“I was gonna get furniture, but Mamma said you should be the one picking it out.”
Annetta halted her exploration long enough to stare up at me, her eyes once again full of happiness and passion. “If you weren’t a mess of bruises, I’d attack you right now,” she said.
“What’s a little pain for a shit-ton of pleasure?” I asked.
Rolling her eyes, she smiled and tugged me along to finish exploring our house.
***
Annetta spent the next couple of months preparing for the baby, buying furniture, and turning our home into a happy place, full of laughter, music, and comforting food smells. I cherished every moment I got to spend with her there, unfortunately, they were few and far between. Our attack on the Durantes was still in full swing, and we were gaining ground.
Much to my amusement, Annetta’s friend, Adona, was still hot for Mario. Wanting to see my shy, no-game-havin’ friend squirm, we threw together a dinner for four and invited them both. Mario walked in, took one look at Adona wearing a low-cut dress and come-hither look, and immediately turned to bolt. Sensing that my friend could use a little help, I stepped in front of him and closed the door.
He looked betrayed, but I had a sneaking suspicion he’d get over it.
“Enjoy,” I said, walking past Adona.
“Oh, I plan to,” she said, on the prowl toward her prey.
The night must not have been too bad, because they left together, and had been dating ever since.
As Annetta got further along, Mamma took over one of the spare bedrooms, so she could be there when the baby came. Knowing Mamma had things under control freed me up to focus on my job. I was helping the family move a couple of televisions which had “fallen off a truck” on the crisp February morning I got the page I’d been waiting for. I called the house and Mamma told me Annetta was in labor.
“These things take time, Dom. Sometimes even days,” Mamma informed me when I called in. “I’m taking her to the hospital and I’ll page you again when you need to come.”
Mamma paged me four hours later, and I barely made it in time to robe up and cut the umbilical cord. Born healthy and with a powerful cry, D’Angelo had a full head of dark curls and the tiniest hands and feet I’d ever seen. I was the first to hold him, terrified I’d drop him or squeeze him too tightly. When I handed him off to Annetta, the way she looked at him made my life feel complete. We’d done it. We’d beaten the odds and found some measure of freedom inside my father’s world. I didn’t think I’d ever be happier, but life got even better.
The day after Angel’s birth, the Commission and their messaggero negotiated the families into a ceasefire. We were so close to taking down the Durantes that Father grumbled nonstop. I, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to spend more time with my wife and child. As I drove them home from the hospital, I reflected on how great my luck had been.
As soon as we got home, Mamma took the baby and ordered me to put my wife to bed, insisting that Annetta needed some sleep. She didn’t even protest as I picked her up, carried her to our room, and laid her on the bed. I started pulling down her pants, and she laughed.
“I’m not helpless, you know.”
“I know you’re not.” I kissed her leg and tugged her pants over her feet. “But you just gave me one hell of a cute kid. I can show you my gratitude.”
Once we were both naked, I snuggled in beside her, thinking my life couldn’t get any better.
Four weeks later I got the page that changed everything.
I was in the middle of a weapons exchange when our home phone number flashed across my pager. Annetta rarely reached out to me while I was at work, so I peeled off shortly after the deal to give her a ring.
“Dom,” she breathed, sounding like she’d been crying.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, instantly on alert. “Is the baby okay?”
“Who the fuck is Tiffany?” she asked.
Shocked to hear her swear, I wracked my brain, trying to remember a Tiffany. “I don’t know. Who is she?”
“Don’t play dumb with me.”
“Annetta, I’m not. I promise you, I don’t know a Tiffany.”
“Well she sure as hell knows you. She said she couldn’t deal with the guilt anymore.. not now that we have a kid… so she had to tell me you’ve been sleeping together.”
What the fuck? Now I was getting pissed. “I swear to god, I don’t know any goddamn Tiffany,” I said.
“The Davenport Hotel, room 325. Said you meet her there. If you don’t know this girl, how does she know about our room, Dom?”
