“But you have to take care of Sophia, and I was hoping to spend some time with Maria,” I argued.Whywas I trying to make excuses now? With the number of times I’d wished I could sit down and get Freddie to see I was still the same person on the inside that I was before that day, it was ridiculous that I was talking my way out of the opportunity he was offering.
“Bring her with if you’d like,” he offered. “Listen, Maria’s a good girl, and she’s hurting. Things haven’t been easy on her for a while now, and she needs you as much as you need her. And neither of you are going to get what you need at your dad’s place.”
Something in the back of my mind told me this was a horrible idea, but I didn’t want to go home knowing I’d passed up a chance to find out if it was possible to clear the air with Freddie. I doubted we’d ever be best friends again, but I’d settle for two grown men who didn’t need to cross the street when they saw the other coming.
“I’ll see if she’s up for it,” I offered in compromise. If Maria wanted to go home and hide from the family, that’s what we’d do. For all I knew, she’d still be in path-of-least-resistance mode and not want to upset Papa. Personally, I was convinced my presence was enough to piss him off.
“Here, just in case she says no and you change your mind later.” Freddie grabbed a pad of paper off his brother’s desk and scribbled his phone number and address. I stuffed the paper into the pocket of my trousers and we went back to standing lamely in awkward silence. I turned to leave, but Freddie stopped me with a hand to my shoulder. “I am sorry about your mama. You two had your issues, but she loved the hell out of you.”
She did, just not enough to stand up for me.I offered him a weak smile and placed my hand over his. “Thanks.”
3
Freddie
“IsPeter Pan coming over to our house?” Sophia asked as she zoomed past me and up the stairs. Mama had spent part of the afternoon showing off her granddaughter, and it seemed Sophia had consumed enough sugar to keep a cane farm in business for a while. She was wound up, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever get her in the bath, much less to sleep.
“I don’t know, Squirt,” I admitted. Since he’d been the one who asked that we talk about what happened, I’d taken for granted that he’d jump at my offer. But he hadn’t, saying he had to go home and play nice with his sisters. I shuddered at the thought, because time had changed them, too. On some level, I understood the animosity Lucia showed for Peter because both of us were the children with the passion to run our respective family businesses but both of us had been passed over. At least, in my case, the business hadn’t folded. But now wasn’t the time for her to punish her brother for deviating from the plan his parents created for him.
“Daddy, I told you I hate that name!” she yelled from the opposite end of the hall. I followed the noise, pinching the bridge of my nose, trying in vain to stave off the headache building behind my eyes.
“I’m sorry,Tinkerbell,” I apologized, emphasizing her preferred nickname. “Now, can you please grab your pajamas while I fill the tub?”
I’d been so busy today focusing on making sure the kitchen ran smoothly so Silvio Agnelli wouldn’t storm in, telling me how much of a disgrace I was or how we’d never be as good as Papa, I hadn’t given myself a moment to think about the emotional weight of the day. I’d never particularly cared for Silvio, but his wife was a good woman. My heart ached for Peter because he’d left before Mrs. Agnelli developed a backbone and started standing up for her kids rather than cowering when her husband spoke. Mama said it was because she’d already lost one child to her cowardice and wasn’t willing to lose another. Who knew if that was true, but she was the only reason Maria had fared as well as she had.
I slumped down next to the tub after setting the water and adding bubbles, resting my head in my palm. It would’ve been so easy to close my eyes for just a minute, but Sophia came bounding into the room, long Tinkerbell nightgown in hand. Because of course it’d be that one.
She proclaimed she was a big girl and didn’t need my help with her bath, so I stretched my legs out in front of me. Someday, she’d understand that my hovering wasn’t because I saw her as an incompetent child, but because she was my entire world and I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her. As she soaped up a washcloth and cleaned herself, she asked me more questions about Peter. The fact she insisted on calling him Peter Pan grated on my nerves, but she was coming from a place of innocent fascination, unlike the assholes who used to pick on him in school.
My phone rang, but I let it go to voicemail since answering it would mean leaving Sophia alone in the bathtub. No sooner had the alert chimed that I had a new message when the phone rang again. “Daddy, you better get that. It could be important.”
“It’ll wait.” I had set ringtones for my brothers, Mama, and even Angela in case she suddenly remembered she had a daughter, not that I expected to hear from her. The ascending chimes echoing through the house now were my generic tone for those who weren’t in my contacts list. When the phone rang a third time, I held out a towel for Sophia and scooped her into my arms. She could dry off and get dressed in the bedroom, then I’d brush and braid her hair while we watched TV.
After relaying my plan to her, I picked up the phone and checked my call log. They were all from the same number with an area code I didn’t recognize. Before I checked the lone voicemail, it rang again. Whoever it was, they were persistent bordering on annoying.
“This is Freddie,” I answered. A pit formed in my stomach, briefly scared that it was someone calling to tell me something had happened to Angela. Although there was zero love lost between me and my ex-wife, I couldn’t bear breaking Sophia’s heart yet again.
“Hey, it’s Peter.” His voice was shaky, and he sounded like he was struggling to catch his breath. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if your offer still stands for Maria and me to come over there for a bit.”
He spoke so fast his words ran together, making me wonder what in the hell was going on. Right then, I didn’t give a shit about anything that happened in the past or how awkward our reunion had been, it was obvious something was wrong and I didn’t hesitate with my answer.
“I’m putting Sophia down right now, but absolutely.” What came next, however, shocked the hell out of me. “If you need, pack a bag and you guys can crash here.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to put you out,” he responded. I heard his sisters screaming at one another in the background, followed by a door slamming.
“Peter, it’s not a problem. I have the spare room and Sophia can crash in my bed.”
“I get to sleep in here?” Sophia squealed as she struggled to yank her nightgown over her head. “Does that mean I can watchReturn to Neverlandbefore bedtime?”
“Fine, go get the disc.” Tonight was about crisis management, and it wouldn’t kill anyone to let her fall asleep to a movie just this once. Once she scurried out of the room, I was able to turn my attention back to Peter. “Seriously, if you’re not sure, pack a bag just in case. It sounds pretty intense over there.”
“Yeah, well, just another day in the Agnelli house.” He let out a long sigh. “I forgot how noisy this place was.”
“Put it in!” Sophia demanded, shoving the DVD case into my free hand. I quirked an eyebrow at her and grimaced. It only took a second for her to realize her mistake. “Please Daddy, can you start the movie?”
“Listen, I have to get Sophia settled, but at least think about my offer. Neither of you need to deal with fights right now.” Peter grunted, which was Peter-speak for he’d think about it.
I spent the next half hour roaming around the house trying to find everything that was out of place. There wasn’t much, but I needed something to keep my mind from obsessing over what in the hell could be going on at the Agnelli house that had Peter calling me in a near-panic. No matter how much time had changed both of us, there was no mistaking the careful control he was trying to maintain. As kids, he’d always worked to keep the outside world from knowing how difficult it was living with his father.
