The mother comment was still a raw wound. She thought that I was implying that she’d be reckless.
Romeo came up, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “What is it? Have we found something Sissy cannot do? If so, tell me.”
I glared at his arm until he removed it. He slipped his arm from around her with a sigh.
“Can you ski?” he asked her.
“I can, but I’m not.”
We started to move again, and when I went to take her hand, she tried to pretend like she went to itch her nose.
“Your hand or I carry you,” I said. “Your choice.”
She huffed but kept her hand in mine when I took it.
“Scarlett learned to ski on our honeymoon,” I said, picking up the thread of conversation. “She’s damn good too.”
Her mother gave me a quick glance from underneath her glasses. Her look conveyed all that her mouth refused to speak.She was dancing at the time! What if something would’ve happened to her legs?
She could’ve been hit by a passing car in Paris after leaving rehearsals, never knowing if skiing was something she liked or not.I doubted her mother got all of that from the look I returned, but there it was.
“Ah!” Romeo smiled. “We have to see how good Sissy is.”
A swift, sharp wind blew by, and I could smell his cologne and all the hair product he used. Though his hair was underneath a wool beanie. He’d said something earlier about keeping “the hair” safe from the elements.
“Not today,” I said.
A confused look came to his face. “What is the problem,fratello?”
“There is no problem, son,” Luca said in Italian, stopping the group when he stopped walking.
He gave me a pointed look.I know all your secrets, it said. Scarlett had told me he’d known she was pregnant when she met him the first time. He knew her ring and dress size without asking too.
“There is no problem,” I repeated his words, holding his stare. “Scarlett’s pregnant again. It’s not safe.”
Even though we’d stopped moving, it seemed like the group froze.
Rocco stared at us even as Mia poked at his eye. He hardly noticed. Vincenzo gave me a harder look than usual. Ettore stroked his chin, thoughtful, no doubt wondering how I survived sleeping with thestrega. Even Rosaria’s face pinched. Ever since Luca arrived, she’d been trying her hardest to get him to pay her attention.
Everyone else broke out in applause, patting me on the shoulder and kissing Scarlett’s cheeks. Maggie Beautiful started to cry. Eunice too.
“Fratello mio!” Romeo said, patting me on the shoulder. “He does it again! The Fausti men are full of virility.”
“So are the women!” Lola said, her voice testy.
Tito gazed at his wife with longing. Poor bastard.
“Congratulations, man,” Mitch said. “There’s no better place to announce the news than in Whoville.”
Scarlett let out a burst of laughter at that. Mitch had been making Grinch references ever since we arrived. He claimed that the village looked unreal and close to the movie. He had the kids who still believed in such things going from the moment we stepped foot off the helicopter. They really thought that they were in a snowflake, or something like that.
The chatter switched gears. Instead of the slopes, the new baby was the topic of discussion.
“You’ll be due in August!”
Scarlett nodded. “Around Brando’s birthday.”
I looked at her when she said this, but she refused to look at me.
