Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Her eyes lit up when she spotted me, and she smiled one of her smiles as she held out her arms and gasped, “Wes!”
“Hey, Mom.” I walked over and gave her a hug. “You’re looking good.”
“You are, too. You look more and more like your father all the time.” She gave me a squeeze, then motioned her hand to the man standing next to her. “I’d like you to meet Carmine. He’s the man I’ve been telling you about.”
He was a big guy with broad shoulders and salt-and-pepper hair. He was wearing an expensive suit, but he didn’t have the look of easy money. He’d worked for it, and that was something I could respect. I extended my hand as I said, “It’s nice to finally meet ya.”
“Right back at ya, kid.” He shook my hand. “Your mother has told me a lot about you.”
“I hope they were good things, but I know better than that.”
“Well, they were mostly good.” He smiled, but it quickly faded when his attention was drawn to something behind me. “Ah, there’s my girl.”
I glanced over my shoulder, and my breath caught when I spotted Toni walking toward us. And she wasn’t just walking toward us. She was coming over to us. At first, my mind wasn’t computing why she was there or why Carmine had just called her his girl.
Then, it hit me. My chest tightened, and a knot formed in my throat. I prayed it wasn’t true, but my worst fears were confirmed when he said, “I’d like you to meet my daughter, Antonia.”
And just like that, my whole world crumbled.
Antonia
“I really appreciate you coming today.”
“Don’t be silly.” I placed the vase of flowers in the center of the table. “I wouldn’t dream of missing your birthday.”
“Well, you are awfully sweet.”
Kay rushed behind me and started adjusting the various place settings. Dad had hired one of the best catering companies in the city to host her birthday party, and they had gone all out. Flowers and balloons were arranged throughout the house, and all the tables were set with their finest china. It was positively beautiful.
I looked down the long table, and I couldn’t help but wonder who all was coming to this party of hers. “It looks like you’re going to have quite a crowd.”
“I hope so.” She clasped her hands together with excitement. “Your father invited my entire bridge club and my Tuesday morning prayer group.”
“What about Dad? Is he planning to be here?”
“He might stop by, but I doubt it will be for long. He’s not a big fan of celebrations, especially when it entails a house full of cackling hens.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” I chuckled. “Dad is the best, but his nerves are a bit short.”
“That they are, but mine can be, too.”
I could tell by the way she spoke that she loved my father. I loved him, too, and there was a time when we were really close. He was my person. I thought the world revolved around him, but things between us had been strained over the past few years. Things changed after my mother died. He withdrew and became distant, throwing himself into his work.
I tried to be understanding. I knew he was hurt, but over time, I started to resent the fact that my father hadn’t been there when I needed him most. Then, out of the blue—just a few short months after my mother’s death, he announced that he’d met someone.
I loved Kay. She was sweet and sincere, and she seemed head over heels for my father. And he seemed to be equally enamored with her. I was happy for them both, but I was also jealous.
Very, very jealous.
I didn’t want to be, but like it or not, the feeling was there in the pit of my stomach. And seeing all this birthday hoopla for her when mine was completely forgotten was hard to swallow. It hurt more than I cared to admit, but I put on my best smile and tried to pretend that all was well in the world as I listened to her ramble about her short fuse.
“I’d tried on three different outfits and had worked myself into a fit. I was trying on yet another outfit when your father walked in. He started telling me that I looked beautiful—which I didn’t feel nor believe, so I snapped at him. I don’t know what came over me. I feel bad just thinking about it.”
“We all have our moments.”
“Yes, I know, but he didn’t deserve that. Thankfully, he understood and even helped me find the perfect thing to wear.”
“That was very sweet of him.”
“Yes, it was.” She was practically beaming as she told me, “I don’t know what I would do without him.”
“He feels the same way about you.”
I was about to go to the kitchen to see if the caterer needed any help when I heard a familiar rumble of a motorcycle pull into the drive. I’d heard it many times over the past year, and each time, the sound made my stomach fill with butterflies. He was coming.