Twisted Bonds

by Reilly, Cora

  Nino smiled at me. “You haven’t been this happy in a long time.”

  “I’ve always been happy with you, but this makes it even more perfect.”

  When we stepped inside the gaming room, everyone was already waiting. Fabiano and Leona, Serafina and Remo with the twins, and even Savio and Adamo. Serafina stood and walked over to me. “Oh, he’s cute.”

  “He is,” I agreed.

  Nevio stumbled over to me, curious as always and grabbed my knees. He pointed one tiny finger up at Alessio. “You want to see him?”

  A jerky nod. Nino picked him up and held him close to me. Nevio tilted his head, watching everything with his dark eyes.

  “Alessio’s going to be Greta’s and your best friend, Nevio.”

  “They’ll get in trouble together, that’s for sure,” Remo said as he came over with Greta who was as curious about the new arrival as her brother but not as bold.

  “See, Greta?” Remo murmured. “Now you aren’t the smallest person in this house. We need to teach you how to kick ass so you and Nevio can protect Alessio.”

  Savio snorted. “Good luck. That kid doesn’t have a single aggressive bone in her body. No way will she ever kick anyone’s ass.”

  Remo glowered at his brother. “I’ll teach her.”

  I had to agree with Savio, which didn’t happen very often. Greta was soft-spoken, gentle and cautious, and I doubted that would change with time. Not everyone wanted to fight, and that was okay, even if Remo disagreed.

  “If she doesn’t want to fight, Alessio and Nevio are going to protect her,” I said, pressing a kiss to Alessio’s soft hair. The others gathered around Alessio and me as well, and I showed him to everyone.

  “Hey Alessio,” Fabiano said with a small smile. “Finally, another blue-eyed boy in this family.”

  “You could just start working on blue-eyed kids yourself,” Remo suggested with a twisted grin.

  Fabiano’s eyes widened in alarm, and Leona shook her head quickly.

  “Not yet,” she said. They exchanged a look and laughed.

  “I think there are enough babies in this house now,” Savio said.

  Remo’s mouth twitched. “We’ll see.”

  “Oh man,” Adamo said. I rolled my eyes at him and he gave me a small smile, one that reminded me of the ones from the past. “He is cute though.”

  “I know he is,” I said.

  Nevio and Greta were still curiously, considering the newcomer. I couldn’t wait for them to be older and play together in the garden.

  Alessio began to squirm and mewl softly, smacking his lips. “You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

  “Do you want me to prepare a bottle for him?” Serafina asked at once.

  Smiling, I nodded. “That would be great.”

  She handed Nevio over to Nino then hurried away.

  “I can’t believe someone would throw a baby into the trash,” Leona said in disbelief, coming closer.

  Remo and Nino exchanged a dark look.

  “He’s too thin and he’s got cigarette burns on his stomach,” Nino said. “And the whore didn’t even remember his birthday.”

  “She gave birth to him in the apartment of a shitty dealer she fucked in return for drugs and didn’t take him to a doctor until a few days later.”

  My throat tightened as I regarded Alessio. Nino had briefly mentioned that we’d have to choose the birthday of our son but it seemed like such a monumental thing to decide that we hadn’t made up our minds yet.

  Leona shook her head with glassy eyes.

  “Fuck,” Savio muttered. “We’ve done some crazy shit but dumping a baby, burning it, that’s just fucked up.”

  “He’s safe now,” Remo said.

  “And in a few years, he’ll be strong enough to defend himself,” Fabiano added.

  “You’ll be as strong as your dad and your uncles,” I told my boy.

  I settled on the sofa with Leona and Serafina while the twins played with each other on the floor.

  I couldn’t stop looking at Alessio as he drank from his bottle, resting peacefully in the crook of my arm.

  He was a small baby with thin arms and an almost elfish face, too thin. “We’ll work on those chubby cheeks, won’t we?” I murmured as I stroked his soft cheek then trailed up to his hair. He watched me quietly. Even if his fussy moments would be a lot of work, I preferred them to his very quiet moments, because I always worried that they were a sign of the things he’d already had to endure at such a young age.

  Serafina cooed softly and tugged at his small feet. “Makes me want to have another one.”

  Nevio threw a wooden block away, then another, grinning like that was an achievement.

  “But I’ll give it a few more years,” she added. Nevio continued throwing things around. “Or maybe even longer.”

  Leona laughed. “I can’t believe you want more after giving birth to twins.”

  “Well, I’m not too excited about labor. You didn’t miss anything,” Serafina told me then grimaced. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I’d love to give birth, even if it’s painful, but I’m perfectly happy with Alessio. It doesn’t matter how he came to us. He’s our son.”

  “He is,” Serafina murmured and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “And you’ll be an amazing mom.”

  “Considering that I never had a good or even decent mother, I wonder how I’ll ever be a good mom,” Leona said, touching Alessio’s head gently.

  “I don’t have a role model either. My mother was weak, and then she died, and my aunt always only saw me as burden. I’ll raise Alessio like I would have wanted to be raised, with love and care.”

  NINO

  The other men and I moved to the room adjoining the gaming room, which used to be our father’s office but now harbored only our boxing ring and the pool table as well as part of our liquor cabinet. With our family expanding we needed more room in the gaming room, which was slowly turning into a general common room for all of us. Remo raised a glass. “To the new dad.” We all downed our drink and Adamo hissed at the strength of the alcohol.

  “I’m surprised you killed her,” Adamo said with a frown as we all sank down on the armchairs arranged in a half-circle.

  “I would have been surprised if he didn’t,” Fabiano said, exchanging a look with Remo. “She deserved death.”

  Savio shook his head. “What was he supposed to do to her? Let her go? Hand her over to the police? Not really an option.”

  Adamo shrugged. “She could have worked in one of our other establishments.”

  I said, “For one, it would cause discord among the whores if one of them was known as a child-murderer. Second I don’t want her to cause any kind of trouble for Alessio in the future.”

  “I get it,” Adamo mumbled. “But you are still pissed at our half-brother for killing our father, yet you took from Alessio the chance to kill his mother or meet her.”

  Mentioning Growl around Remo was never a good idea. My personal feelings toward our half-brother bordered on indifferent but I didn’t want another fight between Remo and Adamo. Our mother had caused enough discord between them. I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes. “She isn’t his mother. Kiara is. Alessio won’t ever find out he isn’t our blood.”

  Remo downed his drink. “From this day on this kid is a Falcone. Anyone who dares telling him differently will have to deal with the consequences.”

  I gave Remo a grateful smile. Lying to family wasn’t something Remo or I liked to do but this was for Alessio’s benefit. Finding out about his real mother would do nothing good, only bring pain.

  “You’ll have to decide his birthday,” Remo reminded me.

  If it was up to me, I’d have simply chosen a random date at the beginning of July. Alessio would never know that it might not be the day he was born, and in the long run of a life a few days more or less really weren’t of importance. Kiara, however, needed time to consider the possible dates.
/>   “Do you know who his sperm donor is?” Savio asked.

  Remo’s lips curled. “She went bareback with several customers in the past, there’s no telling who got her knocked up, and like I said, it doesn’t matter.”

  “Could be important for genetic diseases,” Savio said.

  “The whore who gave birth to him was a junkie. She consumed drugs when she was pregnant. The doctors warned us that it could have long-term effects, lead to Alessio having deficits concentrating, or have a penchant for drugs himself.”

  Adamo sank deeper into his chair. He had returned from C.J. like promised, and hadn’t taken any drugs despite not being under supervision. Maybe he was on the right track. I hoped Kiara and I wouldn’t have to see Alessio through something similar in the future.

  “But this was a good reminder that we still have business to attend to as well,” Remo said in a low voice, holding my gaze with the familiar look of hatred in his eyes.

  “We do. Maybe it’s time.”

  Adamo asked, worried, “You want to kill our mother?”

  “She deserves death,” I said, trying to sound poised and calm despite the chaos in my chest.

  “That’s not your decision alone,” Adamo said. “She’s mine and Savio’s mother as well.”

  “I don’t care if they kill her. She’s dead to me anyway. But I don’t want to be involved in it. I don’t want to see her ever again, not dead or alive,” Savio muttered, filling his glass again.

  Remo began pacing the room. Silence fell over us as we watched him, knowing he was close to an outburst. “She tried to kill us all, Adamo. She would still kill us if she got the chance. Sick or not, she’s dangerous. You weren’t there. Not really.”

  “She isn’t the same woman as she was. You have no right to kill her without all of our consent,” Adamo insisted.

  Remo leaned down, bringing his face close to Adamo’s. “Do you really think you know her? Don’t be naïve. You keep trusting the wrong people.”

  Adamo jutted out his chin. I raised a hand before this could get out of control.

  “We don’t have to decide it today. Right now, I have to help Kiara with Alessio, and your birthday is soon, Adamo. After that, we’ll have another discussion, and find a solution.”

  “We won’t decide today,” Remo conceded, straightening. “But there is only one solution.”

  Kiara rocked Alessio gently against her chest as we made our way to our bedroom. It was earlier than our usual bedtime, but Kiara hadn’t slept much and I not at all last night.

  Surprise filled her face when she spotted the rollaway crib beside our bed.

  “Remo and Serafina went out shopping for Alessio this morning. They got this and a few other things for the nursery.”

  “I’ll have to thank them tomorrow,” Kiara said as she ran her fingers along the white crib. The inside was a soft blue with white clouds. “Where are we going to have his nursery?”

  “I thought the room next door would make sense as long while he’s still young, and I reckon you want to have him sleep in our bedroom the first couple of weeks.”

  Kiara gave me an apologetic smile. “I really do. Is that okay for you?”

  I moved over to her, stroking her throat and peering down at the small baby sleeping against her chest. “Why wouldn’t it be? He needs us now. After what he’s experienced, he needs to learn trust, and I know having him here will make you happy.”

  She nodded, her eyes filled with so much love sometimes it still caught me off guard. Sighing, she turned to the crib and carefully laid Alessio down then stayed bent over him and just watched him. I pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “I’ll grab a quick shower.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  When I emerged ten minutes later Kiara had changed into a nightgown and was lying on her side, watching Alessio. She’d removed the bars on the side of the crib facing the bed and was stroking his belly gently.

  I climbed into bed behind her and pressed against her back. She released a small breath. “Sometimes I’m scared he’ll disappear if I close my eyes, and that this will turn out to be a dream.”

  “It’s not,” I murmured against her neck. “And nothing will take him away from us. He’s ours. Have you chosen his birthday?”

  Kiara released a small sigh. “I’ve been thinking about it all day. It seems wrong to decide something like that for a small person.”

  “We have no way of finding out his birth date.”

  “I know, and I think we should just say he was born July 1st. It’s the beginning of a new month, a new start. The possibility of new adventures...” She trailed off. “I know I’m putting too much meaning into a simple date, but I feel like he needs a special day.”

  “That sounds good. First of July, it is then.”

  She nodded. “I’ll always be grateful to Remo and you for bringing him into this family. Many men in our circles wouldn’t want a child that wasn’t their blood, especially not a child from a prostitute. They’d insist to have an heir.”

  I trailed my fingers up and down her slender arm. “Alessio is my heir, Kiara. Blood or not. Remo and I don’t care about that. We took Fabiano in and he’s become our family. And I can’t see how it would matter that his birthmother was a whore. It’s got nothing to do with him. He’ll grow up to be a Falcone.”

  “Look at everyone in this house. All of our pasts hold horrors in some shape or form, but somehow we’ve come together. Sometimes I’m scared it’ll catch up with us. It’s too perfect, too good.”

  I shook my head. “The past is just that. It can only catch up if we allow it to, and we won’t.”

  Kiara smiled, and with that beautiful image I extinguished the lights. I believed in the words I’d just said even if Remo and I were still tethered to our past through our mother.

  That was our weakness and wouldn’t taint our family.

  CHAPTER 24

  NINO

  Despite a lack of sleep a newborn entailed, Kiara seemed to glow with energy and happiness as she took care of Alessio. He hardly slept more than two hours in a row, a fussy and nervous baby who needed lots of attention. That was probably why his birthmother had burnt him. Some people should never consider having children, so very unlike Kiara who had an endless supply of patience, not just for Alessio but for everyone.

  While Kiara prepared a bottle for him, I cradled him on my thighs. He was already mewling, desperate for food. “It’s okay, Alessio. Your mom’s bringing you your milk soon.”

  I gently pushed up his shirt, checking the two burn marks on his belly. They were still red but healing. “Can you give me the salve?” I asked Remo, who’d been kicking the boxing sack, which he refused to have removed from the living area despite Kiara’s and Serafina’s not so subtle hints.

  Stopping his assault, he grabbed the tube from the table, sank down beside me and handed me the salve. I put a bit of it on my fingers and rubbed it between them, so it wouldn’t be too cold then spread it on Alessio’s wounds. He stopped the mewling only moving his mouth as if he was already suckling the bottle.

  “I can’t believe how fucking small he is,” Remo said, touching his finger to Alessio’s palm. “Nevio and Greta were already five months older when I first saw them, and I already thought they were tiny.”

  When I was done with his burns, I pulled back and immediately Alessio mewled again so I kept rubbing his belly with my thumb. Kiara showed up with the bottle and I was about to hand Alessio to her because she’d handled the feeding and almost everything else so far, eager to finally be a mother, but she shook her head.

  “Your turn.”

  I took the bottle from her and she settled on the armrest. The moment I touched the dummy to Alessio’s lips, he eagerly began to suck but I kept stroking his belly since it seemed to calm him. Remo got to his feet and squeezed my shoulder then walked out into the garden.

  “What do you see when you look at him?” Kiara asked, raking her fingers through my hair the way I always
enjoyed.

  I regarded the small child in my lap, the way he clung to the bottle as if it could be taken from him at any point, the red marks on his belly, the way he responded to gentle touch. “You. I see you.”

  Kiara tilted her head with a curious expression. “Me? He doesn’t look like me.”

  “That’s not what I mean,” I said, trying to put into words what I felt because that was what Kiara had actually been asking. “I see you because he needs protection and care like you did when you were given to me. I see you because he means you’re happy. I see your love. That’s why I’ll come to love him like I came to love you. You know, it takes time for me.”

  “I know, and your words are already more than I expected.” She leaned forward and kissed my cheek.

  When we brought him to bed around seven that evening, I wrapped my arms around Kiara from behind, nuzzling her neck. We hadn’t been intimate since Alessio had joined our family. Kiara couldn’t relax with him in the same room and she didn’t want to leave him alone yet. I pressed my erection against her lower back and she released a small sigh, and looked at me over her shoulder. “I can’t with him in the same room.”

  “I know,” I murmured and held up the baby phone. “We can leave him here and still make sure he’s fine.”

  She bit her lip, torn between her need to protect him and her need for physical closeness. I stroked her side. “Put on your new red dress but no panties and come down to the piano. Bring your red silk shawl. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Kiara nodded.

  I turned and headed downstairs. After putting the baby phone on a side table on loud, I sank down on the bench in front of the piano. My cock was straining against my pants. I desired Kiara in a way I hadn’t thought possible. Being with a woman for a couple of years, I’d have thought I’d grow tired of her body, her scent, her taste, but far from it.

  I started to play the song I’d created with Kiara until I heard the sound of heels. Kiara descended the stairs in her knee-length elegant red dress and the matching sling-pumps, clutching the red silk shawl in one hand. She looked curious and eager as she approached me. I didn’t stop playing until she was beside me.