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The loss. The distrust. The fear.
The faith. The reconnection. The passion.
The love.
Not once do I lift my head. I keep my gaze pinned on my plate as I toy with the fettuccini Nonna and Mom handmade for the occasion, but my appetite’s in the dust.
As the song nears the finale, a rousing end that conveys my hope for tomorrow, the aftermath is bitterly silent.
That’s when I hear a sniffle.
“Coniglio,” Nonna wails, using the tablecloth to swipe at her eyes. “It’s you two!”
Of course she understands it.
“Oh, darling,” Mom whispers.
Cody squeezes my hand as I shoot them both tremulous smiles.
Zee’s sniffling into a napkin.
Raquel’s eyes are wet.
Colt raises his glass to me.
“That was neat,” Anthony cheers.
“Thanks, Tony,” I mumble.
Daddy clears his throat.
I close my eyes.
Dreading looking at him.
That’s when I hear the scraping of a chair.
Some footsteps.
My heart pounds.
I squeeze even more juice out of Cody’s hand.
Then a face is next to mine and a kiss is pressed to my temple.
“Beautiful, Christy.” My dad holds me in a half-hug. “Such talent. Such promise.” He squeezes me. “I like what he brings out in you, and I know that director will too.”
With a sob, I turn around and hurl myself into his arms.
I hate being at odds with anyone in my family. I love them. So much. It hurts. But he embraces me as fiercely as I do him.
And maybe it won’t work out with Jerry Majors. Maybe I’ll have to get a job at The Coffee Shop if Zeedoesstop with the campaign trail like the family is discussing. Or maybe, I’ll just keep on helping Callan out…
It’ll be fine.
Because I havelove.
It came back to me.