After I went through the explanation again, this time without the bigifhovering over my head to make me stumble over words, he still seemed skeptical.
“A magical flush,” he repeated, dazed.
“Yes! Why would I evenneedto do this on purpose? You told me that you would, if I wanted a baby that badly. I turnedyoudown!”Ass, I added in my head.
I left him in the bathroom, going to pack our bags. I needed space. Taking the test wasn’t the easiest thing for me to do. I had been on a rollercoaster ride of emotions too, from being terrified to…when he told me that we were…and then it turned out that we weren’t…
“Scarlett.”
“We’re leaving tomorrow,” I snapped. “I’m not going anywhere!”
“Scarlett.”
“What?” The anger pulsated too strongly inside of me. I turned to him and poked him in the chest. “The only birth control that is one hundred percent solid is abstinence, Brando. If having a child with me isthatfrightening, then perhaps we should practice it more often.”
“I believe you.” His voice came out soft. “I never should have even implied that you would’ve done that to me.”
“If the test would’ve been positive?”
He stared at me for a minute or two, his eyes almost unnerving in their intensity. “Keep packing,” he said. “Our flight leaves early.” Then he left me to it, while he finished out in the yard.
I found my phone along the ruins in the bathroom and texted Violet.
False alarm.
Her reply came back in five seconds flat.Still doesn’t debunk the theory that Brando Fausti has magical sperm.
Don’t tell him that,I typed back, and then finished packing.
Chapter Eighteen
Scarlett
Summer met us in Natchitoches. The entire state of Louisiana seemed to steam with humidity, making all of the creatures languorous with heat, but giving verve to the flora, enticing a certain savory scent to linger in the air. It was part spice from all of the fiery seasonings, and part sweet from thriving gardenia, honeysuckle, and any plant so inclined on sharing its savory essence.
When Mother Nature decided to be generous and share a tender breeze, it seemed we all sighed in collective relief.
My father, as always, kept the house cool enough to need a light jacket. After being out in the relentless heat and humid air, the frigid air inside clung. But with so many people, even I had to admit that the air seemed warmer in the house than usual.
Mitch was still staying with my parents, and so were all of Brando’s brothers and their wives—and Diego. Each brother had decided to buy a piece of property in Louisiana. After Brando had come into their lives, they didn’t want to part with him. I found it sweet that no matter where we went, they wanted to be close.
Of course, Romeo decided to buy a house here for Juliette. The newlyweds couldn’t decide if they wanted to live in Natchitoches or head further down the bayou to where Juliette had family.
Juliette had been pushing to buy closer to her side, but I knew it had more to do with the Stones than it did with family ties. The situation made her uneasy, as it did me.
My sister and her family had decided to come home for the summer as well. I knew this had more to do with jealousy than it did with her actually wanting to come home. If there was a chance I’d get too close to my mother, Charlotte would show up. It didn’t bother me; I had grown accustomed to the mechanics and how the wheels turned, in terms of family dynamics and the parts we played.
There were times I was tempted to point this out to her, but I decided against it. She’d just accuse me of being jealous. If there was one thing I’d learned from living with Charlotte, it was that you couldn’t win an argument with a person who only believes the truth when it comes from their mouth—and she considered hers a prayer book.
Speaking of truth, after Brando and I returned from Italy, he had found it hard to sleep. Tossing and turning all night, staring at the ceiling, he huffed and puffed until the sun came up. One night, he broke, and when I’d asked him where he was going, all he said was, “To the store.”
Upon his return, I found out that he had bought out the entire drug store of pregnancy tests. I refused to take the entire bag in one night. Every day I took one to prove to him that I was not pregnant.
Still, not even this seemed to convince him, not until I went to the doctor and the doctor confirmed what a hundred tests had—I was not, in fact, pregnant.
This put him at ease, but after he bought out the store of pregnancy tests, rumors started to spread. We had been gone so long that Brando seemed to forget how small towns operated. They ran on Sunday morning church, festivals, and gossip.
I had to remove countless hands from my pooch (Look how cute!OrYou’re still so tiny!), shield off the third degree from my mother and Eunice (Look at her flush!), and calls from Maggie Beautiful (Can we call her Bella Beautiful?).
