Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Um.” I can’t even form a sentence, and just when I think it can’t get worse, I hear Luca coming down the steps and see he’s wearing my pink robe. His arms look like they are going to bulge out of it. He holds it closed at the waist with his hands and the sash.
“I figured I would just go get dressed at my house,” he says, nodding to my mother. “Hello.” She smiles at him and then walks to me. “I’ll be back,” he says, leaning in and kissing me, and his smell makes me forget where I am. “Hey, buddy,” he says, and Aiden comes over to him. “Are you ready for the birthday party?”
“Yeah,” Aiden says, jumping down now.
“Let’s go next door, and after I get dressed, we can kick the soccer ball around,” he tells him. Aiden follows Luca out the back door, and I see them walking in the yard.
“Where is Dad?” I ask my mother, who now laughs.
“He went to get everyone coffee, and I think some whiskey for himself. Honey, you really need to get some throw blankets.”
“Mom, why didn’t you call?” I ask her.
“I did four times,” she says, walking over to the stool to sit down. “I’m not sitting on that couch until the steam cleaners come in tomorrow and clean it. I don’t care if it happens again, but seeing it and thinking it are two different things.”
I grab the things, and by the time my father comes back into the house, he’s carrying two trays of coffee and also has a basket of baked goods and a couple of containers of eggs and bacon. “I got something for us to eat,” he says and then looks at me.
“Okay, Dad, I had sex,” I tell him, and he shakes his head.
“I’m fully aware you had sex,” he tells me, grabbing his own coffee and walking to my liquor cabinet. “At least once before.”
“Honey,” my mother starts, “you remember when we were young.” Luca walks into the back door dressed this time. His baby blue jeans are tight in all the right places, and a white T-shirt pulls in all the right places. I want to walk up to him and kiss him. I want to hold his hand.
“Morning,” Luca says to them and then walks over to me and putting his arms around my shoulder bringing me to him. “Hey,” he says, kissing my lips, and I hold him around his waist. I don’t think we’ve shown this type of affection before in front of my parents.
“My father got food,” I tell him, and he just nods his head.
“You okay?” he asks me, and I just nod. With him by my side, I’m okay. He walks into the kitchen, grabbing a plate for him and one for Aiden, who comes in now out of breath and asking for water. His cheeks are red from running, and I see some of his hair stuck to his forehead. He brings both plates to the table.
“Go wash your hands,” he tells Aiden, who now skips to the bathroom and then comes back with water dripping from his hands as he dries them on his shorts. He gets on the chair next to Luca, and they eat together while my father drinks his coffee, and my mother gets up to get a coffee.
I think it’s going to be okay. I think to myself, and right as I’m about to sit down, I hear Aiden say, “Look, it’s my nonna and nonno.” Looking out the window, I see Luca’s parents walking around his backyard. His father has his phone to his ear no doubt trying to call his son.
“Where is your phone?” I ask him, and he shrugs but gets up and goes out the door, and I watch him call his parents over. I see them talking, and then I see Luca turn around, and the three of them head our way.
“It’s fine,” he says, and only then do I notice that his father is carrying a bag. “Hey,” Luca says, coming in the house. “My parents wanted to drop off some treats for Aiden.”
“Come in,” I tell them, and then my mother stands next to me. “You can meet my parents,” I say with a smile on my face, which is the opposite of what my stomach feels like. I think I’m going to throw up.
“We don’t want to intrude,” Dominic says and then looks over at my mother and then my father. “I’m Dominic,” he says, handing the bags to Luca as he shakes my father’s hand and then my mother. “This is Gabriella.” He motions to Gabriella, who smiles and shakes my parents’ hands.
“These are my parents, Leonard and Maryse.” My voice cracks a bit and then goes high, and they look at me a bit weird.