“Mrs. Moretti,” Najah squealed. “It’s so good to see you.”
Arleen held Najah back, pouting her lips as she stared at her. “What is this Mrs. Moretti stuff. I am Ma, from here on out. You’re about to marry my boy.”
Arleen grabbed Najah in another bear hug, rocking her back and forth.
“Ma, let the girl breathe. You’re gonna suffocate her with love.”
“Oh, you!” Arleen released Najah and drew Tomasso into her arms. This broad, six-four man that looked like he could crush coconuts in his bare hands, turned into a goofy mama’s boy right before Najah’s eyes. It was sweet how he loved his mother, and it made Tomasso that much more attractive.
Najah hadn’t grown up with much family. Her mom died when she was young. Her grandmother and father had raised her. Three years ago, she’d lost him to a heart attack. Heartbroken over his death, a year later, her grandmother went to sleep and never woke up.
Tiny as they were, they’d been a close little family. But now that they were gone, encountering Tomasso’s big clan that was filled with cousins, aunts and uncles had always felt like the best kind of party you could ever get an invite to. She’d missed that.
“Come inside, you two. Dad’s in the kitchen plating up the antipasto.
After an almost identical greeting from Ernesto Moretti, they sat around the table eating and drinking and eating some more.
“Now,” Arleen said as she pushed back from the table. I can’t believe you two kept your reconciliation a secret all this time. When did you two reconnect?”
Najah turned to Tomasso with wide eyes. In all their rush to get this scheme underway, they never discussed the particulars about how they came to be engaged.
“When I volunteered our vessel for the alumni cruise and realized Najah was going to be the event coordinator, I had to reach out and see if it was my Najah. And once we reconnected…” he placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side as he’d done so many times when they were kids.
And just like back then, Najah melted into him, inhaling deeply as the scent of him enveloped him.
“…It was like we’d never been apart,” Najah finished.
She should feel bad for the lie she was sitting her telling this wonderful woman. But somehow, with all this nostalgia and familiarity surrounding her, it didn’t feel as fake as it should.
This is not real, Najah. Don’t get caught up in this fairytale.
Arleen looked over at the two of them with joy beaming off her, and Najah couldn’t tell who was happier in this moment. Tomasso’s mother over an engagement she believed was real, or Najah over an engagement she knew was fake.
Chapter 5
“Ifixedupthepool house for you to give you some privacy. I’m sure you don’t want the old folks hanging around all the time.”
Tomasso didn’t know what he’d done to deserve a mother who was this good to him, but he would pray the Rosary for the rest of his life to show his gratitude.
“Breakfast will be on the table by nine,” Arlene continued. “and Najah, you and I are going to nail down the details of the engagement party this weekend.”
“Party what now?”
Tomasso struggled to keep his laughter inside as he watched Najah get swept up into the hurricane that was his lovely mother, Arleen.
“Najah, my oldest son has found a way to bring the only daughter-in-law I ever wanted back into this family. You know there’s no way I could keep this information from the rest of the family.”
“That,” Tomasso interjected. “and once you told Aunt Rosie, everyone in the family was gonna know what happened anyway.”
That earned him a wagging finger in his direction.
His mother loved him. There was no doubt in his mind about that. But seeing her like this, alight with joy and laughter because her son was bringing home “the one that got away”, made his chest so full with a bittersweet ache.
He wanted this to be real. He needed to make this real. But if he’d told Najah that two days ago on the boat, there’s no way she would’ve agreed to doing what he’d asked of her.
Seeing Najah like this, being drawn into his family like she always should’ve been, it was everything to him.
“See you kids in the morning.”
