Authors: Andrea Smith
“Yes,” I laughed, “Just the little one kicking.”
“Oh, let me feel,” Amber said, finally raising her ass out of that chair to come over and lean down. She put her hand on my rounded belly, which is clearly a ‘no-no’ with pregnant women. I didn’t want to appear rude, so I remained silent for the time being.
She moved her hand all over my belly. It was starting to get weird.
“I can’t feel anything,” she said, a look of disappointment crossing her features. She was now resting her hand on my belly waiting.
Just then I got another round of vibrations from my silver bullet compliments of Tristan. I squirmed around in my chair.
“Is it moving again? I can’t feel it.”
“Okay. I’ve got to get up and walk this off,” I said, taking her hand and removing it from my belly. I got up and walked over to the chair she had just vacated, shooting Tristan a dirty look as I sat down next to him.
As soon as the conversation started back up between Darin and Trey, Amber sat down next to her date. I turned to Tristan.
“Nice move, Tristan.”
“Hey - it got you over here where you wanted to be, didn’t it?”
I had to smile at him. He knew me so well and
yet he wasn’t scared off.
He leaned over and gave me a kiss; his eyes were sparkling with affection. Tristan loved me, I was sure of that. He didn’t seem the least bit phased or affected by Amber. I looked up then and saw Amber staring at Trey as if she wanted to devour him. When she saw me watching her, she quickly looked away, finally giving Darin some attention. I glanced over to see if Tylar had caught it but she had dozed off in her chair, her head resting against Trey’s shoulder.
When we got home there was a message on our landline voicemail that my mother had called. She wanted me to call her back at my earliest.
I phoned her back. She picked up the phone recognizing our number on her called ID.
“Oh Gina Marie, I have bad news,” she wailed, clearly upset.
(Oh God! Is Daddy okay?)
‘What is it, Mom?”
“Angie is dead. Leo found her this morning. She died in her sleep. They think it was a heart attack.”
“Mrs. Camerucci?”
“Yes, yes. Angie Camerucci is gone. My best friend; your godmother is dead, Gina.”
I talked to my mother for a few more minutes trying to get her calmed down. This was major for her; Angie Camerucci had been like a sister to her. She was my godmother and like an aunt to me.
My mother was going to call me the following day with the arrangements. I couldn’t tell my mother that I didn’t want to come back for the funeral. She would wonder why. I had nothing to tell her. I had nothing that I was prepared to tell her.
Tristan was coming out of the shower, towel drying his hair as he caught me on my way in.
“What is it, babe?”
His eyes were looking into mine. He knew something was wrong even though he had been in the shower when I returned Mom’s call.
“Oh it’s nothing, Tristan. My mom’s best friend - and my godmother - passed away suddenly. She apparently had a heart attack and died in her sleep. Mom’s really upset.”
“Well it sounds like something to me, babe. Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine, Tristan. Mom is calling tomorrow to let me know the funeral arrangements, but you know, I think I’m going to explain to her that I can’t make it.”
“Why would you do that, Gina? Were you not close to this person?”
“Mrs. Camerucci? Yeah, sure. She was like an aunt to me. I knew her from the time I was born, I guess.”
“Then why don’t you want to make the trip? At the very least, it will probably be the last trip you will be able to make there before the baby arrives.”
“I just don’t think I should leave you alone to handle the club and all.” I saw a frown cross his face; I knew that he wasn’t buying my excuse, damn him.
“Gina, you work two shifts a week. I think we can get someone to fill in for you.”
“What if I don’t want to go, Tristan? Maybe I just don’t fucking want to go!”
I started past him into the bathroom to start my shower. He was right here, pulling me back to him. He tilted my head up so that I was forced to look at him.
“Are you going to tell me what the problem is, Gina? I didn’t think that we had secrets from each other.”
I wasn’t going to let him pull that number on me. We sure as hell had secrets. I knew that for a fact. When I didn’t answer him immediately, he stuck the knife in a bit deeper.
“Well, apparently you have secrets from me, I guess.”
My temper flared instantaneously at his comment.
“Oh no you don’t, Tristan. Don’t you dare act as if you haven’t kept secrets from me, because I know better.”
He furrowed his brows trying to get a clue as to what I was talking about. He was soon going to find out.
“I’m not following you, Gina. What secret have I kept from you?”
“I want to know when you fucked Amber.”
“What? Amber who?”
“Oh for Chrissake! Amber Stratton? The bitch sitting next to you today at the cookout? The bitch that is constantly watching your every move?”
“I have never fucked her! Hell, I barely even know her. What kind of craziness is this, Gina?”
“You tell me, Tristan. She obviously knows you! She is the one that talked to Ian at the bar weeks ago. She is the one that told Ian you have a big cock; and what is more, she is the one that told Ian about your little devil’s fork birthmark that I fucking found on your ass! The one that you didn’t even know you had. Explain that!”
“I can’t explain it, but I damn well will find out what it’s all about. I promise you that!”
I turned away from him to start the shower; he grabbed my wrist and whirled me back to face him. He was still determined to find out what he thought I was hiding from him. He had my wrist in a tight grip.
“Oh, I see. What are you going to do, Tristan? Slap me? Shove me around a little bit? Show me whose boss? You don’t see me curling up in a little ball out of fear, do you? Go ahead, slap me, hit me with your best shot; you fucking know that you want to!”
I watched as his facial expression morphed into confusion and revulsion at the thought of doing harm to me. Why had I said that to him? I knew he was not that type of man. Nick was; Tristan wasn’t. He released my wrist and gently pulled me against him. His hand went to the back of my head, gently stroking my hair. He lowered his lips to the top of my head, kissing it and whispering to me.
“You tell me when you’re ready, sweet baby,” he said softly. I’m here for you, okay?”
I nodded into his chest. I hated when he got all emotional like that with me. There was no call for him to treat me as if I was fragile.
Tristan took me to the airport the following Tuesday to catch my flight to Newark. I had a sick feeling of dread about going to the funeral. I had loved Mrs. Camerucci. She had always done right by me. It was Nick that I dreaded seeing. I hadn’t seen him since I had left Atlantic City all those years ago. That was no accident either, it was planned. I hadn’t wanted to see him again after I left him. It was too painful.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you, Gina?” Tristan asked as he walked me into the terminal. “I can still arrange for someone to cover for me if you want me there with you.”
“Tristan, it is fine. It is one night. I can manage.”
“I know you can manage. I just thought maybe you would like my company while you did.”
He was so fucking sweet at times; most of the time, actually.
“Truthfully Tristan, I will feel better knowing you are keeping things in order at the club.”
He walked with me until we got to the security check. He handed me my carry-on bag.
“I’ll be here to pick you up tomorrow evening, Gina. Call me later when you get in, okay?”
“I will, Tristan.”
He leaned down giving me a warm kiss on my lips.
“I love you, Gina.”
“Right back at you, Tristan.”
My mother was busy in the kitchen when Dad brought me home from the airport. I knew she would be cooking up all kinds of Italian dishes to take over to the Camerucci’s. It was customary. I smelled the aroma as soon as I was in the door. I shed my coat and immediately went to her in the kitchen.
“Oh Mom,” I said, wrapping my arms around her apron clad body. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”
“Gina Marie,” she said, tears flowing now, “I’m so glad you made it. I know Angie is watching us from heaven. We were best friends for more than forty years. She was only fifty-four. I don’t know how Leo will manage.”
“I know, Mom. It will be tough. But Leo is strong, right?”
She nodded, pulling a tissue from the pocket of her apron to wipe her nose.
“Where’s Pete and Amie?” I asked.
“They’re driving in from Philly,” she said, sniffling. “They should be here anytime.”
“And Nick?” I asked, hesitantly.
“He’s in from the city with his wife, Teresa. He’s been helping Leo with the arrangements. You’re not going to be uncomfortable seeing Nick, are you?”
“What? No Mom. That was a long time ago.”
“I suppose time has healed his broken heart by now. You know he was devastated when you left him like that, Gina. Angie said she had never seen him so distraught. He never would tell us what happened. Neither would you, Gina. Angie and I had always thought the two of you would marry and raise a pack of children. Had you already met Ian, Gina? Is that why you left him?”
“No, Mom. I didn’t meet Ian until after I had already left Nick. I told you, things just didn’t work out. Come on; let me help you stuff the cannelloni.”
I needed to get her off the subject of Nick. I told her that things were going well with Tristan and me. She already had a bit of an attitude about him not coming with me. I assured her that it had been at my insistence.
After we finished up in the kitchen, I went upstairs to my old bedroom. Everything was as if I had never moved away. I looked at the pictures still taped to my dresser mirror. There was still a picture of me and Nick when he took me to my senior prom. He had already graduated and moved to Atlantic City. He had made a trip home in order to take me to prom. He didn’t want any other guy taking me. It wasn’t as if I had them lined up waiting to ask.
I pulled the picture down of me in my high school graduation robe. Nick was standing beside me with his arm wrapped possessively around me. His dark, brooding good looks had always mesmerized me. Now they gave me chills. I remembered how I had left Hoboken two days after graduation to join Nick in Atlantic City. He dealt blackjack in one of the major casinos. He was going to get me a job as a dealer there, too. He had spent hours training me on the proper way to deal the deck. It was going to be perfect.