Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
I felt the breeze move through my hair as my eyes darted down to the floor at my feet, feeling a wave of emotion I didn’t expect to hit me so hard. “I have two conditions.”
“All right.”
“You make dinner.”
She didn’t say a single word, showed no sign of emotion in her silence, but I knew her eyes were welling with tears.
“And let my friend Rocco join us.”
She still said nothing, like she needed a moment to recover from what I’d said. “I would love that.”
When I hung up the phone, I returned to the house.
Aurelia was still on the couch. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” I sat beside her, placing my arm around her shoulders. “She wants me to stay over there the night before the wedding. Says she wants to spend time with me before my entire life becomes about you two, even though it already is.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.”
“So you don’t mind?”
“Of course not,” she said as she hooked her arm through mine. “I love that idea.”
“You’ll be okay here on your own?”
“I’m sure Beatrice will sleep over with the boys.” She petted Medusa on the head. “And I’ve got my girl.”
“All right. I’ll miss you, though.”
She smiled as she continued to pet Medusa. “We have the rest of our lives, Constantine. And hopefully eternity too . . .”
With my bag over my shoulder, I arrived at my mother’s house.
She was over the moon to see me, squeezing me tightly and pinching my cheeks before she kissed me, like I was home for the holidays after being gone for six months.
I put my stuff in the spare bedroom, then joined her in the kitchen.
The counters were covered in cutting boards and ingredients, a pot of water already simmering on the stove.
“Handle the tomatoes and the garlic while I take care of the beef,” she instructed, like we were at work.
“All right, boss.” I washed my hands, grating the garlic and then the lemon zest before I washed and peeled the tomatoes.
She worked on the other vegetables, then put the beef in one of the preheated pans. “Nervous?”
“About?” I asked as I continued to peel the tomatoes in the big bowl.
“Getting married tomorrow.”
“Oh.” I smirked. “Nope. Not even a little bit.”
She worked beside me at the counter, a smile on her face. “She’s lovely, Con. I’m glad you found her.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Boy or girl, whatever child she gives you will be beautiful.”
“I know. Especially if it’s a girl.”
“What are you hoping for?” she asked.
“Girl—all the way.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The idea of raising a boy doesn’t sound appealing to me.”
“Why?”
I didn’t get into it with her, wanting to keep the conversation light. “Because men ain’t shit.”
She chuckled quietly. “Ain’t that the truth.”
“Would love to raise the baddest bitch who’s ever lived.”
This time, she released a louder laugh. “You and Aurelia can pull it off.” She finished chopping her onions and slid them off the plate and into the pan with the beef. Immediately, everything started to sizzle, so she added more olive oil. “How many kids do you want?”
“One, honestly.”
“One?” She stopped what she was doing and looked at me like I was crazy. “No such thing as one kid, Constantine.”
Every Italian family we knew had at least three kids and a bazillion cousins. “I know, but I like the idea of having one and only. Putting all my love and energy and resources into just them, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll feel differently as we go through life, but it’s hard for me to imagine not falling madly in love with this kid and possibly desiring another.”
She turned back to her cooking when that answer was enough to satisfy her.
We continued to cook, and once all the ingredients were ready, we prepped the lasagna together, putting layers of sauce, freshly grated cheese, and noodles over and over before she popped it in the oven.
We sat at the table together and shared a bottle of wine.
“When will your friend be here?”
I grabbed my phone and checked for messages. “Said he just landed. So, probably an hour.”
“How do you know him?”
“From work in Rome.”
She nodded before she took a drink of her wine. “I’m excited to meet him.”
“Yeah, he’s cool.” He was cool enough that he wouldn’t be annoyed by hanging out with my mom tonight instead of going out to a bar or something. “You’ll like him.”
She swirled her glass, then took another drink, her eyes glazing over like she suddenly went somewhere else. The air around her changed too, suddenly becoming heavy like a storm was moving in over the ocean.
“Ma?”
When she didn’t look at me and snap out of whatever funk she was in, I knew she had something to say. “Your brother should be here. He should be your best man . . . sitting right here with us.”
My heart dropped straight out of my stomach. I’d finally found my closure, so I felt nothing but joy for my upcoming nuptials. But for her, there would never be closure. She would grieve every single day until God took her soul. “I know.”