“You have no right to say things like that to my daughter. Or to me,” she hissed. “You were always a rude, wild little girl who’s grown up into an ever ruder woman. I should never have allowed Angela to be friends with you and your sister. Both of you have been bad influences on her.”
Lauren, who had faced far more intimidating people than Angela’s petite, sixty-seven year old mother in her life, wasn’t about to start backing down. “Are you joking? You were all too happy for Angie to hang out at our house as often as possible. After all, that pretty much gave you a free babysitter to go do all the things you wanted to do, didn’t it? When we were kids and even in high school, she ate dinner at our house five out of seven nights, did her homework there, slept there a lot, too. And I’m guessing you didn’t even notice she was gone half the time.”
Rita’s eyes were filled with rage and her hands shook. “Our family is none of your business. So stop making trouble where there isn’t any and -”
“Enough!”
Six pairs of eyes turned to stare in astonishment at Gino. He’d been silent up until this point, watching all of the drama unfolding – Lauren getting in Deanna’s face and making her cry, then standing up to Rita as she’d tried unsuccessfully to intimidate her. Julia, meanwhile, had tried valiantly to keep the peace, while Nathan had wisely stayed in the background and hadn’t interfered. As for Nick, no one had even noticed that he’d walked back into the room and remained hidden in a corner, unobserved.
But Gino was definitely making himself heard now, his face ruddy with angry color, and his dark eyes – so like Angela’s – were blazing with fury.
“Now, all of you –” he pointed accusingly at his wife, daughter, and then at Lauren. “Be quiet, will you? This is a hospital, for God’s sake, not a soccer match.”
Rita glared warningly at her husband. “Don’t tell me to keep quiet, Gino. This little troublemaker here is the one who started all of this. Tell her to shut up, not me.”
Gino shook his head. “No. Because everything Lauren just said is the truth. You and I were lousy parents to our Angie, and I can’t think of one person who would say otherwise. And Marisa and Deanna haven’t been very nice to her, either. But all of that, every bit, is my fault. Because I should have stood up to the lot of you a long, long time ago. And now my baby girl is hurt, just had major surgery, and I wasn’t even there when it happened. I’m the worst father in the whole world.”
Rita and Deanna were staring at him in shock, too flabbergasted by his uncharacteristic outburst to think of a reply. Lauren was trying very hard not to smile in satisfaction, while Julia kindly patted the visibly upset older man on the shoulder.
“No, you’re not,” she assured him gently. “Angie always knew you loved her. And you’re here now, that’s all that matters.”
Gino nodded, his eyes suspiciously damp. “Thank you, Julia. I know you and your sister, not to mention your parents, have always been good to my Angie. You were there for her when I wasn’t, when I should have been. But I was too afraid of upsetting Rita, of making her angry, and then she’d take that anger out on Angie.”
“I never did that!” screeched Rita. “Gino, don’t you dare discuss our private affairs in front of all these people.”
Gino shrugged, for once not caving in to his wife’s anger and demands. “It’s not much of a secret, Rita. We all failed our daughter over the years, but that ends right now. I don’t care how mad you get, or what other plans you make, from now on I’m going to see my baby as much as possible, call her on the phone every day if I want to. I just hope it’s not too late for her to forgive us. To forgive me. It’s a father’s duty, after all, to protect his children, and especially his little girl. And I’m going to try and make it all up to her, whether you care or not.”
Rita opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out and she sunk defeatedly back into her chair. Deanna had retreated to a corner, tears still streaming down her cheeks, and Nick couldn’t tell who she appeared more afraid of – Lauren or her suddenly assertive father.
“Angela’s awake. The doctors are in her room now running some tests, but so far she seems fine.”
Everyone turned now to watch Nick as he walked slowly inside the waiting room. He turned first to Gino, extending his hand.
“We spoke on the phone earlier today, Mr. Del Carlo,” he told the older man. “I’m Nick Manning. And I’m sure as soon as the doctors say it’s okay to go back in her room, that Angela would really like to see you.”
Gino nodded, though he looked more than a little awestruck as he shook hands. “I thought my daughter was pulling my leg when she told me you were the one who called,” he confessed. “I’ve been a 49er fan since I was a little boy. And I was actually there at the stadium when you recorded five sacks in one game. One of the best games I’ve ever seen. This – this is an honor, Nick.”
Nick shrugged, never terribly comfortable when he received accolades from his old fans. “We can talk football some other time, if you don’t mind. I think our focus now should be on your daughter.”
While Gino nodded in agreement, Angela’s sister and mother started advancing on Nick as though they were sharks scenting blood in the water.
“Wow, Marisa really was telling the truth,” said Deanna in amazement. “Why in the world didn’t Angela tell us she was dating someone like you? I mean, I thought she was still with that Dwight guy she went to high school with.”
“Dwayne,” her mother corrected. “And when has your sister ever kept us in the loop about what goes on in her life? It’s all a big mystery with her. I’m Angela’s mother, Rita. And this is her sister, Deanna. And you say you’re Angela’s boyfriend, but if that’s the case, how come this is the first any of us are hearing about it?”
Nick grinned. “Because we used to date a few years ago and just officially got back together – oh, about ten minutes ago.”
Deanna gasped. “Oh, God, you were the one, weren’t you? The guy she was seeing back then, the one who bought her all those expensive things. And she never said a word, never even hinted who you were.”
“No one knew,” Lauren interjected. “Not even Julia and I. We just met Nick earlier today ourselves. But it’s been obvious to us for a long time now that Angela never got over him, that he was always the one for her.” She gave Nick a saucy wink. “And now, lucky for him, he’s finally realized that, too.”
Nick was about to offer up a somewhat scathing retort when Angela’s nurse popped her head inside the waiting room, giving a thumbs up.
“Okay, it’s all good,” she said cheerfully. “Passed all of her tests with flying colors and the doctor said she’s going to make a full recovery. You can go in and see her now. One of you,” she added sternly, as several people got up at once.
Nick shook his head at Lauren and placed his hand on Gino’s shoulder. “I think that Angela would very much like to see her father at this moment,” he said firmly. “Come on, I’ll show you the way.”
And as much as he wanted to continue the conversation with his angel that had been interrupted by the nurse’s intrusion, Nick was more than content to watch from outside her room as Gino embraced his daughter, his tears mingling with hers. After all, they had time – all the time in the world now – to talk.
Epilogue
November
“Go back to sleep, Angel. It’s pouring cats and dogs out there, and if you think I’m going to let you go run some crazy trail race in this weather, think again. But if you really want a workout later this morning, I can definitely oblige.”
Angela smiled sleepily and cuddled up against Nick’s warm body, more than content to stay put in the big, plush bed when she heard the wind and rain that pounded against the bedroom window. “Hmm, that was a half marathon I was going to do this morning,” she complained. “Thirteen point one miles. I figure I would have burned off more than a thousand calories. Think you can match that?”
Nick growled as he tumbled her onto her bac
k, looming above her as he stretched her arms above her head. “You don’t need to worry about burning calories. In fact, you’re still too skinny for my liking. We’ve got a few more pounds to go before you pass inspection.”
She gave him a playful shove, knowing she wouldn’t be able to budge him even an inch. “I’m only two pounds lighter than when I was at my heaviest a few years ago. And with the holidays right around the corner, and all the events we’ve committed to, I’ll probably have to go up another dress size.”
“Good. I’d love nothing better than an excuse to buy you a whole new wardrobe. Though I’m not looking forward to some of these social events we agreed to attend,” he grumbled.
She caressed his heavily stubbled cheek tenderly. “I know,” she acknowledged with a smile. “And I love you for making the effort. Both of us have been alone too much in our lives, and it’s way past time for that to change.”
He gave a gruff nod before rolling onto his side and pulling her close against him. “Hush now, okay? It’s still dark outside, it’s a Saturday morning, and we could both use some extra sleep.”
“Okay.”
She nestled her head willingly beneath his chin and sighed in contentment. Nick fell back asleep within two minutes but it took her a bit longer, and she spent the time gazing at him in wonder.
It was still hard to believe sometimes how far they’d come in their relationship in just a few months. A relationship that was a world apart from what they’d had the last time. This time, it was far more of an equal partnership, a give and take, even though Nick still struggled with his need for ultimate control a little too often. But he was trying, really trying, to be the sort of man he wanted to be for her, and if things weren’t always perfect – well, this wasn’t some sort of fairy tale, after all, but real life.
A life that was good, really, really good, she realized with a smile. A life that made her happier than she’d ever been, and where she couldn’t imagine ever needing or wanting anything more than what she had right now.
After her accident and subsequent surgery this past summer, Nick had insisted she stay with him during her recuperation. He’d gone ahead and hired a nurse to look after her while he was at work, even though she’d protested she could take care of herself. Shockingly, her mother had actually offered to remain in San Francisco for a few days and look after her, but Angela had gently refused, sensing that this was a crucial time in the development of her relationship with Nick and feeling the need to be with him as much as possible. That hadn’t, however, stopped the daily phone calls from her father, anxious to know how she was feeling and warning her not to overdo. Most of the time her mother had come on the phone as well, and Rita had even made an effort to sound concerned about her. Her sisters had sent flowers and a fruit basket, and had each called a couple of times to check on her. Angela hadn’t been able to say for sure, but she’d strongly suspected her father’s influence had been behind all of that.
Her eyes grew a little misty now as she recalled the rather heart wrenching conversation she’d had with Gino in her hospital room. She’d never seen her dad cry before, but that day he had wept almost inconsolably onto her pillow as she had assured him everything was going to be okay now. Gino had told her over and over how sorry he was for everything she’d gone through over the years, that he should have been a better father and stood up to Rita far more often, while Angela had told him it didn’t matter any longer and that she’d always known he loved her.
“After all,” she’d murmured, “if it wasn’t for you sticking up for me all those years ago, I wouldn’t even be here today. You loved me before I was even born, Dad, and I’ll always remember that. And you and I are going to make a pact with each other right now that things will be different from here on. Whether Mom and my sisters are on board with that, I don’t really care.”
And while things were far from perfect with her mother and sisters, Angela admitted that the situation was slowly beginning to improve. She didn’t know whether to credit the tongue-lashing that Lauren had given Deanna and Rita that day at the hospital (which both Nick and Julia had recounted to her afterwards), or the fact that Gino was now asserting himself for once, or whether it was because everyone in her family was all goo-goo eyed over Nick. He’d accompanied her on two visits to Carmel thus far, and both times everyone – parents, siblings, brothers-in-law, nephews, nieces - had more or less tripped over themselves in order to talk to him. Nick had taken it all in stride, even though Angela could tell how much he disliked all of the socializing, and he’d managed to win everybody over within the first hour of their arrival.
He was trying, she told herself with a smile, really trying to make things work. The first step he’d made in that direction had been to ask her to move in with him, to not automatically go back to her flat once she’d fully recovered. She’d been shocked speechless, never having imagined that they could make quite so much progress in their relationship that fast, but had quickly accepted. Her lease had been up anyway in October, so the timing of her move had been ideal.
Nick had admitted that asking her to move in hadn’t been an easy choice for him, and that he was probably going to piss her off at least twenty times a day while he adjusted to having someone live with him after so many years of going solo. But both of them had been pleasantly surprised at just how easily Angela had fit into his life, at how well they got along and how Nick hadn’t felt the least bit threatened that his privacy was being encroached upon. They had fallen into a routine with astonishing speed, and Nick told her frequently how much he loved having her here, how empty his life had been before she moved in.
And then, barely a month ago, he’d given her another shock by proposing that they go into partnership together at work.
“You know I’ve been looking to bring another member into my team,” he’d told her. “And I can’t think of anyone else in the office – hell, the entire business – that I’d rather have working with me. You’re smart as hell, work harder than I do most of the time, and with you on board we could take on even more clients. Besides, it would force you to move out of that corner office you’ve buried yourself away in for so long and join the real world.”
They were still finalizing everything at this point, getting paperwork drawn up and hammering out all the details, but as soon as they returned from visiting Nick’s father over Thanksgiving, Angela would be moving into the empty office adjacent to his. Cara, too, would be joining the team and had told her boss more than once what a great opportunity this was for both of them.
“Not many people can make a go out of working and living together,” Cara had cautioned. “But I think after all you’ve been through that you and Nick know what it’s going to take in order to make this work. Just don’t let him think he’s your boss or anything. Stick up for yourself when he starts getting too pushy, okay?”
Angela had laughed at the irony of her young assistant’s advice. “You’re a fine one to be telling me that. Especially since all he has to do is give you one of those famous smiles and you melt like a stick of butter at his feet.”
Cara had sighed. “I know. I told you I’ve got a problem with hot guys. I’ve really got to work on that one of these days.”
Life, thought Angela sleepily, couldn’t get much better right now. She was moved in, bag and baggage, with her dream man; was about to go into a very lucrative partnership with the very same man at work; was closer to her father than ever before and gradually beginning to mend fences with the rest of her family. She was healthy and fit, eating normally, and while she was still running had cut back on the extreme ultrarunning for the time being. She was too busy, after all, between work and Nick to put in those sort of miles right now. And she no longer needed to run for hours at a time to forget or block things out, because those years when she’d lived half a life were long gone now.
She wasn’t naïve enough to believe that everything was going to be all sunshine and roses from here on end. Nick was still
a stubborn bastard more often than not, and it was going to take some time to loosen up someone who’d been set in his ways for such a long time. But he’d been doing a lot more than compromising these past few months – inviting her to share his home; making an effort to meet her family and friends; going public with their relationship. They were flying back to Boston soon to spend Thanksgiving with his father and current stepmother, though Nick had warned her it wasn’t going to be a particularly enjoyable holiday.
“My father’s an ass and he and I butt heads constantly,” he’d cautioned. “And his current wife is a doormat, almost thirty years younger than he is, and probably only with him for the money and prestige that comes with being married to a federal judge. But thank Christ that Thanksgiving only rolls around once a year. And that my father keeps a very well stocked liquor cabinet. We’ll all need it before the long weekend is over.”
They had agreed to attend the office Christmas party for once, having acknowledged that they both needed to work on their social skills. Added to that was Dante’s annual holiday bash, a party being hosted by one of Nick’s former NFL teammates, and Julia and Nathan’s combination New Year’s Eve/housewarming party being held at their brand new, nearly completed home in Tiburon.
Christmas would be spent at her parents’ house, and they had already made their plans to fly out to Tahiti and spend a week with Sheena right after New Year’s. Nick called his mother dutifully once a week now, and she usually demanded he put Angela on the phone for a few minutes each time.
But the one thing Nick hadn’t changed his mind on, and wasn’t willing to compromise on, was the subject of marriage. He’d been upfront and honest with her from the very first about that, but she could truly, sincerely, accept the fact that it didn’t bother her in the least.
“Look,” he’d told her within the first week of her moving in with him, “I’ve never bullshitted you before and I’m not going to start now. I love you, Angel, and I will do everything in my power to make sure you know that. I want you with me always, can’t imagine a life without you in it. But this marriage thing – that’s not me and I’m not sure it ever will be. I promise I’ll always take care of you, will damned sure always be faithful to you, and I’ll work real hard on not being too much of an asshole. But marriage – I’m just not sure that will ever be for me.”
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