Danica fed him in her lap while I checked on Angel’s IV bag and swapped it out for the extra one Justine had left us.
Once the new IV bag was in place, I sat back against the stall wall and reached over to run my thumb over the white star on Midnight’s forehead.
“You mentioned that you have a son,” Danica said, adjusting the angle of the bottle so the foal could lean his head back and not strain forward to suckle.“Where is he?”
“Milano,” I replied.“Guiseppe is in fashion.He is a designer.His partner, Nico, is a photographer.They are young and love luxury, and this is not the place for them.”
She chuckled in a breathy, feminine way.“Fair enough.Sleepy island life isn’t for everyone.How did you come to be here?”
“My … my wife’s parents owned this property.It was supposed to pass down to Erin—my wife—when they died.But she, um … she died first.”
She sucked in a sharp breath through her mouth at the same time her eyes went wide.“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
I nodded stiffly.“Huntington’s disease, twelve years ago.”
“Oh goodness.That is …” Sadness creased her pretty features, “how sad for all of you.”
“Guiseppe has taken the genetic testing, and he is not a carrier.So we do not have to worry about him getting it.”
“That’s good.”
“This land belongs to my son.But he does not want to live here.This sanctuary was his mother’s dream, and after her parents died, my son offered me the opportunity to come here and fulfill her dream.Fulfillourdream.This was going to be where we retired.With animals and peace.”
“With animals and peace,” she echoed.“So you’re doing that now.Only … alone.”
“Si.I am alone, but I am okay with that.”Now.I’d been without Erin for twelve years, but I had Guiseppe to raise, so I wasn’t entirely alone.Now that he was in his twenties and living his own life, I had to find my own way to live mine as well.
“How old is Guiseppe?”she asked.
“He is twenty-three.I played football for three more years after his mother died, but a knee injury forced me to retire.I tried coaching, but it was not for me.So I just raised my son.I was fortunate to have the money to do so and not work.”
“Single parenting is not for the faint of heart; I know that.I’ve raised Sam on my own since the day she was born.”
I was glad to be offered the opportunity to move away from the topic of my life and family.I jumped at the segue.“Where is her father?”
“Prison,” she said without hesitation.“He was—is—a terrible man.Gabrielle caught him, her husband, and her husband’s brother molesting her husband’s brother’s three young nieces.We’re talking children.Toddlers.She reported them, and they have been in prison ever since.”
My blood bubbled hot in my veins at the mere thought of children being hurt in any way—let alonethatway.“They should have been killed.”
She nodded.“I agree.But that’s not how the system works, unfortunately.We were raised in a very … cult-like environment.Christian fundamentalists, if you know what that is.Men held all the power; women held none.We were married off to men far older than us, who joined the organization looking for submissive young wives.I had no choice in who my husband was.My father chose him for me.And he was abusive and awful.All four of us—my cousins and me—were raised in that life and escaped.”
“How did you escape?”I’d never heard such a story in my life, and this woman seemed willing to tell it.So I poured her moreorzo solubileand handed it to her, letting her continue.
“Our aunt.Gabrielle’s dad, my dad, Naomi’s dad, and Raina’s dad were all brothers.They had one sister—Dolores.She escaped the cult after she miscarried a child with her abusive husband.She literally left the hospital and never went home.She reached out to us as teenagers through the town librarian and said that if we ever wanted out, she would be there on the outside to help us.”
“And you did.”
“Not right away.Not soon enough.But then again,” she sighed, “I wouldn’t have Sam if I had gotten out sooner.So,” her one-shoulder shrug caused the blanket to slip off her shoulder, and I reached over to tug it back around her.Her smile warmed me.“I got out when I could.Aunt Dolores was the one who owned the winery actually.She left it to us to run when she passed.None of us would have this second chance if it weren’t for her.So we’re doing everything we can to keep her legacy alive.”
“Do the children know about their past?About their fathers?”
“They know some.As they get older, they’re asking more questions.Becoming more forceful with us to explain to them about their fathers.It’s not easy.It’s dredging up a lot for all of us.And earlier this year, Marco—Raina’s son—was kidnapped by his father’s brother who wanted Marco to be his heir since he had only daughters.”
“I heard about that.Cameron called me and told me to be on the lookout on the island.That a child had been kidnapped.I had no idea it was your nephew.”
“Yeah.He’s still dealing with some emotions and fear following all of that.But he’s doing great.It was pretty traumatic for the poor kid.”
“Children are resilient.But they shouldn’t have to be.”
