17. Snow Day
seventeen
Snow Day
“Daddy,” Lucia said quietly, the padded footfalls of her sock-covered feet coming to a stop behind him. “Is she— Is Miss Grace really my mommy now?”
Romeo gave the tea in front of him a gentle stir, left it to steep a bit longer, and turned to face his daughter. Lucia was already in her pajamas, as it was pushing bedtime. This was the first time she’d calmly broached the subject of Grace’s presence in their lives since her tantrum at Dante’s, and he wanted to hold on to that if at all possible. So he crouched down to better meet her hesitant gaze and made sure to also speak quietly and calmly. “Grace will be your stepmom once we’re married,” he said. “But you’re the one who gets to decide whether or not you open up to her enough to make her really your mom, Lucy. And once you give her a chance, then it’s a team effort.”
Lucia frowned, but it didn’t look like the way she bunched up her lips before launching into a fit. The expression was more reflective, and a bit confused.
Romeo reached out and settled a hand on her shoulder. “What I’m saying is, I hope you’ll give her a chance to earn your love. And I believe, if you do, you won’t be disappointed. I wouldn’t bring someone into our lives that I didn’t think would make us happier.”
Her expression shifted flawlessly into a pout. “But you said you wanted to replace me!”
Romeo shifted his weight, dropping his knees to the tile floor in order to pull her closer and make sure she was facing him. “ No , Lucy. I would never replace you.” He held both of her shoulders just firmly enough to keep her from running. “Think about Uncle Dante and Uncle Mikey. You know who they are to me?”
The tears in her eyes subsided as she blinked at him. “They’re … your brothers?”
He nodded. “I’m in the middle,” he said. “Dante’s three years older than me, meaning he came first. He had three years being the only child, just like you’ve always been. Then there was me, and about four years later we got stuck with Mikey.” He hoped she saw the laugh in his smile.
“But—”
Romeo shifted his hold to bop his daughter on the nose lightly. “That’s what I’m talking about giving you, princess. Younger siblings to boss around, play with, protect, and always have at your side. Like I have.”
Lucy’s eyes widened dramatically.
“I will always love you, Lucia,” Romeo said. “No matter what happens, that will not change.” He softened his tone again. “I’m just asking you to understand that there are multiple kinds of love in the world, and what I feel for Grace isn’t competing with what I feel for you. Not at all.”
Her lips wobbled and she reached up to press her hands against his chest. “Does it … make you happy, Daddy? Your Miss Grace love?”
“It does.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “Did I make her hate me?”
Romeo caught the tear on his thumb and wiped it away. “No, Lucy. You’ll see for yourself eventually, Grace has a big heart. She understands this is new and scary for you. She just doesn’t want you to hate her.”
“I don’t!” More tears rolled free and Lucia clutched his shirt. “I’m sorry.” She sniffled. “I did a bad thing and I’m sorry! I don’t hate Miss Grace … I was just scared…”
Romeo pulled her close, kissed her forehead, and murmured, “As long as you understand, then I’m not mad. But I’m not the one who deserves the apology, princess.” An idea occurred to him and he stood, turning back to the counter. He gave the tea one more stir, removed the spoon, and held out the cup. “Why don’t you take this to her as a token of apology? Walk carefully so you don’t trip or spill.”
Lucia accepted the cup with both hands, staring into the steaming liquid. “Is Miss Grace not feeling well?”
Flashes of his future sister-in-law’s impromptu visit played in his mind and Romeo struggled to keep the frown off his face. “Her head’s still bothering her,” he said. There hadn’t been any hiding a bandage wrapped around a head from a seven-year-old, after all, so they’d had to tell Lucia something on the night Grace first came home from the hospital.
Lucia looked up at him, her expression worried, and then she nodded. “Okay. I’ll take it to her!” She turned, moving more carefully than usual, and walked from the kitchen.
He hoped this was a good sign. He hoped this meant Lucia would start coming around to things, instead of giving Grace the cold-shoulder treatment. Only time would tell. He leaned his hip on the counter, warring with his instinct to hover and the need to show a little trust. So he settled for taking the opportunity to make a quick call and slipped his phone from his pocket.
Mikey answered on the third ring. “Don’t you have a family to pay attention to?”
Romeo rolled his eyes. “Technically you’re also family, little brother.”
“Just tell me what you want. I’ve got about five hundred things going on.”
“Light day, then?” Romeo couldn’t help but tease. Though he kept it brief. “I was hoping you had an update on Amber. I haven’t heard anything since yesterday and I’m getting nervous.”
Mikey sighed. “She was driven off the school’s property yesterday,” he said. “Hold on.” About five seconds of silence passed before he seemed to find what he wanted. “So, she was basically chased away with the threat of arrest if she ever returned. I’ve updated her face into my system, if she shows up on any security network I operate, I’ll know. As for where she is currently, your guess is as good as mine.”
Romeo ground his teeth. Even Mikey wasn’t magic, he supposed that was the most he could hope for aside from a surprise arrest. Which in itself was not necessarily the best answer—he wanted her far away, not merely restricted. “All right. Thanks, Mikey.” He disconnected and made his way toward the family room.
Lucia was sitting sideways on the sofa half a foot away from Grace, rambling on about a story she’d told at dinner. Which she’d told specifically to him. Grace had heard every word, of course, but still she was watching and smiling and even looked to be laughing a little as if the story were new.
Romeo held back and watched for a second, appreciating the sight. Only a moment. Grounded was grounded. He cleared his throat as he stepped properly into the room, keeping his expression relaxed. “Okay, it’s time for bed, princess. Say goodnight.”
Lucia pouted up at him, but instead of protesting she slid to her feet, then looked back at Grace. “Goodnight, Miss Grace. I hope you feel better tomorrow.”
It had been a long time since Romeo had felt the kind of warmth that bloomed through his chest as he watched their short exchange.
Romeo took extra care to be gentle with her after the incident with Cait, and by Friday morning Grace indisputably felt better. Her head felt normal, and she was clear to shower again, but the most thrilling thing was that Lucia seemed to be giving her a chance. It was too soon to claim she’d won her future stepdaughter over by any means, but Lucia was talking to her. Lucia had even gone out of her way to sit with her.
Grace smiled to herself as she polished off her breakfast.
Romeo’s phone buzzed on the table and he scooped it up with the hand not holding his coffee. He chuckled. “Looks like someone gets a snow day.”
Grace’s eyes widened and she turned her gaze out the nearest window. She had noticed a thick layer of fresh, white snow covering the ground.
“Really?” Lucia asked, excitement filling her voice.
“Yep. The school just made it official,” Romeo said. “Enrico will be around, of course, but I still have to go into work for a couple hours this morning. And I’m taking Grace to a doctor’s appointment later.” He paused, glanced at Grace, then back to Lucia. “If you’re a real good girl until then, the three of us can go for lunch after. Anywhere the two of you agree on.”
Grace smiled and shifted her focus to the already squealing child. “I think we can make that happen. What do you say, Lucy? Can we team up for a yummy lunch this afternoon?”
“Yeah!” Lucy nearly knocked her juice over with her swinging arm. “Whoops,” she mumbled, catching the cup before it could spill. She looked back at Grace. “Are you going to be home today, too?”
Grace managed not to frown, irritated at the answer more than the question. “I am. I hope you don’t mind my company on your snow day.” After the incident with Cait and her body’s response, Dante had demanded she go home for the entire week. He declared he and Romeo would use the in-house applicants as temps to keep everything running, a veritable trial period all around. She hadn’t had a choice.
Romeo rubbed his hand down her back, leaned over, and placed a kiss on her temple. “It’s so cute the way you hate not working,” he teased. He set his coffee down and stood. “Well, one of us still has to work today. Come walk me out?”
The three of them migrated to the foyer, where Romeo buttoned himself into his coat before scooping Lucia up and kissing her forehead. He reminded her to behave herself as he set her down, and Lucia voluntarily stepped aside. Grace was almost startled by that, but she took her turn bidding Romeo a temporary farewell with a chaste kiss.
“Call if you need me,” Romeo said to them both before disappearing out the door.
Grace looked over at Lucia. “So, what should we do?”
Lucia tapped her chin. “Can we have hot cocoa and watch Disney?”
Grace held out her hand and together they walked back to the kitchen, where Irene was in the process of cleaning up the breakfast dishes. “Sorry, Irene, but would it be possible to get two cups of hot cocoa with cream brought out to the family room?”
Irene stopped, turned off the faucet, and reached for a towel as she looked toward them. Her short brown hair was only held back with a band, keeping it from her face and showing off her bright eyes. “I think I can manage that, ma’am. I only need to know one thing.” She moved to the cupboard and pulled down two mugs, one of average size and one notably taller and about as wide around. “Which size?”
Lucia tugged on Grace’s hand, already blinking her big brown eyes pleadingly when Grace looked down at her. “Please?” she asked, drawing the word out in classic begging fashion.
Grace grinned. “I think we have our answer.” She ushered Lucia out of the kitchen, and out of Irene’s way. “Any thoughts on the movie?”
Lucia tipped her head back. “You can pick. We have the subscription, so we have all of them!”
“All of them?”
“I’m pretty sure.”
“Well that is impressive.” Grace patted the sofa beside her and picked up the remote.
Approximately two hours later, Lucia bounced back into the family room, still full of too much energy, and clasped her hands behind her back. Sweet smile plastered on her face, she asked, “Miss Grace, if you’re feeling better, can we go into the yard and play in the snow? Just for a little bit?”
Grace set down the phone she knew she wasn’t supposed to be checking and glanced out the window. It had started snowing again during the movie, but that seemed to have already let up. It is a snow day. And what else were children supposed to do on snow days but play in the snow? At least she hadn’t asked to go all the way to the park or a neighborhood playground. So Grace set her phone down and stood. “All right. But not more than thirty minutes. Neither of us needs to be catching colds.”
“Yay! Thank you!” Lucia spun and darted toward the foyer.
Grace followed after her calmly, unsurprised that Lucia was already booted up and buttoned into her coat. “Don’t forget your gloves for your fingers,” Grace said as she did the same.
Lucia quickly tugged soft blue mittens from her pockets and pulled them over her hands.
When they were ready, Grace opened the door and led the way down the front steps. They could have gone out back, but most of Romeo’s backyard space was occupied by a large pool and hot tub combo, with more solid surface surrounding it undoubtedly for warm weather gatherings and fun. The front yard, therefore, was better for letting a child run and play in snow. At least to Grace’s mind.
They were only outside two minutes before Enrico came up, head swiveling between Grace and Lucy as the two attempted to roll a ball of snow. “Is … everything all right?”
“It’s a snow day, Enny!” Lucia exclaimed before Grace could answer.
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“We’re just having some thematically appropriate fun,” Grace said. “It’s helping to burn off the extra chocolate.”
This time his lips twitched. “I see. I’ll leave you to it, then.” He inclined his head and disappeared back to the guard house closer to the front of the property.
Lucia giggled. “He’s so strict. I should’ve told him to help us with this snowman!”
“He has a job to do, Lucy,” Grace said. They managed to roll an oblong shape of snow onto the lowest step, as per Lucia’s instructions. “Your dad trusts him because he insists on doing it right.” Had making snowmen always been so strenuous?
Lucia sighed dramatically. “I suppose.” She clapped her mittens together. “Okay, next layer!”
They got the snowman made and decorated with the help of a spare scarf Lucia fetched from inside. When that was done, Lucia turned to Grace and asked, “Can we make snow angels?”
Grace looked back toward the yard space. There was certainly plenty of snow still on the ground. “I don’t see why not.” She reached out and pulled up Lucia’s hood. “Then it's inside and a change of clothes, maybe a warm shower, okay?”
Lucia bobbed her head with a beaming smile and all but flopped onto the blanket of snow. “I’m so happy you’re playing in the snow with me! Daddy doesn’t like the cold that much. He’ll build a snowman if I ask real nice, but that’s about it.”
Grace laid herself down onto the snow and began sweeping out her arms and legs. She had positioned herself so that her head was nearly touching Lucia’s, therefore their arms weren’t in danger of smacking into each other and it was easy to hear each other talk. “That explains the big pool out back. I bet summers are fun.”
“Summers are real fun!” Lucia exclaimed. “I learned how to swim in that pool, although I’m still not allowed without supervision. But Daddy says I’m old enough to have pool party birthdays if I want now!” She paused. “Although I did ask to go to the Smithsonian this year. I guess I’ll have to talk him into the pool party another time.”
Grace choked on a laugh. “The Smithsonian? You want to go to a museum for your birthday?” Was she talking to a seven-year-old?
“The National Air and Space Museum, specifically,” Lucia said. “I’m super excited about it! It’s got all sorts of cool old plane stuff!”
Grace finally went still, satisfied that she’d carved out a proper snow angel form, as her mind spun. She had heard Lucia had a fascination with planes, flying, and heights. Lucia even had a model of an original plane hanging from her ceiling in her bedroom. “That’s really impressive, Lucy,” she said. “I hope you’ll let me come with you.”
Lucia popped up and hopped around her outline. “Of course!” She smiled down at Grace. “You’ll still be around, won’t you, Miss Grace?”
Grace felt her heart clench, in a strangely warm way. She found her feet and brushed herself off as best she could. “Yes,” she said, even though the response felt bold. “Yes, I will.”
An urgent male voice drew her attention, too late making Grace realize someone was shouting. The male voice blended with another, closer, unfamiliar female tone screaming Lucia’s name.
“Lucia! Lucia! Is that you? Lucia!”
Lucia twisted around, her hair flying out, and nearly stumbled to her butt.
Grace caught her under the arms, hauling her upright and close as she locked eyes with the other woman. And she knew immediately who the woman was. Though Romeo still hadn’t told her much about Lucia’s mother, she’d seen the photo from the school surveillance system. The woman at the gate was definitely her.
Amber Hester.
Lucia dodged behind Grace, clutching to her coat. “It’s the crazy lady!”
Grace reached down and rested an arm over Lucia’s shoulder, tucking her closer to her own body. “Don’t worry, Lucia,” she whispered. “She can’t hurt you.”
Amber’s already dilated eyes seemed to widen and she flailed an arm through the gate, as if trying to wedge herself between the bards. She was obviously thin, but even without her winter clothes, she wouldn’t fit. “Bitch, get off my daughter! Let her go! Give her back to me!”
Lucia’s breath hitched.
Grace held tighter as security scrambled from all angles, shouting at the woman to back off.
“Lucia!” Amber shrieked. “Lucia is my daughter, give her back—”
“Lucia is not your daughter,” Grace snapped, shouting over the other woman. “You’re a stranger to her and you’re scaring her.” The shouting seemed to have gone silent, Amber’s wild stare focused on her. “If you’re serious about seeing her, get a court order.”
Amber opened her mouth, visibly angered, and shrieked again when one of the men behind her hit her with taser prongs.
Grace turned carefully, so as to avoid allowing Lucia a full view. “Let’s go inside.”
Lucia ran ahead without argument, and Grace allowed Enrico to shut the door behind them. “Wh-why … why is the crazy lady here?” Lucia asked, gasping for breath through her tears. “Why was she saying those things?”
Grace helped Lucia out of her snow-covered winter gear, then shed her own. “Truthfully, Lucy, I can only answer some of your questions.” She pulled Lucia close and wiped the girl’s tears away as best she could. “Why don’t we call your dad home a little early and all talk about what happened?” She smoothed a hand down Lucia’s hair. “Everything will be okay. We’re safe in here.”
Lucia nodded, sniffling. “I want Daddy.”
Romeo was pissed. He was so fucking pissed. “I’ll fucking kill every single one of those morons who let her get up to that gate.”
“It might be advisable to look at the footage and see exactly how it happened before you start pulling the trigger, Rome,” Mo said.
Romeo felt his lip curl. “I can do both. They better fucking hope I calm down before I get to them.” He couldn’t believe Amber had not only gotten up to the gate— again —but had addressed Lucia, and Grace. What the pair were doing outside, he had no idea. But that was less of an issue. They’d been safely behind the perimeter. Amber was the problem.
The phone in his hand rang, drawing his attention. Thinking it might be Grace, he swiped the green button before his brain could process his mother’s name on the screen. A whole new fear gripped him and for a beat, his voice choked in his throat. “Mom?”
“Sweetheart,” Eleonora said, her tone almost hesitant. “I heard there was an incident…”
Sometimes he swore the gossip moved faster through the family than any information they were actually looking for. Romeo drew a breath. “I’m not even home yet, Mom. But she doesn’t seem to have gotten past the gate.”
“That’s a relief,” Eleonora said, “but I actually … well, I need to tell you something important.”
Romeo pulled the phone from his head in order to gape at it for a second, before finally saying, “I need to get home and be with my family, Mom. Lucia’s really upset.” He wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.
“I thought you said—”
“They were outside.”
Eleonora gasped. “That woman. I can’t believe she’d act that way around her own child.”
“It’s not the worst thing she’s done to her own child,” Romeo grit out.
Eleonora was silent for several seconds. Then, in a voice that was more full of shame than he’d ever heard from his mother, she said, “Her leaving was horrible, but the truth is she didn’t necessarily leave … as spontaneously as you think.”
The breath rushed from Romeo’s lungs and he swore the SUV must have flipped entirely over for the way his head and his stomach rolled. “What?”
Again, his mother hesitated. When she spoke again, however, her voice was stronger. Defiant. “Amber was never fit to be a mother. You know it. It’s a miracle Lucia wasn’t born with health problems, considering the drinking and the drugs. We both know she had a stash you never found. And I don’t recall ever seeing her sit with her own baby. She could barely stand to touch Lucia, even long enough to breastfeed, remember? You were doing everything, from day one. That’s why I came over to help for a little while.” Eleonora paused for a beat. Just long enough for dread to settle like lead in Romeo’s gut. “So, while you were at work one day after Lucia’s bottle routine was figured out, I offered that woman money. On one condition.”
“You what?”
Eleonora kept going. “I brought her two million in cash on the agreement she leave the ring and the phone and leave right on the spot, never to return. Not even once Lucia was grown.”
Bile rose up the back of Romeo’s throat, the memory of his mother’s panicked phone call from the day Amber had disappeared replaying in his mind. The image of Amber’s engagement ring—admittedly not as impressive as he could have provided, or as he’d picked out for Grace—sitting beside an equally abandoned phone on the old kitchen table. He couldn’t speak.
“She asked me if I promised our family wouldn’t come after her,” Eleonora said. “As soon as I assured her I wasn’t even going to mention our deal, she took the cash. She was out the door in less than ten minutes.”
The sense of betrayal slammed into him. Romeo ground his teeth and fought the instinct to curse at his own mother. “You had no right. I don’t care how much you hated her, or even if her exiting our lives was ultimately for the best, you had no right.” He hung up before he could hear her counterargument and dropped the phone to the seat beside him.
“Sir?”
“Just get me the fuck home.”