Page 83 of Vicious Redemption

“Thanks,” I say, cupping the small baby bump for her to see.

It’s a silent communication, one I’ve become accustomed to sharing now that all of Piovosa knows we’re expecting. While it still makes me blush when acquaintances come up to offer their congratulations and ask about the details, I’m glad my parents both seem to have fully accepted both Leo and the circumstances that brought us together.

I wouldn’t say our relationship has returned to normal. Things are always a bit more strained, less sure-footed than they once were. But I can see my parents are trying. And what matters most to me is that they no longer forbid my sisters from coming over.

Settling into our chairs, we each open a leather-bound menu to make our selection. And as everyone’s attention turns to the options before them, Leo reaches over to rest a warm palm on top of my thigh.

I glance at him from the corner of my eye and catch his playful wink.

I’ll take that as his best effort to behave while simultaneously driving me crazy.

Heat floods my body at his nearly innocent touch, and I reach down to rest my hand on top of his, interlacing our fingers as I keep him firmly in the safe zone.

39

LEO

It’s wonderful seeing Tia so happy.

Being around her sisters lends a radiance to her already striking face, and though I can thoroughly appreciate the joy and laughter her sisters bring to the people around them, what I love most is how happy Tia is when she’s with them.

“Tia, share a dessert with me,” Sofia insists from her place beside my wife. Her round, pleading eyes are a force to be reckoned with.

Tia pushes her empty dinner plate away with a contented sigh. “You’re already thinking about dessert?” she teases her youngest sister affectionately.

“Well, yea-ah,” Sofia singsongs like that’s a given.

Tia laughs. “Alright. Do you know which one you want?”

“The best one,” Sofia says sagely, nodding with solemn gravity.

My cheeks hurt from the effort it requires to keep a straight face.

Maria snorts beside Sofia and buries her face in her plate, shoveling the remains of her pasta into her mouth with her fork to avoid getting a scolding from the youngest Guerra daughter.

“I like that plan,” Tia agrees, her eyes glinting with silent mirth as they catch mine. In their depths, I read the silent meaning: I hope you’re ready because these are the kinds of conversations we’ve signed up for.

Her hand moves down in the subconsciously maternal gesture she’s started to do more often lately. Softly stroking her belly, as if to soothe our baby, Tia grants me a glimpse of the bump that’s starting to become more obvious now. Her development brings me a new level of warmth and anticipation I hadn’t anticipated.

And though I never took the time to consider it before I met Tia, I’ve come to the realization over these past months that I’m looking forward to being a father. I can’t wait to see Tia as a mother. She’s going to be magnificent. Already adorable as an older sister, as a mother, she will only be more special. I can picture it.

“Tia, Leo. What a pleasant surprise.”

The familiar voice turns my head just as much as the sound of my name, and Tia turns as well to find Mayor Romney and his wife standing behind us, their two girls standing one on either side.

“I didn’t realize you enjoyed the theater,” Mayor Romney adds with a nervous smile.

“Who doesn’t love the theater?” I state passively, unwilling to relieve him of his discomfort but also ready to let sleeping dogs lie.

“What a wonderful way to spend the evening as a family, isn’t it?” the mayor says, acknowledging Tia’s parents with a polite nod as he rests his palm on Signora Romney’s shoulder.

“It is,” Tia agrees with a warm smile, and her hand finds mine beneath the table. She gives it a reassuring squeeze—or a silent plea for me to behave.

Either way, Tia has nothing to worry about on my end tonight. I’m on my best behavior.

Signora Romney shares Tia’s open warmth. “And how’s the baby?” Her eyes drop affectionately to the place beneath the table where she would find Tia’s belly.

“She’s kicking it in there,” Tia says, and without missing a beat, Maria laughs at her sister’s terrible joke, inviting Signora Romney to do the same.

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