The Secret One

by Cardello, Ruth

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHRISTOF

  Sebastian entered the kitchen at my mother’s house with Ava and Sara, my parents’ dog, on his heels. “Mom said you’re making tonight’s dinner. I need to see this to believe it.”

  I hugged him, then lifted Ava into my arms. “Just because your daddy doesn’t know how to cook doesn’t mean I haven’t been secretly learning all the family recipes.”

  “I love secrets!” Ava exclaimed. “Can I help you, Uncle Christof?”

  “Sure,” I said easily but then met Sebastian’s eyes above her head. He looked tired. “How’s Heather? Mom said she was at the doctor’s yesterday with labor pains.”

  “False alarm, but we have a bag in the back of the car just in case. I haven’t slept in days.”

  My father’s words came back to me. There is no right time, no day when something can be revealed without a cost. The best you can do is try to choose a time when you think a person is ready to hear the truth.

  Sebastian was not ready.

  One day he would be, and that was when I would tell him, unless my mother told him first. She wouldn’t today. Without asking her, I knew my mother would see that Sebastian’s full attention was where it belonged. The rest could wait.

  Sebastian frowned. “You really know how to cook?”

  I smiled and wondered why I’d ever felt less than proud to. “I really do. I’m here every Saturday morning learning from the best.”

  “Can I?” Ava looked from me to her father. “Daddy, can I learn with Christof?”

  “You’d have to ask him,” Sebastian said, but he knew what my answer would be.

  “Absolutely.” I spun around, making her laugh, then added, “And the lessons always end with dessert.”

  She gave my stomach a pat. “That’s why you’re fluffy.”

  “I’m not—” Okay, so compared to my brothers I might have had a few extra pounds, but I was mostly muscle. “Yes, but that only means there’s more of me to love.”

  Ava hugged me tight, like one would a teddy bear, and I laughed. Life was good. Confusing as all hell, but somehow equally a miracle. And once this day was over, I could see it only getting better.

  Sebastian lifted Ava from my arms. “We’d offer to help you, but I’m sure we’d only get in the way.” His smile was warm. “This is good, though. I’m proud of you, Christof. Now I know why Mom always sounds so happy when I talk to her Saturday evenings. This is great.”

  I adjusted the apron I’d donned to protect my shirt. “It is.” It felt great. I’d offered because my mother had still looked unsettled when I’d arrived, but I was surprised when she’d agreed. My mother never gave up her kitchen to another cook. “Mom didn’t need this on top of everything else.”

  “Ava, could you go see if Mommy needs anything?” Sebastian put his daughter down.

  Ava was off like a shot.

  He turned back to me. “Mauricio brought me up to speed. You didn’t need to handle it alone. I could have—”

  “I know, but Heather needs you right now, and I handled it.”

  He nodded. “You did. You always do. This week let’s sit down and discuss your role in Romano Superstores. Mauricio and I were talking about it, and we realized we never asked you what you wanted. It’s time we do.”

  I smiled. This was what kept me going. Right here. Yes, we argued. No, things weren’t perfect, but we had each other’s backs—always. Without my parents—without these brothers—perhaps I would have been as lost as Dominic seemed. “Sebastian. There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What?”

  I hesitated and chose my next words carefully. “Dominic is a tough read at first, but he wants to be part of our family. Once I understood that, inviting him here was the right thing to do. Not everything is as it appears at first. Give him a chance.”

  “I will.”

  The doorbell rang, ending our conversation. I turned the stove down to let the sauce simmer and headed out of the kitchen with Sebastian.

  I’d like to say the first meeting wasn’t awkward, but it was. It started good, with Dominic introducing his wife, Abby, as well as his eleven-year-old daughter, Judy. Ava was excited to meet another child and began chatting with her straight off. Abby had a warm presence that made her easy to like. Dominic remained guarded, but not anywhere near as much as in Italy. Nicole came in with her husband, Stephan, and their children.

  Where things took a bit of a dive was when Rosella entered with her newest husband, Thomas Brogos. She and my mother exchanged strained greetings before my father ushered everyone into the living room.

  Gian looked torn between standing beside Dominic or my mother. As I left to check on the food, I caught him having what looked like a painful and stilted conversation with Rosella. We were all on our best behavior, but the tension stayed high.

  The quiet of the kitchen was a bit of a relief. I had just placed a pan back in the oven when I heard someone clear their throat from the doorway. I turned, wiping my hands on my apron as I did.

  Dominic was standing just inside the kitchen. “Sebastian could be my fucking twin.”

  Oh, shit. “Family resemblance is something, isn’t it?”

  He pocketed his hands and nodded. “You have an incredible family.”

  “So do you.” After a moment, I added, “I’m glad you came, Dominic. This is where you belong, even if it doesn’t yet feel like it.”

  His face tightened with emotion. “I want this to work.”

  When I looked at him, I saw the side of Sebastian I’d always worried about. I needed to reach a common ground with him. “Help me serve the food.”

  He frowned as if I’d suggested he leap from the roof. “What?”

  “Everyone wants to be head of the family. We don’t have one here. We’re all equal. We become whatever the others need us to be. Sometimes there’s glory in that; sometimes there’s humility. We don’t talk about it; we just do it. If you want to be one of us—be one of us. Today I’m the cook because my mother was worried about meeting yours. What are you?”

  He didn’t say anything for a long moment; then his eyes lit with a look I’d seen in Nona’s many times. “Head waiter?”

  “It won’t be as bad as you think. The moment you walk out of the kitchen with a plate of food, everyone will probably rush in to bring out the rest. It’ll change things, though. Trust me.”

  He walked over and began to place warm rolls on a serving tray. “I do. Must be the fucking apron.”

  I laughed.

  He smiled.

  I grabbed a bowl of salad and walked out of the kitchen with Dominic, who carried the tray of bread. As I expected, seeing Dominic pitching in was all it took to ease the tension. It was also the only plate he carried from the kitchen, because as I’d predicted, everyone else jumped up to do their fair share.

  Tension was slowly replaced with banter, which led to more relaxed conversations.

  The wine helped.

  It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t a disaster either.

  A good start. Between courses we passed around the photo albums from Nona’s, and stories flowed.

  A bittersweet win. I should have been happy, but it felt incomplete. When I asked myself why, the answer came easily enough. McKenna wasn’t there. I had thought I was sparing her, but I wished I could have shared the experience with her.

  After dinner, while everyone was having coffee, I slipped away to the kitchen to check dessert. I told myself there would be plenty more meals like this one. Wanting McKenna there was selfish of me. Hadn’t I rushed her enough?

  Dominic appeared at the door again.

  “It’s only one plate. I’ve got it,” I said.

  He just stood there, then asked, “Where’s your fiancée?”

  The strength of my family came from how real we were with each other, so I told him why I hadn’t invited her. She’d supported me through enough. I wanted the first time she met my parents to be special.

&n
bsp; He cut into my answer and said, “I have a helicopter on call. It could be here in five minutes. Allowing for travel time to Decker Park and a proposal, if you’re quick about it, you could be back in a little over an hour. How long does your dessert take to cook?”

  “You’d have to take it out in fifteen minutes, or it’ll burn.”

  Ava entered the kitchen. I blurted out, “Ava, go ask Nona for the ring I gave her earlier. I’m going to propose to McKenna.”

  “Yes!” Ava said, but before she left, she said, “If she doesn’t say yes, tell her about the cake. That works with her, remember?”

  As soon as we were alone again, Dominic asked, “Does everyone in this family know everything about everyone?”

  “Usually,” I said. One day I hoped to be able to answer with a simple yes. I got a little giddy as it began to sink in that I was going to propose for real to McKenna.

  Ava ran back in with the ring and handed it to me. “Good luck, Christof. And hurry back because I really, really like double chocolate cake.”

  I looked over in time to see Dominic replacing his phone in his jacket pocket. “All set.”

  I ruffled Ava’s hair, then noticed Judy, Dominic’s daughter, in the doorway. “Your dad is lending me his helicopter so I can go propose to McKenna for real this time and get her back in time to celebrate while the family is all here.”

  Judy walked over and put her hand in her father’s. “That’s wonderful, Dad. Aren’t you happy we came?”

  He hugged her to his side. “More than you know.”

  Over her head he growled, “Don’t just stand there, Christof. Go get McKenna. Judy, Ava, and I have this cake thing covered.”

  Ava clapped her hands together, and I bolted out the side door to the helicopter that was already landing on the lawn.

  I didn’t stop to explain to anyone where I was going.

  Thankfully, it was far from a secret.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  MCKENNA

  Helicopters weren’t unusual at Decker Park. Lots of wealthy people visited to play with their toys, and some drivers made a show of their arrival. No drivers were scheduled that evening, though, so the sound of someone touching down on the helipad had me heading up toward the garage.

  Ty, Cal, and Wayne beat me there and were standing with someone a distance away from the helicopter. They encircled the person at first in a way that blocked my view. When they stepped back, my heart started thudding in my chest.

  Christof.

  In dark slacks, a light shirt, and . . . an apron?

  I forced myself to keep walking even as he broke away from them and started walking toward me. We met in the middle. I put my fears aside, threw my arms around his neck, and kissed him with all the love welling within me.

  That passionate, life-changing kiss ended too soon. “Well, this is already going better than I hoped,” he joked when he raised his head.

  “Is it?” I asked breathlessly. Whatever he’d come to ask me, the answer was yes. “Wait until I get you alone.”

  He shuddered against me. “I like the way you think, but what I have in mind, at least for the next few hours, involves my family.” He looked over my shoulder. “And yours. I want them there as well.”

  “Where?” Part of me knew. Everything around us faded away, and I knew.

  “McKenna Decker, I realized something when Dominic and my family gathered at my parents’ house.”

  “What?” He was killing me. Just say it.

  “I want to share every batshit-crazy moment of my family with you. Tonight. Tomorrow. Every day for the rest of my life. I thought it was too much to ask. You’ve been so good to me. I wanted the first time you met my parents to be special, but I realized that every day I’m with you is special. I belong with you, and you belong with me. Keep your last name. Keep your garage. I love you just the way you are. I love you, McKenna. Marry me.”

  “Yes, yes, I love you too, Christof. I’m so sorry I gave you the ring back.”

  He reached into the pocket of that damn apron and pulled out the ring I’d returned to him. “It had to come back so it could be put on the right way, for the right reasons. I was going to buy you a new one, but I feel like this ring wants to be passed down to our children.”

  “Our children, huh?”

  “Yes, one boy and one girl.”

  He said it with such confidence; how could I doubt it was true? “McKenna Decker-Romano. I like the sound of it.”

  “Me too.” He kissed me again deeply, then said loudly, “She said yes. Everyone hop in. Sorry about the rush, but they’re holding dessert for us, and Romanos get hangry.”

  Just like that we loaded into the helicopter: me, Christof, Ty, Cal, and Wayne. It was crazy, wonderful, magical. Like all the best moments in life.

  As we flew toward his family, I looked into Christof’s eyes, and I saw the children he’d mentioned. I saw them as clearly as if he’d shown me a photo.

  I’d never been the type to trust anything intangible, but I felt my father smiling down on us and the love of those around me, and there was no question in my mind that I was where I was supposed to be.

  I didn’t know if anyone above was listening, but I sent up a heartfelt thank-you.

  And Christof smiled at me as if he’d heard.

  When we landed at his parents’ house, the doorways and windows were filled with his family. They spilled out onto the lawn as soon as the helicopter blades had cut off.

  After Christof announced that we were engaged—for real this time—it was a hot mess of hugs, kisses, and welcomes. Things were obviously still strained between his mother and her sister, but everyone else seemed at ease.

  I felt bad for Rosella. Like my own mother, she’d left her children behind. Had Rosella’s choices been justified? She’d left Dominic and Nicole with a man she’d feared so much she thought he was responsible for Gian’s father’s death. I couldn’t imagine any scenario in which I would make the same decision.

  Gian didn’t appear all that interested in getting to know his biological mother, and I could understand that as well. Although Rosella had left him in a better situation, claiming it was for his safety, she hadn’t come back for him after Antonio had died.

  Antonio had died the year before Judy was born.

  Ten or so years ago? That was a long time to not reach out.

  My hope for Gian was the same I had for myself—that acceptance would be the path to easing that pain. Life didn’t always work out the way we wanted it to. People didn’t automatically become who we needed them to be. As I watched Rosella try to navigate the group, I let more of my anger with my own mother go.

  Rosella was doing the best she knew how to. Perhaps my mother was out there somewhere doing the same. Forgiving didn’t mean I needed to reach out to my mother again, but it did release a heaviness I’d carried for too long in my heart.

  Gian would be okay. His life was full of people who loved him.

  Cal paused from a conversation with Mauricio to give me a thumbs-up and a wink. Clearly, he approved of Christof’s family. I had a teary, grateful smile on my face when Christof slipped an arm around my waist.

  A little girl walked up to me and introduced herself as Ava. She pulled on my hand until I lowered my head near hers. “Do you want to meet Wolfie?”

  I shook my head. “Who?”

  She held up a well-loved stuffed animal. “You have your dad’s car. I have Wolfie.”

  I petted Wolfie under his chin as if he were real. “He’s beautiful.”

  “Can we have cake now? I think everyone is waiting for you.”

  Christof joked, “Never get between a young lady and dessert.”

  Before I had a chance to respond, Mauricio walked by and teased Christof for still having his apron on. Christof tore it off and threw it at Mauricio. Mauricio cracked that he looked better with it on, and a chase ensued that had his mother warning them to be on their best behavior.

  Ava grinned. “That is
their best.”

  I was okay with that.

  I made my way over to the apron, picked it up, and tossed it to Christof as he ran past. He stopped, kissed me, then twirled it and began to snap it at his brother.

  Sebastian scooped his little girl up when Mauricio fell backward, almost on top of her.

  “They’re crazy,” Dominic said from beside me.

  I smiled at him. “Don’t you fucking love it?”

  He nodded and smiled back. “I do.”

  So do I.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” I said.

  Dominic let out an audible breath. “Me too.” After a moment, he said, “I’m glad you said yes. I’d hate to have flown over a wedding gift for you two for nothing.”

  “A what?”

  He smiled. “Gianna asked me to have it ready for your wedding.”

  “The Alfa Romeo?” My mouth dropped open. “Don’t you dare change a thing on it. It’s perfect the way it is.”

  “What is?” Christof asked as he joined us.

  Our hands naturally linked. “Dominic flew Chris over for us—our gift from Gianna.”

  The look of joy on Christof’s face brought a grin to mine. “We can fix her up together,” Christof said.

  “Together.” Despite what he’d done to Mack’s interior, I agreed. Life with Christof wasn’t a predictable lap around the track, but I was ready for the adventure. “I’d like that. Best gift ever.”

  Dominic cleared his throat. “I’m reasonably certain you’ll enjoy mine more.”

  “It’s not a competition,” I teased, because I liked this side of Christof’s cousin. In this moment it was difficult to believe he had another side to him.

  Christof laughed. “Don’t discourage him. I’ve seen some of his toys. He might be able to outdo the Romeo.”

  Dominic arched an eyebrow as if to say, Challenge accepted.

  I had to admit it would be fun to see what a man like him would come up with.

  Later that night, Christof and I stood in the driveway of his parents’ home. Dominic had kindly flown Ty, Cal, and Wayne back to the garage.

  “Let’s go home,” Christof said.

  “Which one?” I asked.