Part II
The Present
32
Natalia – Age 32
“It’s so good to see you,” my sister-in-law Sierra says, enveloping me in a hug at the doorway. “Why the long faces?” she whispers in my ear, spotting the sulky expressions on Caleb’s and Joshua’s faces behind me.
“I’ll tell you in a minute.” I shuck out of her arms, gesturing at the boys to come forward. “What do you say to your aunt?”
“Hey,” Caleb mumbles, shoving his hands in his pockets, staying rooted to the spot, looking like the stereotypical moody teenager. I suspect he is going to bitch and whine all weekend.
“Hi, Auntie Sierra.” Joshua leans in, giving her a hug because he’s too polite and too sensitive to be rude. “Where’s the little dude?”
“Rowan and Romeo are in the playroom waiting for you. They have the Xbox all lined up. They were driving me crazy asking when you would get here.”
“C’mon.” Joshua grabs his twin, pulling Caleb into the house. Both carry their black duffels on their shoulders as they walk off in the direction of the playroom to play with my nephew and his cousin.
I drop my bag at the door, deciding to come back for it later. I need a drink, and I need it now. “Is it too early to hit the wine?” I ask, looping my arm through Sierra’s slender one.
She arches a brow. “It’s that bad you want to hit the bottle at noon on a Saturday?”
“I’m sure it’s wine o’clock somewhere in the world,” I joke as we walk down the hallway, past the living room and dining room, heading toward the large airy kitchen my brother had remodeled after Sierra and Rowan moved in.
“Well, I’m not going to indulge this early in the day, but if you need alcohol I won’t judge.” We step into the bright kitchen, and Sierra walks to the refrigerator as I grab a wineglass from the overhead cabinet.
Sierra pours herself a large glass of cranberry juice and a wine for me, and we take our drinks out to the sunroom. We sit down in one of the comfy wicker couches that face the majestic grounds. The French doors are open, letting in a gentle warm summer breeze, and I spot two figures jogging in the opposite direction across the manicured lawns at one side of my brother’s massive estate.
Ben bought this place a few years before he reunited with Sierra and discovered she had had his son. He demolished the original house and replaced it with something that rivals The White House in sheer size. Sierra, Ben, and Rowan live in the east wing while Serena—Sierra’s older sister—lives with her two children, Elisa and Romeo, in the west wing. The house is so vast it’s like they’re not sharing living space. They can have as much or as little privacy as they need.
“Is that Leo with Benny?” I ask, assuming it’s his best friend and underboss. Leo has thrown himself into hismafiosoduties, quickly climbing the ranks.
Papa died last year, after losing his long battle with cancer. I hate I lost both parents to that horrible disease. Where Mama went fast, I had to watch Papa struggle for years. Although we had our differences, I miss him. Yet I’m glad he is at peace now.
Ben has been in charge for some time, but he only officially became a don when Angelo died. He is transforming our world, and he has legitimized a lot of the business and brought it kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century. Gradually, he is changing things, but it’s slow progress with regards to the old-school traditions.
I am so proud of him. Like I am Leo.
The irony isn’t lost on me though. If I was only getting married now, there would be no voice of dissent saying I couldn’t marry Leo.
It’s such a crock of shit. But there is no point dwelling on all the what-ifs. It won’t change a damn thing.
Sierra nods, and I take a sip of my wine. “I meant to ask,” she says. “Does it bother you he is here on weekends when you are?”
“It doesn’t,” I lie. Truth is, it kills me to spend downtime with him. I have kept my walls up for years where Leo is concerned, and it hasn’t been easy. Especially in the past few years, when he seems to look in my direction more often. I think he thinks no one is watching, but he’s not always subtle, and my husband has noticed. Gino has questioned me about Leo a few times, but I always shut that shit down fast.
Gino cannot know Leo was the one, and I have stuffed my feelings for him deep down inside and ignored him for years because it’s the only way I can keep him safe.
I’m so guarded now it’s difficult to let anyone in.
“Are you sure?” Sierra’s pretty face scrunches up in concern. She is aware there is some history between us, but I didn’t go into the details. Ben doesn’t even know what went down, and I need to keep it that way.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.” I pat her arm. “This house is a monstrosity, and it’s not like I see him that much.”
“How come you didn’t go to Chicago this weekend?” she asks, staring at her husband’s disappearing form in the distance.
“Gino is too busy.” Or at least, that’s the excuse he keeps feeding me. He was only supposed to be there for six months, but it’s looking like he will have to stay there for another six.
