We land in New York just before noon and make our way over to Joe’s parents’ house for lunch. Jimmy and Allen separated from us at the airport, needing to stop by their home before heading off to their gallery to check in on things. Joe and I haven’t decided on when to tell his parents about the baby — not sure if we should tell them before everyone else or to wait and announce the news to his whole family on Easter.
By the time we pull into the garage, Joe and I decide to wait at least a day and go from there, feeling better at the idea of sharing the news to everyone at the same time. When we enter the sitting room, I’m glad we have chosen to wait when I see Mrs. Covelli doting over her grandchildren; Lily, John Jr., Alexis and Olivia. John Jr. is walking and talking more and Alexis and Olivia are almost two months old.
Lily gets distracted temporarily from her cousins when she sees Joe, Sadie and I enter. She rushes into Joe’s arms after wrapping her arms around Sadie and kissing her several times. John Jr. hobbles over to us, shouting Sadie’s name — which is missing the letter S. Joe holds onto Lily until she squirms to be let down to play.
“There you are,” Charlotte beams, getting up. She’s flanked by Emily and Isabella.
“Hi,” I greet, hugging and kissing each of them.
“We told you everyone starts off as friends,” Isabella reminds with a devious smirk.
“I know,” I sigh. “You told me last time.”
“It’s good to see it’s sticking,” Emily comments, hugging me. “It’s good for him . . . and clearly, it’s good for you. Look at you . . . you’re practically glowing.”
I swallow hard while I try to pretend to be unaffected by her words. She’s not the first person who didn’t know I was pregnant to claim that I’m glowing.
As nervous as I am about the whole pregnancy and children, especially other people’s children, people who I don’t know as well, I’m actually surprised by the feelings I have surfacing inside me — needing to hold Alexis and Olivia.
“Here,” Charlotte offers right as I get seated. “Alexis has been dying to see her Aunt Emma.”
“Yeah?” My hands dart out to cradle Alexis since Charlotte moves quicker than I expect.
“You’re a natural,” Isabella says with hints laced in her tone.
“Thanks,” I return nervously. “I have had some practice, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right,” Charlotte replies. “Jade, her brother and cousin . . . they’re adorable.”
“How is your family, Emma?” Emily asks, changing the subject graciously.
“Great,” I answer. “Maggie’s five months pregnant now. Jared and Nathan are still trying to figure out a wedding date. Pop-Pop and Johanna are moving in together and all of Henry’s and Maggie’s family are doing well.”
“Wonderful,” Mrs. Covelli comments. “We must all come to visit soon.”
“That would be lovely,” I say. “I know they’d love to see everyone again.”
While we eat lunch, Alexis falls asleep in my arms; Charlotte insists on me spending time with my hopefully soon-to-be niece as she puts it. Emily comes to my defense, stating that Joe and I have just started dating and that they’ll scare me away with the talk of marriage already — if they only new exactly how long Joe and I have been together as well as some of our other conversations.
“Please,” Isabella returns. “We all know that they were dating before Nathan’s fashion show.”
“What?” I say, almost choking on my tea.
“Seriously, Emma?” Emily laughs. “We knew there was something up before Christmas . . . and Jimmy and Allen caught us up on the details when you two wouldn’t.”
“Jimmy has a big mouth,” Joe states under his breath.
“Come on, Joe,” David says. “You can’t blame him, can you? He’s proud of his little brother finding love just like him.”
My eyes widen at David’s nonchalant use of the word love.
“Emma’s the first woman you’ve ever introduced to the family,” he reminds.
Joe doesn’t reply.
“Plus,” Isabella begins, “a little birdie told us that you’ve been telling Emma that you love her since Valentine’s Day.” She pauses for a second, either for a dramatic effect or to see our reactions. “We’re all happy that you two are in love. We all kind of knew it was bound to happen when we first met her.”
I remain silent as I shift Alexis in my arms. No one else speaks for what feels like several minutes.
Conversations strike back up, on topics that aren’t about Joe’s and my relationship thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Covelli. As our meal continues, I make plans with the girls to get together for a few activities before Easter. At some point, our discussions head back toward business and David and Daniel become interested when Joe and I openly mention some of the possibilities we’re looking into for our next business investment, especially when Joe and I mention the need for faster and more fuel efficient jets.
The next day, Joe, Sadie and I make a visit over to New Jersey to see the Nelson’s and the girls. All of us meeting up at Martin’s and Celia’s restaurant. The girls are off from school and don’t stop talking about everything that is going on. Brittany came out to Martin and Celia about liking girls right after the New Year and she’s been lighter and happier since they reminded her how much they love her — they knew like I thought they did. Brittany and Leslie squeal or sigh loudly each time Joe kisses me; even the small little ones on the side of my head.
Each day that we don’t say anything to anyone about the baby, I become more excited and eager to tell them, confident that they’ll be happy for Joe and me. We decide to tell everyone; Joe’s family, Mr. and Mrs. Nelson, Martin, Celia and the girls on Easter since we’ll all be together.
When it comes time for dessert on Easter Sunday to be served, butterflies swirl in my belly. Anna and the staff bring out the confections Anna, Joe and I made yesterday for everyone. A small, white box with a light, yellow ribbon wrapped around it is placed on everyone’s plate.
“What’s this?” Mrs. Covelli inquires.
“Dessert,” Anna confirms with a grin.
“Where are the pies and cakes?” Mr. Covelli checks. “I always have my banana cream pie.”
“Those will be out later. These are special,” Anna informs. “Mr. Joseph and Ms. Emma made them for everyone.”
“Joe . . . bake?” laughs John Jr.. “Right.”
“Oh, he did,” Allen confirms. “Jimmy and I watched them make these yesterday.”
“Emma is definitely a keeper if she’s able to get him to cook,” David playfully roasts.
“I knew how to cook before Emma,” Joe defends. “Baking is new, but I knew how to cook.”
His brothers laugh.
“They’re cute!” squeals Brittany as she is the first to open the box. “And, they look so yummy.” She takes out each cupcake and begins eating one of them, not realizing that she’s being watched.
Then, Leslie opens her’s and has the same reaction, digging into her first bite and exclaiming how tasty they are. All eyes bounce between Joe and me speculatively before everyone else opens their boxes.
I try to watch our friend’s and family’s faces closely as best as I can for their reaction. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Joe, Jimmy and Allen grinning. Joe and I had made two cupcakes for everyone. Each cupcake is exactly the same with vanilla cake and icing topped with two chocolatey Easter eggs — one pink with white dots and one blue with white dots.
Mrs. Covelli’s expression reveals that she is the first one to figure out our message as her eyes dart back and forth between the cupcakes in front of her to Joe and me. With the sweetest smile, she says, “I really hope that this is not a joke.”
Everyone pauses; all of the men seem confused while Mrs. Nelson, Celia, Emily, Isabella and Charlotte seem to pay closer attention.
“It’s not a joke, mother,” Joe confirms.
“What’s not a joke?” Tony asks with a mouthful of sweets.<
br />
Jimmy smacks Tony on the arm.
“What?” Tony asks, swallowing his bite.
“Is this what I think it is, Joseph?” Mrs. Covelli searches.
“What are you talking about, my love?” Mr. Covelli inquires.
“What do you think it is, mother?” Joe asks and then kisses the side of my head.
“You know what I’m talking about,” Mrs. Covelli says playfully.
“My love, what is going on?” Mr. Covelli investigates.
Joe’s hand caresses over my belly and his mother’s smile widens as her eyes fill with tears.
“Why are you crying?” Mr. Covelli says with concern.
“Oh my God,” Emily blurts.
“What?” Charlotte replies.
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Mr. Covelli demands with a calm tone.
“Emma’s pregnant,” Jimmy blurts, slapping his hand over his mouth as soon as the words are said.
The room is completely silent for a few, brief seconds as everyone looks to Joe and me to confirm Jimmy’s announcement.
Mrs. Covelli bolts from her chair and rushes over to Joe and me, wrapping her arms around our necks before we even get the chance to shift in our seats. “This better not be a joke,” she declares kissing both of us.
“It’s not a joke, mom,” Joe verifies.
“Holy shit,” Tony exclaims.
“Language, Tony,” Emily scolds.
John Jr. smacks Tony on the arm as he and Emily move around the table toward Joe and me. Everyone takes turns hugging and kissing us, asking questions and talking over each other. Once they all sit back down, Joe and I explain that I found out a few weeks ago.
“And, you knew?” Isabella says to Jimmy. “How could you not tell us?”
“Joe made us swear,” Allen shares.
“So?” Charlotte comments. “You tell us everything.”
“We’re so happy for you,” Mrs. Nelson states, dabbing her eyes with a napkin.
I smile in reply.
“So, when’s the wedding?” Tony inquires.
“Why?” Jimmy chuckles. “Are you wanting to marry her if Joe doesn’t?”
“No,” Tony counters quickly. “But, I would if she would.”
Everyone, including myself laughs, but not Joe.
“Seriously, though,” Isabella presses. “Are you two going to get married now?”
“Not yet,” Joe answers. “We’re taking this one day at a time.”
“Why not?” Charlotte says.
“That’s between me and Emma,” Joe states sternly.
“Married or not, their child is a member of this family,” Mr. Covelli announces.
“Thank you, dad,” Joe replies.
I smile and nod while trying to prevent myself from crying.
“Is it a boy or a girl?” Brittany asks innocently.
“We don’t know yet,” I answer. “It’s too soon to tell.”
Isabella, Charlotte and Emily beam with excitement in their eyes. Mrs. Covelli can’t stop crying which is causing me to cry a little too on occasion. Joe and his brother’s have a toast of scotch with their dad, Mr. Nelson and Martin while the girls and I toast with either wine or sparkling cider.
As the night continues on, my heart is filled with contentment and love for the people around me and how they’ve accepted me, Joe and our unborn child. It doesn’t matter who it is, but when we make eye contact, I see nothing but their sincerest happiness for Joe and me. Okay, maybe Tony is a little heartbroken, but he’ll get over it. Right? He teases Joe right in front of me about knocking me up but not marrying me. It’s cute and funny even though I see how it bother’s Joe a little.
When Tony walks away, I lean into Joe’s ear, “Other than the little Covelli growing in my belly, my heart belongs to you.”
The look on Joe’s face is priceless, laced with several emotions hidden in his eyes though he’s smiling. He pulls me closer and tenderly kisses me.
One Hundred Thirty Five
The past few days, have been hectic with Joe’s family, especially the women who talk my ear off about their personal stories of being pregnant and how they handle things now. They even talk about coming to visit this whole summer to assist while I’m pregnant, mentioning that I’ll want to stay home after I get big enough and won’t be able to move.
“This is so exciting,” Charlotte says for practically the twentieth time. “We’ll have tons of playdates between the four of us and your friend Maggie. How wonderful!”
“It’s a great reason for all of us to visit the West Coast more,” Emily announces.
“Definitely,” agrees Isabella. “They’ll be cousins, but more like brothers and sisters since they’re so close in age.”
“Where are you two going to live?” Charlotte asks. “Will you move in with Joe or will you two find a new place before the baby comes. “From what I heard, your apartment will be too small for the three of you, plus Sadie, plus Anna and all of us when we come to visit.”
“Umm . . .” I say, swallowing hard. “We . . . we haven’t discussed that just yet.”
“There’s no time like the present,” Isabella comments. “Better sooner than later. Time will fly, then you’re suddenly ready to pop him or her out and you’ll want all of that taken care of before your feet hurt from just standing and walking for a few minutes.”
“Stop scaring her, Isabella,” Emily interjects. “They’ve got time and I’m sure Emma and Joe will work it out just fine without our intervention. They’ve been able to manage several businesses between the two of them, I’m sure that they’ll be able to handle anything with the baby.”
“I’m not scaring her,” Isabella defends.
“Yes you are,” Charlotte muses. “Look at her.”
“It’s . . . okay . . . I’m . . . okay,” I mutter between breaths.
The three of them giggle.
“You’re more than okay, Emma,” Emily encourages with a wink.
“Thanks,” I accept timidly.
“If you have any questions as to the best places to shop for baby clothes, let us know,” Charlotte proclaims. “There are so many cute places. We all should go shopping tomorrow . . . .”
“Easy there, girl,” Emily teases. “Emma doesn’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet.”
“Nathan is already designing a children’s line,” I announce, wanting to steer the conversation in a different direction.
“How cute,” Isabella replies. “I can’t wait to see what he comes up with. We’ll all definitely buy from him . . . we love everything he’s done.”
“Or . . . twins,” Charlotte mentions happily. “Emma and Joe could be having twins.”
I choke on my sip of tea, enough for it to run down my chin and onto my chest.
“Stop it,” Emily laughs. “You’re going to freak out the woman.”
“Well, twins are common in the Covelli family,” Charlotte explains. “I’m actually surprised that none of us had twins.”
“How common?” I check, not sure if I really want to know the answer.
“Common,” Isabella confirms.
“Aside from Daniel and David,” Emily begins, “Their Aunt Olivia had two sets of twins and two of her children had twins as well with their spouses.”
So . . . there are five sets of twins in the immediate family?” I search.
“Yes,” Emily confirms. “That doesn’t count some of the extended family.”
“You okay, Emma?” Isabella inquires.
I don’t reply.
“I think we need to give her a moment,” Emily insists.
Anna comes over and fills my tea.
“Thank you, Anna,” I say.
Anna nods and smiles sweetly.
Later in the week, I’m stuck going with Joe to some kind of a business event. Normally I wouldn’t mind, but I know that the she-devil, Abigail, will be there and I’m just not in the mood. I don’t doubt she’s found out about Joe and me dating an
d I’m pretty sure she’s not going to be happy with seeing us together. She wasn’t fond of Joe and I sitting next to each other at Nathan’s fashion show — she clearly understands that I wasn’t intimidated by her threat from New Year’s.
Joe and I stay glued to each other as soon as we exit the limo and enter the hall where tonight’s event is being held. Apparently, it’s not so much business as supposedly a charity type of event hosted by Abigail herself. The woman doesn’t work, according to Emily, Charlotte and Isabella. Abigail lives off of her father’s money and puts on a charity event every few months to give herself attention in the local news, as well as to make it look like her entire family is very philanthropic.
“Joseph,” Abigail greets with a clenched jaw, fake smile and evil eyes directed at me. “I thought you were coming alone.”
“You remember Emma, right?” Joe states, ignoring her rudeness. “My girlfriend.”
The look on Abigail’s face, hearing the news directly from Joe is priceless — words can’t even begin to describe the comedy of it all.
Joe directs me to face him with his hand on my chin and kisses me right in front of her. As I peel away for a breath, he steals another kiss, just as long and just as passionate. “Thanks for having us,” Joe comments, walking away from Abigail, towing me along since our arms are locked, not waiting for her response.
“You are in so much trouble,” I tease.
“Please . . . you and I both know that you enjoyed that as much as I did,” Joe stipulates.
“Oh, I did,” I confirm. “But, I wasn’t referring to being in trouble with me. She’s going to give you hell for that, if not give it to me.”
“Who?” Joe laughs.
“Very funny, Joseph,” I muse.
Joe ushers me around the room, introducing me to many of his and his father’s business associates — some I’m familiar with from meeting them in the past a few times. When Mrs. Silkworth and I start chatting, Joe excuses himself to grab us drinks.
Just Breathe Series (Trilogy Box Set) Page 123
