And, in Italian, he began his confession, “Mama, Jamie Parker is really my son. My biological son. We just found out yesterday.”
Teadora Bellini looked at her son. “Ah, that.” She patted his cheek. “It’s about time you figured it out.”
Ben was dumbfounded as he looked at his mother. He’d expected yelling and maybe crying.
She smiled and patted his arm. “I’ve been looking into the eyes of the Bellini men for forty years; you think I couldn’t recognize them when I saw them in my grandson? Now let’s not keep your guests waiting.”
For God’s sake, were Lane and I the last two people on the face of the earth to know the truth? He turned and walked his mother back to where Evie stood. Ben released his mother and took Evie’s hand. “Shall we go?”
Ben escorted Evie Parker into the dining room followed by his parents. Everyone found their place card and took their seats. Ben at the one end of the table and Lane at the other took the hands of the person seated next to them and while Thursday was usually Jake’s day to say grace, since it was Thanksgiving, it was the head of the household’s responsibility. Everyone bent his or her heads and Ben began.
“Most gracious heavenly Father, we come before you today to give thanks for the bounty before us and for the family and friends who are here to share it with us. We ask you to bless this food and our family and friends, both those who are here with us and those who cannot be here today. In Jesus name we pray.”
Everyone said, “Amen.”
He had debated over saying something about Jamie being his son. Almost everyone knew anyway, but after seeing Tony’s date, he had decided the less said in her presence the better. What was Tony thinking anyway, bringing her here for Thanksgiving? He had meant to talk to Tony in September after Liza had told him she’d been seeing Tony off and on for some time. But, between the trial he had going on in September and the month long break he and Lane had taken, until he found out she was pregnant and rushed her to the altar in early October, Liza and Tony had been the last things on his mind. Still he looked to the end of the table at his wife, hoping Liza’s presence wasn’t making Lane feel uncomfortable. She hadn’t said anything, but then he knew she wouldn’t. She was too gracious a hostess to say or do anything that would make a guest feel anything but welcome in their home.
“Please, help yourselves.” Ben said gesturing toward the buffet table. Everyone got up and formed a line at the buffet table.
Ben and Lane waited so they were at the end of the line. He pulled her into the hall and put his arms around her.
“I love you,” he said before kissing her.
She laughed. “I love you. Why are we out here when he have guests in there?” she asked, as she inclined her head toward the dining room.
“I wanted to tell you I talked to Mama. She said she’d been looking at the eyes of Bellini men for 40 years and it was time we figured it out.” He kissed her again, “And I wanted to be sure Liza isn’t making you uncomfortable.”
Lane reached up and held his face in her hands. “It’ll take more than one ex-girlfriend to make me uncomfortable in my own home.” She took his left hand and ran her finger over his wedding ring. “I have the real thing, she has the facsimile.” She brushed a quick kiss on his lips before turning around and pulling him back into the dining room with her.
Jess was sandwiched between Joey and Gabe at the dining table and in the buffet line. Why did her mother keep doing this to her? She shook her head. Joey had hustled to her car door when they got back from Sunset House. He’d discovered he’d butt dialed her and was fishing to see if she’d actually heard anything he’d said. The call had ended as soon as Gabe had turned the ignition off, and her phone had been safely in her purse the whole time making it easy for her to feign innocence. They’d have a talk about it all right, but not when the house was full of friends and family for Thanksgiving dinner.
After observing little Abbey Kelly point at something on the buffet table and asking “What’s that?” quickly followed by Jake’s response of “It’s really good, you can try some of mine.” Joey pointed out the Italian delicacies, explaining what each one was to Roy, Gabe, and Jess who were near him in the line.
Lane watched Abbey. While she was very well behaved, it wasn’t easy being the only child in the group of adults. Lane rubbed her abdomen. Next Thanksgiving, their baby would be nearly six months old. She smiled thinking about the households across America who had a kids’ table set up somewhere in their houses today. She’d never been a fan of kids’ tables and wondered how they’d fit everyone around their table in the years to come.
Dinner was peppered with toasts in English and Italian; to the health and wellbeing of family and friends; congratulations to Ben and Lane for the baby, wishes for the success of the football team in the championship game tomorrow, success of the film and safe travels for Gabe and Jess.
Just after 3:30, the landline rang and Ben went to the kitchen to answer. Recognizing the number, he said, “Pronto!”
He carried the cordless phone back to the dining room and after putting it on speaker; he placed the phone in the middle of the table. “Marie Terese, you’re on speaker in the middle of the table.”
“Happy Thanksgiving.” His sister Marie Terese said to the family.
Marie Terese, Bella to the family, was a vintner at the Luciano-Bellini family vineyard in Palermo, and this year she had decided not to come home for Thanksgiving.
More Italian than English flew through the room as her parents, siblings, cousin, uncles and aunt exchanged greetings with her.
When the chatter had slowed a bit, Ben said, “Bella, Jess and her friend Gabe Greer will be landing in Rome early Tuesday.” He looked at Jess. “They will be filming near Bologna for the next few months. Maybe you could all get together sometime.”
“Forse, dare loro il mio numero di cellulare. Vedremo cosa siamo in grado di lavorare fuori.” Marie Terese replied.
Gabe leaned toward Jess and whispered, “You have family in Italy?”
“Ben’s sister, although I’ve never met her. And all of his grandparents are still in Sicily.” Jess whispered back.
Gabe spoke up, “Marie Terese, this is Gabe. We’ll definitely get your number from Ben and give you a call.”
Jess looked at him. She knew Gabe had grown up, the only child of two only child parents and apparently, he was totally caught up in being a member of this big family. She was ready to wring his neck. He kept talking about the two of them as if they were a couple or a unit and it wasn’t helping the Joey situation. He also didn’t seem to realize that the closer he became with her family the more people who would eventually be in on his secret. Not that any of the Parkers, Bellinis or Lucianos would ever breathe a word to anyone if they were asked not to, but then he’d owe them and he had no idea what that meant either.
Kansas City was a mob town, and everyone in town suspected the Bellinis and Lucianos were connected, but how did you explain that to someone like Gabe who had grown up in Hollywood and saw everything like it was a scene in a movie? They had a long flight on Monday, and explaining how she got the Bellinis to buy her shoes wasn’t the only family insight she’d be sharing.
After desserts had been eaten and coffee consumed, Meg, her mother Betty, Teadora, Elena and Daniela descended on the kitchen, quickly putting the left overs into containers and washing dishes. Mama Bellini shooed Lane out of the kitchen and suggested she might like to have a nap.
“But you’re guests.” Lane argued as Mama Bellini put her arm around Lane and walked her to the master suite.
“Basta! We’re family, and you need your rest.” She walked Lane into the master suite, where Abbey Kelly was already asleep, and waited for Lane to lay on the bed before pulling the throw over her, leaving the room and closing the door.