The muscles in Kyle’s jaw tightened.
“All right,” Lucca declared, breaking the tension in the air. “That’s enough you two, no more. You know the rules. Change the subject.”
“I didn’t start it,” Nathan said, taking another swig of his beer before he pointed it at Kyle, “he did.”
“Well, it needs to stop,” Dante added. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you two since the wedding.”
“I agree,” Mickey said. “Every time you two get a few drinks in you, you start with this shit.”
“I didn’t start shit!” Nathan snapped.
“You’re right, you’re right,” Kyle raised his hands in mock surrender. “It’s me. I’m ruining the celebration. So—please—allow me to make a toast.” He lifted his drink. “To my whorish ways, and the illegitimate child those ways gave me, and to Nathan’s
exceptional, multiple child producing sperm
. Congratulations, Nathan, you stole, married, and impregnated the love of my life—”
Abruptly, Nathan shot up and lunged for Kyle.
Oh … maybe he is going to beat Kyle’s ass
.
“Fuck you, Kyle!” he shouted.
Lucca jumped up and shoved Nathan back into his seat.
Pity
, Robert thought. Nathan would have ripped him apart.
“Stop it, Nathan,” Lucca shouted. “That’s enough! This is the same stupid ass fight you had the night before the wedding. You’ve both had too much to drink. Every time you do this you wake up in the morning regretting everything you said, so cut it out.”
Kyle snorted and took another drink. “It’s Nathan’s fault for being such a shit brother,” he muttered.
“Goddamit, Kyle,” Mickey groaned. “Will you just chill on that shit?”
Kyle let out a short, derisive laugh. “
Of course.
Here comes Nathan’s fucking mini-me to defend him and
everything
he does.”
“Maybe I’d care about what you’re saying if it wasn’t just you being a jackass. Carter’s the love of
Nathan’s
life, that’s why he married her. She wasn’t the love of your life, that’s why you fucked girls like Tessa instead of taking the nice girl on a fucking date.”
“Fuck you, Mikilo!”
“Don’t fucking talk to him like that, Kyle. He’s telling the truth,” Nathan yelled. “You always do shit like this when you want to change the direction of a conversation.”
“Bullshit!”
“It’s true, Kyle,” Dante said calmly. “You don’t want us to talk about your child and why you’re dead set on abandoning it—”
Kyle let out an enraged grunt and violently raked his fingers through his hair. “God, Dante! I get so sick of your bullshit. You think you know everything when you don’t know shit, including when to
shut the fuck up
.”
Dante glared at Kyle. “Don’t talk to me like that, Kyle. You know better.”
“Honestly, Kyle, you just keep pushing,” Nathan shot angrily. “One of these days you’re going to make me forget that we’re brothers.”
“Yeah, well you already forgot that the day you asked Carter to marry you.”
Nathan slammed his hand on the table in front of them. “That’s bullshit. It’s fucking bullshit! I don’t care what you say, I will never regret marrying Carterina—”
“Stop.”
Her voice was soft, but Robert knew that all of the young men had heard it when they paused and silence swept over the room. Every head snapped in the direction of the bedroom where Carter and Gabriel stood. Carter was dressed in her long, pink, Hello Kitty pajama shirt, and Gabriel in a pair of hot pink, also Hello Kitty, draw string sweat pants and a gray T-shirt. Robert noted that—surprisingly—their clothing didn’t take away from their intimidating demeanor. Carter’s glare was fierce, and Gabriel’s smile was positively evil as he silently stood next to his angry sister as if he knew something they didn’t.
Carter stormed across the main area, and Robert could have sworn he saw them all flinch. He smiled. Never had he been more proud of his little girl.
Nathan broke the silence by clearing his throat. “Carter—”
Carter whipped around, cutting off his words. “Do
not
, Nathan Salerno.”
Reluctantly Nathan closed his mouth and Robert was glad. The boy needed to let Carterina help. There was too much testosterone in the room. The fight was headed toward dangerous territory because Kyle showed no signs of backing off. They wouldn’t have been able to stop the brawl, but she could. And she did.
“What have they been drinking, Mikilo?” she asked as she pulled the trash can from underneath the sink.
“Scotch, a little whisky, and beer.”
Carter threw every ounce of liquor on the bar in the trash can. “You want to act like children, then I’ll treat you like children,” she muttered under her breath angrily.
“Carter,” Nathan yelled. “What that hell? That cost—”
“Nathan!” Carter shouted as she stormed over to the table where he sat. “I do not care how much it cost. I don’t. You’re cut off for the rest of this trip. Give me the beer!” She pointed at the bottle in front of him. When he didn’t immediately hand it to her, she leaned forward until they were nose to nose and spoke through clenched teeth. “Nathan Salerno, I swear if you do not give me that beer in your hand, you won’t be drinking alcohol until I can. And that won’t be until
after
I’m finished breast feeding
your children
.”
They silently glared at one another for a few seconds before Nathan released the beer in his hand and Carter discarded it in the trash. After throwing away a few more bottles of liquor, Carter walked over to Kyle and held out her hand.
“Give it to me.”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “You’re being ridiculous, Carter. I’m a full-grown man. I can have beer if I please.”
Carter shrugged. “Look at it like this, Kyle. I’m supposed to be on bed rest right now, so how long are you going to make me stand here in front of you until you give me what I asked for—”
Carter hadn’t even finished her question before Kyle gave her the alcoholic beverage, which she promptly discarded into the trash can.
“Kyle, and Nathan,” she said their names softly as she walked to stand where they both could see her. “Never. Again.”
They called her name simultaneously, but she looked away from them and waved off their arguments.
“I don’t want to hear it!” she said sharply. “I won’t be talking about it with either of you tonight, but trust, we will be talking about it. Nathan, we’ll talk when we get home. Kyle,” she turned her gaze to him and walked over to stand in front of him, “your child. Boy or girl?”
When Kyle looked away from her, Cater gripped his face and turned it back to her direction. “Stop it, Kyle,” she yelled.
“Just let it go, Carter. It’s none of your damn business.”
“You’ve said that to me more times than I can count, Kyle, and has it ever once worked for you?”
“Unfortunately not,” he muttered dryly.
“So shut the hell up and listen.” She smacked him across the head.
“Ow!”
“Is your child a boy or girl?”
“It’s a girl. Damn!”
She captured his face in both of her hands and leaned down to his level. “Then get your shit together. You are not a coward,” she said thoughtfully. “You’re a man. A good man. Do not deprive your child of a chance to know you, to love you.” She sighed and released his face. Squatting down in front of him, she placed her hand to his heart. “You are not heartless, Kyle Valente. You have beautiful heart full of love that you’re afraid to give. You don’t have to be afraid to give that love to your little girl. You don’t even have to be the perfect father. You can be as flawed as you want to be, but if you love her, hold her when she cries, protect her when she’s scared, and be there whenever she needs you, she will love you forever no matter what.” Carter removed her hand and stood to her feet in front of him. “What’s her name?”
“Sofia,” Kyle answered softly.
She smiled. “That’s beautiful, Kyle. Is her mother Spanish?”
Sighing, Kyle nodded. “Yeah, she is …”
“Sofia is the perfect name. It means wise. She will be just like you then.” Carter clapped her hands excitedly. “We will meet her. We’ll have a dinner next week. You will have time to get to know your daughter—and explain everything to your father—then you will bring her to the house for the celebration. We’ll have the whole family over for dinner and we can welcome Sofia and Gabriel to the family, as well as welcome my father back home properly, and celebrate our family. . .”
“Carterina,” Nathan groaned. “That’s too much cooking, I won’t allow it. You need to rest…”
“It will be perfect, and catered as per my husband’s orders.” Carter shot him a glare before she turned back to Kyle. “You can even bring her mother if you’d like. I’d love to meet her.”
Kyle shook his head emphatically. “I don’t think so. She’s not getting anywhere near my family.”
“Then you will just bring Sofia. How old is she?”
Kyle groaned and raked his fingers through his hair. “Three months old, Carter. I can’t take care of a three month old by myself! I don’t know shit about babies.”
Carter chuckled, and tucked a loose strand of his hair behind his ear. “Either invite her mother along with you or figure it out. It’s not rocket science. Set up a car for the day you have her, it will make it easier to get out to the house. We’ll talk when you come over to the house with Sofia as well.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. “Now enough of this fighting.”
She walked over and did the same to Lucca, Dante, and then Mickey.
“You all need to rest. I’m not the only one that hasn’t been sleeping.” When she reached Nathan, she leaned forward and gave him three kisses on his lips. “No more drinking tonight, Mr. Salerno …”
Nathan cupped one side of her face and pressed his face against her cheek. “There are no words to describe how much I need to hold you tonight, baby.”
“All right, all right.” She kissed his cheek and took his hand in hers. “Gabriel, have mercy,” she pleaded with her brother.
He rolled his eyes and waved his hand in the air. “Fine, fine. But only because I love those puppy dog eyes of his.”
Carter chuckled at the confused frown on Nathan’s face and pulled him to his feet. “Come on, baby,” she said with a smile as she stood on her toes and kissed his lips. “Carterina will help her big, scary, Russian Underboss get some sleep.” She pulled him along and he stumbled a little, making her giggle, and eventually she got him into their bedroom.
She waited at her door for Gabriel, who came to her with an innocent smile on his lips.
“Please be nice, Gabriel,” she said to him. “And you four, please be nice to him as well. He’s still getting used to being personable. He may come off as an ass, but he’s really a sweetie. Isn’t that right my gorgeous English brother?”
“That’s absolutely right my stunning American sister. Kiss me.”
Carter stood on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on his lips. “Night, hun, love you.”
“I love you more, babe.” After closing the door for her, Gabriel walked over to the couch lining the side of the plane. “Before any of you ask, yes I have a bad attitude for no reason, yes these are Hello Kitty sweats, no I still don’t like any of you, and yes, I’m gay. If you don’t like it then feel free to fuck off. Just be quiet while you’re doing it because I’m sleeping.”
He gave them a wink and a million dollar smile before lying back on the couch and folding his arms under his head.
Robert glance over at the young men just in time to catch Lucca glaring at Dante, mouthing,
‘He’s off limits’
.
Very interesting
, Robert thought.
Chapter 11: Forgiveness and her story: Anastacia & Cesare
She had talked to Carterina on the phone, but she seemed distant and hesitant for some reason. Now she sat awaiting another call from her. Hopefully, then Carterina would tell her whatever she’d been hesitant to say.
Anastacia nervously tapped her foot against the hardwood floor of the dining room in her daughter’s home. Never before had she ever been so nervous. Never. She’d always had a good hold on her emotions for most of her life. This nervousness, the jitters, the sweat, the subtle fear, this only happened when
he
got too close for comfort.
Leaning forward on the table in front of her, she buried her face in her hands.
He talked to her, he had to. Anastacia knew that Silas wouldn’t be able to have Carterina in his presence without saying something. Something that could possibly ruin the relationship she’d finally had a chance to build with her daughter. The daughter that he gave to his brother to punish her, the daughter that he kept from her for nearly twenty-three years.
Anastacia closed her eyes, fighting to calm her ever building nerves. The waiting was the hardest part. Almost as hard as putting the hunt for Carterina in Nathan’s hands was, but she been unable to search. Her injury had required immediate surgery the moment she’d gotten to the hospital. She’d fought with everything she had to get out of that hospital, but was bested when they’d sedated her. When she’d woken up, she could barely move yet that didn’t stop her from demanding that she be released. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Angelo’s men to find her daughter, it was just that she knew her soldiers were better.