Chapter 2 - Maria
As I reached in the fridge to pull out the cake, Izzy asked, “Do you think I’ll find someone like Pop was talking about?”
I smiled with my face still hidden by the door. That was my hard-ass daughter, waiting until I was partially distracted and she was out of earshot of her brothers to ask a question like that.
“Yeah, baby girl. You’ll find him someday.” I picked up the cake, leaving the door open as I set it on the counter.
Izzy closed it, leaning against the fridge as she stared straight ahead, biting her lip. “I don’t believe the fairy tales you told me as a child, Ma. I don’t think I want someone to come charging into my life and changing who I am. I like myself. A lot. Too much to give myself freely to some man.”
I chuckled, remembering thinking the same thing when I was just a few years younger than her. “The trick is to find someone who doesn’t change you, but makes you better.” I reached in the drawer, rifling through it for the cake server. Cassata cake could be tricky to serve, and I didn’t like when it fell and turned into a pile of mush.
“Better how?”
Setting the knife and server on the counter, I turned to face her. “The person who makes you want to be better. They won’t change who you are, but they’ll bring out the good in you. Your father did that for me. Izzy, listen, I was scared when I met your father. I fell in love with him so fast it made me dizzy. He became my universe. Everything revolved around him, and it terrified me. You have to get beyond the fear to let in the love and allow the true Isabella Gallo to shine through.”
“Are you sure you don’t fucking work for Hallmark, Ma? I mean, Jesus, that was a bunch of lovely drivel, but I don’t think I’m built for that kind of life. I don’t think any of us have that ability like you and Pop. We’re just too strong-willed.” She pushed off the fridge and started to pull the plates out of the cabinet.
I touched her arm, stopping her. “Are you saying I’m weak, Isabella?”
She shook her head, her eyes dropping to the floor. “No, Ma. That’s not what I meant.”
“It sounded an awful lot like pity to me. When you fall in love someday, you’ll have a different opinion.” I touched her chin, bringing her eyes to mine. “It takes a strong woman to love a strong man. Strong women like us don’t do well with a man who is less than us. You’re going to find one who makes you want to run for the hills. It’s in your nature to fight back, but if he’s strong enough, he won’t let you.”
Izzy laughed, tilting her head as she looked at me. “We’ll see, Ma. I haven’t found one who has knocked my socks off. Do men ever grow up?”
Her question made me smile. It was valid and as old as time. “Eventually, baby girl. You’re young, and the men your age are too much like children. Enjoy your youth and theirs. It takes many years before they grow up. Case in point,” I said, tipping my head toward the living room and the loud group of men talking. “Most of them haven’t grown up, but their time is coming.” I dropped my hand, reaching for the knife to cut the cake.
“Maybe I’m just surrounded by them so much that they taint my view of men.” She leaned on the counter next to me, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Your brothers aren’t very different than most men. They’re stronger and more protective than others, but at their core they’re all the same.”
“Yeah,” she whispered, releasing a deep sigh. “Doesn’t matter. I’m having too much fun anyway.”
“How’s it going with Rob?” I asked, wondering why she hadn’t mentioned him lately. Rob, Mike’s trainer, was a cocky son of a bitch, and I didn’t care for him too much. He wasn’t right for Izzy. He didn’t have the highest opinion of women, from what I could tell the few times I met him. He was a macho asshole and not the sexy type either.
“We’re over.”
“Why?” I asked, pretending to be sad.
“He made some dickhead comment, so I kneed him in the balls. It was a dirty way to end it, but swift.” She snickered, wrinkling her nose and covering her mouth.
“That’s my girl,” I said, bumping her with my hip. She was exactly how I wanted her to be. Her brothers taught her the skills to protect herself, although sometimes she used them for other means, but in the end they were always necessary. Izzy was girly when she wanted to be and strong whenever possible. She was the rock of the family, the person who bound us together. “Go tell the boys that dessert is ready, please.”
She cupped her hands in front of her mouth and yelled, “Dessert!”
“Jesus. I could’ve done that, Izzy.” I balanced four plates in my hands, trying not to drop the china that was given to me as a wedding present. “Grab a couple since you’re in the helpful mood.”
She sighed, taking the rest of the cassata cake that was on the counter and following me into the dining room. The boys had beaten us and were already in their seats, waiting to be served.
“Lazy bastards,” Izzy muttered under her breath as I set a dish in front of Sal.
I smiled, making eyes at him. “Here you go, sweetheart.”
As he winked at me, one side of his mouth rose as a grin played on his lips. “Thanks, love,” he whispered, rubbing his chin between his fingers and licking his lips. He was giving me the look I loved, the one that said I was getting lucky as soon as the kids left.