The men were still talking when Jimmy yawned. Tired from staying awake half the night making love with Blade, Maria excused herself and the boys and walked them upstairs.
Andy pouted. “How come Molly gets to stay up?”
“Because she’s twice as old as you are.”
“She’s almost grown up,” said Jimmy.
“Nuh uh,” said Andy.
Blade stood in the open bedroom door, watching Maria put the boys to bed. He couldn’t remember Sonny ever tucking him in or kissing him goodnight.
Andy asked, “Blade, will you tell us a story?”
Maria glanced at Blade, eyebrows raised, and a little smirk on her face.
Your turn.
“Okay, what kind of story?”
“About pirates,” said Jimmy.
Blade sat on the side of their bed. “There once was a pirate named Michael, who grew up with his brothers, Matthew and John.”
“Did he wear a patch over his eye?” asked Andy.
“No patch, but he had a peg leg, and it was hollow in the middle. He robbed other ships and filled his leg with diamonds. One day he sold them all and built himself a big house in Paris, France.”
“But he got caught,” said Maria. “And he spent the rest of his life in prison for stealing from other people.”
She kissed her children goodnight and walked outside the room with Blade.
Pirates?
That’s what he asked for.
I know, but you don’t always give them what they ask for, especially before bed. They’ll have nightmares and end up in bed with you.
But I’ll be in bed with you.
Not tonight you won’t.
Blade retrieved the valise from his room and walked down to the dining room with Maria, where most of the adults in the Donatelli family sat talking.
“I found a few things in my grandfather’s safe a few days ago,” Blade said. “Cara, I hope you can tell me if they’re worth anything.”
He pulled out several small sculptures and set them on the dining room table, and then he pulled out the two small paintings. They were oils, and they looked very old, but he didn’t know much about art.
Cara took one look at the paintings and sent Nick to the study for a book. After flipping through the pages, she handed the book to Blade. “These paintings were stolen from a museum in London over thirty years ago.”
Conversation at the table stopped and all eyes turned to Blade, who felt like sinking through the floor. He should have known they were stolen because they were in the safe with the other things Michael had sent. “How do I return them without getting myself into a mess?”
“I’ll do it,” she said. “I’ll say they were donated to the museum anonymously. I’d love to display them, but I won’t show stolen art. It sullies the reputation of the museum.”
“What about the sculptures?”
“They’re African. I don’t know much about African art, but I’ll take them if you don’t want them.”
“You can have them.” Looking at them reminded him of his father and uncles, who’d had everything and thrown it away. He respected his grandfather, but he had no respect for John or Michael. He wasn’t sure about Matthew.
“Blade, I want to thank you for sending Bridget,” said Cara. “She is a delightful woman, and she not only cooks, she plays with Max, changes diapers, anything I ask of her. But, she tells me she wants to work for you and Maria when you get married.”
Maria groaned and every woman in the family except Mom smiled. Molly looked stunned, but she kept her mouth closed. So did Mom. The others started asking when they planned to marry, and what could they do to help with the wedding.
Maria glared at Blade.
You got me into this.
Yep, I sure did.
You’re not even sorry.
Nope. Do you want to tell them now?
No.
Sophia listened to Maria and Blade and realized that he could hear her thoughts. Why didn’t someone tell her that? She remembered falling in love with her dear Vincent. She knew he was the right one for her when he started hearing her thoughts. Her mother in Italy had told her that when a woman with the gift found her one true love, they’d be able to communicate without spoken words.
And Blade could hear Maria’s thoughts. Was he the right man for Maria? A biker, a loner who wasn’t comfortable around kids? Her heart went out to him for the way he grew up, but she didn’t know him at all. But Maria did. She saw something in him that Sophia hadn’t seen, or maybe something she hadn’t wanted to see.
Blade seemed to be getting along well with the boys. Molly didn’t like her mother with anyone, but there was a reason for that. She didn’t want another neglectful father like Fred, and she didn’t want someone taking her mother’s side when they argued about curfew and dating. Molly needed a firm hand, and there were times when Maria found her hard to handle. Teenage girls were harder than boys, or at least hers were, especially Gina. Vincent’s death had left them without a father. Sophia had done her best, but she didn’t wish it on Maria.
In the beginning, Vincent wasn’t comfortable around children, but that all changed when Vinnie came along. Then Sophia had Maria, his precious little girl. Vincent used to rock her to sleep and then stand beside her crib and watch her sleep. Every man wanted a son, a boy to carry on the family name, but a sweet little girl could melt any daddy’s heart.
Each child that came into their family was special to Vincent, to them both. But Maria already had four. Could Blade step into a father role with them, or would he leave all the unpleasant tasks for her?
And now he’d brought stolen art into Cara’s house. It wasn’t his fault, not really, because he didn’t steal them. Cara had handled it well, as she did everything.
All her children had great spouses.
Why couldn’t she like Maria’s?
<>
While Maria checked on the kids and said goodnight to the others, Nick and Blade went into the library to look at the plans the architect had worked up for Blade’s new house. The biggest change was that Nick had flipped the plan. The kitchen and garage were on the right side of the house instead of the left. Nick said, “Angelo and I went out and measured again, and because of the slope and the angle of the road, it’ll fit on the property better this way.”
“That’s okay with me, but I want Maria to look at the plans.”
Nick pushed the plans aside. “I understand the reason for the big house now. Why didn’t you tell me you were getting married?”
Blade took a deep breath and blew it out. “We got married on the way home from New York, but it’s a secret.” He explained the reason for the quick marriage. “If and when I can get the trouble cleared up in New York, we’ll plan a real wedding. In the meantime, the only other person in the family who knows is Sophia, and she’s not happy about it. She doesn’t think a biker is good enough for her daughter.”
“Aunt Sophia is the most protective woman I’ve ever known, and when she loves you, it’s all-consuming,” said Nick. “Maria went through hell with Fred, and Aunt Sophia doesn’t want to see her hurt again. Give it time.”
Sure, he’d give it time. What else could he do? “Sorry about the paintings. I didn’t know they were stolen.” It explained why they were in the safe and not on display in the house. Edward must have known, but he probably didn’t know how to return them without implicating Michael. He and Mary Beth may not have approved of Michael’s activities, but they didn’t want their son in prison.
<>
After breakfast the next morning, Maria sat with Nick, Angelo, and Blade in the study going over various details of the house plan. She loved the room sizes and the layout of the kitchen and breakfast room, which was bigger than Mom’s dining room. She pointed to one wall in the kitchen. “Can we build in a cabinet along here for dishes?”
“Sure,” said Nick. “Anything else?”
“Extra ovens. I assume there’s one in the stove, but I’d like another one or two off on the side, maybe here.” She pointed to the area beside the built-in desk. “Put a cabinet beside it for baking supplies, and add a small sink on the side by the refrigerator and a second dishwasher beside it. One won’t hold enough dishes for family dinners, and it’s a hassle to run two loads in the same dishwasher.”
She glanced at Blade, and he nodded. “Do you want a freezer?”
“Yes, but I don’t especially want it in the kitchen. How about the laundry room?”
Blade glanced at Nick. “Why don’t we add a bench and some hooks in the laundry room, so the kids—including me—can take off sandy shoes and hang up damp coats? It’s a good place for a doggie door, too.”
Blade studied the upstairs plan. “Only one desk in Jimmy and Andy’s room?”
“They won’t use it,” said Maria. “They’ll do their homework in the kitchen, while I’m making dinner.”
“They won’t use it when they get older?”
“Yes, but by then, Molly will be in college, and one of them can use her desk, or they can do their homework in the library or somewhere else. I don’t think it’s a problem, Blade. They’ll probably just store their school supplies and crayons there. Robbie will use his desk, and so will Molly.”
Angelo asked about the library. “It’s in three sections. Is that what you want?”
Blade nodded. “I told Al he could make my study separate or an alcove off the library, and this is fine. My grandfather had a big partners’ desk in his study, and it’ll fit perfectly in this section. The leather furniture will go in the center section, and there’s a round table with four padded chairs that’ll go in the other section.”
“Is this enough bookshelves?” asked Maria.
“If it isn’t, we’ll add more,” said Nick. “Blade said he wanted a wall for pictures, but if you need more shelves, we’ll put them on that wall and you can move the pictures.”
“Okay.” Blade looked at Maria. “Okay with you?”
“More than okay. It’s a great plan, perfect for the furniture we chose. What do you intend to put in the big room in the basement?”
“A pool table. We’ll have to buy a new one, because I couldn’t figure out a way to get my grandfather’s out of the house without tearing the house apart.” Blade pointed to the other room downstairs. “The train set we found in the play room in New York goes in here.”
“A train set? No kidding?” said Angelo. “I always wanted a train set.”
Maria shook her head. “What is it about boys and their toys? Do you guys ever grow up?”
“No,” they all said at once, and she laughed.
The three men talked about the train set and the winter scene on the table, and they were already making plans to restore it and maybe build onto the table. Maria leaned back and listened to them. Like Blade, Nick didn’t have a normal childhood, and Angelo was only five when Dad died. Mom supported them on Social Security and baby-sitting. They had everything they needed, but they never had money for extras. The men would probably play with that train set more than the kids, and that was all right with her.
It was their turn.
Chapter Nineteen
S
aturday afternoon, several barbecues appeared outside. Blade helped the Donatelli men set up tables and chairs, while the women taped paper tablecloths to the table legs to keep them from blowing off. Tony and Angelo set up the badminton net, and Nick and Al strung the volleyball net. A team of workers delivered and set up a small merry-go-round for the little kids, and others set up a baseball diamond for the older kids.
Before long, the sweet, smoky smell of barbecue filled the air. The staff set up a long buffet table with a well down the middle. They lined the well with plastic and filled it with ice. Bowls of salads were nested inside. Another table held buns and chips and other goodies.
The annual birthday barbecue was a huge production, but no one seemed to mind the extra work. Uniforms were gone and everyone smiled. Children of all colors, shapes, and sizes scampered around and played with Daisy and Riley.
“What are you smiling about, Blade?” asked Maria.
“Look at Daisy. She’s in heaven with this many kids to play with.”