehead. “I’ll take care of you and our daughter.”
Simone forgot how Eli’s lips felt on her. Soft. Warm. Comforting. “Okay,” she sniffled, “thank you for understanding.”
“I’m trying here. I’m trying.” Eli stepped aside as Simone entered her car. She rolled down the windows. “I’ll talk to you later this week, all right?”
“Okay.” She smiled before she drove off.
Eli watched Simone leave and blew out the breath he’d been holding. A daughter? A three-year-old daughter? He swore he’d used condoms the entire time with Simone and was diligent about doing so.
Except the last time.
Eli cursed aloud. How could he have been so stupid? All it took was one time and voila, instant baby. How was Faith going to react? She just barely overcame the trust issues and now he was going to surprise her with the news of an outside baby? What about his brothers? And his mother? Oh God! Nicola would be sent to an early grave. He took out his cell phone and dialed the only person who could possibly understand this situation.
It was time to talk to Giorgio.
Five
“I met with Elena’s father,” Simone began.
Darren read the nervousness in Simone’s voice and knew there was trouble. While Simone may have been hopeful about her meeting with Eli, Darren knew better. Eli was not going to take any responsibility; not if he could help it. “I take it the meeting didn’t go as planned?” Darren asked.
“He denies her.” The admission escaped her mouth like a harsh breath on a winter’s day. “So that’s that.”
“Did you think he was going accept on first sight?” Meredith asked. “You kept the child away from him for several years and suddenly sprung it on him. He’s going to question it.”
“I didn’t think he would,” Simone admitted. “But he did.”
“So what now?” Meredith asked.
“He agreed to help and he does want to meet her.” Simone was hopeful. While Darren had his doubts, Simone knew Eli would step up. “We’re going to arrange a meeting soon.”
Darren kissed his girlfriend. “I’m so proud of you. You stood up for yourself, held onto your convictions, and owned up to your mistakes. It takes a lot of guts to do that.”
“Well, I had no choice,” Simone watched Elena play on the floor with her building blocks, “I have to do it for her if nobody else.”
“You said you were his mistress before, right?” Darren aske
d.
“Yes,” Simone answered, not sure where the line of questioning was going.
He simply smiled. “I have an idea.”
****
“I swear I get pregnant first and all of you continue the trend,” Faith sat with her sisters at home.
“Twins and done,” Zoe commented, “we hit the jackpot on the first shot and that’s it.”
“This was a rekindle baby,” Zerrin commented as she rubbed her tummy, “it really was a blessing in disguise.”
“I’m so happy for you all! Now Nathan has cousins he can talk to nearby since Kieran and Tiana are still in L.A. for the time being!” Faith replied. “Though they should move here by the end of the year.”
“How exciting!” Zerrin mentioned. “All of the D’Amatos in New York! This is going to be great.”
“Yadda yadda yadda, we’re all going to be here and that’s great and all but who cares?” Zoe interrupted, sticking her tongue at Zerrin. “I’m more interested in what’s going on over there.” She pointed at Faith.
“With me?” Faith placed a hand to her chest. “What do you mean?”
“What do I mean? Girl, you damn well know I mean what’s up with you and Golden Child.” Zoe replied. “You two have been separated for six months now. Are you two reconciling? Are you dating other people? What’s up?”
“No talks of reconciliation yet but we might be headed towards there,” Faith acknowledged. “I finally decided to be a woman and take responsibility for my actions. I haven’t told him this yet but I’m going to soon.”
“It needs to be soon,” Zoe mentioned, “like real soon.”
“Oh?” Zerrin turned to her sister. “Is there something you know?”
“Eli’s seeing somebody,” Zoe replied, “you didn’t hear that from me. I wasn’t even supposed to know about it.”
“How do you know?” Zerrin asked. “I don’t even know about it.”
“I overheard Joey giving him dating advice and he referred to her as The Doctor,” Zoe commented. “Since everyone calls you the Sex Doctor, I knew he wasn’t talking about you.”
“And thanks for that title, by the way,” Zerrin rolled her eyes. She turned to Faith. “Are you okay with this?”
Faith wasn’t okay. She wasn’t pissed off or irritated. She was saddened. Eli was seeing someone else and she was a doctor! Faith the Hairstylist couldn’t compete with Eli’s Girlfriend the Doctor.
If things worked out between them, he was going to eventually file paperwork for the divorce. She wanted her ex to be happy but not at the sacrifice of her own happiness. It was time to start fighting for her man and pray to God to send him back to her. “We’ll have to see what happens,” she answered.
****
It was hard sitting on the sidelines and watching your family flourish.
He watched every single episode of Madre’s and owned the first three seasons on Blu-ray. He bragged to anyone who would listen about his boys and how proud he was of all of them. While the brothers purposely kept his name out of their mouths, it didn’t stop Giorgio from sharing his story all over the world. He had several interviews lined up in promoting his book, The Real D’Amato Father, a New York Times bestseller.
The absence of his family still hit Giorgio hard as years passed. Kieran and Nick flat out refused a meeting with him. Joey was open to the idea of reconciling by only e-mail first. Tony could handle a once in a while phone call. It was only Eli who would speak with him in person.
It was something Giorgio D’Amato was used to. Though he’d done well for himself with several businesses and restaurants, it was nothing like sharing it with his sons. They’d all grown to be such wonderful and responsible men with their own successful careers and significant others. And grandchildren! By the year’s end, there would be ten in all, with possibly more in the future.
He just needed to get back into his sons’ good graces.
The time for reminiscing and reuniting would be later. His middle child came to him with surprising news and Giorgio was shocked at first Eli came to him. He then understood why.
“Well,” Giorgio began, “do you think it’s your child?”
“I have no clue,” Eli admitted. He sipped his cognac between cigar puffs. “Like, she doesn’t look anything like me but hell, neither does E.J. and he shares my name.”
“What the child looks like doesn’t matter. Nicky was named after your mother but he looks like me. So does Kieran.” Giorgio replied. “How do you feel about the child? Do you feel it’s yours?”
Eli shrugged. He couldn’t say for sure. He felt strange denying a child that could possibly be his flesh and blood. “I honestly don’t know.”
“What if she’s yours?” Giorgio sipped his drink. “Then what?”
“I’ll tell Faith and just see where the chips land. She could stay by me or she could dump my stupid ass,” he shrugged. “I put her through so much, I wouldn’t blame her if she did finally leave.”
“Something tells me she won’t leave you. She might consider it but she won’t do it. She’ll put her differences aside with Simone in order for you to be a good parent to Elena.” Giorgio replied. “I don’t see Faith getting in the way of things.”
“Here’s hoping,” Eli received a text and smiled at the message from Erica. I’ve been thinking about your cock all day. “I need to head out. I need to pick up the kids from mom’s and head home.”
“Okay. Keep me posted.” Giorgio said as Eli finished his drink and gathered his keys. “Eliodoro,” Giorgio called after him and Eli stopped, “have you told your brothers?”
“About Elena? No, not yet.”
“I’m not referring to her,” Giorgio nodded to the bartender. He was in his early twenties with a muscular build, dark hair, and green eyes. “I’m referring to him.”
Eli looked over at the bartender and sighed. It was a conversation for another day. “Does Mom know?” Eli asked.
“No,” Giorgio answered.
“You tell her first before I tell the others,” Eli responded. “I’m not sure how anyone would take the news about a sixth brother.”
Six
“You don’t have to go back to Houston,” Darren watched Simone pack her bags, “your home is here now, back in New York and with me.”
“I can be at two different places,” Simone chuckled. “Besides, you said you liked Houston.”
“I like it in the off-season and I won’t mind residing there during that time.” Darren snaked his hands around Simone’s waist. “But I want you here now.”
“You have a playoff game to prepare for amd I should not be your distraction.” She turned around and kissed her fiancee. “I’ll be back in time for your Super Bowl trip.”
“I’m glad you’re confident we’re going to the Bowl this year.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Simone asked. “You’re the best there is.”
Darren wrapped his arms around his fiancee’s waist and pulled her close to him. “Because you made me the best,” He kissed her.
“Aren’t you two a lovely couple?” Meredith sighed. “I’m so happy you found each other!”
“I guess,” Alicia snickered.
“Be happy for your sister, Alicia. She’s found love. You found love, too, and she was happy for you.”
“Anyway,” Alicia texted on her phone, “are we done here?”
“The driver’s outside waiting for you. Go meet with them.” Darren instructed and the two ladies left with Elena. He focused his attention back to Simone. “If you need me to fly to Houston to deal with Eli, I will.”
“I’ll keep you posted. Everything will be fine now.” She kissed him again. “I promise you.”
“Okay,” Darren wished he could believe his fiancee. He knew Eli too well and the D’Amato power was a quiet force in New York. Things would either go very well or very bad. “Let me know.”
Outside in the limo, Alicia furiously texted someone. I have an exclusive story for you regarding Eli D’
Amato.
The reply text was brief. What is it?
He might have an outside child.
An outside child?
Yes! I know who the baby’s mother is. I have an e-mail and pics for proof.
How much are you asking?
At least 100K.
Girl, bye. We’re not paying 100K for that.
What about 75K?
We’ll see you later.
Okay. I’m willing to go down to 50K but that is my final offer.
10K and that’s it.
Deal!
What’s your name?
I’m not giving out my name.
No name, no money.
Fine, but only my first – Alicia.
Okay, Alicia. We’ll be in touch. We’ll set up a time to meet and exchange info and money. Sit tight.
You won’t regret it.
“Alicia, who are you texting?”
Alicia quickly erased the conversation and put away her phone. “Just Thomas. Asking him what’s for dinner.” She smiled.
Seven
“This is nice,” Erica walked outside to the balcony at the bed and breakfast they stayed at. “She breathed in the fresh air and bundled herself with a light blanket. “This is so nice!”
For a romantic Valentine’s getaway, Eli surprised Erica with a trip to Vermont at one of the country’s best bed and breakfasts, The West Hill House. When Erica got a rare free weekend, Eli spared no expense and took out of the state to purge her mind (and his) of anything business-related. They would deal with all things business come Monday.
It was a nice drive up to Vermont as the couple got to know each other more. She learned Eli listened to classical music when he did he designs so he could concentrate. He discovered she originally wanted to be a professional ice-skater but a biology class in high school sealed her fate. They got into a friendly debate on who was the better villian – Freddy or Jason.
“It’s very nice,” Eli stepped outside with her. He breathed in the crisp Vermont air and smelled the delicious scent of pine wood. “I never been up here before so this is new to me, too.”