Page 77 of Pause

Slade nods, overcome as well.

Matteo informs us Mattie is three years younger than Slade, and Aria is only four years younger than Slade. They’re all rather close in age. Matteo also explains that Mattie’s wife is expecting any day, so he’s on baby watch, and Aria is a stay-at-home mom.

Aria gets up to hug him, and Mattie joins her. Slade is still sitting, smothered with love from his newly found siblings.

I’m an ever-loving mess. I don’t cry pretty. Not only am I crying, but a few sobs escape here and there as well. My heart is swelling in my chest for Slade. He’s being welcomed into his Italian family. It’s more than we hoped for.

“We have a brother from America, Aria. How cool is that?” Mattie says, laughing and patting Slade on the back.

“I don’t know I have son with Laurie. Why she not tell me?” Matteo asks Slade, his voice still rough with emotion.

Everyone seems a little shell-shocked with the news. Even I’m still reeling from our first meeting.

Slade explains his mother’s story, just as she told it to him. He takes his time, letting every detail sink in. He tells Matteo about his letters that Lauren had never received until just a couple years ago.

“So, she never see letters?” Matteo asks, a pained expression on his face. “Never?”

“She never knew,” Slade tells him. “Not until recently.”

“But you know me, eh? You know Papà in Italy?”

“No, I never knew about you. I only found out a few days ago. My mother felt I should know.”

“And you here?Così veloce? Ah…so fast?” Matteo’s surprise is obvious.

“I wanted to meet you. I didn’t want to let time go by and miss the chance of knowing you.”

Matteo squeezes the bridge of his nose in an attempt to control his emotions. He’s still wiping away tears now and again. He’s as emotional as his letters implied.

“Must be hard news, yes? You have American Papà?” Matteo asks.

Slade clears his throat, clearly uncomfortable. “Yes, it was hard to accept at first. My…American father passed unexpectedly a couple years ago.”

“Ah, I lost my Lucia, Mattie and Aria’s mamma, many years ago. Is very hard, yes?”

“Yes, it’s hard to lose the people we love.” Slade’s expression darkens, his grief still evident.

Slade isn’t struggling with feelings of replacing his father, something I admire about him. He had a wonderful relationship with the father who raised him. Nothing can take that away or erase it. He welcomes a relationship with his birth father.

“I no like this. My Laurie should tell me we have son. Understand?” Matteo booms.

“I understand,” Slade says quietly.

“No fault to you. This between Laurie and me.” Matteo looks down, regaining his composure. “She have no way to find me. I know this. But I miss my son. Hurts, yes?”

“Yes,” Slade agrees. “The return address on your letters—that’s how I found you.”

Matteo turns his gaze on me. I’m sure my face is spotted with red dots from crying. “And thisil tuo amore,Slade?”

“Il tuo amore?” Slade questions. It doesn’t come out in the same lyrical way Matteo pronounced it.

We should have studied more Italian before we came here. You know, during the five minutes we had to prepare.

“Your love. This your love, yes?” Matteo repeats. “You beautiful, Marin James. You my daughter, okay? Call me Papà.”

All I can do is nod. If I could stop crying, I might be able to join the conversation at some point.

“Your love cries much happiness for you, Slade. She good one. Keep her. Don’t mess up.”

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