Page 12 of Reign of Hope

“Sure. Tom Cruise is good,” she says with a smile. Suddenly, I’m wondering if that’s what Allegra’s idea of a hot guy is. I bury the thought as we sit through the opening credits.

We’re not twenty minutes in when I see Allegra’s eyes drooping shut. I pull her closer to me and put my arm around her as she settles into sleep. I put my feet on the coffee table and get comfortable. I’m not sure when, but I fall asleep too.

* * *

Allegra

My eyes flutter open. I feel a heavy arm around my waist and find that I’m partially lying on a sleeping Zano. What’s more, I can hear Gina talking rapidly in Italian, and loud noises coming from the kitchen. A man’s low voice is saying something back to her, probably Zano’s dad, Dario.

I try to move away, but Zano hangs on even tighter. Oh crap! I’m pinned to him. I have no choice but to wake him up.

I brush my fingers over his cheek. “Zano, wake up.” He mutters, but his eyes remain closed. “Please, Zano, you need to wake up. Your parents are downstairs,” I whisper.

He forces his eyes open, clearly not having slept long enough. I know how he feels because I could use a few more hours myself. He lets me go and gets up into a sitting position, taking me with him.

“Stay here,” he orders. “I’m going to go do damage control.” He stands, and I see his abs and muscles on display. His pajama bottoms are hanging low on his waist, and I can say with total honesty that he’s the hottest man I’ve ever laid eyes on. I know I shouldn’t be staring at him, and even worse, Zano catches me, which brings a smile to his lips. That only makes him more handsome. “Cuoricina, if you keep looking at me like that, my mother is going to have another shock when she finds me kissing you.”

I tear my gaze away. I feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment. I listen to his chuckle as he leaves the room to find his parents. I gather up the blanket, folding it neatly, gathering it to my chest, and wonder if I should go back upstairs and stay out of sight for a while, at least until Elena arrives with a change of clothes.

One thing leads to another, and ideas begin to swirl through my head. Victorio and I both need clothes and essentials. I need to get a job. I don’t even have a car. All this sets my mind reeling. I’ve always had a plan. Mom told me I was the one she could count on.

“Mom, you’re being ridiculous.” I hear Zano say. His voice is getting louder as his footsteps come closer. He swings open the living room door. “See?” he says, “Allegra’s fully dressed. I’m fully dressed. There’s no inappropriate behavior going on.”

“You’re half-dressed!” his mother exclaims. She’s got a point there. “What will people say if they find out?” Gina’s a tiny woman with curves, and she carries it well. Her dark brown hair is thick, and even though her hazel eyes are glaring at her son, they’re super pretty.

“What people?” Zano asks. “The only ones around are us.” Then Zano gets cheeky and tells her, “I promise not to tell if you don’t.”

This earns him a frown. “Don’t get smart with me. I have a wooden spoon and know how to use it,” Gina threatens.

Zano looks over at his father, who has joined us with an expression that clearly asks if Zano’s mother is being serious. Dario approaches his wife and slides his arm around her waist. “Gina, amore mio, we were young once too. Surely, you remember how I would steal a few kisses now and again?” he reminds her. “They’ll be married soon, and all this energy spent will be for nothing.”

“It’s inappropriate,” she returns. “It’s not fair to Allegra. She is the one who will have to live it down if someone finds out. It’s not enough, all that she’s been through? We need to take care of her,” Gina insists.

Gina’s worried for me! My heart melts.

“You’re right, Ma. We need to take care of her.” Zano tugs his mother into his arms and kisses her cheek. “You and Allegra need to plan a quick wedding. I don’t trust her with anyone but us, so Allegra stays here. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Of course Allegra stays here. Where else would she go? She’s part of our family,” Gina replies. “I have to go get breakfast ready. Dante and Elena are coming this morning. Get those other two boys up.”

“Ma, we’re going to Reno’s afterward. You know Anna is going to cook up a storm,” Zano says with a grin.

“We still need to eat.” Then she pulls back and touches her hair. “I’m a mess. I’ll never be ready on time.”

“I can help.” I jump in. Three sets of eyes all turn to me. “I can do your hair. And help with breakfast. I’m a fair cook. Not as good as you, but I can make great scrambled eggs.”

Gina holds out her hand for me to come to her. I go to her, taking it. “Thank you, cara. I’d like that.” She leads me away.

We’re not quite out of earshot when I hear Dario comment, “So much for inappropriate.” And the two men laugh out loud.

EIGHT

Four Weeks

ALLEGRA

Elena arrives with two bags of clothes in hand, one for me, the other for Victorio. While Gina is prepping breakfast, she insists that I go take my shower and get ready for the day. It’s going to be another long day, and I shiver when I think of meeting Reno again. I always thought that Raffaele was intimidating and ferocious, and I find that Reno has exactly the same qualities, only he is quieter, which somehow terrifies me even more. Reno has the ability to look at me with such calm, but I know that inside, there’s a volcano waiting to erupt. I never want to be the cause of the eruption.

Not wanting to hold up breakfast, I shower as quickly as I can. When I look in the bag that Elena gave me, I see that she has gone above and beyond. She picked out some very high-end makeup and hair products as well as a pair of jeans, a simple pair of tailored black pants, two blouses, one in deep green, the other in lilac, and a simple navy dress. Elena even found sandals to match the dress.

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