by Cala Riley
“You know, this could have been us. We could be married with kids by now. Living out our dreams in California like we always planned.”
Her voice is wistful but tinged with sadness. I swallow past the lump in my throat, thinking of the past. I was going to find a job at a factory or somewhere that I could move up the ladder. She would work as a waitress until I made enough for her to quit. We would be married and have three children. We would live out our days living the middle-class life, away from the drama of the family. Away from the danger.
“I know. In another lifetime, we would have done it too.” I take my hand from her hip and wrap it around her neck as I lean back to look at her. “You have no clue how bad I wish we had left. How bad I wish I was some blue-collar worker trying to support his beautiful wife and their amazing children. Izzy and Gio, two people in love just making it through.”
Tears fill her eyes as she whispers, “That’s all I ever wanted.”
I lean in and brush a chaste kiss against her lips. “We can still have that. I—”
She pulls away then. “I can’t, Giovanni. This hurts too much.”
She goes to pull out of my arms, but I tighten my grip. “Please let me explain. You owe me that much, remember?”
Her eyes grow somber. “I do, but not tonight.”
I nod as I loosen my grip and let her walk away, taking my heart with her.
Chapter Two
Isabella
I rush into the bathroom and shut the door. I heave out a couple of breaths, begging my eyes not to let the tears fall.
What were you thinking?
I wasn’t thinking. When Giovanni walked up to me and asked me to dance, I let my poor, battered heart answer for me. It wanted nothing more than to be in his arms again.
Oh, how wonderful it felt.
As soon as he wrapped his arms around me, I felt the same feeling that I’ve always felt. The emotions I keep pushed down came rushing back, reminding me of how amazing it felt to be in his arms. To have his lips on mine. To be his.
I forgot for a moment that I hate him. Then my mouth spoke before my brain could stop it, bringing up the past. Those dreams we once had. The plans we made.
Things were simpler then. We thought we could leave unscathed.
We were wrong.
Childish dreams meant to be left in the past. So why did I bring them back up?
Because you still love him.
I push those feelings back down and look at myself in the mirror, watching tears trail down my cheeks I clean up my face before I leave the bathroom.
As I’m walking down the hall, I find Greer walking my way. Instead of letting her past, I step right in front of her. She looks surprised but doesn’t say anything. Instead, she stops and gives me a tentative smile.
Earlier, Sofia told me she believed that Greer, along with her sister and mother, had something to do with her ruined dress. I was angry then, but all these leftover feelings from Giovanni are making the anger amplify.
“Sofia’s dress was nice, wasn’t it?” I sneer at her.
“It was. I loved the back. The red matched Bash’s tie perfectly. It looked amazing.”
She looks comfortable. I don’t observe a hint of guilt, but I know people can wear a mask. I wear one all the time. I grit my teeth.
“Which one of you did it?”
Her eyes widen in surprise then turn to confusion. “What are you talking about, Isabella?”
I grab her arm and shake it a little. “You know what the fuck I’m talking about. Which one of you ruined Sofia’s dress?”
She pulls out of my grip and huffs. “How was it ruined? It looked fine to me.” Confusion covers her face.
“Someone cut the back up. That beautiful design you love so much was a last-minute addition to cover up what you, your sister, and mother did to it.”
Her eyes finally show recognition. I’m about to punch the bitch when she speaks.
“I have no clue what you’re talking about, but if anything was done to sabotage Sofia’s dress, then I would bet my life that it was my mother. She may seem all meek and quiet, but she can be a vindictive bitch. Add in the fact that as soon as Bash and Sofia said ‘I do,’ Mom ceased to be the head matriarch of this family, and you have your answer. If she could kill Sofia, she would, but she’s too scared of Bash. Seeing him with Sofia, I would say she’s right to be scared.”
I narrow my eyes at her, judging her words, deciding if she’s telling me the truth. She sighs.
“Listen, Isabella, I like Sofia. She’s strong and independent. She’s what my brother needs. Someone to stand up to him, not be a doormat. Hell, I hope to be her one day. If my brother would ever let me live my life for myself, I would hope to be as strong and independent as her. My mother’s old fashioned. Women should be seen and not heard. They should lay on their backs and take it without saying a word. I’m not down with that. With Sofia, maybe I will have a chance at the life I want instead of the one my mother had predestined for me—some archaic arranged marriage that would be forced upon me.”
I see the truth behind her words. She isn’t wearing a mask like I originally thought. She reminds me a lot of myself at her age. Wanting something more than what was decided for herself before she was even born. I feel the tension leave my shoulders.
“Sorry, Greer. That was uncalled for. It’s been a rough night. Thank you for talking to me.” I go to move around her, but her words stop me.
“It’s Gio, isn’t it? I’m sorry you guys didn’t make it. I always wanted what you had when I was a kid. You could tell you two truly loved each other.”
I look over my shoulder at her. “Love isn’t always enough, Greer. Remember that, okay?”
She nods before I walk away. She isn’t wrong. We used to be in love. I saw how envious others were of us.
I remember our first kiss. We were fifteen and had been hanging out a lot but hadn’t quite put the boyfriend/girlfriend label on it yet. We were at school when Tracy, the head cheerleader, walked up to us at my locker.
“Hey, Tracy.”
I bristle at Gio acknowledging her. I hate Tracy. She always makes fun of me for looking like a boy. I wonder what she will say in front of Gio. I pray it isn’t anything too embarrassing. I really like him and don’t want her to ruin it.
“Hey, Giovanni. You know the only reason Isabella hangs out with you is because she has a huge crush on you, right?”
My face burns with embarrassment. We are friends. Yes, I have a crush on him, but I don’t want him to know. Now he’ll never hang out with me again. Fucking Tracy. I swear I would kill her if I could.
Gio chuckles, and I feel the tears prickle my eyes. He’s laughing at me. At what she said. Tracy starts to laugh with him, but his words stop her.
“I would sure hope she likes me; otherwise this could get awkward.”
Then he turns to me, grabs my cheek gently with his hand, and presses his lips to mine. I make out Tracy’s gasp, but I’m frozen. He pulls back and smiles at me.
“Considering she’s my girlfriend, she better be into me.”
Then he winks.
The memory sends chills down my spine. The beginning of our official relationship. I knew then that I more than liked him, even if I didn’t quite know what love was yet. From that moment on, no one bothered me because I was Gio’s girl. That label meant the world to me up until the day it was stripped from me.
“Hey, Iz. You okay?” Sofia’s standing next to me.
“Yeah. It’s just been a long day.”
She smiles warmly. “Thank you for being a part of it. I know it wasn’t easy for you, but it means everything to me that you were here. You’re my sister. I want to give you and Mia your gifts before Bash and I head to bed. Do you know where she is?”
I sigh. “Let’s go check her room. I bet she’s there and not alone.”
Sofia chuckles. “Well, let’s go break them up then. It’s my wedding day, not theirs.”
Once we are at Mia’s ro
om, I put my ear against it to listen. I don’t pick up anything, so I take it as a positive sign. I knock on the door.
“Come in.”
I slowly open the door with my hand over my eyes.
“Listen, I’m not into voyeurism, so I hope you guys are clothed.”
Mia laughs weakly. “I am. Sorry, I needed to lie down. I don’t feel great.”
Sofia walks over and touches her head as I sit next to her. “Again? Are you okay, Mia Pia? You weren’t feeling well last night either.” Sofia goes into the bathroom and wets a rag before bringing it back to Mia.
“Yeah, I think I have a cold or something.”
Last night we had a Cards Against Humanities night with Matt, Dante, and Angelo. They didn’t drink, but we sure did. Well, me and Sofia did. Mia threw up before the festivities began so she sipped on ginger ale. I noticed her doing it again tonight.
“Are you pregnant, Mia?”
Sofia gasps at my question. Mia looks horrified.
“Absolutely not!”
“You’re sure? One hundred percent sure?”
She thinks it over. “I guess I could be.”
“Do you use protection? Are you on the pill?”
She winces. “No and no. I’ve never needed the pill, and, I mean, protection hasn’t been at the top of the list of things we think about in the moment.”
I sigh. “Tomorrow, we go to our house and make Matty bring us a test. You need to rest.” I look to Sofia and see she’s standing there with her mouth open. “Are you trying to catch flies, Sof?”
She shuts it then glares at me. “I’m speechless. Mia’s pregnant!”
“Might be!” she yells.
“Come on, Sof. Let’s let her rest. We’ll send Lo up to lie with you. I need to have a talk with him anyway.”
I haven’t always been Lo’s number one fan, but we have come to an agreement. As long as he makes Mia happy, then I don’t have to take a paring knife to his balls.
“No!” Mia shouts. “Don’t tell him. Not until we know for sure.” She looks nervous now.
“Okay. We won’t. You do need rest though.”
Sofia stops me. “Gifts first.” She picks up the two small gift bags that she dropped when she checked on Mia. She hands one to me and the other to Mia. “This is for being the best bridesmaids a woman could ever ask for. I already gave Greer her gift. I had them made for you two.
We each pull the long box out of the bag. It’s obviously jewelry, and if I had to guess, I would say a necklace. I open it and confirm it is indeed a necklace with three hearts all connected. Across the top of the hearts is the word Sisters. In each heart, our names are written: Isabella, Sofia, Mia.
Mia is already in tears as she looks at hers, and I feel my own threatening to fall.
“Sofia, I love you so much! This is perfect.”
Sofia smiles at Mia before turning to me to witness my reaction. I choke back a couple of sobs as I stand up to hug her. Mia comes and hugs her as well.
I whisper in her ear, “You will never know how much this means to me.”
She pulls back and is crying as well. “I’m glad you like it because I wore it all day.”
She pulls her own necklace from around her neck. I didn’t realize it, but she’s right. It matches ours. “You guys are my family, and I would do anything for you. Thank you for being here for me and Bash.”
After some more tears and sweet words, we finally leave Mia to rest.
Sofia pauses at the top of the stairs. “You going to your room or coming back downstairs?”
“It’s been an emotional day for me. I need a shower and some sleep desperately.”
“Okay. Good night, babe.”
“Good night, Mrs. Catalini,” I tease, causing Sofia to giggle.
“That’s going to take some getting used to. But, Iz, one day you will get your own happy. I know it,” she says over her shoulder as she makes her way down the stairs.
I hope she’s right, but I won’t hold my breath.
∞∞∞
“Okay, I have what you asked for. By the way, thank you guys very much for putting me in this extremely awkward position.” Matt glares at me specifically.
The girls didn’t want to ask him to go, but I knew he would keep it secret. If we asked Dante or Angelo, they would have for sure blabbed. They are loyal to Bash through and through. Not that Matt isn’t. He just also has a loyalty to us girls.
He didn’t want to go to the drugstore to buy a pregnancy test, but I convinced him to. I told him what would happen if I went. Giovanni would probably lose his shit. So, Matt went and grabbed the test for us.
“Thank you, Matty.” I give him my best smile.
Matt’s been Sofia’s guard for about a year. He took a bullet for her pretty early on too. We spent a lot of time with him during his recovery, and eventually, he became one of the girls. He loved that. Note my sarcasm there.
Really, he’s happy to be there for us. He says we remind him of his sister, who he doesn’t see as often. He also takes protecting us seriously. It wasn’t until Sofia and Bash made it official that Matt and I grew closer.
We have been accused of dating or fucking, but it’s not like that with us. One night when I was weak, I called him. I asked him to come hang out because I needed someone to talk to. He didn’t hesitate. It was his night off, but he left his home and came to mine. For an hour, we simply sat in the dark not saying a word. Then I did something I hadn’t done in years. I opened up to him.
I don’t know what it is about him, but I told him about my heartache. I told him about how seeing Giovanni made me feel. How decisions from the past changed my life drastically. How I felt like I had no place in life. No purpose.
He held me while I cried. He didn’t say anything until I was finally done. Then he looked at me and told me that if I didn’t feel like I had purpose, then he would help me find my purpose.
I didn’t tell him my whole story. I only told him the surface of it, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t press for more. Only told me he would help me get better.
And he has. We now talk every single day. He calls me every morning and evening to talk. I can’t tell you how many times he’s come over for nothing more than to watch TV, so I don’t have to be alone. Hell, I’ve even been to his house and met his mother and sister. The other girls don’t even know that.
That’s why he’s Matty—the same nickname his younger sister started calling him when she was a toddler. As soon as I heard it, I knew it would be his name from now on. He acts like it bothers him, but I can see the affection in his eyes every time I use it.
“Don’t thank me yet. I might get my balls handed to me when Bash realizes I’m keeping this from him.”
“I don’t think Bash is who you have to worry about.” I pull the test out of the box and turn to Mia.
“Here you go, babe. Pee on the stick then set it on the counter and yell out to me. I will start the timer.”
Mia looks nervous as she walks toward the bathroom. As soon as the door closes, Matt whisper shouts, “Mia! I thought it was for Sofia! Lo will surely have my fucking balls and my dick when he finds out I helped with this! Fucking A, you’re going to get me killed.” He’s pacing as she’s in the bathroom.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Matty. You will be fine. She’s probably not even pregnant,” I say unconvincingly.
Mia doesn’t remember the last time she had her period. She’s never tracked it. Add in her sore breasts, the vomiting, and I’m almost 100 percent positive she’s pregnant.
“Okay!” she yells out.
I start the timer; then we crowd into the bathroom with her, even Matt.
None of us speak as we wait for the results. Once the timer goes off, Mia looks up to me with fear in her eyes.
“What if he doesn’t want kids? What if it's too soon? What if he’s mad at me?”
I grab her hand. “Lo loves you. He will be happy.”
Sofia grabs her other hand. “A
s caveman as he is? It’s probably what he was going for, Mia Pia.”
Matt speaks up from the doorway. “And if he isn’t happy, it’s my brotherly duty to kick his ass from here to Delaware.”
She chuckles at his response. He pretends he wasn’t just shitting his pants thinking about Lo finding out his role in this. That’s why I love Matt. He always knows what to say and when to say it.
“It’s time, Mia. Check it.”
She takes a deep breath and brings the test in front of us. The bright pink plus sign tells us what we already knew. Sofia and I look at Mia for her reaction. She looks as if she’s in shock, but then she drops the test and grabs her belly. She turns to us with a huge smile on her face.
“I’m pregnant!”
We laugh as we tackle her in a hug.
After we hug and laugh for a while, she stands up and gives Matt a hug. He didn’t join in our hug fest but hung back, letting us have our moment.
She whispers a thank you before picking the test up and putting it back up on the counter. Sofia follows her out of the bathroom, but I stop and hug Matt around his middle. His arms lower as he squeezes me back.
“Thanks, Matty. You’re a pretty amazing guy, you know?”
“Ew. Izzy, stop hitting on me. I’m your brother,” he teases as he ruffles my hair.
I step back just as Mia and Sofia come back with a ziplock baggie. I watch Mia put the test in the bag then wash her hands.
“So, how do I tell him?”
A mischievous smile covers my face. “I have an idea.”
They all groan.
Giovanni
My throat is dry, and I feel as if I was hit by a truck. I lean up and look around the room I’m in. I notice right away it’s not mine. It takes me a minute before I realize I’m still at Bash’s house. I rub my hand down my face as I try to remember last night.
Dancing with Izzy. Her rejecting me, again. The bottle of Jameson I snatched from the bar. Sitting outside and drinking in the dark.
I don’t remember anything else, let alone how I made it up here.
A knock on the door startles me.
“What?” I groan as I hold my head.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Bash and Lo walk into the room without waiting for an invitation.
