Chapter 21
Sabrina
It sounded more like Christmas than Easter. Kids scurried through the grassy courtyard in search of plastic goodie-filled eggs. You’d think these kids had never had a piece of chocolate before the way they squealed when they found one. Naturally, the boys made it into a competition.
When no more were to be found, Mikey ran toward me. He slid on his knees, coming to a halt and no doubt leaving a patch of green on each knee of his new Easter khakis. Colorful plastic ovals knocked around in his basket. “Look, Mommy. I must have twenty eggs.”
Another little boy, did the same next to him. “I bet I have more.”
Mikey shook his head. “Nuh uh, Simon, I do.” They both started counting and when Simon counted four more than Mikey, the taunting began. Just as I was about to interject and put a stop to this nonsense, my son said, “Who cares? I bet you can’t do this.”
He stood up and pulled out his hacky sack that had become his new obsession. Mikey played with that every day. In a short amount of time, he had become better and better at keeping it off the ground.
“That’s so cool,” Simon said, and before I knew it, other kids had gathered around watching Mikey. The tip of his little pink tongue peeked out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated. “Where did you learn how to do that?”
His words were staccato breaths. “My best friend gave it to me.” The small beanbag toy fell to the ground. “It’s called a hacky sack, and it’s going to turn me into a great soccer player. I might even go pro one day. Luca is the best soccer player in...” His brows scrunched together. “Mommy, where is he from?”
I stood staring at my son. My heart started beating a bit faster when I saw he gained my mother’s attention. “Italy, honey.”
“Yeah, that’s right, Italy,” Mikey said without hesitation. “They’re like the best at this sport, so I don’t care if you got the most eggs because I got Luca.”
The sound of my own swallow filled my ears. “Mikey, don’t speak to him that way.”
Of course, he ignored me and continued. “We’re always together. He’s my private coach, and I’m going to be as good as he is one day… maybe even better. He said so himself.”
Simon narrowed his eyes at my son. “Then where is he?” he asked with a five-year-old’s attitude.
Mikey squinted. “Mom?”
What did I say? I didn’t invite him? “Oh, honey, I think he had plans.”
“Let’s call him. I know he’d want to be here.” Then Mikey reached into my purse, with the agility of a Ninja, and grabbed my phone.
“What are you doing? Give that back to me.”
Mikey’s little fingers tapped my screen, and he held the phone face up in his palm.
Before I knew it, Luca’s deep Italian voice came over the speaker. “Hi, beautiful.”
“Um… it’s Mikey.”
“Hey, little buddy, is everything okay? Where’s your mom?”
My mouth opened, yet Mikey answered for me. “She’s right here. We just had an egg hunt.”
Luca laughed. “I bet that was fun. Did you get a lot of eggs?”
“Yes, but not the most.”
“That’s okay. What’s up?”
“Can you tell my friend, Simon, that you are the best soccer player in the world and my coach?”
Luca didn’t reply as quickly as Mikey would have appreciated. “Am I on speaker phone?”
“Yeah, Simon’s here. When I told him all about my best friend, he didn’t believe me because you’re not here.” My heart sunk with a weight of regret.
“Hi, Simon. Mikey is telling you the truth, I’m a very good soccer player, but decided not to go pro. Because of that, I can’t claim the title of best in the world.”
“But you are,” Mikey chimed in. “You’re better than my coaches.”
I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a laugh knowing full well Luca fully agreed with that assessment. “That’s true.”
“See!” Mikey said to Simon. “Thank you, Luca.”
“Can I talk to your mom now?”
“Yup.” He practically tossed the phone at me and ran off with Simon and the other kids.
After clicking off the speaker function, I brought the phone to my ear. “Hi.”
“Good morning. Happy Easter.”
“Happy Easter. I hope he didn’t interrupt anything.”
“Just having breakfast with Cassie.”
A wave of unnecessary and irrational jealousy washed through me. “Oh, tell her I said, ‘hi.’” Taking a breath, I added, “Would you like to come to my parents’ for lunch? It might get a little insane due to the number of people who are going to be there. But, I’d love it if you were one of them… bring Cassie.”
“What time?”
“One.”
“Text me the address, and I’ll ask Cass, too.”
“Okay, see you soon.”
I watched my son having a fun time. Children’s laughter played like a song in the background. Mikey giggled while tapping kids’ heads in a game of duck duck goose. Minutes later my mom stood next to me. “Should I set another place at the table?”
“You heard that?”
“Some of it, yes.”
“I hope it’s okay that I invited him and Mikey’s teacher?”
“Of course it’s okay. Sweetheart, I know this is hard on you. I saw Michael’s face when he was talking about Luca. This man isn’t Dillon… rest his soul.” The sarcasm dripping from her words was unmistakable.
Yeah, his cheating soul. It broke my heart that mourning for my late husband ended so abruptly thanks to his mistress. “I know that. But, having my son’s heart broken again isn’t an option. I’ll do whatever I need to insure that doesn’t happen.”
Her kind eyes that could always see right through me softened. “Are you sure it’s just Michael’s heart you’re protecting?”
“No, I’m protecting my own too, I know that. It’s probably why I didn’t ask him over today. It scares me to already feel so much for this man.”
She smiled. “Sweetheart, you need to live life. Not just for your son, but for you, too. If this man makes you happy, then allow yourself to enjoy it. Our hearts are meant to love, and you have so much love to give. Don’t be afraid to open it again.” I nodded. “Now, I need to get home and start preparing the table.”
I knew she was right. I sent Luca my mom’s address and as soon as I pressed the green send button, my heart felt lighter. This was right. Having him with us today should have never been a question in my mind.
Luca
Cassie was all smiles when we walked up to the front door of Sabrina’s parents’ home. “Nice touch.” Cassie smiled at the flowers I held in my hand for Mrs. Ricci. With a slight tremble I pressed the circular button on the door frame. “Are you nervous?”
I studied my petite friend with amusement. “Yes, a little bit.” Cassie laughed at me. “Some friend you are, I should have left you home.”
She smacked my arm. “I’m just trying to ease your worries. Relax, Luca, they’ll love you.” Even with the top button open on my button down light blue shirt, it still felt as though it was closing around my neck. With a curved finger, I hooked the fabric and pulled to allow me some give. “Wow, you are nervous,” she quipped.
“Thanks, Captain Obvious.”
When the door swung open, Sabrina took my nerves and my breath away. Her dress fit as though it were made for her. Pink flowers that dotted the white material matched the color of her lips. Lips that I had kissed and who had kissed me back not less than six hours ago, yet all I wanted to do was devour her all over again. “Hi, come in.”
I moved aside to let Cassie pass first. “Thank you for including me today,” she said pulling Sabrina into a hug.
Taking that minute to gather my thoughts, and force my body to not ravish hers, I waited for her eyes to land on me. I chastely kissed her cheek and felt it rise in a smile beneath my lips. With my lips close to her ear, I whispered, “I’ll kiss you properly when we’re alone. There are about twenty pairs of eyes watching.”
When she turned around, a very attractive woman walked toward us. The resemblance to Sabrina was uncanny. “You must be Cassie, I’m Isabelle, Sabrina’s mother. Mikey and Sabrina speak so highly of you.” They shook hands. “I give you all the credit in the world for doing what you do.”
A blush colored Cassie’s cheeks. “Thank you. And thank you for having me in your home.”
Her mother turned her attention to me. “Mom, this is Luca. Luca, this is my mother.”
“Well, aren’t you a handsome man.” My lips curled up at the corners. “Sabrina, you didn’t tell me how handsome he was.”
I laughed when Sabrina shielded her face with her hands. “These are for you.” I handed her the flowers. “You and Sabrina could be sisters.” Tossing in a wink for good measure, I added, “Are you sure you’re her mother?”
“Smart, charming and easy on the eyes. And your accent… you sound like my husband’s Great- Uncle Antonio.” Her mother looked at Sabrina, whose cheeks deepened in hue. “I’m going to go put these in water.”
Sabrina ushered us into the living room where several people were chatting and laughing amongst themselves. A man stood and the way his eyes appraised me, there could only be one answer as to who he was.
“Luca, this is my father.”
He extended his hand to me. “Sebastian Ricci.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ricci. I’m Luca Benedetto.” His grip was firm, but his smile was kind, just like his daughter’s.
“Please, it’s Sebastian.”
“Luca!” Mikey’s voice boomed through the room. “You’re here!”
Just as he did other times he saw me, he launched his body toward mine, forcing me to catch him mid-air. “Hey, buddy.”
“I knew you’d come. Can you come out back with me? I have my hacky sack, can you show everyone how good you are? I learned some tricks too that I want to show you.” When he stopped to take a breath, he finally acknowledged Cassie. “Oh, hi Miss Brooks.” His attention span was short lived. “Come on…” He tugged my hand.
“If you’ll excuse me, sir?” Sebastian regarded us with amusement, as did Sabrina. “Want to come with us?” I asked her. It was clear my pleading eyes were for naught since she just smiled and didn’t budge.
Outside kids were laughing and playing. Mikey tapped a boy on his shoulder. “Luca, this is Simon the one that didn’t believe me.”
Simon zoned in on me with eyes as wide as the sun. “Hi, Simon. So, do you play soccer too?”
He shook his head. “I’m more into basketball.” Appraising me he said, “Can you dunk a basket?”
Mikey chimed in, “I bet he can.” His eyes zipped toward me. “Can you, Luca?”
“Only if I’m standing on a ladder.” The two boys broke into a fit of laughter.
Mikey handed me his hacky sack. Without hesitation, I did what Mikey had asked me to do—showed off.
Laughter and stories flowed throughout the dinner conversation. Every so often, I’d catch Sabrina’s eyes making me wish we were alone. Her family and friends were very welcoming. Her father and I even shared a few stories about Italy. It had been a while since he had been there, but talking to him made me miss my family more than I already did.
When the party was over, Mikey, who should have been hopped up on sugar, appeared to be exhausted. The kid refused to admit it and fought Sabrina tooth and nail to stay longer. On our way out, Cassie and I walked Sabrina to her car passing mine on the way.
“Wow!” Mikey exclaimed. “It’s the Batmobile!” Unknowingly, he pointed to my car. “Mommy, look how cool that car is.”
Sabrina smirked at my prideful face. “That’s Luca’s car.”
His eyes widened. “Can I ride in it?”
I pushed the door lock prompting the handle to pop out. “I don’t have a car seat, buddy, but you can sit in it for a minute. One day, if it’s okay with your mom, I’ll take you for a ride.”
“Cool!” I opened the door for him to slide inside. “How fast does it go? I bet it goes really fast.”
The kid reminded me of myself when my dad got his first Alfa Romeo. All I wanted to do was ride around with him at top speed—which thanks to my mother didn’t happen. Sabrina’s face mirrored the one my mom used to give my dad.
“Pretty fast, but we don’t live on a racetrack, so we won’t be speeding.”
“Aww, man.”
“Come on, Mikey, we need to get you home.” Sabrina’s mom voice prompted him to get out. “Tomorrow’s a school day.”
With a pout he asked, “Can you come over and read to me again?”
I kneeled down to his level. “I need to take Miss Brooks home, she also has school tomorrow. But, I’m going to follow you guys to make sure you get home okay.”
Cassie smiled and said goodbye to the both of them before sliding in the seat Mikey just vacated.
“You don’t need to do that,” Sabrina said quietly for my ears only.
Ignoring her, I asked, “Buddy, which car is yours?”
His tiny hand lifted and pointed to a red Honda CRV that was parked a few spaces away. Sabrina put her hand on her son’s shoulder and shook her head as we all started walking toward her car. After she clicked open the door, she said, “Hop in, Mikey, and buckle up.”
“Drive carefully. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Luca…”
“I’m following you, Sabrina.” Not giving her room to argue, I said, “Bye, Mikey,” before turning to leave.