Chapter 63
Chapter Sixty-Three
Lily
Serafina lowers her voice. “Clarissa went into labor last night. And in the middle of pushing, Alessio gets word it’s not his.”
The three of us gasp, nearly falling off the bed.
Serafina nods. “Cameron left his phone on the counter, and Maisie accidentally picked it up.”
Selene shoots her a glare.
“They have the same phone case!” Serafina says then continues. “Anyway, Alessio was calling and texting nonstop. Cameron went to use the bathroom before leaving the house and accidentally,” she shoots a look to Selene, “picks up Maisie’s phone.”
“Same case, right.” Selene squints her eyes. “Keep going.”
“So Maisie has Cameron’s phone and gets a text from an unknown number. And it’s pictures of Clarissa with some other man. In some photos, she’s pregnant, and in others she’s not.”
“Cameron didn’t tell me anything about that!” Selene squeals.
“If Cameron knows, then he told Darius.” Stasia crosses her arms. The look in her eyes is maddening.
“Stasia, you can’t say anything!” Serafina pleads.
“I’d never break the sister code.” She smiles.
“Selene?” Serafina gives her a look.
“Andretti Scout’s Honor.” Selene raises the palm of her hand to her shoulder.
“Wait, Lily, do you know who it could be?” Stasia asks.
“Clarissa and I aren’t really… friends. She’d never spill something like that,” I reply, trying to think if there is anyone I can think of.
Serafina jumps in. “So since there is no Costello heir, Lily, you can be with Alessio. I mean, the baby was the reason why you couldn’t be, right?”
I shake my head. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“Oh…” Serafina’s voice trails off.
“Oh, what?” I ask, observing her face.
“That’s what I came up here for.” Serafina starts picking at her nail. “He’s here. For you.”
“Wait, what?” I ask.
“Should I tell him to go?”
“No.” I shake my head, getting off the bed. “We’ve been long-time friends, so he’s just checking on me.”
“Right…” Serafina’s voice trails off again. “About that… Maisie may have also seen Cameron’s phone and thoughts on asking whether you’d marry him if he asks.”
By Stasia’s and Selene’s reactions, I know they were already aware.
I start pacing, thinking back to Killian saying there’s more to a woman than producing an heir, and knowing how much Alessio has always liked me, then my infertility shouldn’t be an issue.
Right? Then something deeper starts to gnaw at me.
“You want to walk us through what’s going on in your head?” Stasia voices, as my sisters watch me.
I stop to look at them. “Did it bother either of you that Dad wasn’t around for Darius or Cameron to ask for your hand in marriage?”
The weight of the question shocks both my older sisters.
“It hurt even more that he wasn’t there to walk me down the aisle,” Selene replies softly. “Both times.”
Stasia is tearing up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her be so emotional. “There are plenty of things he’s going to miss.” She grabs Serafina and pulls her into a hug, placing a kiss on her head. “But we have each other. Sisters for life. Nothing and no one can change that.”
“Mom is going to be pissed,” I reply. “She should be part of this.”
“You mean the one that’s away on vacation again?” Serafina speaks up, getting off the bed, sticking her hip out to the side and placing her hand on it. “Lily, I know you and Mom have always been close—you’re practically her protégé—but even I see she uses you like an accessory.”
Both Stasia and Selene take a deep breath and look at one another. Hearing this kind of thing from them, I let it go in one ear and out the other, but to hear Serafina thinks the same really sinks in.
“She just wants to make sure we end up taken care of,” I reply, almost ashamed of defending her. “You know she loves us all. Shows it differently to each of us but loves us the same.”
“People who say they love you but don’t fix what hurts you, don’t love you.
They love the comfort of having you. Love without effort is just an illusion,” Serafina replies.
“She had Stasia basically raise us. She made sure Selene married Sal for the title. She dictated your life so you would walk in her footsteps. And when I told her I wanted to take over the family bakery, she was happy, but not because I was keeping it alive, but because she expects to get a cut of the profit.”
I gulp. Serafina has had her heart and eyes set on running the bakery since Dad’s passing. She works it. Stasia taught her the books, and Selene helps her with inventory; never once has Mom helped.
I let out a sigh then look to Serafina. “I didn’t know you felt that way about her.”
“Just sometimes she’s too much. Too pushy. And is only nice when she gets something out of it,” Serafina replies.
Stasia tries to clear the rising smoke. “Lily, you have a really good guy downstairs who cares about you and wants to marry you.” She walks toward me. “I don’t want you to say yes unless you truly want this.”