CHAPTER TWENTY – ALESSANDRO (6 MONTHS)
It has been three years since I last stepped foot on American soil. As much as Mila wanted to return with me, I denied her the opportunity. It was for her own safety that she remained in Cagliari.
My father, Antonio, Marco, and I returned to the states to check on business operations there. My father wanted to ensure things were running as we expected now that my cousin, Jimmy, was overseeing those operations.
Part of me wondered if I would be bitter, returning to my old stomping grounds, knowing someone else was in charge. The memories were bittersweet, but I wanted nothing more than to return home to my wife and kids, especially since Mila gave birth three weeks ago. We’ve been in the states for two weeks, and I’m excited to return home to my family here in Cagliari.
I peer out at the grounds of DeLuca Palazzo below us at the lush green grass and the brilliant floral display showing off their dazzling petals like a male peacock’s tail. We arrived home just in time. It’s about to storm, a prediction of things to come, perhaps?
A quick glance at Antonio shows his foul mood resulting from an argument with his wife, Giulia. It’s no surprise, though. The two of them stay at one another’s throat. The impending weather reflects my oldest brother’s temperament.
I glance to the other side of the private plane, where my father, and my second oldest brother, Marco, sit with their heads bowed as they talk just above a whisper. They’re not trying to exclude us, but Antonio and I have been lost in our thoughts since boarding the private plane.
My phone rings, and I smile, knowing my beloved wife is calling.
“Ciao, bella.”
Giggling, she replies, “Mi manchi, tesoro.”
“Anche tu mi manchi, tesoro.”
“Okay, I wasn’t quite sure what you said there,” she confesses with another giggle.
“Tell you what, I can show you better than I can tell you. I’ll be there soon. Just landing at the Palazzo.”
“Really?” she squeals excitedly.
“Mm-hmm. I’ve got a few things to take care of here, and then I’ll be making my way to my two best girls and my boy,” I say proudly.
It feels good to have a son, my heir and the one to whom I’ll pass a legacy. Although he looks like a mixture of Mila and me, he’s already got my temperament. The women in the family are wrapped around his finger, it takes a lot to satisfy him, and he’s got a temper out of this world.
I smile, thinking about my son.
“I’m not so sure you missed Bianca and me as much as you missed Aris,” she says.
Smirking, I reply, “I missed Bianca and Aris, but I missed their mother so much that I’m thinking about giving her another baby to carry in her belly for the next nine months.”
“Sir! The path of getting there is truly pleasurable, but the end result? I think I’ll need a pass on that one. You’re not the one whose body morphs into something unrecognizable or whose organs shift within to make room to host another life form.”
Laughing, I concede, “You’re right about that. Hey, I’ll let you know when I’m on the way. We’re getting off the plane right now, and Pops wants to have a conversation with us.”
“Okay, ti amo.”
“Ti amo,” I reply, ending the call.
“You two are sickening,” Marco teases as I follow him off the plane.
The attendants will remove our luggage and place mine in the waiting car before I leave.
“You could have the same if you’d act halfway decent,” I tease him.
“It’s highly overrated,” Antonio imparts.
Grinning at him, I say, “Only because you and Giulia are on the outs again. You'll sing a different tune when you get home and get nestled between her thighs.”
Marco and I laugh, and our older brother shakes his head.
“Boys, behave,” our father says. “Don’t tease your brother so. Ales, what did you mean ‘act halfway decent?’”