“In the rain,” I repeated on a suppressed giggle.
“In a skirt,” he went on and my giggle erupted. “That might be my favorite part, outside you bein’ wet,” he continued and my giggles took control and I collapsed into him, my cheek to his chest, my arms tight around his waist and I laughed out loud.
When I got control of my mirth and was back to quiet giggles, I moved my head so my forehead was pressed against Joe’s chest but I didn’t release my arms.
“Worth the wait,” Joe muttered and my head tipped back.
“What?”
“Every bit of it. Every day, every week, every year, every fuckin’ second, buddy,” he kept muttering, his eyes intense, his face serious and my breath caught, “this. All of it. Worth the wait.”
“Joe,” I whispered.
His hand moved to my jaw and his thumb stroked my cheekbone. “Love you, Violet. Even when you’re bustin’ some bitch’s lip open.”
I smiled, pressed even deeper into him and whispered, “I love you too, Joe.”
His head dipped, his mouth captured mine and he started to kiss me hard but our lips broke when Keira called, “Yeesh! Get a room!”
Joe’s arms didn’t move from around me but he looked over my shoulder and I did too to see Keira walk into the kitchen and direct to the fridge.
“I’m havin’ more pie. You guys want pie?” she asked.
“No,” I answered.
“Yeah,” Joe said.
“Katy!” Keira shouted, “Joe and me are havin’ pie! You want pie?”
“Yeah!” Kate shouted back.
Keira got out the pie. Joe’s arms gave me a squeeze. I put my cheek to his chest and squeezed him back. Music hit the house then Kate opened the door to her bedroom and it got louder. Keira got the pie cutter. Kate came in and got plates.
I held onto Joe, Joe held onto me, the girls dished out pie and I concentrated on really listening to Kate’s music for the first time ever.
It was great.
Chapter Nineteen
At Peace
Vinnie preceded Cal out to the back deck and as Cal slid the door closed behind him, he looked through the window at Vi, Theresa and Bea in the kitchen vying for maternal supremacy thus control over the pancakes.
Three months ago, even knowing Vi was a strong woman and a great mother but not knowing Bea at all, Cal would have put money down on Theresa.
But after yesterday and the shit he heard coming out of Susie’s mouth when he’d walked up to them way too late, and Vi’s reaction, he knew she was no pushover and she was on her home turf.
And also Bea might be shy but the gentle, loving way she was with all his girls and the soft looks Vi, Kate and Keira aimed at her he figured she had her ways and she wasn’t exactly a dark horse. Not to mention, the woman made one hell of a chocolate cream pie.
Now he wouldn’t even place a bet, just sit back and wait for the results.
His eyes moved to Vi’s Dad Pete, who was bustling around the girls, desperate to make up for lost time. Cal found this annoying and he’d have to have a word with the man. Best way to make up for lost time was to let his granddaughters get to know who he was by acting natural around them, not shoving his nose up their asses.
Finally, his eyes moved to Gary who was sitting at the table comfortably sipping coffee. Gary had sat at that table a lot over the years. He was always welcome there and he knew it. Gary learned yesterday from watching Pete that he could let go the past bad blood. He saw that he’d been reaping the rewards of being a good Dad for seventeen years and Pete had been living the nightmare of being a coward for that same time, if not longer.
“Cal, son, we gotta talk about Hart,” Vinnie called from behind him and Cal turned from the door feeling his mouth get tight.
His eyes hit his uncle and he moved away from the door so even if someone looked out they couldn’t see him.
He rested a hip against the railing and crossed his arms on his chest while he watched his uncle reach a hand out to one of Vi’s pots of flowers that was sitting on the railing. Vinnie dropped his hand before he touched the bright, healthy flowers spilling up, out and down the sides of the pot and his eyes went to Cal.
“Vi’s good with flowers,” Vinnie remarked as his gaze took in the rest of the deck.
“Yeah,” Cal replied and watched Vinnie give him a look before Vinnie turned his head to look into the house.
“Keeps a nice house,” Vinnie went on.
“Uncle Vinnie –” Cal started to cut him off, knowing where this was going but Vinnie’s eyes came to his.
“Great girls she’s raised. Sweet kids. Funny. Smart,” Vinnie continued, not to be stopped.
Cal sighed and said nothing. He knew Vinnie needed to get this out so he let him.
“Care about you,” Vinnie noted.
“Yeah,” Cal repeated.
“The three of ‘em do,” Vinnie said.
“Yeah,” Cal repeated again.
“Theresa called Carm the minute we hit the hotel last night. She talked about Vi and those girls for two hours. Thought I’d never get to sleep,” Vinnie told him and this surprised Cal considering he hadn’t had a follow up call from Carm in order for her to bitch him out about never calling; not telling her about Vi and the girls; and to arrange her own trip where she could nose into his life and give Vi her personal seal of approval.
“Instead of sellin’ my place, should build a bridge considerin’ the Bianchis are gonna be spendin’ some time down here,” Cal quipped.
Vinnie’s eyes narrowed. “You think you can walk those girls into my Pizzeria wearin’ the suit you wore to take her to her brother’s funeral and lookin’ at her like she flies out the window on fairy wings and hangs the stars every night and not be right back in the Bianchi fold, you got another think comin’.”
Jesus. Fairy wings?
“Uncle Vinnie –” Cal started.
Vinnie cut him off. “Don’t think I’m stupid, boy. You walked them in for a reason, to give them some family back after they lost theirs.”
“Vinnie –”
“Been waitin’ seventeen years for this, Cal.”
“Uncle –”
“Longer,” Vinnie bit out. “You know, Theresa lights a candle for you every week. Every fuckin’ week. Been doin’ it for over thirty years. You know how many candles she’s lit for you?” Vinnie asked.
Cal didn’t respond.
“Too many,” Vinnie answered his own question.
“She doesn’t have to light them anymore,” Cal pointed out.
“You got Hart ridin’ your ass, she finds out, she’ll be at the church every day,” Vinnie returned.
Finally they were where he wanted their conversation to be.
“You talk to Sal?” Cal asked.
“First, I’ll say this once and that’s it. I’m happy for you. I’m happy for her. I’m happy for those girls. Never seen you like this. Not before, not with that other one. Not unless you were with Nicky and even then you weren’t like you were yesterday. You were always watchin’ her, guardin’, bracin’ for what that bitch would do next.”
Cal’s mouth got tight again as did the rest of his body. “That’s done and we’re done talkin’ about it.”
“Waited a long time to say this Cal, gonna say it only once and you’re gonna give me that,” Vinnie told him, Cal sighed again, forced his body to relax and leaned deeper into the railing, his eyes on his uncle.
“She’s smilin’, son,” Vinnie said softly and Cal closed his eyes and turned his head toward Vi’s yard. He opened his eyes when Vinnie continued. “Lookin’ down on you and Vi and those girls and Angie’s finally at peace.”
Cal clenched his teeth, pulled breath into his nose and looked back at his uncle on the exhale.