by Penelope Sky
Siena made me a cup of coffee, and we sat together at the counter and ate our breakfast.
I sipped my coffee while I looked at her, wearing my sweatpants and one of her tank tops. She had to roll the top of the pants twenty times so they wouldn’t drag across the floor, but she somehow made it look cute anyway.
“I got a gift for you.” She tore a piece of her waffle and dunked it in the syrup.
“You did?”
“Yep.”
“Hope it’s slutty.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not.”
“Then I don’t want it.”
She smacked my arm playfully. “Shut up. That’s not the only thing you care about, and you know it.” She carried our dishes to the sink before she returned to me. “Let’s open gifts. I have to start cooking soon.”
“Really? It’s ten in the morning.”
“The turkey takes a long time.”
“You know there’s only four of us, right?” Unless my brother really did bring that hooker.
“Still takes a long time.” She walked up to the tree then grabbed the small gift bag from the ground. She placed it in my hands. “It’s not much, but I think you’ll like it.”
I still didn’t like getting gifts, but since it was Siena, I didn’t complain. I pulled the tissue out of the bag then grabbed something by a string of ribbon. It was Christmas ornament, but it was customized with the picture we took the other day. We were standing together and showing off her pregnant belly, both wearing those ridiculous Christmas sweaters. The date was written at the top along with a message. “Can’t wait to meet you, Martina.” I held the ornament in my hand as I stared at the image for a long time, seeing all of her emotions wrapped up into a single gift. It was thoughtful, personal, and couldn’t have cost her more than five dollars. It was perfect. “Thank you.” I lifted my gaze and met hers.
“Do you like it?”
“I do.” I found an unencumbered branch and hung it at eye level. “I got you something too.”
“Let me guess? It’s slutty.”
I grabbed the box from under the tree and handed it to her. “No, unfortunately. But you can put on that little red number you showed me last week.”
“You’d want me to wear that again?”
“Wear it every night, especially with that Santa hat.”
She took the small box and ripped off the wrapping paper. What was left behind was a small teal box with a bow on top. The name of the jewelry designer was written across the surface. Instead of taking off the lid, she looked up at me. “Cato, you know I don’t want anything expensive—”
“Just open it.”
She sighed then removed the lid. Inside was a white-gold bracelet with three charms attached. Each charm had a different initial. S. C. M. It was the first initial of each of our names. She looked at each one, and then understanding slowly started to creep in.
“I wasn’t going to get you something cheap out of principle. I want you to have something that will last forever.”
She took the bracelet out of the box and rubbed each charm with her fingers. “I love it, Cato. So sweet…” When she looked up at me, there were tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much.” She moved into my chest and hugged me.
My arms encircled her petite frame, and I squeezed her tight. She was at the ideal height so I could rest my chin on her head. Both of our gifts had been perfect for each other—and they both centered around the little girl we were having.
She pulled away then extended her wrist. “Could you help me?”
I put it around her slender wrist then clasped it into place.
She admired the way it looked around her wrist, the way the charms shifted along the metal. “Perfect.” She rose onto her tiptoes and kissed me. “It’s not slutty, but I still love it.”
I chuckled. “If you wore nothing but that bracelet, that might work.”
“Not a bad idea…”
4
Siena
I was working hard in the kitchen, trying to keep everything warm while I prepared the next part of the meal. The turkey was almost done, the stuffing was covered in foil, the potatoes would have to be reheated, and the other sides needed to pop in the microwave for a few minutes each.
“Need help, baby?” Cato walked into the kitchen, looking undeniably sexy in his long-sleeved maroon shirt and black jeans. He’d looked better naked a few hours ago, but after a shower and a shave, he’d cleaned up real nice.
“No. Almost done.”
The doorbell rang.
“That must be them. Bates picked up my mother on the way.”
“Okay, great.” I washed my hands and untied my apron.
Cato opened the front door and greeted them both. “Mother, you look nice.” He hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, honey.” She gave her son an affectionate look, like he was the apple of her eye. She moved to me next and gave me the same excited expression. “Merry Christmas, Siena. You look stunning.” She touched my belly before she hugged me. “You’re glowing brighter than…” She pointed at the tree. “There’s a tree up?”
“I had to fight Cato for a bit, but I eventually won.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Perfect for this space.”
Cato greeted his brother. “Merry Christmas.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Bates handed him a present. “Got you something. Don’t care if you don’t like it.”
He chuckled. “Merry Christmas to you too.”
We gathered in the dining room.
“Mother, what can I get for you to drink? White wine?”
“Sure,” she said as she took off her gloves.
“I’ll have scotch,” Bates said.
“Two wines, it is.” Cato poured two glasses and handed them over.
I was just about to head into the kitchen when the doorbell rang again. I opened the door and came face-to-face with Landon. “Hey. So glad you could make it.” I hugged him and welcomed him inside.
“I won’t turn down a home-cooked meal—even if you may have poisoned it.” He smiled as he stepped inside.
I escorted him into the other room and introduced him to everyone. Then I put my apron back on. “Everything is just about ready.”
Chiara looked at me with an appalled look. “Are you cooking?”
“Yep,” Bates said. “They gave Giovanni the day off.”
“Do you need any help, dear?” Chiara asked. “A pregnant woman should be relaxing.”
“I’m fine,” I said with a laugh. “I’m not disabled. But you can carry the stuffing to the table. Bates, could you put these sides in the microwave for two minutes each? And Cato, could you carve the turkey?”
Cato opened the door to the oven. “Sure, baby.” He carried it to the counter and started to slice the meat.
Chiara stared at her son with a knowing look, but he was too focused to catch it.
The five of us worked together to get everything on the table. We gathered around, and Chiara made a toast. She held up her glass. “I’m very lucky to have two incredible sons who take such good care of me. Soon, I’ll have a granddaughter, and hopefully more grandchildren to add to the family.” She turned to me. “And I’m grateful to have Siena in our lives, to make my son into a good man and fill this home with happiness. There’s a tree in the entryway, the staff got the day off, and you prepared this beautiful meal. You’re a wonderful woman. And to Landon, Siena’s brother, we’re all family here.” She raised her glass and tapped it against mine. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.” The rest of us did the same.
Cato stared at his mother for a while but didn’t say anything. He seemed annoyed with her words rather than pleased.
But maybe I was reading too much into it.
After dinner, gifts were exchanged. Bates handed Cato the present he’d brought in earlier. “Open it.” He practically tossed it at him.
Cato rippe
d open the box and found a blue watch inside he. He turned it over and saw the engraving in the metal on the back. “To my big brother. Merry Xmas.”
I smiled, touched by the gesture Bates had made.
Cato patted his brother on the shoulder. “Thanks, man. I love it.”
“I got you these too.” He pulled out a box of Cubans. “Best of the best.”
Cato took off the watch he was wearing and put his brother’s on instead. “It’s a good fit. And thanks for the cigars.”
I’d noticed Cato smelled like smoke from time to time, but I didn’t realize he smoked on a daily basis. It was something I would have to ask him about later. The father of my child wasn’t going to die ten years too soon because of a disgusting habit.
“What did you get me?” Bates asked, extending his hand.
“I’ll go get it.” He walked to the tree, grabbed the gift, and returned.
I thought it was interesting that the two men argued most of the time, but they put their disagreements to the side and showed each other love—in discreet ways. I’d also noticed that Bates wasn’t nearly as vicious to me as he usually was. He was actually pleasant. Maybe that was because their mother was right there.
Cato handed it over. “I think you’ll like it.”
Bates ripped off the wrapping then admired the remote-control helicopter. It looked like a child’s toy, and when Bates’s face lit up, he looked like a child meeting Santa Claus. “This thing looks sick.”
“It has a pretty good radius too,” Cato said. “I’ve got some batteries in the drawer.”
“Awesome,” Bates said. “Can’t wait to fly this thing. Thanks, man.”
Chiara smiled as she watched her two sons. “They’re so ornery sometimes, but they show their love when it matters most.” She turned to me, and her eyes focused on my bracelet. “That’s beautiful. What do these letters mean?”
“Cato got it for me,” I explained. “C is his initial. S is mine. And M is for Martina.”
“Is that what you decided to name her?” she asked with a smile. “That’s an adorable name.”
“Thank you. He gave the bracelet to me this morning.”
“That was so thoughtful.” She gave Cato a look full of consideration. “Very thoughtful.”
Cato drank his wine in response.
I moved my wrist to Landon so he could admire it.
He didn’t care about things like that, but he was polite enough to give me a compliment. “Nice.”
After we finished drinking and spending the evening together, the men cleaned up. Landon did the dishes while Cato and Bates packed up the leftover food and made room in the fridge. Bates grabbed a plastic container and opened the lid. “Dump some turkey and stuffing in here. Oh, and some potatoes. I’ll even take that asparagus.”
Cato shoveled the food into the container with a grin on his face. “You liked my woman’s cooking, huh?”
Bates made a sour face.
“Guess you don’t miss Giovanni that much.” Cato scooped the potatoes into another container.
Chiara watched them for a moment before she turned back to me. She lowered her voice so they couldn’t overhear us. “You did a great job tonight. The food was wonderful. You’re an excellent cook.”
“Thank you.”
“And you’ll be an excellent mother.”
That compliment meant a lot more. “Thank you.”
She held my gaze with the same intensity her oldest son sometimes showed. “My son loves you, Siena. Very much.” She patted my hand on the table. “I’m very happy he has such good taste. I’m not oblivious to all the things my son does in his private life. But I’m relieved he didn’t want that to continue for the rest of his life. When he found a good woman, he recognized it.”
I’d always heard getting the approval of a man’s mother was no easy task. Especially with Chiara, I’d thought she would be more protective because all she had were her sons. But earning her approval was a million times easier than earning Cato’s. “I love him with all my heart.” I wasn’t ashamed to say those words out loud, not when my feelings were written across the surface of my eyes. I told Cato how I felt often, regardless of his silence.
His mother smiled. “I already knew that. I can tell just by looking at you. My son told me on several occasions that he doesn’t love you, that there’s no future here. I’m glad he was wrong.”
“Well…he hasn’t actually told me he loves me.”
“Really?” she asked, the disappointment filling her gaze. “But you know he does, right?”
“Yes.” My hand rested on my stomach. “I do. He’s just not ready to say it. And that’s fine…because I’ve got all the time in the world.”
She rubbed my arm gently. “He’s worth the wait, I promise you. Cato may have a rough exterior, but he’s got such a big heart underneath all that macho bullshit. The second he had some money in his wallet, he came to my job and forced me to quit that day. I was still in the cannery at the time. He told me he never wanted me to work again.”
Emotion flooded my veins when I listened to the story. Cato was loyal and loving.
“I know he hates his father for abandoning me, for forcing me to provide for two boys when I’d never worked a day in my life. He wanted to take his father’s place as the man of the house. I’ve always known he was trying to prove something to himself, that he’s not like his father.”
“He’s a good man…and he’s nothing like that coward.”
“I could go on and on about my son’s many qualities…but I’m sure you already know he’s amazing. You never have to worry about a thing with him. He’ll always take care of you, in every way you can imagine.”
We said goodbye at the door.
To my astonishment, Bates actually gave me a compliment. “Dinner was great. Thanks for doing that.” He held up his container of leftovers. “I’ll eat this later tonight.”
I couldn’t wipe off the smirk on my face. “Are you just being nice because it’s Christmas? Because if so, I wish it were Christmas every day.”
“No,” he said with a chuckle. “Cato showed me the paperwork you signed…so I guess you aren’t a gold digger like I thought you were.”
“No. I love your brother for who he is…even when’s being an asshole.”
“Which is pretty often,” he jabbed. “Well, goodnight.” He said goodbye to his brother and stepped out into the cold.
Chiara hugged me. “Thank you again. Hope to see both of you soon.” She kissed me on the cheek then embrace Cato. “I love you.”
He held her close. “Love you too.”
“Life is so short.” She pulled away and gave him a smile. “You should always tell the people you love that you love them…because you might miss your chance.” After giving him a knowing look, she walked out.
Landon said goodbye next. “Thanks for having me over. This is the nicest Christmas I’ve had since Mom died. Was she the one who taught you how to cook?”
“Yes, actually.”
“Good. It felt like she was here tonight.” He hugged me then kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll see you later.” He moved to Cato next and shook his hand. “Thanks for having me over. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.” Cato watched him walk out before he shut the door behind him. The cold breeze disappeared, and the warmth surrounded us once more.
“Your brother was actually nice to me. Christmas miracles do exist.”
“I think anytime food is involved, Bates is generally more tolerable.”
“Then I need to have food out at all times.”
“Not a bad idea.” He walked with me back to the dining room, and we cleaned off the table together and rinsed the remaining glasses. The dishwasher was full, so we decided to leave the rest in the sink. When Giovanni returned tomorrow, he could take care of it.
“So, what did you and my mother talk about?” Cato asked as we headed upstairs to bed.
“A little of this, a little of t
hat…”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“Because you’re smarter than that.” I walked through the door then undressed. My clothes smelled like Christmas food, mainly turkey and stuffing. The smell was in my hair too, but I was too tired to take a shower.
Cato stripped down to nothing, presumptuous about what would happen now that the night was over.
“I’m so tired, Cato. I cooked all day, my back is killing me, and I smell like a turkey.”
He came up behind me and rubbed my shoulders. “Good thing I like the smell of turkey.”
“Over lunch…” I closed my eyes and felt his fingers dig deep into my muscles, working away at the tension and the fatigue.
“No. I like it when my woman smells like turkey…because she’s been cooking for me all day.” He guided me to the bed and onto my side so he could continue massaging my back. His fingers worked the muscles over my shoulder blades and those that hugged my spine. Whenever he found a knot, he slowly flattened it with his fingertips.
I was about to fall asleep. “If this is your way of getting sex…you’re just putting me to sleep.”
“If I wanted sex, I would just fuck you.” His hand moved to my ass cheek, and he massaged that too.
“You’re really good at that…”
His hands suddenly stopped moving. “What did you and my mother talk about?”
I opened my eyes and stared at the opposite wall. “You’re evil.”
“Tell me and I’ll keep going.”
He was giving me the best massage of my life, and I didn’t want it to stop. “I told her I loved you.”
He didn’t rub my back. He stayed absolutely still, turning into a gargoyle. “And what did she say?”
“She said you loved me too. I told her you hadn’t actually said the words but it was obvious. She agreed. That was about it. She told me you were a good man. She even told me about the day you went into the cannery and forced her to quit so you could take care of her. Not that she needed to give me another reason to love you.”
He didn’t massage my back again. His fingertips rested against my skin, the warmth entering my body and chasing away the cold from the open doorway. He didn’t have a response to what I said, so he started to massage me again.
