Page 148 of Say It Isn't So

I raised a brow and waited for Allie to elaborate. What? What was theoh, nofor? Was I missing something? Bianca was right—Isabella was a cute kid.

Finally Allie put me out of my misery by saying, “You’ve got baby fever, Bibi.”

Bianca brushed off Allie’s comment, though, waving a hand in front of her. “That’s ridiculous.”

I moved my hand to the small of her back and nudged her slightly. “It’s okay if it’s true. I want kids, too, you know?”

Bianca swallowed, her eyes growing wide as she looked at all of us watching her. “No. It’s not true. I do not have baby fever. Now practicing making babies is something I could get on board with. But having babies and being. . . being a. . . a mom? No. No thank you, I’m not ready for that.”

What was she saying? She would be a great mom. I shook my head. “I disagree. I think you are going to earn that World’s Greatest Mom mug.” But Bianca was visibly concerned, so I added, “One day.”

“Relax,” Maria tried helping. “He’s not knocking you up right now.”

“Yeah, but it’s also okay that you’re thinking about it,” Allie consoled. “I think about having a baby sometimes. What it would be like. Mostly how terrifying it’d be. I blame Maria.”

Bianca cleared her throat and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, Maria’s Maria, so it makes sense, but me? No, not yet. So, enough talk about babies. It’s making me want to keep my legs closed.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” I replied. Then I pointed to the dish filled with hamburger buns that Allie was supposed to be carrying over. “Should we go to the tables?”

Bianca’s stomach growled as though on command. She placed a hand over her belly and chuckled. “Seems like my stomach agrees with you. I’m starving.”

I pulled out Bianca’s chair for her when we got to the table and sat down next to her. Angelo joined us last, a smile on his face as he observed everyone.

Originally when Angelo got here, I thought I was going to be torn limb from limb, but that wasn’t the case. And now, even more to my surprise, Angelo did this: “Mi famiglia.All in one place. I’m luckier than I know.” He pulled the chair out at the head of the table and continued to stand, leaning over to grab his glass.

“Aw, Dad!” Perla gushed. “You never get mushy.”

“Yeah, what gives?” Maria asked.

Angelo’s eyes fell on me, only it wasn’t the usual icy glare. This one was. . . unfamiliar, almost friendly. Like for the first time he didn’t want to sell my organs on the black market. Kidding. Maybe, possibly. Okay, definitely.

Bianca ran a hand up and down my arm, as though afraid where this was going since his eyes were traveling from me to Bianca and back again.

Angelo cleared his throat and in his gravelly voice exclaimed, “I’d like to make a toast. To family and friends. But I’d also like to make a toast to Bianca and Knox. A father never likes to admit when he‘s wrong, but I fear, in this case, that’s exactly what I have to do. I’ve been watching the two of you since I got here, and I was wrong. So very wrong. I was wrong to have forbidden you two from being together in the first place. You have to understand, though, I thought I was doing right by you, Bianca, my baby girl. I wanted to keep you wrapped up in this cocoon I didn’t even know I had built around you. I see now that Knox isn’t someone I should’ve been pushing you away from. Frankly, knowing the other men you’ve been with, I should’ve been pushing you right in his arms.”

A round of laughter filled the air and her sisters started joking about Bianca being Angelo’s favorite.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine today going this way. I did not think that Angelo was going to make such a public declaration. Honestly? I thought we’d ignore each other, leave the Hamptons, and go back to the way things had been before.

But Angelo went on—“I apologize, Knox, for treating you the way I have. And the things I’ve called you. Prove me wrong and take care of Bianca, you hear me? Or else.”

And there it was, that feeling of my insides shriveling up, the same as I’d felt when we’d first met.

But seriously, he should only know I’d never let anyone get close enough to even touch a hair on Bianca’s head, let alone hurt her. I’d sooner commit a crime to protect her. If you ever doubted how much I cared for Bianca, hopefully that cleared things up for you.

She was my personal kingdom.

To Angelo, I merely replied, “Always.”

I heard sniffling in the corner and turned to see Bianca dabbing her eyes with a napkin. “I love you, Daddy,” she said.

Her sisters gagged, but I grinned because I knew how much this meant to Bianca.

“To family and friends,” Angelo repeated, and we all raised our glasses. Everyone shouted “Salud!” and this time I did, too.

After the toast, Angelo started making his way to us and Bianca got up, meeting him halfway, wrapping her arms around him. “Oh, Daddy, thank you.”

He nodded, rubbing her back and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek as they broke apart. “You’re welcome, baby girl. I should’ve never been so against it in the first place. You’ve chosen well. Your mother would be very proud.”

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