Desiree
“There’s a man involved. I know there’s a man involved.” My coworker and friend Lucy bumps my hip with hers. I’ve been back at work for two days, still staying Junior’s place at night to check on Gio. And have hot sex.
I took Gio’s IV out, and he’s just in rest and recuperate mode-sitting up, watching television, eating and drinking normally. His recovery looks good.
It feels weird to be back at the hospital-like I was gone for a month instead of just a week. Lucy’s been asking a million questions about my mystery job.
Because, yeah. I’m not ready for this tryst to be over.
“How do you know?” I laugh.
“I can just tell. You have that freshly-laid look. Like you’ve been getting some. And more than just once.”
I grin.
“Seriously, you can tell when a woman starts having a lot of sex. Her skin gets brighter, her mood is lighter. It’s the release of nitric oxide.”
“Oh really?” I give her a doubtful look.
“Look it up. It’s true.”
“Okay, yes, there’s a man involved. But it’s a fling. Nothing permanent or serious,” I say firmly, like I’m willing myself to believe it.
“We’ll see,” Lucy sings as a patient’s buzzer rings and she scurries off.
I smile after her, feeling all warm and glowy when I really shouldn’t. But it’s been fun, coming into work and then going “home” to Junior.
Submitting to his unrestrained sexual demands and receiving everything in return. He insists on dropping me off and picking me up from work.
I should see it as controlling, but instead I feel loved.
Like he can’t stand to be away for even the extra thirty minutes it would take me to drive myself. Or like he’s so protective he doesn’t want me walking in the parking lot alone. He actually voiced the latter to me even though I told him the only jerks waiting in the parking lot belong to him.
“Desiree.” His deep voice cuts through my thoughts as if he’s actually here.
Oh shit, he’s actually here! And I still have four hours left on my shift.
“Junior, what are you doing here?” I glance around, hoping my boss is nowhere near. I do not need to get busted for this, especially after being “out sick” for a full week.
He looks stony serious. It’s the look he used to always wear, but I’d forgotten it in the past few days. “Desiree, get your shit, we need to go.”
I frown. “Junior, I can’t. I’m working. What is it? Is it Gio?” His brother’s been doing so well, I’d be shocked to hear he’s had another relapse.
He shakes his head. “It’s Jasper. I know where he is. Come on, let’s go get him.”
My heart shifts into highest gear. “Oh my God, are you serious? Where?”
“Indiana. Come on, we can make it by five if we leave now.”
“I’ll be right back,” I say, already dashing off to find my boss. I know she’s going to flip out with my absenteeism, but this can’t wait. At least she already knows about my personal problems. I burst into tears telling her and she hugs me. “Go. Personal emergency. I’ll find someone to come in.” She shoos me away. “Bring that baby back home.”
“I will,” I promise, still weeping. I run back down the hall to where Junior’s waiting for me and take his hand.
And then my brain just sort of shuts off. Because I can’t wait the five hours until we get there. And I can’t think about anything else.
Fortunately, Junior seems to understand. Is totally capable in this situation. He drives the Maserati like we’re in the Daytona 500 and gets us the hell out of Illinois.
* * *
Junior
Desiree’s ex picked up a construction job in Indianapolis under some other guy’s social security number. I don’t know how the P. I. s found him, but they did. Jasper seems to be fine-enrolled in kindergarten. Stays for aftercare. Gets picks up and dropped off on the regular. No signs of mistreatment.
Thank fuck.
And I’m still going to kill the figlio di puttana father.
No, not kill. Desiree doesn’t want that. But I’m sure as hell gonna teach him a fucking lesson. Nobody messes with someone I care about without serious consequences.
My plan is to get to the school before Jasper gets picked up, but we get hung up in traffic on the way out of the city, so I don’t think we’ll get there before five.
On the way, my phone rings. It’s Nico.
“Hey, little bro.”
“Not little,” he claims.
“That’s not what your wife says.”
If he were talking to one of our other brothers, he’d tell me where to fuck myself, but as oldest, I’ve always demanded the same respect from my brothers they give our pops, so he just grunts.
“You’re on speaker and Desiree’s in the car,” I warn, in case he was going to talk business. We’re careful about what we say on phones, anyway, but it’s worth telling him.
“Hi, Desiree.”
“Hi.” She turns to me and whispers, “Which brother is it?”
“It’s Nico,” I tell her.
“Yeah, Nico. Sorry. I just talked to Gio. He sounds good.”
“Yes, looks like he’ll make a-”
“Not over the phone,” I cut her off.
She snaps her lips shut. “Right.”
“What’s up?” I bark at Nico. It’s not like him to call to chit-chat.
“Listen, I uh, have some news.”
“What news?” I’m already grouchy. I don’t like news. It’s never good. And Nico sounds nervous to tell me.
“Sondra and I are, uh… well, she’s pregnant.”
My stomach draws up under my ribs into a tight knot. I can’t breathe. This is good news. This should be good news he’s telling me.
Why does it feel like I just got sucker-punched?
“Oh yeah?” I force myself to speak. “Congratulations. How far along?”
“About twelve weeks.”
“Twelve weeks. Wow, you waited to tell people, uh?”
“Yeah. Well, Stefano knew, but we’re just telling the rest of the family now. I don’t know if it’s hard for you-”
“Shut up, Nico.” I cut him off, angry by his suggestion, even though it’s spot on. Maybe because it’s spot on. “Go give your wife a kiss from me. On the cheek, of course. Tell her congratulations and I can’t wait to meet my new niece or nephew, uh?”
“Okay, I’ll do that.” Nico sounds relieved. The fucker was worried about calling me. I don’t know why that pisses me off, too. Like people expect me to implode over a new baby in the family.
Just because I lost the only one this family’s had. You’d think out of five siblings, my ma would be wading in grandchildren, but to her sorrow, that hasn’t been the case.
“Congratulazioni, Nico. Ma’s gonna be over the moon.”
“Yeah, I know. You wanna tell Dad?”
“No, tell him yourself.”
“He still pissed at me?”
“If he was pissed, you’d know it. Have you not talked to him since you got married?” Last year Nico defied our father’s order to marry a girl from the Pachino family in a contract that was meant to tie the families and businesses together. It was my job to teach him a lesson for his disobedience.
Which kept me solidly in the position of most hated brother.
“No.”
“Call him up. All is forgiven. You paid the price, and it’s settled. I’m sorry you didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, well, things get lost in translation between the two of you sometimes.”
“Yeah and you’re pushing your luck, stronzo. You already got an apology out of me. Mark it on the calendar so we can remember this day in history.”
A surprised laugh comes out of Nico. I almost smile myself. It’s unheard of-me, making fun of myself.
Desiree slides a glance my way and her lips quirk, too. Her gaze is soft and warm, like she knows everything the conversation means to me and is sending me her support. This woman is something else.
As Nico hangs up, I reach over and squeeze her knee in a silent thank you.