Dangerous Beauty: Part Three: This is War (42 page)

“So I should be her fucking whore when she wants some dick, and a bank when she wants some money? Fuck that!”

Dante chuckled. “Since when have you cared about fucking someone, Kyle? She wants to be fucked, then fuck her. I agree with Lucca.”

“I’m not fucking her. That’s off the table. I’m not even attracted to her.”

Nathan frowned. “I’m sure you can understand why we find that hard to believe, Kyle. Sophia is living proof that you are attracted to her.”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “I didn’t know her when Sofia was conceived, Nathan. Now that I know her, I can’t fucking stand her. Yes she looks good, but she’s a bitch, she’s messy, she doesn’t clean shit, she can’t cook shit, she leaves take-out boxes all over my fucking apartment, and she stopped breast feeding! The damn doctor said it was good for Sofia, but Faith doesn’t want to stop drinking. What kind of shit is that for a woman to say? I’m mean, God gave you milk producing tits so that you could feed your babies! If I had that shit, I’d do it myself, but I don’t so I’m stuck. That bitch gave my baby some fucking formula after I told her that I think she’s allergic. When I came home from work Sofia was screaming and Faith was passed out in the fucking bath tub because she’s a
wino.
I go to see why my baby was screaming bloody murder, and she has a temperature and red dots all over her body. Its three o’clock in the morning and I am racing to the damn hospital—
by myself
—just so the fucking doctor can tell me what I already knew! Sofia’s allergic to formula. I have to buy her milk from a fucking breast milk bank. I couldn’t even go to my own damn apartment after we left the hospital because I wanted to kill Faith, but Pop said I couldn’t. Some shit about she’s the mother of my daughter and all that. Sofia and I went to stay at Pop’s so I could cool off. That’s why I didn’t come to work that day last week, because Sofia and I had been up all night. So anyway, when I went home Faith was sitting in the living room crying. She started
screaming at
me
!
‘Where did you take my baby?’
Filthy bastard
this, and
son of a bitch
that.
‘Don’t you ever take my daughter anywhere without my permission!’
and
‘I’ll take her away from you and make sure you never see her again!’
”

The guys were … well, they were appalled.

“The nerve of this bitch,” Lucca said, shaking his head. The guys all had the same expression of disgust, and shook their heads right along with him. “What did you do?” he asked.

Kyle frowned as if Lucca should already know the answer. “What the fuck do you think I did? I choked the bitch.”

They all burst into laughter.

Kyle raised his hands. “I mean, I didn’t choke her hard, but I did shake the shit out of her. I didn’t understand who the fuck she thought she was talking to. I don’t hit women, but Faith pushed me a little too far when she threatened to take away my daughter. I can take Sofia wherever the hell I want to take her, she’s my daughter! Flesh of my fucking flesh. I don’t need to ask Faith’s permission for shit! I take care of my daughter and her, she doesn’t come in my house and talk to me like that. It’s about respect. She obviously doesn’t know who I am.”

“Did you tell her where you went?”

“I didn’t tell her shit. I bathed Sofia, then showered when she went down for her nap. After that I took my little girl away for a couple of days. I decided that we needed a vacation, so I took her to the beach house in Hope Beach. I took her walking by the ocean. We went swimming in the pool, I took her sailing out on my boat, and we bonded. I bonded with my child,” he said proudly. He then pulled his cell phone and showed them his screensaver. “I even got her a hat.”

They laughed as they laid eyes on the adorable picture. Sofia sat in a swing in a pink and white stripped hat and a pair of white sunglasses.

Kyle grinned wide. “Yep, that’s my little girl on her first vacation with Daddy. She even slept longer than usual last night before crying for food.”

“Last night? You still haven’t been home?” Lucca asked.

Kyle made a face of disgust. “Hell no. If I did I’d probably still be there arguing with Faith. I’d rather be here.”

“So all of this happened in the two weeks that she’s been living with you?” Nathan asked.

Kyle nodded, and heaved a sigh. “Just two weeks. Like I said before, Nate, be thankful you have a good woman. It’s important that a man choose the right woman to bear his children, less you be stuck with a woman not fit for motherhood.”

Nathan nodded but didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to sound as if he were rubbing it in Kyle’s face because Nathan was indeed thankful to have a good woman. His children would have a strong, wise, loving mother, and he
thanked God
for that, especially now.

“Okay, Kyle …”

They all looked to the entrance when Carter walked in with a smiling Sofia on her hip. She bit her bottom lip nervously. They didn’t understand why she was nervous until Gabriel came in behind her pushing a playpen full of baby gifts.

Kyle’s mouth dropped open and he leaned forward in his seat.

“Please tell me you haven’t gotten a chance to shop for her yet.”

Kyle shook his head slowly. “Well no, she just moved in a couple weeks ago. We haven’t had time to get everything b–but—”

“And her mother? Did she have a baby shower or something?”

“No,” he answered. “Faith came to New York with nothing. She claims everything was stolen, but I’m pretty sure she’s just trying to get some money.”

Carter gave him a puzzled before she nodded. “Good, then I didn’t get too much.” She turned a bright smile to Sofia, and the infant giggled in her arms. “You have some new stuff, gorgeous.” Placing a big smooch on the baby’s chubby cheek, she strolled to the middle of the room and sat cross-legged in the middle of the wooded coffee table. She placed Sofia in her lap and put one of her fingers in each of her hands. The infant grabbed on immediately.

Carter sighed and looked at Kyle. “So, Sofia and I have been talking.”

“Have you?” Kyle laughed.

Carter winked. “We have. She is quite the talkative one.”

Kyle agreed. “She very much is, aren’t you, honey?” he cooed to his little girl. Sofia gave her father a wide smile and waved her arms in excitement.

“Oh my God.” Carter released Sofia’s hands and fanned her eyes rapidly. “That was so cute. I don’t want to cry, this is getting ridiculous.” Tears formed in her eyes as she waved for Nathan. “Bubby, I need tissue please.” He came forward with what she needed as everyone in the room chuckled softly. Carter dabbed her teary eyes. “Okay, you and Sofia need to tone it down on the father daughter cuteness.”

A smile pulled at Kyle’s lips and he leaned toward Carter. “Did you know that we just got back from our first vacation together? Just the two of us?” Kyle asked.

Carter’s big eyes widened and she gasped. “You did?” she sighed. “That’s so cute.”

Nathan knew what Kyle was doing, and he let it happen. Hormonal Carter was so damn adorable, everyone deserved to see her.

Kyle went for the gusto and brought out his cell phone with the cute picture. Carter’s hand shot to her chest as tears filled her eyes once again.

“Oh, Kyle. You took a dorky dad picture,” she laughed.

Kyle chuckled. “I’m going to save it and show it to her when she’s a teenager. She’ll always remember how much fun she had on her first vacation with Daddy.”

That got her. Carter’s tears spilled over her cheeks as she picked up Sofia and hugged her tight. “You jerk, you did that on purpose,” she joked as she playfully swung at Kyle.

Kyle sat back, laughing softly. “Cry baby,” he teased.

“Leave my love alone you scoundrel.” Nathan came forward with another tissue and kissed Carter’s cheek and then her lips. “Cry all you want, baby.”

“Thank you, bubby,” she pouted playfully.

Nathan sat down behind her and Sofia on the table. “Now let me see this little angel.”

Carter handed him bright-eyed baby Sofia, and Nathan immediately fell in love with his little niece. He chuckled at the mischievous smile in her bright blue eyes. “She has a hint of mischief in her eyes like her Uncle Mickey.”

“That’s what I said to Pop the first time I took her to meet him,” Kyle said.

Nathan chuckled. “You better watch out. You remember how bad he was.”

“I wasn’t that bad,” Mickey said defensively. “The look means she has personality, unlike the both of you.”

“All the same, keep your eyes open, Kyle.”

Kyle chuckled, “I will.”

Nathan smiled at the little angel on in his arms. “You are a vision,
bella bambina.
A perfect blessing.” He gently kissed her on her chubby little cheek, and when she smiled at him, he laughed softly. “Now that’s the smile that will get you anything you want from your Uncle, angel.”

He felt Carter wrap her arms around his arm and rest her head on his chest. “She’s so tiny, so sweet.”

“She is,” Nathan agreed.

“And soon, she will have two little cousins to play with,” Carter whispered as she gently ran her hand over her belly.

Nathan looked over to her with a soft smile in his eyes. “She will,” he whispered right before he kissed her forehead, then her nose, and finally her lips. He smiled against her mouth. “Although, she may want to watch out for baby B.” Carter laughed, and Nathan placed a kiss on her smiling lips. He grinned wide as he gazed into her expressive eyes. “I’m serious, Carterina. I worry for our child’s behavior after his warning this morning.”

“You better leave my baby alone, Nathan Salerno.”

“Your baby better leave my baby alone …”

Carter pressed her face against his chest and continued laughing. Sofia’s giggle made them both look to her with smiles on their face.

“Aww, she laughed,” Carter exclaimed. “Are you laughing at your Uncle Nathan, sweetheart? He’s so silly, isn’t he?”

The baby giggled again and Nathan and Carter both became lost as they tuned everything else out and played with their cheerful baby niece.

It wasn’t until Kyle cleared his throat that they looked up at him.

“I wanted to talk to you two about something, and I think now is the perfect time.”

Nathan and Carter nodded, handing Kyle Sofia when he reached out for her. He sat her in his lap and nervously released a deep breath.

“I want you both to look at my adorable baby while I say this.” They smiled. “When Sofia and I were walking on the beach, I started think about … well, everything. Life, death, what I want for my little girl if I’m not around, you know, the things that you two will immediately start thinking about when you look into the eyes of your children for the first time. I know I’m not invincible, and I live a crazy life. I need to know that if something were to ever happen to me, my Sofia will grow up happy, with her family. I would want her to be raised in a loving, family home, with two amazing people I love and trust.” He took a deep breath. “I know this is a big decision, and I’m willing to give you two some time to think about it. But I need to know that if I die tomorrow, there will be a family that will fight for Sofia and win. I don’t want her with Faith without me there … ever. So, Sofia is getting christened next week, and I would like to ask you two if you would do me the honor of standing with me,” he rolled his eyes, “and
Faith
, as Sofia’s Godparents.”

Think? Did he actually believe they’d have to think about it?

“Yes,” they said simultaneously.

Lots of hugs, laughing, and Italian endearments erupted around the room. It was a family celebration for the book of memories, and reminisce about at family celebrations to come.

Nathan looked around the table at his family, admiring how much things had changed in such a short time. He watched as Cesare leaned over and kissed a giggling Anastacia Stone, and how Anastacia winked at him then turned to speak softly to her son. His gaze then went to his father, who was laughing with his old friend that he’d thought he’d lost, then to Kyle who was lifting his daughter in the air, right before he looked to Mickey, Dante, and Lucca who were laughing and toasting a beer.

Okay, maybe not everything had changed. But most things had, and Nathan loved every single new thing in his life.

Nathan finally turned his gaze to the love of his life. His wife. The woman he’d confessed his love for mere hours after kissing her. The woman he proposed to after four months of dating her. The woman he married eagerly after six months of truly knowing her. Not too long from now they’d be parents …

Nathan watched her as she ran her hand over her round belly, and he reached to his left, laying his hand atop hers. She looked up at him with a soft smile.

“You should pray, honey,” she said.

Nathan nodded to his wife and stood from his seat at the head of the table.

“If I can have your attention for a moment, I would like to bless the food as well as this celebration.” Every eye looked to Nathan, and he gave his family a smile. “First I’d like to thank you all for coming out once again. Carterina and I love having each and every one of you in our home.” Carter took his hand as he continued. “I would also like to thank my stunning better half for once again spending her day preparing
yet another
delectable meal for us all to enjoy while we celebrate—” Nathan couldn’t even finish his statement before Mickey stood up and started a round of applause for Carter. She covered her face with her free hand in playful embarrassment as everyone laughed and applauded her hard work. Once the applause calmed, Carter said thank you and Nathan continued. “Okay,” he laughed, “before I pray, I feel I should acknowledge the three individuals that this dinner is for. Robert,” he gave his father-in-law a nod, “welcome home. We are happy to have you back safe, and now we can add
‘comes back from the dead’
to the list of inhumanly-like things you can do.”