Sold to Mr. Giordano

Arielle

Sofia makes a big breakfast in honor of Antonio’s return. At the table is Arabella, Carmelo, Rocco, Antonio and I. Everyone is focusing on enjoying the waffles piled on with fruit and syrup but I can’t help but stare at Antonio or Rocco.

Rocco look beaten up with a black eye and a few stitches himself. I notice him squinting his eyes and flinching at loud noises, he probably has a concussion.

“How did you make it out alive?” I break the silence and everyone ceases their eating.

Rocco looks to Antonio who answers, “Your brother saved our lives.”

“When Angelo landed, he texted me and asked if I had any information as to what warehouse you were held hostage in. I messaged him the address and the next day Antonio was home,” Arabella says.

“Knowing the address of the warehouse told him which group of the Bratva worked there from spy reports in the Famiglia. He got in contact with one of the Russian Bastards tortured him into telling him where they kept us,” Antonio replies.

“He’s a very efficient Capo. I like him better than that son of bitch, Marco,” Rocco stabs a piece of his waffle and shoves it into his mouth.

“Angelo was waiting in the car, he can’t do anything with the casts but his men saved us. Angelo took us to the hospital to get checked out and then sent us home to Chicago.”

Now that sounds like the brother I know.

The table goes silent again and everyone picks up their forks to continue eating. I realize now that I hate the silence, not hearing Antonio’s voice for the days we’ve been apart have taught me how much I love hearing my friends talk. I’d rather hear them run their mouths all day then to never hear a single word uttered again.

Antonio reaches under the table to grab my hand. The same hand with my missing pinky. I feel disgusted and cringe slightly when he skims his finger over the nub left. He rubs over it again and I know that he’s telling me it’s okay, it doesn’t disgust him.

I lean over and kiss his cheek before stuffing my face with Sofia’s wonderfully made breakfast.

When we finish eating and congregate in the living room. I feel like my family is whole, aside from Angelo and his absence. I might have lost my mother, father, and brother but here I’ve gained a sister, a husband, a brother-in-law, a best friend and soon-to-be-daughter. Antonio and I sit on the couch, I stretch my legs out over his legs as he rubs my calves and feet. Rocco is sitting in the chair talking to Antonio while I look over to see Arabella and Carmelo on the loveseat, she’s whispering something in his ear that makes him laugh as well as blush.

I rest my head against Antonio’s shoulder and listen to the growing conversations of my friends exchanging stories. Rocco has a few good ones about Antonio that make me laugh so hard I almost end up choking. Arabella counters with a few embarrassing childhood stories of Rocco. Carmelo stays quiet and I can’t help but notice his lingering eyes on Arabella and I wonder if, now that she’s single again, if they’re hooking up again.

Rocco excuses himself when the clock hits seven saying that he has business to attend at the Famiglia’s club. While saying our goodbyes to him I notice Arabella and Carmelo have disappeared. I don’t linger on that thought too much when I realize I’ve finally got Antonio alone.

He scoops me into my arms and takes me upstairs to our bedroom. We lay down tangled in each other’s limbs and lazily kiss each other as if we have all the time in the world to do just this.

“I think we deserve a proper honeymoon,” Antonio tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear.

“Yeah?” My face lights up. “Where would we go?”

“Italy,” he says with confidence and confirmation. “We should go to Sicily and see where our grandparents came from. I have a cousin who wouldn’t mind renting his guest house to us for a week. It’s on the water.”

“On the water, huh? Does that mean we can go skinny dipping?”

“Such a dirty mind” he reaches for my lips.

We strip each other until there is nothing keeping our skins from touching. He feels warm against my body and his mouth heightens my senses in the best way possible causing me to shutter underneath him. I press my body hard against his and hold onto him with all my strength.

A sensation in my stomach causes me gasp and sit up quickly. Antonio grabs my waist and furrows his eyebrows, a worried expression washes over his face. “What’s wrong?”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“The baby,” I rasp.

“Is something wrong? Do you need a doctor?” He nearly jumps out of bed but I grab his wrist and move his hand to my stomach.

“She moved.”

“She moved?” His mouth is parted with curiosity and he sucks in his breath in anticipation for her next little summersault.

“It was brief. It was just a little fluttering, nothing like kicking,” I hear those come a little later in the pregnancy—probably next month I’ll feel her feet against me.

“Wow,” he whispers. “I can’t believe we’re having a baby.” He keeps his hand on my stomach as he kisses me with gentle tenderness.

“We’re having baby,” I smile and Antonio breaks out into laughter holding me in his lap and a rubbing his arms up and down my back.