Chapter 12 #2
They spotted Julien immediately, standing over by one of the windows chatting with an older man. As Priest and Chloé approached, he quickly made his excuses and went to his daughter.
The second he reached her, he closed his eyes and pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Mon ange. Comment vas-tu?”
“Je vais bien, père, je te le promets.”
He pulled back and tilted her chin up so he could look her in the eye. “Tu es s?re?”
She looked around the room and took in a breath before turning back to Julien. “Je suis vraiment tristemais ca va.”
He nodded and drew a gentle hand down her cheek, then looked to Zayne and Ethan. “Thank you for staying with her this weekend.”
“Anytime,” the two of them replied this time, as though they were in sync.
“Chloé?” Priest stepped up beside her and rubbed her back. “Why don’t you come with me, and I’ll take you to see your dad?”
Chloé immediately looked in their direction, and Julien stepped in. “I’ll take care of them, bichette .”
She gave a quick nod, and Priest led her out of the living room and toward the kitchen, leaving Ethan and Zayne with Julien.
Ethan was the first to speak. “We’re very sorry for your loss.”
“We understand he was quite the gentleman,” Zayne added.
“ Merci. He was. Unlike anyone I’ve ever met.” Julien smiled. “We appreciate everything you’ve done for our Chloé over the last few days. Justin’s meeting us at the church today, but he told us you were with her at the restaurant both nights and didn’t let her out of your sight.”
“We stayed out of your kitchens,” Zayne said. “I promise.”
A smile played at the corner of Julien’s lips, and Ethan nodded.
“We just wanted to keep an eye on her. You would’ve been very proud. She handled herself like the true professional she is.”
“I have no doubt.” Julien slipped a hand into his pocket and shrugged. “But I wouldn’t have cared if she burnt the place to the ground. As long as she was okay.”
The truth of that statement was in Julien’s eyes as he searched out his daughter. Zayne and Ethan looked in the same direction, and through the doorway spotted a crowd of women, and two men, all gathered in the kitchen.
“Chloé’s dad comes from a large Italian family, the majority of which is made up by women. That’s what made the bond with his dad so special. They were in it together.”
Zayne’s heart ached for Robbie as he spotted him under Priest’s supportive arm. Robbie’s eyes and nose were red from the tears he’d cried, and while he was trying for the occasional smile here and there, the grief just wouldn’t allow it to stay.
There was a small flurry of activity in the kitchen, and the next thing they knew, the group of women inside came into the living room to join Chloé’s nonna.
Chloé stood with her two fathers, and just behind them was another familiar face—Shayla—who was with a woman she bore a striking resemblance to. Zayne couldn’t work out if it was her sister, cousin, or mother.
Priest stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Nonna’s shoulder. “If you’ll all join us, we’re about to head down to the church now for the service.”
Everyone began to exit the house, and Julien walked out with them. “Robbie will head down to the church with his mother and sisters. If you and Zayne would like to join Priest, Chloé, and myself, we can all take one car.”
“Thank you,” Ethan and Zayne said, and followed him outside, falling back a couple of steps to let him catch up with his husbands and daughter.
* * *
ETHAN CLIMBED IN the back seat of Priest’s SUV behind Julien and shut the door. Chloé was in the middle and Zayne on the other side, and as Priest pulled out of the drive, she reached for both their hands.
Today was going to be one of the most difficult days she ever went through—the first always was.
The heartache, the confusion, the grief…
Nothing could prepare a person for the excruciating emotions that took hold when someone you loved was no longer there.
There were no words, no handbook, no formula to make it better.
The only way to deal with it was to live it.
To allow yourself to feel the sorrow and hope like hell you had people around you to help you find your way out of it—and that was what they were for.
Chloé had been a pillar of strength over the last couple of days, throwing herself into work, running JULIEN like a seasoned professional even as her world had been falling apart.
But now it was time to face the reality of what had happened and to let the people who loved her be her pillars of strength.
As they pulled into the parking lot of the church, Ethan brushed his thumb over the back of her hand. He could see a couple of scars there from cuts and burns over her years in the kitchen, and he thought how fitting it was that she wore battle wounds from her job.
She was so delicate and yet strong at the same time, and everything he learned about her made him love her even more.
Priest parked the car, and Julien turned back to check in on his daughter. “You ready, bichette ?”
She looked out the window at the people entering the church and took in a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
They got out of the car and headed toward the front doors, and just as they were about to head inside, Ethan heard Chloé’s name behind them.
They all turned to see Justin jogging across the lot and making his way through the crowd. When he reached them, Chloé stepped forward to hug and kiss him.
“Sorry I’m running late. There was an accident on the main highway, and—”
“Justin?” Priest cupped his cheek, his eyes softening. “No need to explain. We’re just glad you’re here.”
The statement was truly heartfelt. He moved his hand to his son’s neck and tugged him in for a hug.
When they pulled apart, Julien looped an arm through Justin’s elbow as Priest guided Chloé inside, leaving Ethan and Zayne to follow.
They all took their seats, and Ethan was shocked when Chloé chose to sit in the pew behind her fathers with them.
“You sure you don’t want to sit up there with your family?”
Chloé looked at him. “You two are my family.”
She turned back to face the altar, and Ethan looked over her head to see Zayne watching her with an expression full of love, awe, compassion, and sympathy.
Family was something that had eluded them both for a long time now, and to hear her include them so readily was almost more than either of them could take.
It was a gift. She was a gift. One they would never take for granted.
The service was beautiful. The priest was eloquent and poignant, wise and empathetic, as he memorialized a man who was clearly loved and respected by every single person who met him.
When it came time for family to speak, Robbie took the podium.
He got to his feet, and Julien and Priest walked him up there to stand behind their husband, an unwavering show of support.
Chloé shifted in her seat, and Ethan saw her twisting her hands around the tissues she’d been using to dab away her tears. He placed his hand on top of them and offered a small smile.
She bit down on her lip, tears already welling in her eyes, as she turned back to see her dad unfolding a piece of paper.
Robbie took a deep breath in and then let it out, then he began.
“My father was a loud, boisterous Italian who loved his beautiful wife, his three daughters, and me. I mean, who wouldn’t, right?
” Robbie gave a half-smile. “After Penny and Valerie, I’m sure he was hoping for a strapping young man to come along and carry on the Bianchi name.
But instead, he wound up with a son who liked to wear pink and glitter and sing and dance with his sisters in their princess dresses.
A son who decided that when his baby sister Felicity came along, no one could be a better mother to her than he. ”
Robbie looked out at Chloé and Justin then, and though he was poking fun at himself, the sentiment ran much deeper.
“The thing I loved most about my father was that he never discouraged me from being myself. Never once did he have a disapproving word to say when it came to who I was or how I expressed myself, and it was that acceptance and love that he showed me from such an early age, that allowed me to become the man I did. To live the life I am living with my beautiful family.”
Robbie sniffed and brought a tissue up to wipe away the tears.
“My father loved his family unconditionally. Welcomed new members”—he glanced at Priest and Julien—“with open arms. He was a proud man. A loving man. And he had the most open heart of anyone I’ve ever met.
Maybe that’s why he had to go so early. His heart had worked so hard down here to love all of us, to show us no limits…
” Robbie choked up then, his voice wavering slightly.
“I love you, Pa. I’m so thankful that you were my dad. ”
Ethan’s vision blurred. Then a tear escaped and fell down his cheek, as he mourned the loss of a great man he would never meet, and the speech a son should’ve gotten to give his parents, as Robbie refolded his paper and stepped down from the podium.