Page 32 of The Mafia's Surprise Gift

“I know, right? This whole situation is so fucked. And then…” I lowered my voice as two rambunctious partygoers danced their way past with wide smiles on their faces. “To make things weirdly worse, Rocco and Zack met one another, and I just…”

I trailed off, unable to even word my excuse as to why I didn’t tell him the truth. Right now, watching my mother surrounded by friends as she celebrated amid my carefully constructed party, there was a strange pang of sorrow in my chest. Zack was seated near the buffet table with his nose buried in a book, not caring for grown-up parties—his words. He was content, though, and he never left my sight.

“Do you think I’m doing him a disservice?” I asked softly, lowering my fork. “Maybe I should tell Rocco the truth.”

“Okay, before you go ripping up your life, let’s think about this for a second. He left you. He fucked you and left you, and I don’t care about this shit with his family because if family was so important to him, he would have stayed with you.”

“I wasn’t family,” I reminded her. “I was a drunken fuck at a graduation party.”

“Whatever.” Denise chuckled. “My point is, you’ve only known him a little over a week and in that time, you got shot at and learned he’s part of some vast, shady organization. As things go, I think you’ve helped Zack dodge a bullet.”

“You think so?” I ran my tongue over the front of my teeth. “Being in that graveyard, seeing my father’s headstone and watching Rocco bury his own… I got this strange guilt like I’m denying Zack a bond that I can never give him.”

“Honey, you’re all the parent he needs, okay? Don’t let some old, unresolved crush uproot your life because when you come back to the city, what happens then?”

“You’re right,” I sighed, unsure why the thought of going back home left me with the strangest tingle of apprehension in my gut. Was I disappointed by her advice? “Though part of me is enjoying the attention. Rocco and Dino trying to get into my pants is like some old dream come true.”

“We need to get you a boyfriend.”

“Oh, speaking of.” I slipped through the door and finally re-entered the party, though I immediately missed the cool air of the kitchen. “How goes the wedding planning? Still committed to spending the rest of your life with a boy?”

Denise groaned long and low, then spilled into a rapid description of everything that was happening with her wedding. From having to rebook the venue, alter her dress, and find a new bridesmaid, to arguing with her mother-in-law to be and almost losing her engagement ring. It was quite a stressful fiasco, and even though the wedding was still a few months away, it sounded like nothing was done. Suddenly, I was very glad I hadn’t bothered her sooner with my boy drama. I didn’t want to be another reason her hair was falling out due to stress.

As she talked, I wandered the party and checked with the gifts to make sure nothing had been swiped. At a glance, I didn’t know my mother knew this many people, but it seemed in a town like this one, any birthday was a great excuse for a wild party like this. Presents glittered in one corner, alcohol flowed, and the buffet table emptied regularly. With the main floor filled with dancers and my mother surrounded by bright, smiling people, she looked happy.

Not a surprise, though. Being the center of attention, she was in her element, and I was enjoying the peace for as long as it would last. Tomorrow, I was certain she would have a list of things I could have done to make this party even better.

My wandering brought me right back to Zack’s table just as Denise finished filling me in on how she’d switched caterers three times and was contemplating having no food at all.

“Honestly, I could move the date to next year and there still wouldn’t be enough time for me to do anything.” She sighed, exasperated, and my heart went out to her as I sat down and ruffled Zack’s curls.

“I’m sorry, babe. I wish I were there. Once all of this is squared away, I should be back two weeks after next, and then I can help you get back on track,” I replied.

“Is that Auntie Denise?” Zack’s head snapped up from his adventure book, and I nodded. “Can I talk to her?”

“Sure, kiddo,” I whispered. “Denise, got a little someone who wants to talk to you.”

Denise’s voice was eerily clear as she yelled Zack’s name while I passed the phone over. His face immediately lit up, and he began telling her all about the adventures he’d had at the lake and near the forest. Denise had taken care of Zack plenty of times when I was sick or had been forced to work late at the office. Watching his eyes sparkle and his smile widen as he talked, I was suddenly reminded that my fears of Zack not having a fulfilling family circle around him were misplaced.

He had me, Denise, and Denise’s soon to be husband, plus all of his school friends. Zack’s circle was wider than mine was as a child. Maybe I was projecting a little too much.

“Mae?” A hand touched my shoulder, and I turned to face one of the waiters who flashed me a small smile.

“Yes? Everything okay?”

“There’s been a delivery and we’re not quite sure where to put it.”

“Just set it with the rest of the gifts,” I replied, then I turned back to Zack, but the waiter stopped me once again.

“We can’t.”

“What? Why not?”

“Uhm…” He straightened up and glanced over his shoulder. “It’s best if you come to see for yourself.”

“Oh, alright.” I stood and ruffled Zack’s hair once more. “You stay here, kiddo, and keep Denise on the phone, okay?”

Zack nodded, waving me away with one small hand. Even as I left, I kept one eye on him as I crossed the hall and followed the waiter through the swinging double doors and out into the foyer.

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