I breathed out, and my breath made a cloud. “Are you still starving, my husband?” I whispered.
His finger ran down my nose. “I am always starved for you, Amora, but you feed me whenever I need it. I am no longer starved to the point of famine.”
“Bene,” I breathed out, and we kissed again.
The group began to make the final trek to our destination. Rocco pointed at a few different areas, explaining to me skiing techniques as we made our way toward the lifts. A few times, I asked him to stop so we could take pictures. Either I used my phone, or one of my sister-in-law’s, or Mia snapped them for us with my digital camera that honestly created beautiful photos I’d treasure forever.
I also had a mini video recorder in my bag, and every so often, I’d take that out and record. I couldn’t wait to watch it when we arrived back at our chalet, and this one had a vintage tone to it. I knew it was going to be spectacular and make the videos seem nostalgic when we watched them again.
A few times I asked Rocco’s sons, one by one, all together, to take pictures with us. Massimo was hesitant at first, but I reminded him his new sister or brother was going to be in the photo, too, and I wanted to have the memories saved for him or her.
“I do believe this child will be a girl as well,” Massimo said to me when we were getting close to the food—it seemed like some sort of cafeteria for those who didn’t want to ski or needed refreshments.
Rocco had been talking to Brando, Dario, and Romeo about a certain run that was labeled “black” for advanced skiers.
“Hah?” I breathed at Massimo. I wasn’t expecting him to speak to me. I thought after our business was finished, meaningthe truth he came forward with about Ita and when I spoke to Chloe on his behalf, was all I was getting from him. But…he seemed open to talking to me. I shook my head and grinned. “To be honest, I didn’t think you’d talk to me about…regular stuff. I thought business was all I was getting out of you.”
He grinned at me. “Do you not know, Aria, that I am my father’s son. I speak to beautiful women with an easy tongue.”
Okay, that was a small dig. Maybe because he knew that, even though his father was speaking to his brothers, an area of Rocco’s mind seemed to be reserved for me, and he’d hear what Massimo had to say on the sly. Rocco could move me in a second if I was about to fall into a hole or recite a conversation I had with Scarlett while he was speaking to…anyone.
Massimo’s dig stung a bit, because I thought we were starting to, possibly, build a rapport with each other. I played it off, though, refusing to allow him to sense it. Even if he did, I would still make him question it.
I laughed. “This is true. You are all so handsome.” I sighed. “But that’s not what I meant. I didn’t think you’d talk to me because of the issues between you and your dad.”
He narrowed his eyes at me—not in anger or disrespect. I’d shocked him with my bluntness. I refused to hide behind the truth.
He nodded. “I do not hold any ill toward you or my new sibling.”
“Good,” I said. “I enjoy your company. Amadeo and Ludovico’s too.”
“You are different, Aria.”
“In which way?”
“If you do not mind the comparison—most women. Especially the women my father kept the company of.”
“Good,” I said again, my voice firm.
He roared with laughter, and goosebumps pebbled my arms, and not from the cold. When he laughed that way, he was more than Rocco’s twin. He was a carbon copy.
I stared at him, and he stared at me after he realized how hard he had laughed.
“You have your father’s laugh,” I said. “Never stop using it.”
“I am my father in a different time. Do you not know this as well, Aria…all the Fausti men are the same.”
I shook my head. “You might all share the same rules, but you’re all different to me. For example. You are the most serious out of your dad’s sons, but there’s something about your eyes that tells me with the right woman, you’ll be flirty, more lighthearted when no one else is around.
“Your brother, Amadeo, is quiet, but he speaks at all the right times. He watches, absorbs, turns the moments into experiences. Your brother, Ludovico—he’s a flirt with Romeo’s sense of humor. But…he’s also an artist, which means he needs his time to himself.” I touched my stomach. “I have a feeling she’s going to inherit a little of all of you, all stemming from the father you all share.”
“She’ll inherit your beauty,” he whispered. “I do not only mean what is on the outside. If she shall be so blessed.”
My cheeks heated. “Thank you, Massimo,” I whispered, touching my heart. His words truly meant a lot to me.
He winked at me, and I could tell his guard was back up. “If my father is not careful, his past behavior with my uncle’s wife will come back to haunt him through…me.”
At this, Rocco stepped up to me and Massimo walked ahead, stuffing his hands in his pockets, whistling as he walked. The doctor, Alessandra Ponte, stared at him as he began to pass her.
