Francesca shot her a very clear “would you please shut up” look.
“I’m not a kid,” Kelly said, then burst into tears.
Francesca moved onto the bed and pulled Kelly into her arms. Kelly clung to her.
“I’m s-sorry,” she breathed between sobs. “I hate being a dancer. I know you guys g-gave up so much for me. I know it c-cost a lot. But I hate it.” She raised her head and wiped her face with the back of her hand. “I hurt all the time. The physical work is grueling. I’m tired and I’m hungry. I don’t have what it takes. I don’t. Even if I do, I don’t want to anymore.”
Francesca hugged her close. “Then you can stop right now.” She smiled at Mia over Kelly’s curly red hair and mouthed “Thank you.”
Mia didn’t bother to point out that she wasn’t the one to be thanking. Rafael had figured out the truth none of them had been able to see. She wouldn’t have thought he had the sensitivity or awareness, but she’d been wrong.
Kelly continued to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be,” Francesca said. “You’re only twenty. How can you know what you want to do with your life? You’re allowed to change your mind.”
Kelly raised her head and wiped at her tears. “Really?”
Francesca nodded. “Of course.”
“Then I want to go to college. Maybe community college at first. I want to be a physical therapist, get married, and have kids. I could teach ballet on the side or something. I don’t want to let it go, but I can’t make it my life anymore.”
“Then you won’t.”
Kelly smiled. “Thanks for making me talk about this.”
“Not a problem. I want you to know you can always come to me or your dad if you need to.”
“I know, I just felt so stupid. I finally had what I’d always wanted and suddenly I didn’t want it anymore. And…” She ducked her head. “I’m really sorry about Etienne. He was another mistake.”
“You were trying to get our attention.”
Kelly grinned at her. “Did it work?”
“Big-time.”
Kelly hugged her, then slid off the bed. She crossed to Mia and caught her in a hug. “Thank Rafael for me, okay? Maybe he’s not such a big butthead.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Kelly straightened. “I’m gonna go call Dad, then ask the Grands for some leftovers.”
“Good. He’ll want to talk to you, and you know how the Grands feel about feeding you. You’ll make their day.”
Kelly raced from the room. Francesca watched her go. “I’m so relieved,” she said with a sigh. “I feel so much better about things. I know Kelly does, too. It’s just…how could we not have figured it out before? She’s been crying for help and no one noticed.”
“We noticed,” Mia told her. “We just weren’t sure what was wrong. To quote your daughter, it took the butthead to see it.”
“Which means he isn’t as completely self-centered as we thought.”
“Actually he is. He told me with the idea of getting points in return.”
Francesca shrugged. “Still, it took a little emotional awareness for him to figure it out.”
“You say that like it’s a good thing.”
“It’s not bad. Mia, we’re talking about Danny’s father. You can’t ignore him forever.”
“Watch me try.”
“Oh, that’s mature.”
Mia shook her head. “I know what you’re saying, but I’m not prepared to be mature right now. I’m still angry and I don’t trust him.”
She thought about all they’d discussed while waiting for Danny’s play to start. What bugged her wasn’t what he said—it was her desire to believe it.
“Maybe he’s learned his lesson,” Francesca said.
“People don’t change.”
“Of course they do. Look at you. You’re not the same person you were six years ago.”
“We’re talking about days, not years,” Mia reminded her. “People change if motivated. Do you really think Rafael is? Right now he’s pissed because he didn’t win. He’ll get tired and go home.”
“Do you really believe he’s going to walk away from Danny?”
Mia drew in a deep breath. “No,” she said slowly, knowing anything else was wishful thinking on her part. “He’ll come up with another plan. Maybe he already has. Whatever happens, I refuse to trust him.”
Francesca winced. “Be careful about drawing a line in the sand. You don’t want to get trapped by your own words.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take. There is nothing Rafael can say or do to make me ever believe him again. He knows it and I know it.”
* * *
“I’m riding, I’m riding,” Danny cried as he circled the lawn behind the house.
“You look great,” Mia called to the boy.
“Excellent,” Rafael said. “Just like that. Very good.”
Mia watched her son on the pony and realized that with the trip to Calandria off, she was going to have to find a place for Gaspare. She couldn’t keep him tied up by the garage under Joe’s makeshift tent/stable.
“I need to find a stable,” she murmured. “Are they listed in the phone book?”
Rafael stiffened, but didn’t protest that Danny and his pony would soon be leaving.
“You have land here,” he said instead. “You could build a small stable.”
“In theory, but unless the plans came with a way to build a little someone to care for Gaspare then we’d still have a problem. Danny’s too young to care for the pony and I’ll be busy with school. Even if you’re still here, you don’t strike me as the type to muck out a stall.” She glanced at him. “It is ‘muck out,’ isn’t it?”
“That is the term.”
His expression was tight, his eyes narrowed.
“You’re all pinchy,” she said, feeling suddenly cheerful. “Is it the thought of being forced to stay here or the knowledge that the little prince won’t be returning with you?”
“I am enjoying my time here with you,” he said, avoiding the question. “Daniel has an excellent seat.”
Not exactly a smooth change of subject, but that was okay. She glanced at Danny and saw he really did seem to have an instinctive understanding of how to ride.
“He must get that from you,” she said. “I don’t think a Marcelli has been on a horse in eighty or ninety years.”
“Then perhaps it is time. I could arrange for the three of us to go riding.”
“No, thanks. I think the pony is dangerous enough. I don’t want to see a real horse.”
“You are afraid?” he asked, his voice taunting her.
She refused to be trapped by threat of being called chicken. “Sensible. Very sensible.”
“I see. How is Kelly?”
She groaned. “You love that you were right, don’t you?”
“I’m glad she was able to tell her parents the truth and now she’s happy.”
“Oh, please. You’re desperate to do the happy dance,” Mia said. “You think you’re Mr. Sensitivity.”
He smiled. “I assure you, that title never crossed my mind. I meant what I said. I like Kelly.”
“You’re not fooling me, Rafael. I know all this pleasant chitchat is just part of your master plan. You’re trying to lull me into liking you again. It’s not going to happen.”
He glanced at her, then returned his attention to Danny. “Is it so impossible to believe I might regret what happened? That I now wish for a chance to make things right between us?”
“Yes. It is impossible.”
“Because I am so horrible?”
“It’s not about being horrible. It’s about being used to getting your way. You’re not used to regular rules. You don’t believe in them. Why would you play by them now?”
“Because they are all that is left to me.” He looked at her again. “You are right—I planned to steal your son from you. But in my mind, I didn’t take the idea
any further. I did not consider that Daniel would be devastated by the loss. I would have, and then I would have realized we needed to come up with another way.”
“That’s it?” she asked, incredulous. “That’s all you got from this?”
“What is wrong with what I said? I have admitted I was wrong. I would have hurt Daniel and that was never my plan. I have also told you several times that I intended for you to be able to see Daniel, that I wasn’t going to keep him from you, but you choose not to believe that. So why would I continue to repeat myself?”
“That’s it?” she demanded again, even as she smiled and waved at Danny as he continued to circle the lawn. “That’s the best you can do?”
“What more do you want from me? Blood?”
“It would at least be a start.”
“Be reasonable, Mia. I cannot undo the past. What would make you feel better now?”
“There’s nothing,” she said between clenched teeth. How she loathed the man. How she wished he’d never seen that stupid picture, had never come here. If only—
“Change the law,” she said suddenly. “I was kidding before, but I’m not now. Change the law that says once Danny is on Calandrian soil I have no rights. Make us equals in Calandria law.”
“Will that be enough?” he asked, surprising her. She’d been so sure he would protest.
“It will be a start.”
“I will call the leader of parliament in the morning,” he said. “I give you my word.”
He held out his hand as if they were supposed to shake on it.
She didn’t want to shake hands with him. She didn’t want to touch him at all. Whenever she did, she was reminded how weak and rebellious her body could be. But there was no polite way to avoid the contact, so she braced herself and slid her hand against his.
The sparks were instant. Need exploded like a firecracker trapped in a box. There was light and heat, which she hated almost as much as his knowing smile.
“It’s just physical,” she snapped as she pulled back and stepped away from him.
“The body and the spirit are not so easily separated,” he said. “They influence each other.”
“Not in this case. Don’t go getting any ideas.” She glanced at her watch. “Your time is up. You need to leave.”
She expected him to protest. Instead he walked over to Danny and lifted him down from the pony. “You have done well,” Rafael told him. “I’m very proud of you.”
“I don’t wanna stop,” Danny said.
“It is time for me to leave.”
Danny’s lower lip thrust out. “No!” he yelled. “You stay. Mommy, tell Daddy to stay.”
“Danny, it’s time for Daddy to leave.”
She tried to gather him in her arms, but he pushed away and ran to Rafael.
“Stay, Daddy,” the boy cried. “I’m the heir and I say you stay.”
“Danny…,” Mia started.
Her son turned on her. “Why did you make him go away? Why can’t my daddy stay with me? I want him to stay. I want him to live with me. I’m the heir and I say so. I say so!”
The last sentence came out as a shrieking scream. Mia was stunned when her normally reasonable, rational, emotionally stable child threw himself on the ground and began kicking and yelling.
“Danny,” she said quietly. “It’s all right.”
“It’s not. It’s not.”
“Mia,” Rafael murmured.
She looked at him. “Just go. I’ll deal with this.”
“I will not leave you alone while he is like this.”
Which, in theory, was lovely. But in reality, the longer he stayed, the worse it would get. Still, she couldn’t force him to go.
She sat next to Danny and Rafael sat next to her. Danny cried himself out of his tantrum in about three minutes, then crawled on her lap. He put one arm around her neck and one around his father’s, forcing them to lean toward each other. Then he cried as if his heart were breaking.
Parts of words tumbled out. It took her a minute to figure out what he was saying, and when she did, her heart broke, too.
“I want a mommy and daddy at the same time.”
16
Mia stood by David in the hallway. He smiled at her and then said, “You look like hell.”
She fingered her hair and realized she was in desperate need of a trim and maybe some highlights, but she didn’t think that’s what he meant. The stress wore on her until she had arguments with Rafael in her dreams.
“Things have been better,” she admitted. “It could be worse. At least I don’t have classes. I don’t think I could deal with all this and tort law at the same time.”
He patted her arm. “I wish I could help. Want me to beat up Rafael?”
“Thanks, but Joe already called that one and I haven’t said yes to him yet.”
“I don’t want to stand in the way of Joe and a mission,” David told her. “Is there anything else I can do?”
“Just being here with Amber helps,” she said. “Watching the two of you gives me hope. Not every relationship is destined for disaster.”
He smiled and she saw the love in his eyes. For a moment she felt a twinge—not because she wanted him to still be in love with her, but because just once she wanted a man to look like that when he talked about her.
“I got lucky when I met Amber,” he admitted. “Even more lucky when she agreed to go out with me. I couldn’t believe she didn’t have a serious boyfriend or wasn’t already married.” He chuckled. “I nearly proposed on our first date. I knew she was the one, but I figured if I said so, she would think I was crazy and disappear into the night. So I waited and played the dating game, but all the time I knew.”
Mia sighed. “Now you’re getting married.”
“I know some guys think of it as a loss of freedom, but why would I want time away from Amber? To do what? Meet other women and be disappointed? She’s the one. I want to wake up next to her every morning. I want to plan a future and have kids and curl up in the dark just breathing in the scent of her body.”
Mia listened to his words and felt another twinge. Sure, David was doing what they’d talked about, but he also meant every word. He spoke from the heart about the woman he loved.
“She’s going to be a great mom,” he continued. “She loves kids and she’s patient. What?” he asked with a frown.
“I didn’t say anything.”
He touched her cheek. “You’re crying.”
“I’m not.” She felt the dampness. “Okay, maybe, but just because it’s so wonderful. I want you to be happy.”
“I want you to find what I have,” he told her. “Mia, you’re great. You’re smart and beautiful and I want you to find the right guy.”
“I’m sure I will,” she lied. “But until then, I have you two to inspire me.”
“I’ve never been an inspiration before.”
“You were never marrying Amber before.” Mia hesitated. “David, I need you to talk to her for me.”
“About?”
She drew in a breath. “The Grands. They really want to bead something. You know we have the tradition of making the bride’s wedding dress. Obviously Amber has picked out a dress already. The wedding isn’t that far away. The Grands have beaded your vest and they loved it, but it’s not the same. The thing is, it’s about more than just helping. It’s their way of showing Amber they love her and really want her to be in the family. But they’re afraid they’ll say it wrong, or she’ll think they’re weird or pressuring her. They mentioned something about working on her veil, if that would be okay.”
“I’ll talk to her,” he said as he leaned against the hallway wall. “She really likes the family, but sometimes they’re a little much.”
Mia laughed. “Of course we are. I get overwhelmed and I was born into this craziness. I hope you can explain how much we already love her and how happy we are that she’s going to be one of us. Even if that does mean having to marry you.”
“Hey!”
She grinned. “I’ve seen you at your worst.”
“I could say the same.”
“You could, but you’re a gentleman and you won’t.” Her smile faded. “I love you and I’m incredibly glad we’re not the ones getting married.”
“Me too.” His expression turned serious. “We were kids. What did we know about marriage and forever?”
“Plus you probably would have met Amber eventually and left me for her.”
“I would have felt bad about it.”
She laughed. “And that’s supposed to make it all better?”
He shrugged. “What can I say? She’s the love of my life.”
“David?”
They both turned and saw Amber stepping out of the dining room where Grammy M had carefully sent her to polish the silver. The preplanned move had allowed Amber to hear every word while staying out of sight.
“Amber.” David shifted uncomfortably. “We were, uh, just talking. Mia and I. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Amber’s eyes were bright with affection and understanding. “I know.” She turned to Mia. “I’m sorry I’ve been so foolish about so many things. It’s just you’re amazing and I’m just…”
“The woman David loves,” Mia told her.
Amber stepped into his embrace. “I am, aren’t I? Wow. How did I get so lucky?”
David hugged her tight. Over her head, he mouthed, “Thank you.”
Mia nodded, then turned away to give them privacy. Not that they cared. As far as they were concerned, they were the only two people in the world.
* * *
Mia returned to her room, where she could have her breakdown in private. This was the Marcelli family, after all, and if anyone saw her crying they would all want to know what was wrong, then work as a committee to fix it. Right now, she just couldn’t handle that.
She closed the door and then threw herself on the bed. But once there, the tears refused to come. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think about everything going on, but it was impossible.
She hurt. Every bone, every hair, every inch of skin. She ached with disappointment and a strong sense of having lost something that could have been—should have been—wonderful. For a few days, a couple of weeks even, she’d been in love with a caring, smart, funny guy who’d pretended to love her back. She’d allowed herself to believe. To have hope. It had been a long time since she’d had hope in the romance department.
The Marcelli Princess Page 21
