Mirabella glanced to her husband. He hadn’t touched the plate put in front of him by the server. Instead he stared directly at Jamie who sat at another table across from them. Jamie was hard to miss. She too had too much to drink and laughed loudly. She yelled across the table at Kyra a few times. Giovanni’s brows lowered and his violet-blue gaze narrowed on the transgender shoemaker. Mirabella placed her hand on his thigh. His gaze slipped over to her. “Can you come here tomorrow, around two?”
“Why?” Giovanni asked.
“We have a reporter coming. I was thinking we could do the interview together and let them take some pictures of the children. It’s what the P.R. team suggests. And since Thursday promises to be crazy it’s best to do it before then.”
Giovanni winked. She exhaled a sigh of relief. Why she was so tense about his approval, when he’d done nothing so far but offer it, was beyond her. She leaned in to kiss his cheek. He liked the attention. She could tell. Marriage changed her and him. They both found it hard to compromise. No matter what his words of encouragement were, she knew his true feelings. It was like a sixth sense of hers.
“All right, I think I’m done. Since we have an early start in the morning we should probably leave.” Before she could say more Giovanni scooted his chair back and stood. He stepped behind her and pulled out her chair. “Good night,” Mirabella said. “See you in the morning.” She left the party with her hand in his. Mirabella didn’t bother to look back.
“What just happened?” Shae asked.
Marietta downed the last of her champagne. “Party over. The King has come for the Queen.”
“He’s pretty intense. Barely spoke to anyone. Is he mad at her?” Shae asked.
Marietta laughed. “No. I think that was him being supportive.”
“Hey, are you two going to leave? Now?” Catalina asked.
“Looks like the party is over.” Marietta said with a pout. “I was just getting Mira to loosen up, and he had to come in and spoil the fun.”
“Oh leave Gio alone. He was being supportive. It was cute,” Catalina said.
“Whatever.” Marietta shrugged.
“Dominic is going to stay and wait for us, Marietta. Let’s go up to Mira’s office. I haven’t seen you in weeks. We have the party in Bellagio to discuss. I need your permission, and signatures.”
“Excuse me, ladies,” Shae spoke up. “Is it okay if I head back with the Don and his wife? I’m worn out.”
“Oh shit. Yes, girl, I’m sorry. You’ve been on a plane twice today and the time change and all. Go on. Get some rest.”
“Thanks!” Shae got her purse and hurried after Mirabella and Giovanni.
Catalina elbowed Marietta. “I like her. She seems like fun,” she said.
“She is. She’ll be the life of the party. Trust me.” Marietta yawned. She glanced over to Dominic. “Where is my bad boy husband, Domi? He said he would come and pick me up.”
Dominic continued to eat. He didn’t even look up. Marietta cut her gaze away. She’d be lucky if she was awake when Lorenzo came home. “Yeah, let’s go upstairs and finish things. We have so much left to do we should get it over with as soon as we can.”
They said their goodbyes to a few and walked off together.
**
Mirabella glanced over to her husband. He hadn’t spoken. Leo drove. Shae rode in the passenger seat, silent as well. Rocco travelled in the car behind them with their men. The silence felt like an order from her husband as opposed to a natural settlement within the group. Giovanni stared out of the window for most of the drive home. Typically that meant he was deep in thought. She reached over and took his hand. He squeezed hers but didn’t look her way. That confirmed it. He wasn’t happy, and that made her sad.
“Everything was so beautiful tonight,” Shae said.
“
Grazie.
I can’t wait for tomorrow. So much to do,” Mirabella replied.
The car drove up the hill and through the gates. Giovanni’s hand left hers as soon as the car stopped. Mirabella sobered. She was helped from the car and met her husband at the steps. She glanced back once to Shae and winked. “See you in the morning.”
Shae nodded. She watched the Don take his wife inside without a backward glance. As she started toward the steps she caught the shadow of movement to her left from her peripheral vision. Three men emerged. The one who glanced up in her direction was the one she’d noticed before. Their eyes met. Carlo’s brow arched at her refusal to lower her gaze.
Was he going to walk right up to her?
God she hoped so.
Shae sucked in her diaphragm and let him get a good look at her. She knew under the moonlight, the red satin material of her dress looked like liquid draped over her curves. To her disappointment Carlo and his men walked over to a car. He got behind the wheel. He glanced up at her again from the inside. He said something to the men in the car and they all looked to her. Carlo shook his head, and the men laughed. He started the car and drove out of the drive.
Was that a dismissal?
Shae stood there stunned. Not many men, black, white, or purple turned away when she looked them in the eye. She crossed her arms in disappointment. Another man approached her and asked her something in Italian. Shae cut her eyes and stormed up the steps. This was far from over.
**
“Are you going to give me the silent treatment the rest of the night?” Mirabella asked. She glanced up to the reflection of Giovanni’s piercing blue stare in the mirror before her. It never wavered.
“Did you check on Gino?” he asked.
“You know I did. Maybe you should go in and say goodnight.” Mirabella removed one diamond earring, and then the other. Giovanni turned and walked back into their bedroom. With a burdened sigh she decided in that moment to deal with her husband’s sulking. She would not let his mood ruin the great days she had ahead of her. And she was horny. Wine always made her horny. He always made her horny. Mirabella followed him back into the bedroom. He paced before the bed. Sex was the last thing on his mind. She waited until he worked through whatever he had to say. He stopped and looked at her.
“Say it? What have I done now?” Mirabella threw her hands up.
He sat on the bed. He wiped his hand down his face and exhaled a deep breath. “You looked beautiful tonight.”
“You’re angry because I look beautiful?” she asked.
“You looked like my wife. Beautiful,” he clarified.
Mirabella paused. She waited for more. He didn’t speak. “Thank yo—”
“Why were you drinking?” he asked. “In public.”
Mirabella laughed.
He did not.
“I had a glass of wine,” she answered.
“You’re drunk now,” he accused.
“I am hardly drunk. I was celebrating. I had a few glasses of wine—”
“More than a few,” Giovanni narrowed his cold hard gaze on her.
“I have more than a few here with you. And you never complain. Besides you of all people need not lecture anyone on drinking.”
“My drinking and yours is not the same,” he said.
“Oh Giovanni, let it go. I’m not in the mood to fight.”
“The people work for you, Bella. You must always behave like my Donna and theirs in public. Always. Who do you think feeds the tabloids stories about your life?”
“My staff does not—”
“You barely know half of them,” he reminded her.
“And why is that? Huh? Why is it I can never meet with them? I can never travel to see them?”
“Because you are a mother. A wife! Bella, you know the rules!” Giovanni reasoned.
“Rules! Rules! Rules! Oh my God. Would you stop with these damn rules?”
“I knew it. I knew this company would be a problem. This is a bad idea. You aren’t ready for this,” he said.
“There it is!” She pointed at him. “Right there. You said it. You want to stop my show. You’re the one that’s not ready!”
“I didn’t say that.” Giovanni’s brows shot up in surprise.
“No.” Mirabella shook her head in refusal. “I’m not going to take the bait. You want to fight, and all I want to do is rejoice. Oh tonight was so much fun. I had a great time! A fabulous time! Tonight has been one of the best nights of my life,” she smiled though the action hurt to do so. She neared the verge of tears. If she cried, if she gave in to her emotions and let him box her in, she’d lose. And it was always a damned battle.
“I thought our wedding night was the best night of your life,” he said.
She ignored him and continued. “All day I’ve been so nervous. So worried about how things would be. I had second thoughts, Giovanni. I love my life as it is. I was thinking that maybe you are right and I don’t need to be a designer again. Believe me, I’m happy being your wife, a mother. I take pride in it.”
He smiled. She wasn’t finish. “Then I get there and it was all about me. My passions. It was like I finally saw what Fabiana and Teddy used to tell me. The company isn’t dollars and cents. It’s my heart. See? See?” she held her hands out. “My hands are shaking I’m so excited thinking about it.”
“And you didn’t want to include me?” he asked.
Mirabella blinked in shock. It dawned on her the reason for his attitude. Why he kept pushing for the argument. Not her drinking, not even her having a party. He was jealous because she purposefully excluded him. And she did. A measure of her anger softened. It was a big night and she could have invited him. Part of her did want to. She struggled with finding the words to explain her conflict. She decided honesty would be the best approach.
“To be honest, sweetheart, you’re a big distraction.”
“Why? Why can’t I be part of this and not a distraction?” he frowned.
“Because you take up so much of my heart, Gio. It’s hard to explain. I look at you and I see love. I look into your eyes and I see our family. I see myself the way you see me. You never see me as Mirabella Ellison.” She let her words sink in. When he was unable to look her in the eye she knew he agreed with her. “The night was not about you. The truth is, Gio, tonight I didn’t put you first for the first time in two years, and it felt good.”
“Is it possible I could love my husband and my company differently? Is it possible you could love your business and me differently?” she asked.
“You’re twisting my love for you to say it’s exclusive, my way only,” he said. “I love you, Bella. All of you. I never knew you didn’t understand why I prefer the woman standing before me. The woman who returned to me after I thought she was dead, with a daughter, and gave me sons, my own family. She’s special to me. I live for that woman.”
“And you’re twisting my actions tonight. It’s what we do when we talk around our issues instead of hearing each other. It’s the same sad cycle. It’s exhausting.”
He nodded. “Yes. It is exhausting.”
He ran his hand back over his head and cursed under his breath. He refused to let go of his hurt. She wanted to apologize for hurting his feelings. She was on the verge of doing so but held back. She believed the truth was important to say. No matter how hurtful. It kept them honest. It kept them focused. That’s what she told herself. “I may have drunk a little more than I intended. Some of the things I’m saying may be coming out wrong, Gio. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, sweetheart. You’re right. I’m wrong. Let’s forget about it.”
“I heard you,” he said.
“Good. Finally! It’s over,” she sighed.
“Not my meaning, Bella. I heard you. Tonight,” he said.
“I don’t understand?” she frowned.
“I heard Marietta’s toast. I saw you with those people. I saw you give your speech. The way you… spoke, it… it reminded me of us. Before.”
“Before what?” she asked.
He sat down. She decided to join him by sitting at his side on the bed. “With all that we’ve been through I don’t understand why seeing me give a speech to my employees would bother you so much.”
“It’s not the words you used. It’s the way you looked. The way you sounded. It reminded me of who you were.” He scratched his brow. “I wasn’t prepared to see you as her again. With those people,” he said.
Mirabella shook her head at his logic. She wanted to smack him. He was acting like a toddler.
Why couldn’t he just be heroic, or accepting of change? Why must he always be this man who hid his insecurities from everyone else, but punished her with them privately? Why was he so damn insistent that anything that divided her heart was a threat to be eliminated?
Every man she ever loved had been this way. It was her mother’s curse.
“Bella?” he said.
“You saw the woman you fell in love with and that upset you? You saw people that I respect and love celebrating my accomplishments, and that pissed you off? What am I supposed to say to that, Gio?”
“It’s my issue. It’s a feeling that I have in my gut. I can’t explain it. The faster we move toward this thing, the more my gut tells me we should slow down.”
“It’s our issue. How could my happiness ever make you uncomfortable? It hurts my feelings.”
“Cara,”
he said softly. “I don’t mean it that way. I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”