Page 37 of A Treasure To Keep (Leone Legacy #2)

El

I finally got the boys . . . other than Domenico, out of the house as I put the final touches on the baby shower in the garden.

Luci’s mamma, Caterina, and nonna, Stella, will arrive soon, and Luci’s midwife, Quinn, said she would join us.

The Leone’s on-call doctor, Dr. Rossi—well—Aria arrives first, surprisingly with a gift, and sets it on the table.

“I can’t thank you enough for coming, Aria. ”

She studies the garden, her perfect poker face hiding what she’s thinking.

“This is over-the-top lavish. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.

I see only basic security is here, and I noticed Domenico sneaking off to the guest house.

How did you get Alessandro, Marco, and Enzo out of the house?

I’d assume Alessandro would stomp his foot and complain like a petulant child.

” Aria has been married three times, I think, but hates men.

Most of us are convinced she’s a hopeless romantic, even though she has no tolerance for bullshit. I love her for that.

I open the front door as Stella and Caterina get out of their car.

Stella’s wild gray hair blows in the wind, her bright smile an exact copy of Luci’s.

Caterina attempts to hide her nervousness, even though the fiddling with the pendant on her necklace gives it away.

Before Luci was engaged, she would always fiddle with the crucifix on her necklace.

Now, she fiddles with her ring. We greet each other with kisses on each cheek, and I lead them through the house and out to the garden.

They both spin around, taking in the decor before Stella’s eyes fill with tears. Oh no! If she cries, I’ll cry, and that’s not a pretty sight. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t. Fucking. Cry. I’m focused on blinking away tears when Stella grabs both of my hands, smiling at me sweetly.

“El, I can’t thank you enough. I hate how everything ended the night Luci came back to Philadelphia.

I want a relationship with her and my great-grandchild.

I think this baby shower will be the perfect time to take those first steps.

” Long story short, Alessandro kidnapped Luci because Stella’s family owed Alessandro’s family payment for a debt, which could only be paid off through a marriage.

Luci’s nonno, Aldo, broke into the house the night before Alessandro and Luci were supposed to get married and took her back.

They ended up with Luci’s ex-boyfriend, Elio, in Wyoming, and Alessandro shot Luci when he found her.

It was by accident; he meant to shoot Aldo, but whatever.

There were massive amounts of drama in the hospital, ending with Luci returning to Philadelphia and marrying Alessandro that night.

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking; that’s a long, short version of the story. That was about two-ish months ago.

“I’m glad I could figure something out. Trust me; I know family dynamics can be complicated.

Luci would want me to find some way to get the two women she loves more than anything here.

I’m pretty resilient in that way. On that note, I have to get Luci dressed and her hair out of curlers.

I believe you two met Aria back in Wyoming.

You three enjoy the food, drinks, and conversation.

I’ll be back with Luci in half-ish an hour. ”

I pop upstairs, thankful that for the time being, Alessandro has turned off the stupid sensor to that door until Luci has her daughter.

I announce my arrival with a cheesy, yet necessary quote from one of my favorite old TV shows. I’m carrying a light pink dress in my hands and present it to her. “Luuuuuciiiii, I’m hooooome! Alright, everything is done and we still have to finish doing your hair and getting you dressed in this.”

Luci takes the dress from me, holding it like it’ll burn her if she even thinks of wearing it. “El, I’m not sure about this dress. Do you have another option?”

Oh, silly, silly, Luci. Does she know me at all?

“No, babe. You’ll rock this dress, and we will shower you and little miss with fabulous things.

Now come and let me help you get dressed and we can head down to the garden since all the boys are out of the house.

Except Domenico, I guess.” I take the curlers out of her hair and help her get into the tight pink dress before she adorably waddles her way downstairs.

I stand behind her, watching her process what I’ve done to the garden.

I hung lights but kept the flowers the same.

Alessandro and Luci have spent the last several months transforming this garden into the one Alessandro’s mother had before she passed away, soon after giving birth to him.

It’s not my place to take away from any of that.

I’m ready to crawl out of my skin with excitement when Stella and Caterina come out from around the corner.

The three of them cry when they embrace each other.

I have to admit to myself that I wish I could have that type of relationship with my mamma.

At this point, what our relationship is currently is what it will always be.

All because of the one thing I inherited from her. Stubbornness.

I snap that thought out of my head and walk toward the three of them. “I’m guessing that’s an ‘Oh my god, El, you did so good! I can’t believe how amazing you are at your job!’ Right? I know I’m right.”

The three of them laugh, Stella laughing the hardest as she approaches me.

She takes both my hands in hers, giving them a gentle squeeze.

I can’t handle how adorable she is. “I like you. I don’t approve of a pretty girl using the Lord’s name in vain, but I can forgive that because of how amazing this all is.

I cannot thank you enough for making this happen. ”

I watch from a distance as the three of them catch up. Thankfully, Quinn chooses the best time to arrive, shutting down questions about Luci’s eating habits and weight during her pregnancy. Once that’s nixed, I decide it’s the best time to interject.

“Alright! Now that everyone is here, I have an afternoon of fun planned. But first, mimosas for everyone except Luci, who has orange juice and alcohol-free champagne.” We make our way toward the table with cupcakes, food Andrea made, the mimosa station, and load up our plates.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, we play games, chat, and eat good food.

Luci walks Caterina and Stella out while I pick up with Quinn's help. I take the opportunity to pry at something Aria said earlier. “So. Aria mentioned that Domenico was heading into the guest house earlier today. I thought you were staying there.”

She fumbles with the glasses in her hands, audibly swallowing as she tries to process what to say. She turns to me, sending me an almost convincing fake smile. “He’s been extremely welcoming since I got here.”

Domenico? Welcoming? That grump? No way I could imagine that.

“I find that hard to believe. What do I know? You do have to admit that he is ridiculously hot. Have you seen his ass?”

“Oh. I guess I never noticed.” Doubtful. “I’m here to help Luci have her daughter. That’s my focus.” She pauses for a second, and I almost think I hear her say, ‘At least that’s how it’s supposed to be.’

Before I can ask Quinn what she said, she continues. “I’m sure Domenico wants to ensure he’s doing his job and I’m settled in and comfortable. Everyone here has been unexpectedly nice. I consider myself lucky to be welcomed by such a generous family.”

“Alright, Little Miss Sunshine. Whatever you say.” Quinn’s eyes widen when I smirk knowingly. She can deny it all she wants. She finds Grumpy Mac Sweet-ass hot.

Once everything is cleaned up, I head home, going over the events of the day.

The baby shower was everything I wanted for Luci and more.

Unfortunately, I can’t shake off the interaction I had with Giovanni earlier.

I know he doesn’t deserve a single thought in my head, but he’s practically a fly that pops up out of nowhere.

Where can I find a fly swatter for my brain?

Several hours later, I open the door to our apartment, instantly meeting Andrea’s eyes from the kitchen as he makes us dinner.

“Did you have fun today, mon trésor?” Dammit. The floodgates unload when I start crying. Andrea turns off the stove and makes his way toward me, wrapping me in his arms. His safe arms. His loving arms. The arms I spend a solid fifteen minutes crying in before I could answer his question.