Turn Towards the Sun Book Two: After the Rain (43 page)

“How sad,” I comment. “Do you know why she wants to go back to Illinois?”

“She has a sister there. They were separated when the parents died, but she has her support.”

“A tough childhood doesn’t explain why she was so fixated on Enzo,” I say.

“Her psychiatrist thinks it does make sense. She never had a sense of belonging or security until she started working for Enzo. Unfortunately, it morphed into something unhealthy. It’s all in the report,” Jason explains.

“Something unhealthy is a bit of an understatement,” I add.

We walk out of the courthouse just as Grayson pulls up to the curb. As we get into the car, I feel like I just lost a hundred pounds in the span of a few hours. I didn’t have to testify, and I hope I will never have to discuss this whole ordeal again.
Still, there’s a nagging little feeling that I haven’t seen the last of The Bitch.

Enzo reaches over and puts my hand in his lap. “It’s over now, bella.”

“Yes, thank God. I never want to talk about this ever again.”

He kisses my cheek. “
I agree.”

****

I feel a sudden coldness as my blanket is pulled off me.

“Amore, wake up.”

“No.” I pull the blanket up over my head.

“Come on, principessa. I have to go to the airport, remember?”

Dang, I forgot. “If I don’t get up, will you stay?” I ask.

“No. If you don’t get up, Ava, you won’t get to see me.” He pulls the cover off my face and kisses my nose.

“Alright, I’ll get up.”

Climbing out of bed, I head into the bathroom and quickly brush my teeth. When I enter the living room, Enzo is waiting for me. Dressed in my favorite gray pants and a crisp, white shirt, he looks ridiculously handsome. At least my jealous beast has finally subsided. One thing I know for sure, Enzo only has eyes for me. That doesn’t mean I can’t tease him though.

“What are you thinking, my love?”

“Just how handsome you are,” I tell him. “I wish you didn’t have to go back. Makes me jealous knowing all those San Diego girls get to feast their eyes on you for three days.”

“Are there females in San Diego? I wouldn’t know.” Laughing, he hands me a cup of coffee.

I smile as I sip my drink. “I’m going to be busy at the hotel anyway,” I remark. “We can finally start working on some of the rooms. Francesca called last night.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Of course you do.”

“I have to go now,” Enzo says. “I love you and I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you more.”

“Impossible. This is the first time we’ve been apart since we’ve been married.”

“Yuck. I know. Let’s not make it a habit.”

“Agreed,” he says, putting on his suit jacket. Then he gives me a final big hug and kiss before he leaves. “Love you.”

“Love you back.”

He smiles and he’s out the door. I empty my coffee cup and head over to the couch. I’m up now, so I might as well do some reading. I’m still lounging on the couch a few hours later when Cassie walks in the room.

“Hey girl,” I greet her.

“Hey. What ya doing up?”

“Reading. Enzo left for Cali this morning.”

“Oh, yeah, so what are you gonna do today?” she asks.

“Go to the hotel for most of the day. You?”

“I’m going to check out another salon,” Cassie tells me. “It’s supposed to be really nice and they have a space I can rent. The girl is moving out of state, so there is a chance that I can inherit some of her clientele.”

“That’s great.”

“I hope so,” she says, sitting down next to me.

Cassie leans back against the couch and then surprises me by remarking, “So it must be monthly cycle time again, huh? You’re looking a little busty this morning.”

Glancing down at my chest, I realize that I do look a little plumper than usual. I think back to my last period and remember that it was sometime in December, but we are well past that now.

“I’m not on my period,” I reply. “Shit.”

“Okay, so..?”

“So, it’s been too long. I’m late.” My heart starts racing as soon as I say the words out loud.

“Really?” Cassie gasps. “Oh, my God, are you pregnant?”

“I don’t know. Wait. I need to calm down. I quit my pill, so it could just be my cycle adjusting.”

“Let’s get a test,” Cassie says, excited.

“I already have one,” I remember. “Actually I bought five. I wanted to be prepared. You know.”

“Let’s go then. When should you have had it?”

“Middle of January, I guess.”

“Dang girl, it’s almost the middle of February now.”

“I know.” I sit still, frozen to the couch.

“What are you waiting for?”

“I’m scared, Cass.”

“Don’t be scared,” she soothes me. “It’s exciting. I’ll come with you.”

“Okay,” I say, pulling myself up.

I don’t want to find out I’m pregnant when Enzo is in California. What crappy timing.

I walk slowly to my bathroom, open the cabinet drawer and pull out one of the boxes of tests, but I just stare at it. Cassie sighs, grabs the box and tears it open.

“I can’t do the test for you. Come on, Ava.”

I take a deep breath. “Give it to me.”

She hands me the stick and reads the directions. “All you have to do is pee on it, and wait ten minutes.”

I go through the process and then lay the stick on the bathroom counter. Cassie paces back and forth, watching the clock, while all I can do is sit on the chair and wait. After ten minutes pass she runs for the stick.

“You look, Cass. I can’t.”

“Okay.” She looks at it and smiles. “Oh, Ava, you’re going to be a mommy,” she says and then bursts into tears.

I jump up and grab the stick. For a moment all I can do is stare at the little plus sign. Wow, I’m really pregnant.

Cassie hugs me and I start to cry too. I’m going to have Enzo’s baby. And he’s in damn California.

“I can’t believe it, Cass. I’m pregnant.”

“I know. It’s so awesome.”

“I’m going to take one more test to make sure, before I call Enzo.”

“Don’t be stupid. Your boobs are huge, you’ve lost all desire for alcohol and you’ve eaten your own weight in those Italian cornetto things you like. All signs point to pregnant. I noticed about a week ago, but I didn’t want to say anything.”

“Why didn’t you? I was oblivious.”

“I wasn’t sure if you were pregnant or if you’d just let yourself go a bit, now that you’re married,” she replies. The joyous sound of her cackles fills my bathroom. “Anyway, you can’t tell Enzo over the phone. You’ll have to wait until he comes home.”

I stare at her. “That’s three days from now.”

“So? You can plan some nice way of telling him.”

“You’re right. I don’t want to tell him over the phone, so we’ll have to keep it a secret. I can’t tell Checca or Chris before my own husband knows. Swear it.”

“I swear,” she replies. “I did good at Christmas, remember?”

“I remember. Holy shit.”

“This is what you wanted, so stop freaking out. You’re both going to be awesome.”

“Thanks. I’m going to call Dr. Warner, to see if there is anything I should be doing.”

“I think you have to stop drinking coffee.”

I frown. “Small sacrifice, I guess.”

“Yeah, it’ll be worth it when we see the little peanut’s face,” Cassie says, grinning.

“I’m gonna take a shower and then call the doctor,” I decide.

“Sounds good. And congratulations,” she adds, before kissing my cheek and leaving the room.

I climb into the shower, slightly stunned. Why wasn’t I paying attention? I guess I’m so used to not getting periods that I don’t expect them anymore, and I have no idea exactly how pregnant I am.

Once out of the shower, I stare at my naked body in the mirror. Other than being very busty, I look the same. I stand on the scale – no weight gain. I haven’t felt one ounce of morning sickness or anything else. There is absolutely no indication of the monumental change taking place inside my body except for my ginormous boobage.

I try to find something to wear, but notice that my favorite purple sweater now fits too tightly across my chest. Sighing, I grab a brown sweater. It will do. I pull on my jeans and at least they fit the same. I pick up my phone to call Dr. Warner.

“Hello, may I speak to Dr. Warner? This is Ava Milano.”

The receptionist answers, “One moment, Mrs. Milano.”

“Hello, this is Dr. Warner.”

“Hi doctor. I took a test this morning and I think I’m pregnant.”

“Oh, Ava, that’s wonderful,” she says.

“Yes, I wanted to know if there is anything I should be doing right now?”

“Do you know how far along you are?”

“No. I guess I lost track of my cycle.”

“Don’t worry,” she says. “You can come in and get a test done here. We can get an idea of how far along you are, based on your hormone levels. Then I can start you on some prenatal vitamins and give you some tips.”

“Okay. Can I wait a few days? Enzo is out of town and I want to make sure he can be there with me.”

“Of course, a few days won’t make any difference. For now, just avoid any strenuous activity, alcohol, and unpasteurized foods. You don’t smoke, correct?”

“Correct. So we can come in Wednesday afternoon?” I ask.

“I’ll put you down for three. Does that work?”

“Yes. Thank you, doctor.”

“You’re welcome. See you then.”

As I hang up, I feel better, knowing I have an appointment and that I can carry on my normal day. I just need to be careful not to let anything slip in front of Francesca today. Leaving my hair down, I throw on my brown boots and take a peek outside. It looks a nice day outside. Walking into the living room, I find Chris and Cassie eating breakfast.

“Do you want anything to eat, Ava?” Chris asks. “I’ve got some eggs made.”

My stomach reacts with a double somersault. Eggs do not sound appealing.

“No thanks, Chris. I’m heading over to the hotel now. I’ll see you two later.”

“Bye, Ava,” Cassie says, smiling.

I pet Maximus and head out the garage door to my Fiat. Hearing my phone vibrate, I check it and see a text from Enzo.

HB&M: My love, I’m in SD now. Headed to the hotel. Love you. E

Me: Heading to La Bellissima. Love you back. A

I wish he was home. Not only have we not spent any time apart since his last Boston trip, but now I have such important news to share. I refuse to tell him over the phone though, Cassie is right about that. I want to tell him in person and it should be special.

Shaking my head, I cannot quite believe it. I thought it would take months to get pregnant. I’ve been on the pill since I was sixteen, so I guess my fertility is nice and strong. I just hope I got pregnant sometime after the Vegas trip since I spent every day drinking coffee and wine.

Pulling into the parking area of La Bellissima, I notice that it is coming along nicely. I love seeing the grounds being put in and the lobby is almost finished. Getting out of the car, I walk over to where the restaurant is being built. The chef is in the dining room area and he appears to be choosing dishware. Francesca stands next to him, and I assume it is to provide her opinion.

I walk in, saying, “Buon giorno.”

“Ah, Ava, buon giorno,” Francesca greets me.

The chef stands up and Francesca introduces us. “Yes, Ava, you remember Massimiliano Dolce?”

I have no idea how Enzo convinced him to run the restaurant in Phoenix, but with several high-end eateries in London, Boston, New York and Las Vegas, his name alone should bring the foodie crowd here in droves.

“Yes, of course,” I reply. “I’m very glad you’re here, chef. We really enjoyed our meal at Dolce in Vegas.”

“Thank you. I like this location. It’s very nice. We are choosing the plates.” He holds up a striking, black square plate.

“Gorgeous,” I say. “Well, I’ll leave you to your work. I’m going upstairs to check on progress.”

“Yes, go to the third floor. I have some fabrics picked for the curtains that I want your opinion on,” Francesca adds.

I nod and head for the elevators, passing through the casino on the way. I like that we’ve created two distinct areas, so we can attract a variety of people. One area boasts the card and dice games, along with the low-priced slot machines. The other section includes all the high-stakes gambling that Enzo loves so much. For a moment I stop to watch the workers installing the machines and tables.

My phone rings. It’s Calvin.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Ava, do you know where Enzo keeps his files for Italy?” he asks. “He wanted me to come over there and grab some files to fax to him in California.”

“Yes, I know where he keeps them. Come on down. I should be on the third floor.”