Chapter Forty-One
Two days after the Ski Joring Festival, to which Rico had totally ignored invitations from several Giardano family members, the phone buzzed.
Rafe.
Rico answered on the first ring. “Hello.”
“Did you check your email?” he asked.
Rico put the phone on speaker and opened his email. Sure enough, there was a message from the lab. He opened it and signed into the portal.
His heart dropped into his gut. Not a full match to Rafe.
“Looks like you’re cleared,” Rico said.
“Don’t sound so disappointed. You know I’d step up if it had been me—but I knew that was impossible.” He paused. “Keep reading, because it also shows enough genetic markers that it has to be one of my brothers. As far as I know, Mama didn’t have any other sons—only the four you know.”
Rico hadn’t even thought of the possibility that Mama, a definite grandmother match, had given birth to another son, given him up for adoption, and then that guy had slept with Michelle. Preposterous.
No denying, though, that according to these results, Rafe was an uncle-level match.
“What do you suggest we do next?”
“Obviously, I’ve been thinking about this a lot.” Rafe paused before continuing. “I remembered something. Before accusing Matt or Tony, you need to talk with Franco.”
Franco?
“Why? What could he have to do with this?” Not that Rico had kept tabs on him after he’d graduated. Maybe he had slept around some in college and somehow encountered Michelle that night.
“You said this had to have happened around the time of Papa’s death. Mama told us to finish our finals before coming home. I finished my last one that Wednesday morning and headed home. Franco had one on Thursday and later told me he’d brought a girl back from a bar to our apartment Wednesday night. They’d had sex as far as he knew, but he was too drunk to remember any details.”
Franco. Seriously?
“I think you need to ask what he does remember.”
Rico couldn’t wrap his head around this turn. He’d been so sure it would be one of the other brothers. Hadn’t even considered Franco.
“You need to keep in mind they were both adults who knew the safe-sex rules. Neither was able to make rational decisions that night, from the way it sounds. Neither is solely to blame, either. But remember this. Together, they made Gina, even if that wasn’t their intention.”
Rico remained silent, no clue what to say.
“Still there?”
“Yeah.”
“Another thing to think about, Rico. Franco is going to be over the moon once the initial shock subsides. He loves Gina as if she were his own already.”
Rico didn’t remember how he’d ended the call, but his heart was pounding after he’d disconnected. Had Franco ever mentioned that night to Rico? He tried to think back but drew a blank.
Obviously, he needed to talk to Franco next. Why had it been so much easier thinking it had been Rafe, Matt, or Tony?
No way could Rico wrench Gina away from Mama J, Angie, the other brothers, and the extended Giardano family. They’d welcomed her with open arms. So had Franco, for that matter. Keeping them apart would be torture for Gina and for them—not to mention colossally selfish.
At the moment, though, he only cared about how it might affect Gina. His and Gina’s lives were about to change in a dramatic way, no matter how Franco took the news.
Rico picked up the phone and texted Franco to see if he could come by tonight after Gina was in bed.
Time to find out if this change would be for the better or not.
Rico paced around for nearly an hour after Gina had gone to bed before hearing the buzzer. After letting Franco into the building, he had the door open before the man could knock, not wanting to wake Gina.
Franco simply stared at him as if he was seeing him for the first time. “You okay?”
How to answer? “I’ve been better.”
“I have no clue what this is about, but I’m glad you want to talk.”
Rico wanted answers. Without offering him a drink, he pointed Franco to a wing chair in the living room. Rico sat on the couch and immediately dove in.
“I had a paternity test done on Gina.”
He cocked his head. “You know who the bio dad is?”
“Yeah. I know.” He paused, abruptly realizing he should have rehearsed how he’d reveal the news.
Fuck it.
Then he blurted out, “It’s you.”
“What?” Franco narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“You slept with Michelle. You got her pregnant.” He clenched his fist.
Franco sat back in his chair, stunned into silence about what Rico accused him of. What was he saying? Franco was Gina’s bio dad? On the one hand, the thought of being Gina’s papa both surprised and thrilled him. How? When had he even met Michelle, much less slept with her?
On the other hand, no mistaking Rico’s anger.
“How do you know? My DNA isn’t anywhere but in the FBI database for my security checks.”
“Rafe provided his.”
Rafe? “What’s he got to do with this?”
Rico explained about getting a hit with Mama’s DNA and jumping to the first conclusion that it must have been Rafe. “To say you were last on my list of Giardano brothers is an understatement, but you did pick up a girl in a bar and take her back to your apartment.”
Where had he heard about that? Again, must be Rafe.
Thanks a lot, Bro.
Franco wished Rico could truly understand how it had gone down, but with no actual memory of that night—and the fact that the girl had been gone when he came to the next morning—he couldn’t say one way or another with any assurance.
I hope to hell I didn’t read her wrong, and she was into having sex with me.
But he had zero memory of that night. He’d drunk himself into oblivion, trying to forget about losing Papa.
The wheels turned as he tried to make sense of this announcement. “No wonder she reminded me of Angelina.”
Rico narrowed his gaze. Hadn’t he ever made the connection before? Glancing at Gina’s latest school picture on the credenza, Rico’s eyes opened wider when his gaze returned to Franco. “I see what you mean. Especially around the eyes.”
“Look, I didn’t know about Gina, but I think it’s—.”
“You don’t even remember her, do you? Michelle.”
Franco ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Rico. No, I don’t.” He met Rico’s gaze again. “I’m not proud of the fact that I was stinking drunk that night. I was just trying to forg—”
“You were drunk and took advantage of her.”
Whoa! What was he saying? “We were both too drunk to consent, that’s for sure—”
“Then you shouldn’t have had sex.”
“I told you, it’s not my proudest moment, but did Michelle ever tell you the guy who fathered Gina took advantage of her?” He couldn’t say the word Rico must be thinking. To even think him capable of that hurt Franco to his soul. “Did she ever say she resented him for getting her pregnant?”
Rico glanced away, giving him his answer. “No. She never said anything bad about the guy.”
About me.
“Just said you both were hurting and too drunk to act responsibly.”
How to move this conversation into safer territory and figure out what they were going to do about it? “Can we look at the bigger picture here? The past can’t be changed, but you know I love Gina. To be her papa would mean the world to me.”
Rico held out his hand like a stop sign. “I’m not ready for her to know.”
“I understand you wanting some time to—”
“I don’t know if I ever will.”
What did he say? “You mean you might not tell her who her father is?”
He shrugged. “Not right away. I’m still trying to figure out the ramifications of it. She sees me as her papa now, and I don’t want to confuse her.”
Franco almost pointed out there was nothing wrong with her having two dads, but maybe later, after Rico had time to get used to the idea. Definitely not today.
Franco scrubbed his face. A few minutes after learning he had a daughter, she might be ripped away from him. He was about to lose Rico too. He met his gaze again. “Look, Rico, I’m sorry. Nothing I say will undo the past.” He leaned closer. “I’ll be here when you’re ready to let me be a part of her life.”
When, not if.
Because no way would Franco shirk his responsibilities once he knew he had them. That little girl had wrapped him around her little finger the first night they’d met, and this gave him a claim to see her, even if he and Rico didn’t get back together.
But where did they go from here? Franco needed a plan of action, and to make sure Rico knew what his intentions were.
“You know I’ll help raise Gina, provide whatever support you’ll allow, set up a college fund, do whatever to be a part of her life—whenever you’re ready to proceed.”
“She’s my responsibility.”
Ouch.
“I understand you need time to think about all this.” He didn’t think now was the time to tell him he hadn’t even known for sure that he’d had sex with the girl—Michelle. She had a name now. No need to wonder any longer what had happened that night. No question about it, they’d had sex.
When Rico didn’t say anything, Franco continued, finally understanding how it felt to be the target of intimidating silence in an interrogation room and unable to keep his mouth shut. “You’ve already said Michelle didn’t remember much either, not even the guy’s—my—name. We were just two people in a bad place who grabbed a little comfort where we could find it.”
If only he’d gone home to Aspen Corners and ditched his last final. Hell, he’d shown up for that exam so hung over, he’d flunked it miserably anyway.
But then Gina wouldn’t have been born.
Franco didn’t want to get too deep about the cosmic ramifications of that night, but Gina’s being born had changed so many lives—first Michelle’s, then Rico’s, and now his.
Rico remained silent for the longest time, then said, “It’s probably best that you not see Gina for a while. I need to find the right time to talk with her about this.”
Those words slashed deep. He’d just learned he had a daughter, and now he wasn’t going to be allowed to see her. Then there was the loss of Rico, who obviously planned to cut him out of his life too. He’d finally found someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but there didn’t seem to be a chance in hell that they could come back from this.
A painful ache formed around his heart. “She’s going to miss being a part of my family. Even if you don’t want her to see me for a time, I’ll try to understand, please don’t take her away from Mama, Angelina, and the others. They love her too.”
Rico stood as if to dismiss him. “I have to think about this some more before I make any decisions.”
Franco wouldn’t let Rico cut him out forever, but he also needed to figure out how best to handle the situation. He’d give Rico space to breathe—up to a point. This was a lot for both of them to process, and it would be even more difficult for Gina to take in.
“I guess I’ll go now,” Franco said as he stood and headed for the door. But before he opened it, he turned to say, “I hope you know that I love you, Rico, and I love that little girl more than anything. And I don’t intend to stop loving either of you.”
Without waiting for a response, Franco opened the door and walked away.
Please let us get beyond this impasse soon.
Three nights later, after he and Gina had eaten dinner and cleared the table, they pulled out a board game to play before bedtime.
“I miss Zio Franco,” Gina said as she made a move.
“I know he misses you too.”
“When can we see him again?”
Rico paused, taking a deep breath before answering. “I’m not sure, Sweetie.”
She gave him a disappointed look. “Did you two break up?”
“Not sure about that, either. It’s kinda complicated.”
“But you love him, and he loves you.”
If only it were that simple.
“Nothing’s been decided.”
But the ball’s in my court.
“Do you still feel Mama around you?”
The shift in the conversation surprised him. “Sometimes.”
“Does Zio Franco?”
Franco had never before mentioned feeling Michelle around him. Would she come around him now that the secret was out of the bag? If so, would he even know who she was?
“I think that’s a question for Zio Franco.” Would Gina call Franco Papa when she found out the truth? Hell, she hadn’t even called Rico by that title, and he’d been carrying out papa duties since September.
Gina smiled. “When can I ask him?”
“He might still be up, if you’d like to call.”
She vehemently shook her head. “That’s a face-to-face question.” Clearly, she wanted to get them in the same room again.
He wasn’t ready to see Franco yet, but how long could he realistically keep Gina out of her bio dad’s life, especially since he wanted to be a part of hers?
Truth be told, he’d take as long as he needed to come to terms with this situation.
“We’ll see.”
She stuck out her lower lip. “That’s how parents say no.”
Did she think of him as a parent now? He couldn’t help but smile. “This time, it means we will see.”
“I hope it’ll be soon. Maybe he can come play games with us next Friday night.”
“We’ll s—let me think about it,” he amended.
If he invited Franco over, it would only be for Gina. He wasn’t ready to reconcile at this point. Too much needed to be discussed and that couldn’t happen with Gina around.
“I’ll ask if he can stop by after work sometime this week.”
“We can make him spaghetti and meatballs! Mama J said it’s his favorite, and she showed me how.”
Now she wanted to make him his favorite dishes? Tears burned behind Rico’s eyes. He really needed to stop being selfish and let Franco and Gina form whatever relationship they wanted. Instead, he said, “I’m not sure he’d want to stay for dinner.”
“Want me to ask? He wouldn’t say no to me. He loves me.”
Rico sighed. Time to face facts. “He certainly does. Let me see what he says first, and if I need to call you in to seal the deal, I’ll let you know.”
“Goody!”
They finished playing the game, Gina winning, at which point Gina announced, “I’m going to go to bed and read.”
The little scamp might have outplayed him tonight, wrangling him to get in touch with Franco, but Rico wanted to talk with someone else before doing that. He needed to sort out this mess in order to move forward.
Rico pulled the blanket up to her chin. “I’ll tuck you in, in case you fall asleep while reading.”
“Oh, I won’t. It’s a goooood book. Mama J got it for me.”
Yet another reminder how deeply involved Gina was in the Giardano family’s lives.
But did that also mean Franco should remain a part of Rico’s life? That was the million-dollar question.
“Rico, you’ve wanted Franco your whole life,” Angie pointed out as she sat across the table from him at her cafe the next day. Gina was at Becky’s house for the night, so he’d made a beeline to Breck, taking advantage of the cafe’s afternoon lull to seek his best friend’s advice. She’d been there for him so many times over the years. Who else could he talk to?
However, upon arrival, he’d found himself unable to tell her what the real problem was after all, saying only that he and Franco had hit a hurdle they might not get over.
“He loves you too. Don’t throw this all away, Rico. Work it out.”
He’d stewed since his confrontation with Franco on Tuesday but hadn’t come to any solutions or decided on a plan of action yet. He also hadn’t invited Franco over for games last night, despite Gina’s plea.
Now here he was having a heart-to-heart with Angie. He’d been friends with her a lot longer than he’d been serious with Franco. Cutting her out of his life wasn’t an option, although she might give him the boot for ending things with her brother. Hard to say where her loyalties lay.
“I’m just so pissed at him.”
“Without knowing what he did, I don’t really know how to respond. I love my brother, but I love you like a brother too. Are you sure you can’t tell me what happened? You’re putting me between a rock and a hard place here, but I sense you want to tell me.”
Rico sighed. How could he not tell her? The truth would come out eventually anyway. “Can I swear you to secrecy—including from Mama J?”
Her eyes opened wider. “I’m not one to keep secrets from Mama.”
Rico rolled his eyes. “Just how much have you told her about how you and Marc met and the lifestyle you two live?”
She closed her eyes, then grinned. “Busted.” She met his gaze again. “The intrigue is killing me. Spill. I promise not to say anything to anyone until you release me from this promise.”
Angie had never betrayed a confidence of his before. He trusted her to the moon and back.
Rico told her about the paternity test results.
“Are you kidding me? Gina is my niece?”
She’d obviously jumped right past the point he’d been trying to make about Franco, but hearing her claim Gina as her niece made him smile. “Yes, you’re her aunt. DNA doesn’t lie.”
“Oh, honey, I’m her aunt in every way. Oh hell.” She nibbled her lower lip. “How am I supposed to keep that a secret from her the next time I see her?”
Clearly, he hadn’t thought this through.
“Let’s rein it back in a bit, Baby. Let’s figure out what I’m going to do about Franco first.”
Her brows knitted together. “He’d better be as excited as I am and ready to take on his responsibilities. You know he loves her, right?”
Grudgingly, he said, “Yeah, he does. And he’s offered to take care of her.” Financially, at least, which is the only avenue Rico had opened for him, if that.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I’m just so pissed that he’d take advantage of Michelle like that.”
“How do you know Michelle didn’t take advantage of Franco? He’s gay, even if he wasn’t out at the time.”
“Hold on one minute. Let’s not get absurd about this.”
“I’m just trying to get you to see beyond the scenario you’ve painted in your mind. You said both of them had way too much to drink that night. That Franco barely has any memory of her. I can only imagine how inebriated he was, and I’ve never seen Franco drink to excess.” She took a breath. “Neither was in their right mind that night, Rico. Bottom line, did Michelle ever express any animosity or anger toward the man who fathered Gina?”
Rico shook his head, and he’d let Franco know the same thing. “No. But he was older and should have known better.” He just couldn’t let it go.
“He was in his early twenties. Didn’t you ever do anything stupid at that age?”
“Of course not. I was running a business and about as respectable as you can get.”
Angie cocked her head. “No reckless hookups with men you barely knew?”
No lying to Angie. She knew things he’d never shared with anyone else. He couldn’t deny that but also didn’t admit so out loud.
“And how many of those involved too much alcohol?”
“I didn’t drink excessively before or during a hookup.” He’d seen how badly that had gone for others.
“Well, Saint Rico, good for you.” Ouch. Obviously, he’d pissed her off now. “But I hope you’ll cut Franco some slack for not dealing with Papa’s death very well that night.”
Rico tried to put himself in Franco’s place, hurting over such a profound loss.
“I don’t think his age would have mattered,” Angie continued, “but both of them were adults and used poor judgment. They both put themselves in a potentially dangerous situation. Still, didn’t he provide her with some comfort at a time she needed it? And vice versa. Best of all, the beautiful result of two people behaving stupidly was Gina.”
Gina. He truly needed to focus on her in all this, because he couldn’t imagine life without Gina, and neither would Michelle have wanted to.
Angie didn’t wait for him to respond before adding, “Michelle never found anyone to love romantically, and she never had another child. Think about how deprived her short life would have been if she hadn’t given birth to her precious baby. Imagine the regrets she’d have had at the end of her life if she hadn’t experienced motherhood.”
Rico wasn’t ready to forgive Franco just yet, but why did Angie have to make such good points? And apparently she wasn’t finished yet.
“If she’d never blamed the stranger in her past or had anything bad to say about the man,” Angie argued, “what gives you that right? You were Michelle’s cousin, not her papa. Honestly, I think Michelle looked at the nameless stranger as though he’d given her an irreplaceable gift she never would have received otherwise. He gave her Gina, and she gave Gina to you—and to Franco, by extension.”
Rico’s guts twisted as Angie’s words hit home. He hadn’t been thinking about this from Michelle’s perspective, only his own. Maybe he needed to reconsider his misguided anger. Gina had grown to love Franco too, so what gave Rico the right to take that away?
He needed to talk with Franco to make sure his relationship to Gina remained solid. Franco might not want him back after the things he’d said, though.
Rico picked up his keys. “I’m going to go find him so we can talk.”
Angie’s eyes beamed. “Good. You two are so right for each other, if you can just get your head out of your ass.”
Rico grinned as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Just what he needed—honest advice from his best friend. “Thanks for listening, Baby. You don’t know how much I needed this kick in the pants.”
Laughing, Angie said, “We all need one at some point. I still remember the night you got me to take a chance on two guys in a booth at daVinci’s rather than continue to hide in my house from Allen.”
“For the record, I always thought you’d go with Luke. Guess I was wrong.”
Angie blushed. “There was a time I wasn’t sure which I’d go for.” Well, if he had more time, he definitely would have explored that blush a little bit.
No time now, though.
“But I made the right choice—and Luke and Cassie would agree wholeheartedly.” She leaned closer. “Now it’s your turn to make a choice, my friend.”