Chapter 3
Francesca
After Eve and Carlo abandoned the poor bed for the shower—I very quickly and quietly found the bag I was looking for.
It was against the wall by the dresser. Sure enough, the spice bottle was in there.
I snatched it up and hurried out of the bedroom.
I was going to go back down to the kitchen, but thought I'd better change my poor, wet panties first.
So—after I discreetly disappeared into our room to change and freshen up—I hustled to the kitchen. Nick and Giselle didn't even look up when I slipped back in. Hopefully, they hadn't noticed I was gone.
Eve and Carlo walked into the kitchen just after I finished cooking.
They looked relaxed and refreshed. And I wanted to kick both of them.
Instead, I smiled and offered them a cappuccino. I left breakfast on the island for everyone to grab what they wanted. I played with the babies, but also kept a close eye on Carlo and Eve. They whispered and laughed quietly together.
Like lovers.
Did no one else see it?
Carlo handed Giselle a plate he'd made for her. She kissed him and smiled. All three of them sat together at the table on the patio. I wondered if any of them would talk to each other again after Giselle found out what was really going on.
And my heart hurt for them. Even the stupid cheaters. What these people had together—this beautiful big family—all of this would be ruined. Because Carlo and Eve couldn't keep it in their pants.
“You okay?” Nick's voice startled me back to what I was doing. Which was playing with two sweet babies on the floor.
“Yeah, sorry. Just tired.” I made an excuse for why I was giving the death stare to Carlo and Eve outside.
“Thank God you were there to help last night. And this morning.” He leaned over and kissed the top of my head.
“You should go up and get some real sleep now.” He nodded his head toward the kitchen door.
“Go wait for your husband in that saucy little number you had on last night.” He’d seen me—and what I was wearing—when I rushed up the stairs last night to change.
I’d quickly filled him in on what was going on, and he ran down to be of assistance.
But obviously, he’d taken note of my outfit.
Nick gave me a wink.
Crap.
Yeah.
Everyone had seen what I had on last night. Except for Stefan. All he saw was the black silk robe that covered me up.
I shook my head and grinned. “I think I'm too tired to do even that. I don't know how you parents do this day after day. Night after night. It's exhausting.”
Nick nodded and sat down beside me, his leg brushing mine.
“More exhausting than pulling two shifts in a row at the hospital?”
I nodded. “At least I would get breaks. And when I left the hospital, I was done. Nobody was waking me up in the middle of the night for milk or food.”
Nick laughed and handed Theo a squishy ball to play with. “Except for Stefan. He had to have been worse than any child.”
I laughed, too, and agreed, “That's true. And he's a lot harder to put in time out.”
Nick burst out laughing and slid his arm around my lower back, giving me a side hug.
He kissed my temple and inhaled. “We will always be grateful that you took him in. That was a difficult time for our little family. Having Stefan on the outs—” Nick shook his head and held me closer.
“Especially when he was so gravely hurt. We were all worried sick. But knowing you were the one taking care of him—” he paused for a long moment as his eyes drifted over my face, “it was a great comfort for everyone.
We knew he was getting the best care. Even if he didn't want to be around us.”
I still didn't know the ins and outs of what had gone on between all of them back then. I'd just assumed that how and why Stefan got shot had something big to do with it. Maybe one of them would let me in on it someday.
One thing I knew for sure was that whatever it was—it must've been big if it made Stefan break from this family. It was more than obvious how much they all loved each other.
Maybe a little too much.
And poor Nick had no idea of how their family would break apart forever once they found out about his best friend and his wife.
“We can never repay you for your kindness.” And then—
He kissed me.
On the lips.
No tongue action or anything.
But still—
That was not—normal.
I'd witnessed Stefan kissing Eve and Giselle on the lips when he was in the hospital. And he'd essentially told me that was “what they did.” But it wasn't what I did. And I still found it weird.
They hadn't been here long, but so far at least, I hadn't seen Stefan kiss either of the women on the lips. Not yet, anyway.
Huh.
I wonder why?
“Stop kissing my wife, Nick.” Stefan walked into the kitchen with Dani in his arms. She looked rosy-cheeked and happy to be with her uncle. He set her down, and she rushed off outside to see her mother.
“No,” Nick announced, and then he—
Kissed me again.
It was a nice kiss.
His lips were warm and strong against mine. “Thank you, Francesca,” he said against my lips. “For the help—and the kiss. Then he smirked and stood.
He and Stefan talked for a while. Dani eventually came over to me and played with the babies for ten minutes or so. Then she wandered off to see her mother outside again.
Everything was going well.
Until it wasn't.
“Fuck,” Stefan said, and ran through the kitchen like he was on fire.
Before I knew it—he jumped into the pool. “What the heck?” I muttered right before I heard Giselle scream.
I stood, following Nick out onto the patio.
There in the pool was Stefan.
And a very wet, very surprised—Dani.
Giselle was in hysterics. “I didn't see, I didn't see!”
Stefan kissed Dani's cheek and held her close. Then he swam over to the side of the pool and sat Dani on the edge. “She's fine,” he said, then kissed her cheek again.
Oh, boy.
Giselle—
Lost it.
Completely.
And I couldn't blame her. My stomach felt absolutely sick. Thank goodness Stefan saw Dani slip under the water. Otherwise—
I shuddered to think of what might have happened.
Everyone seemed okay, so I went back to the babies while the others sorted Giselle and Dani out. There wasn't anything I could do, anyway.
Carlo and Eve eventually took a very distraught Giselle and a very wet Dani upstairs.
Stefan went up to shower and change. And I let him be.
That left just Nick and me with the babies.
And it was a lot for us. Maybe if more of them could walk reliably on their own.
Some were in the lying/sitting stage. And some in the pushing up and taking a few steps stage.
Only Theo was able to get around on his own most of the time.
But that also meant he could escape quicker than the others.
Somehow, Nick and I got them all fed, changed, and down for their naps. By then, I really was exhausted.
Once the last baby was down, I wandered off to our bedroom. I assumed Stefan had fallen asleep after his shower, so I walked in quietly and shut the door behind me.
I was surprised to see Stefan sitting in a chair beside the bed. He was hunched over, elbows on his thighs. Head in his hands.
I frowned and slowly walked over to him. “Stefan? Are you okay?” I asked quietly.
But he didn't answer.
“Stefan?” I touched his back—and then I felt—and saw it.
“Oh, Stefan.” I knelt down and wrapped my arms around him. “Shh, Dani's fine. She was in the water for a few seconds before you got to her.” I held onto his shaking body.
His arms quickly engulfed me, pulling my body to his. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he repeated over and over again.
“She's fine. You're fine.”
His head shook from side to side. “What if—” was all he got out before his body shook again.
“It was an accident, Stefan. You saw Dani go under. And you saved her. Everything turned out fine.”
He raised his head and wiped his tear-streaked face. “It could have gone bad, Francesca. It could have gone really bad.”
Oh, this man broke my heart. He was devastated. And probably in a bit of shock.
“But it didn't go bad. And everyone's fine. A little wet—but otherwise fine.” I gave him a sad smile and stood, grabbing his hands.
“Come to bed. Neither of us slept last night.
And I need to take advantage of the babies' naptime to get some sleep.” He stood and let me pull him to our bed.
I stripped and then took his clothes off.
We crawled into bed, and he held me—my head on his chest.
“I love you, Stefan.” I kissed his chest and sighed. I wasn't sure if he'd be able to get any sleep at all. But at least this way I could hold him and try to be of some comfort.
“I love you, too, wife.”