Chapter Nine
Christmas Eve
“Do you want kids?” Massimo asked.
Elsie frowned. They were curled up naked on the couch, which was pretty much how they’d been since Romero had left. She had already asked him if Romero was going to be joining them for Christmas. His brother had prior engagements.
It was just going to be the two of them tomorrow. They had a tiny turkey breast, a few vegetables, and stuffing already prepared. All she had to do was cook everything. She loved cooking for the whole house, and knew it was her own fault for running away. She’d make up for it when they got home.
“Yes, of course I want kids. Don’t you?” she asked, tilting her head to look at him.
He stroked her arm. “Yeah, I do.”
“Should I ask if you want kids or do you have an obligation to have them?” she asked.
“Both.”
“Do you even know what you want?”
“I know I want you, and I know I want to have a family with you.”
“One child?”
He shook his head. “At least two. Even though my brother can be a pain in the ass, there is no one else I’d have by my side.”
She smiled. “I wish I knew what it was like to have a brother or sister. It was never like that at any of the homes where I went. I knew some places were. The moment you joined you became part of this big, happy family, but I wasn’t at one of them.”
“Did you want to have kids?” Massimo asked.
Elsie giggled. “Actually, I wanted to have a dozen kids.”
“A dozen?”
“Yeah. I wanted to make sure everyone had someone in the family. There was never a dull moment. I loved watching the movies where there was always this big family with lots of kids, and there was no quiet. You know how you have that moment in movies when they suddenly get the quiet they’ve been thinking of having, and then it makes them realize how much they love their family and not want anything else?” she asked.
“Yeah, I know.”
“That’s what I want,” Elsie said. She took a deep breath and then glanced back up at him. “I need to know if that is not something you want.”
She hadn’t even thought about her dream. She didn’t know exactly when it started. Maybe it was on one of the nights she ran away. When she couldn’t stand the home she’d been placed in because it had been filled with bullies and people that didn’t give a shit and drank.
All she knew was this idea in her mind began, where she met the right man, the love of her life, and they had children. Together, they were a family, having boys and girls, getting dogs and cats, living in a house that was constantly alive with family. She’d be at the stove, cooking, baking, driving the kids crazy with her dancing and horrible singing. But, and this was the big but, they would love her. They wouldn’t drop her off at any care home, and in fact, when she and her husband were too old to take care of themselves, they were fighting amongst each other to take care of them. That was the family life she always wanted.
At first, Massimo didn’t say anything. He just stared at her, and then this smile filled his lips, and she looked at him waiting.
“Are you telling me you want me to have sex with you many times so we can have lots of babies?” he asked.
There were moments she forgot he could be playful. Massimo was so serious around everyone, including his brother. It was the little snippets of teasing that he only showed her but that she loved more than anything. She burst out laughing.
“Wow, I’m asking you for a lifetime of children and memories and all you care about is the sex?”
“Come on, I think it is pretty good for us. You and me, both of us, having sex, making babies. What do you think?” he asked.
“I love the sound of it, but if you remember, I was the one asking you.”
“Elsie, I want what you want. You and me, we’re doing this. We’re going to have lots of freaking children.”
****
“It’s Isabella,” Romero said.
Massimo looked out the window to see more snow had fallen.
“And you have the proof?”
“Yes, it wasn’t hard to do. I just had to track her while also putting alerts on Franco’s bank to come to my cell phone. Isabella’s got someone in the bank working for her. I have already gotten the information I need. This guy is a civilian. Isabella was able to blackmail him so that whenever she came for large amounts of cash, he was able to deposit them for her. Not only did he give her actual cash, but also made all the necessary transfers. It turns out the guy is a super whiz on the computer.”
“End him,” Massimo said. “I don’t give a fuck what his credentials are.”
“Already on it. He’s got no family and no connections, so that is not going to come and bite you in the ass.”
Massimo didn’t give a shit about what could come and bite him in the ass. All he cared about was dealing with the shit heading his way.
“Anything else?”
“No, Isabella has kept it pretty tight. Only she and her bank guy know what she is doing. She got him to set up the details, and let’s face it, you know a lot more about Elsie, which is why you were able to see the wrong details.”
“It was sloppy,” he said.
“Yeah, well, I don’t think Isabella intends to play this for the long game. I should also warn you that she is reaching out to bounty hunters,” Romero said.
“What the fuck for?”
“Seeing as you’re my brother and I knew you’d want to know, I took the liberty of tracking one of the bounty hunters she wanted to talk to. She wants to put out a potential hit on Elsie.”
“Fuck!” Massimo said.
“I don’t know why you said ‘fuck,’ seeing as this is good news. I’ve got the proof needed to deal with Isabella. She is not going to be a problem.”
Massimo stayed silent.
“And you don’t seem happy about that. Do you mind me asking why?”
“I want to kill her. Going with this information, she will be able to act all fucking innocent and potentially get away from the charges. You know how manipulative she can be, and seeing as Elsie is not…”
“Yeah, I get it. Elsie is not pure blood mafia, and Isabella is. She could try to argue jealousy. The other way to deal with this is to come home, invite Isabella, and then take care of her.”
“I already plan to do that,” Massimo said. “After today, I’ll be bringing Elsie home. I want Isabella to be waiting and I want her to be ready.”
With that, he hung up his cell phone as Elsie came around the corner.
“Why will Isabella be waiting?” Elsie asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Massimo had a feeling he’d heard her sneak up to him.
“There’s something I need to tell you, and no, I’m not about to admit to cheating on you with that fucking bitch, so don’t even think about it.” He pointed at the chair beside him.
Elsie paused. “Am I going to need a hot chocolate for this?”
Massimo smiled. That was her way of getting a stiff drink.
“Yeah, you might want to make it two.”
He watched as she walked into the kitchen. The cabin was open-plan, and today he saw Elsie had snuck into her pajamas, but he didn’t mind. She loved to open her presents in her pajamas. Again, one of the many cute things he loved about her.
She heated the milk, grabbed a couple of the chocolate bombs from the kitchen cupboard, and added them to the mugs along with the hot milk. He took his from her offered hand, and placed it on the coaster on the table.
“I can’t believe we’re going to spend Christmas morning talking about Isabella. She’s kind of the reason we’re here.”
“This is not what you think. First, let me get you your present,” he said. He reached down for the envelope he had placed there yesterday.
Elsie put her hot chocolate down and took the envelope from him.
She opened it, and then frowned. “Deeds. What are these?”
“This cabin … it’s yours.”
“Massimo, you love this cabin.”
“I know, and now you will get to love it as well.”
“There is no way I can take this. This is yours.”
“I know you can take it and you will. What is mine is now yours. You always wanted a place to call your own, and I know you wouldn’t want the big house as that is just too big.” He smiled. “But this place is home, it’s our home, and now, it’s your home.” He saw the tears filling her eyes. “Please don’t cry. I wanted to give you something you never had before.”
“Massimo, this is … it’s so perfect, and you’ve given me so many things.” She threw her arms around him, and he caught her within his grasp.
He loved his woman more than anything else in the world. Pressing his face against her neck, he breathed her in. She’d given him everything and more.
“Before we ruin this with Isabella…” She leaned past him. Grabbing a box from underneath the tree, she handed it to him. “I don’t know if you’re going to love it, but it’s something we made together.”
Massimo frowned, and then he opened the box. Inside was a single pregnancy test, but there was a small card.
“We’re pregnant,” Massimo said.
“Yeah, I found a kit in the bathroom, and I took the test just to see if it would work, and it was in date and everything, and now, yes, we’re pregnant. You and me. We’re going to have a baby. The next generation of Santorini has begun.”
With that, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
“I didn’t know what else to get you,” she said, nibbling her lip.
“You got me what mattered, and this is perfect.”
He loved that soft smile on her lips.
“So, before we celebrate and I get cooking our Christmas dinner, tell me, what has Isabella done, or why does she need organizing, or whatever it was you said?”
Massimo didn’t want to spoil their morning, but he wasn’t going to hide the truth from her.
He told her everything. The money missing from D’Angelo with no trace. Massimo finding the account and discovering it had been placed in her name.
“I didn’t steal anything.”
“I know. The date the account was set up was our honeymoon. You were nowhere available and in no position to set up an account.” He couldn’t keep his hands off her, and he was the only person with a cell phone, and Elsie didn’t know where he kept it. “She also got your birthday wrong. She used one of the days we celebrated your birthday, but not the actual day. It was how I knew she had done this.”
Elsie got up from the couch and growled. “How dare she do this! I can’t believe it. Why would she do this?”
“It’s a setup,” Massimo said. “I have a feeling she is going to try and pin the stolen money on you and if that doesn’t work, she’s making arrangements to have you killed.”
“Wow,” Elsie said. “And I thought you said it was only hinted that you and she would be a good couple.”
Massimo laughed. “Babe, I’m not going to let this happen. You’re safe.”
“So, what’s the plan?” she asked. “Clearly you have a plan.”
“I do, but you’re not going to like it.”