Page 74 of La Dolce Vita

"I can't believe I felt that," he said. "I've never felt anything like it before."

"Do you want children?" she asked him and continued to stroke his head.

The spell broke. He got up from his knees. Before he turned to leave, she grabbed his hand. "You do want children. Don't you? Shae knew that. She can't have babies, Carlo. And that's not her fault. She thinks it's some kind of punishment for all the things she did wrong in life. She loves you. But she could never give you what you needed. It hurt her to let you go. I'm sorry for you both."

He had tears in his eyes. Marietta was shocked by them. She’d rarely seen him express any emotion other than anger or drunken elation. The first time she saw his pain was at his brother's funeral, and she never got close enough to him.

"I love her. It should have been enough," he said. "Has Lorenzo felt thebambinakick for him?"

"Not yet. You're the first person," she said. "Don't tell him. He... wouldn't understand."

"It was disrespectful," he said. "It won't happen again."

"I can't believe it happened like that? My baby. A little human being is growing inside of me. I think this is the very first time I felt like a mother. Weird. Isn't it?"

"A little Marietta," Carlo smiled. He kissed two fingers and pressed them to her belly. "You are going to be a good mother."

"And one day you will have children of your own, Carlo. That's what I want for you. A family, a real one. So you can stop chasing the brothers you think you lost."

Carlo shook his head.

"I'm a fucking man. I know what I need. Who I want. I put my heart on the line and told her. And she... she didn't believe me."

"You could fight for her. Go back to Texas and fight for her. I know she’s still in love with you. No matter what she says.”

Carlo removed a ring from his pocket. Even in the dark shadows of the cellar, it sparkled. He held it out to Marietta. "Vegas has a church on every street corner. And jewelers. Rings, lots of rings everywhere. I bought this, one night. It's a pink diamond. Who the fuck knew they had diamonds that were pink? I put it on her finger. She said she would be my wife. Come back to the Campania with me. She made fucking promises. And when I woke she was gone. A letter to say goodbye and gone. There is no fight left in me for her. I'm done fighting for people who don't want me." He looked into Marietta eyes. "And wanting a women I can never have. It's over."

He tossed the ring to the floor, and it rolled over to a crate of wine. Carlo went back up the steps taking a bottle of wine with him. Marietta stooped and picked up the pink diamond Cartier engagement ring. It was beautiful. Pink, or strawberry as Shae would say, was her favorite color. It must have hurt her friend deeply to leave him and this sweet offering of love behind. She felt sorry for them both. And even more grateful for what she had with Lorenzo. Maybe you only got one shot at real love. She was lucky.

Her stomach held another tickle. She smiled and rubbed her belly as she stood upright. Lorenzo was going to be so happy to feel their baby kick.

***

Palermo Sicilia –

"Ciao, Catalina!"Rosetta said. She walked out from the back of the boutique rubbing the nervous sweat that slicked her palms down the sides of her hips. Her cousin stood there at the door. Two men, tall and muscular in dark suits stood behind her. Both wore sunglasses. They didn't look familiar.Did Giovanni hire more men into the family?Was it always a requirement that they be so sexy?Rosetta smiled for the men. But when her gaze returned to her cousin she knew it was a mistake. Despite her nervousness, she approached and greeted her cousin properly with a kiss to each side of her cheek.

"I've been waiting," Rosetta said.

The men who accompanied Catalina walked through the boutique around racks of clothes and jewelry displays to the back of the shop. They then did another sweep to the front. The girls waited. One spoke to the other, and they nodded to Catalina that everything was safe. The two then stepped outside.How on earth would Armando get past them?

"Where's Francesca?" Catalina asked.

"Who? Oh? Yes. Francesca had to leave to pick up Jabari. There was an accident at work."

"Is everything okay?" Catalina asked.

"I dunno. I think he got hurt. She was concerned. Told me to wait for you. She said she would call."

Catalina stared at Rosetta, and it made her uncomfortable. Catalina had eyes like her brother. When angry the blue would turn into a dark shade of violet. To Rosetta, their eyes looked more like the color of indigo. Very odd. The eyes of the Battaglias didn't just see you; they saw through you. The intensity would make the Pope squirm. Rosetta wasn't lying, but she did have an ulterior motive. It was best to half confess it now.

"I thought it would be great if I stayed behind and we spoke. Alone."

"Why talk to me? You've already talked to the Donna." Catalina put a hand on her hip. Rosetta’s gaze went from Catalina's snide smile to the sparkling diamond choker around her neck, and the bauble of a diamond on her ring finger. She battled with keeping her envy from her voice. In doing so, she lost the ability to give a quick reply. Giovanni had always spoiled Catalina. It was whispered in the family that one of those fancy shopping sprees he took Catalina to in Milano is where Giovanni first saw the Donna and fell in love with her. Rosetta thought that was romantic and sad. It was romantic because she believed in love at first sight. It was how she explained her undeniable attraction to Domi. But it was sad because everything came so easy for Catalina when Rosetta had to scrub floors and live modestly after her husband was killed and she returned to live with her parents. Giovanni gave her family an allowance, but it was never as grand as the one he spent on the spoiledlapiccoletta.

Catalina had crossed over into the life they dreamed of as little girls. When Catalina became the head designer for The House of Fabiana's she only wore red. Rosetta kept magazine clippings of her. Catalina traveled the world. She'd been to America, and Paris, and Spain. She'd also visited Prague. And to top it all off, she had the devotion of Dominic. Rosetta couldn't wait for Ms. Perfect to get knocked off her pedestal.

There was a commotion outside. Men shouted. Men yelled, and sirens could be heard. Catalina turned and cast her gaze to the store window. "What the hell is going on?"

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