“What’s a sex room?” a young girl with dark-blonde hair and vibrant green eyes asks. I hadn’t spotted her around the table when we returned. She’s a teenager, but it’s hard to pin an age on her because all the young girls look so much older these days.
“Jesus, Frankie. Can you watch what you say around impressionable ears, please?” Sierra glares at the woman across the table.
“Shit, sorry. I forgot Raven had joined us.”
“We’ll talk about this later, honey.” Sierra brushes her daughter’s bangs out of her eyes just as they light up at something over her mother’s shoulder.
“Marco’s here!” she screeches. “Bye!” She’s up and off, running on long legs toward a tall teenager with sandy-brown hair.
“Someone, help me,” Sierra laments, face-planting on the table.
Serena rubs her sister’s back. “Trust me, I get it.”
Sierra lifts her head, watching with troubled eyes as her daughter sidles up to the newcomer, beaming up at him like he put the stars in the sky. It’s so stinking cute. “At least there was a decent age gap between Caleb and Elisa, and you knew nothing would happen when she was a young teen.” Sierra rubs her temples. “There is only two years between Raven and Marco, and she is bossy and determined in a way Elisa wasn’t.”
“Wonder where she gets that from,” Nat muses, her lips twitching as she pops a piece of chicken in her mouth.
“Your brother!” Sierra stabs her finger in Natalia’s direction.
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Serena smiles. “You were quite the bossy brat when you were her age, and I remember you crushing on someone older too and being quite determined.”
“You don’t have to worry about Marco, Sierra,” Frankie says, looking over her shoulder at the two teenagers. “My youngest is way too shy and far too much into his video games to have any real interest in girls.”
“He likes Raven though,” Nat says, also watching the teenagers. “I’ve seen how they are with one another, and let’s not forget raging teenage hormones. I would keep an eye on it.”
“At least she’s young and innocent.” Frankie plucks a wedge from her plate and dunks it in chili sauce. “I still have nightmares about Sorella and Antonio. No mother should have to see that.” A visible shudder washes over her.
I’m curious but not enough to pry into private matters.
Nat’s daughter pulls her away to tend to someone with a grazed knee, and I pick at the food on my plate while we talk about everything and anything.
This is all so normal, and it’s nice. These women are super nice, instantly welcoming me and including me in the conversation. Serena went out of her way to offer me some guidance and comfort, and I’ve never even met her. Catarina has been looking out for me all afternoon like a protective big sister. I’ve never had this before, and now I’m imagining regular phone calls, cozy lunches, and boozy girls’ nights out, and warmth floods my chest.
“Look who I found,” Nat says, reappearing at the table holding a dark-haired little boy in her arms. He can’t be any more than two, if that. A chorus of oohs and aahs ring out as everyone gazes adoringly at the little guy. He’s a cutie, for sure, chomping on a teething ring and staring shyly at all of us. Two bright red spots darken his cheeks, and I feel for him. It’s hard watching them teething and not being able to do much to ease their pain. I’ve seen my youngest siblings go through this phase.
As if he felt me watching him, he looks up, and the instant I see his eyes, I know who he is. My heart beats wildly against my chest wall, blood rushes to my head, and alarm bells ring in my ears. I grip the side of my chair as he stares at me, awash with inner pain and struggling to hold myself together.
“This is Elio.” Nat kisses the side of his head. “He’s Cristian’s son.”
“The poor baby has been through so much,” Cat says discreetly in my ear. “He lost both parents before he was one, but he’s lucky Cristian is his father now and not his bio dad.”
“Bio dad?” I ask in a bit of a haze, not sure why I’m seeking confirmation when I already know.
Cat leans right into my ear. “Cruz DiPietro was the previous Vegas don who died last year. He was Cristian’s older brother. Cristian stepped up to adopt Elio when he was orphaned, but the child is way better off with his uncle. Cristian is one of the good guys; whereas, his older brother was a monster.”
I know.I lower my head, staring at my lap.
“Massimo and Fiero loathed Cruz,” she continues explaining. “They were friends for years until he betrayed Massimo during senior year of high school. I have never seen them hate anyone as much as that man, but it was justified. The things he did warranted it.”
My stomach pitches, the champagne sloshing uncomfortably in my gut.
“Hello, we haven’t met,” a man with a deep masculine voice says, and I hear the similarity in his accent.
Wiping my clammy palms along the side of my dress, I try to fight the mounting panic attack. It’s a miracle I can force my head to lift, but I do. I zone out on autopilot, retreating to that place in my head I thought was lost to me. My mask comes down, and I shove my anxiety aside to handle later. A fake smile shrouds my face. “Hi. I’m Valentina.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Catarina looking at me with a frown.
“I’m Cristian DiPietro. Good to meet you.” He extends his arm over the table, smiling at me, and all I can think ishe looks so much like him. He’s possibly a little taller and slightly less broad in the shoulders, but his piercing green eyes are almost identical as is the shade of his hair though he wears it differently. My hand is shaking as I place it in his. His large warm palm overwhelms mine, and I lose the tentative hold on my emotions the same time I lower my shields.
