Epilogue Constantine
Epilogue
Constantine
I stood in the kitchen, gripped the handle of the pot, and gave it a hard shake, mixing the pasta noodles with the tomatoes, basil, onion, and garlic. “All right, Julia. Hit me.”
Julia carried the bowl of freshly grated buffalo mozzarella and stepped up onto the wooden step I’d made for her since she was only five years old and could barely reach the counter. She kept the bowl steady as she stepped up and placed it on the counter.
I very rarely helped her with things, wanting her to think for herself from a young age. She could make as many mistakes as she wanted—the more, the better—because she learned from all of them. And learned she didn’t need anyone. “All right. Add the cheese.”
She reached her hand inside.
“Gloves, remember?”
“Oh yeah. Sorry, Daddy.”
“It’s okay, baby girl.” God, I loved when she called me that. One day, she would just call me Dad—and I dreaded that moment. When she wasn’t a kid anymore but a teenager or an adult or a middle-aged woman . . . and we would never have this again.
She took her time getting the gloves on, because, again, I didn’t help her. Then she reached into the bowl, grabbed a handful, and tossed it into the pot, where it immediately melted on the hot food.
“Perfect.” I turned off the burner and set the pan on the counter to cool for a minute.
“All right, let’s do it.” I stepped away from the counter, and she hopped off the step stool.
I wrapped the pot handle with the cloth slipcover, then handed it to her. “You got it?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
Aurelia walked toward us from the main dining area in her black T-shirt with the restaurant name on the front, Osteria di Cristina, her hair in a high ponytail that showed off her elegant neck. “Constantine, are you sure she should be handling that?”
“She’s got it.”
“She could get burned—”
“She’s got it. Show your mother, baby girl.”
“I got it, Ma.” She carried the hot pan to the right table, using both of her little hands, and put it on the colorful trivet bearing our restaurant logo in front of the correct person who’d ordered it. “Here you go,” she said sweetly.
The couple sitting there clearly thought she was the cutest thing ever. “Thank you so much,” the woman said.
“You’re welcome,” Julia said in the same sweet voice. Then she walked back to us, her dark hair in the same high ponytail as her mother’s. “See? I did it.”
Aurelia’s eyes squinted with affection, and she gave Julia a pat on the shoulder. “Good job, honey.”
Julia hopped onto the step stool, then reached for the basket of bread that had just been prepped by one of the other cooks.
She carried that over to the couple’s table too, except they hadn’t ordered it and it should have gone to someone else, but that was just fine. Looked like they got some free bread.
“I admit she’s a natural,” Aurelia said.
“It’s in her blood.”
“She’s also got the blood of emperors too.”
I grinned. “And if she wants to do that someday, she’ll be ready for it.”
“God, let’s not even joke about that.”
“Con.”
I looked into the dining room and saw none other than Rocco entering the restaurant, a tall behemoth in the little place, his eyes lit up in joyous affection at the sight of me. “You didn’t tell me you were coming into town.”
He came to me with arms wide, and we embraced outside the kitchen. We exchanged hugs and pats on the back before we broke apart. “Rome’s been quiet, so I thought I’d take a little holiday.”
“And you had to pick Taormina, of all places?” I teased.
He shrugged. “Just looking for a free meal, I guess.”
I chuckled. “I’ve got you covered, brother.”
Julia came over after she delivered the bread. “Uncle Rocco!”
“There’s my little princess.” He scooped her up with a single arm, then hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
She laughed as she was held upside down, kicking her legs toward the ceiling.
“Wow, you’ve gotten heavy.” Rocco returned her to the floor. “I can barely lift you anymore.”
“Well, I’m five now,” she said with a bit of sass. “And you didn’t get me a present.”
“Julia,” I said with a tone, telling her she was being rude without actually saying it.
“Actually . . .” Rocco pulled a small box from his pocket and popped it open for her. Inside was a little golden bracelet with a maroon pendant.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of it. “Whoa.”
“Only for a princess.” He smiled before he got it out and clasped it around her wrist.
“Wow, Daddy, look!” She showed it to me and then her mother.
“Beautiful,” I said before I gave Rocco a pat on the shoulder, appreciating how good he was to my little girl.
“Why don’t you two have lunch, and Julia and I will handle the kitchen,” Aurelia said.
“Works for me,” I said. “I’m starving.”
“The only reason I’m here is to eat, so sounds good,” Rocco said with a smile.
We headed outside to one of the quiet tables under the awning, and my little girl immediately brought us a basket of fresh bread like the good little waitress she was. I gave her a gentle tickle, and she giggled before she headed back inside.
“Jesus Christ,” Rocco said. “She’s so damn cute.”
“I know . . . it kills me.”
“Why?”
“Because it won’t always be this way,” I said sadly. “I hate being this happy sometimes.”
He watched me for a while before he crossed his arms over his chest. “You could have another one.”
I shook my head. “I really love it being the three of us. Well, four, if I’m including Medusa.”
“And you better include her. Otherwise, she’ll rip out your throat.”
I chuckled. “Yeah.” She was starting to slow down because she was ten now, but still as feisty as ever.
“I love Julia so damn much, I just can’t picture loving another kid.
I like that she’s my one and only. I’m sure a parent loves their kids all the same, but you only have so much time in life, and I don’t want to share that time with anyone else but her. ”
“I think if it actually happened, it would be okay, Constantine.”
“Maybe,” I said with a shrug. “But I wanted a girl so bad, and I got her. So . . . I don’t need anything else.
” Most people wanted boys and were disappointed when a girl came along, but I couldn’t have felt more differently about that.
“I always wanted to be a girl dad. And I live in a house with three of them.”
“Sounds rough, honestly.”
“Nah, I fucking love it.” Julia came out again with a bottle of red wine and set it on the table. But it was still sealed, and there was no corkscrew, so we couldn’t even drink it. Then she brought two glasses and left.
Thankfully, Aurelia came out and opened it for us. “You know what you guys want?”
“Whatever Con is having,” Rocco said.
“We’ll share the rolled swordfish,” I said. “And then the seafood pasta.”
“Are we on a date?” Rocco teased.
Aurelia walked off.
“Does that pasta come with octopus?”
“No. We don’t have it on our menu.”
He nodded. “That’s right. You don’t eat that.”
I never asked Aurelia to change her diet to accommodate me, but I’d noticed ever since I’d told her I respected the octopus, she didn’t eat it either.
And when we designed our menu together, we had a silent agreement not to feature the item, even though it was a popular dish in Taormina, a village that was proud of its seafood. “So, how’s Rome?”
“No complaints. Been pretty quiet.”
“Rome is never quiet.”
“It is under my watch,” he said with a smirk. “Guess I’m better at the job than you ever were.”
“I won’t argue against that,” I conceded with a shrug.
“Come on, you know I’m just being a dick.”
“Doesn’t mean you’re wrong.” I opened the bottle and filled our glasses. “And I don’t mean that disparagingly. Seeing anyone?”
He shook his head. “Nah.”
“Do you ever see anyone?”
He shook his head again. “Not my cup of tea.”
“It’ll be your tea once you find the right woman.”
He gave a quiet chuckle. “Just because you fell in love and popped out a kid doesn’t mean I will. Or will ever want to.”
“True,” I said. “But if you meet that woman, doesn’t matter what you want. You’re fucked. The second I met Aurelia, I was so fucked. Fucked in every way imaginable. But a good fucked, you know. And you’re great with Julia. You’d be a stand-up dad.”
He chuckled quietly. “Hanging out with a kid for a couple hours is not the same thing as being a full-time dad.”
“Yeah, it’s better.”
He grinned. “Well, I’m glad you’re happy, Constantine. You’re a good guy.”
“Thanks, man,” I said. “You think you can hold down the job for another twenty years until Julia is old enough?”
His eyebrows furrowed at the question as he studied me. “I can’t tell if that’s a joke or not.”
“Does it sound like a joke?”
He studied me again, his eyes flicking back and forth. “I thought that would be the last thing you wanted for her.”
I shrugged. “I mean, if she wants it, she wants it. Unless you have a kid or someone better suited to the position.”
“Look, I don’t mean to sound like a sexist prick, but I’m not sure a woman is the right person for the role.”
“You do sound like a sexist prick,” I said. “And if she wants it, I’m sure she can handle it. I’m raising her to be a tough chick. A bad bitch, some might say,” I said with a grin.
“Then how about we cross that bridge when we come to it, all right?”
At that moment, Julia came out and put the swordfish rolls on the table between us. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, baby girl.” I gave her a little smack on the butt, and she ran off again. “Besides, if someone ever gives her trouble, she’s got a scary-as-fuck dad to call and a psycho uncle to clean up her messes.”
“You know we’d be fifty-nine in this scenario.”
“So? I’m sure I’ll still be able to lift a tree by then. You’re gonna let yourself go? Eat a pint of gelato in front of the TV every night?”
He smirked. “I do like gelato.”
“Augustus denied his daughter Julia the throne and handed it over to his fucking nephews. I wouldn’t repeat the same bullshit.
If she wants power and wealth and to be the baddest bitch in Rome, it’s hers.
I’m not gonna tell her there’s something she can’t do, because she sure as hell can do whatever she wants. ”
He grabbed his wine, took a drink, and then held it up toward me. “I’ll drink to that.”
I gently clinked my glass against his. “To Julia, the First Empress of Rome, the baddest bitch who’s ever ruled.”
He chuckled and took a drink. “To Julia.”