Friends & Forever Page 6

  "Funny how that works."

  "Yeah, but I thank God you're not one of them anymore. Like I said, terrible soldato." The smile returned to his lips yet again as he reached over, grasping Carmine's shoulder. "Even worse than your father, and I never thought that was possible."

  Carmine was utterly speechless. He didn't have a chance to come up with some sort of response, as there was ruckus on the stairs then, ending the moment. Maura came running back in, still filthy, but her hands were at least washed and her shoes were again tied. Carmine glanced at his watch, realizing they'd been there for well over an hour already. "We should get going. The others are probably wondering what happened to us."

  Celia walked in, immediately slipping into Corrado's arms. It never failed to surprise Carmine, how affectionate those two were in private. Corrado came off cold, sure, but he clearly worshipped his wife, pulling her close, his arm protectively around her. Carmine's memories of his own parents were vague, dimming over time, every year taking away a little more of them. All he had were flashes of images, hazy snapshots of the two of them together in his head. It was fucked up, he thought, how time slowly erased the memories filled with love but didn't do a goddamn thing to take away the visions of bloodshed. He liked to think his parents had been like that, though. And it was the kind of husband he hoped to be, the kind that always showed his wife how much she meant to him.

  "Well, thanks for the, uh..." Carmine picked the plastic bag up from the counter. Christ, it was heavy. He held it up and shook his head. "The groceries, I guess."

  "Tricky treat!" Maura yelled, running over and wrapping her arms around Celia's legs, grasping ahold of Corrado's pants behind her, hugging both at the same time. Carmine smiled, watching his daughter, and took her hand once she pulled away.

  "Bye, Aunt Celia," Carmine said, his daughter echoing him right away. He glanced at his uncle, tipping his head. "Corrado."

  "Carmine."

  They headed out, to where the crowds had thinned, a lot of people already done for the night. Maura kept a hold of his hand this time, since it was dark now, but she still led the way, pulling him past slow moving groups. She once again bypassed all the houses with their porch lights on, heading straight for home, clearly not giving a shit. As far as Maura was concerned, they went trick or treating and she was done with it.

  Carmine let go of her hand when they reached the front porch, and Maura ran up, waiting for him to open the door. He tried the knob, and it turned smoothly, the door already unlocked. He pushed it open, and Maura ran inside, screeching excitedly, while Carmine followed. He stepped in behind her, barely making it into the foyer, not even getting the front door closed, when something jabbed him in the chest, the force sending him back a step. Brow furrowed, a surge of anger rushed through him as he clutched his chest and glanced to the side, seeing his brother.

  His brother, standing near the bottom step, holding a sword and grinning as he waved it around in the air like a samurai.

  A goddamn sword.

  "Who the fuck gave Dominic a sword?" Carmine yelled as he slammed the door and headed for the kitchen, finding the rest of them gathered around the kitchen table, candy spread out over every inch of it.

  Tess shook her head. "Wasn't me."

  "He found it," Haven said, glancing up and smiling, Dom's clown mask now perched on her head, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "One second he didn't have it and the next second, well…"

  Carmine felt the sword poking into his back, his brother standing behind him, jabbing him in the spine as he laughed. Carmine shook his head and stepped further into the kitchen, setting the bag on the counter. "You stole it, didn't you? Stole it from a damn kid."

  Dom just laughed.

  "Mommy, I tricky treat!" Maura exclaimed, climbing up on Haven's lap in the chair at the table. Haven wrapped her arms around her, hugging her, and pressed a kiss to her hair as the little girl reached for some candy, snatching up somebody's pumpkin-shaped lollipop.

  "Did you have fun?" Haven asked.

  Maura nodded, tearing the wrapper off and plunging it in her mouth.

  "Did you get a lot of treats?"

  Maura nodded again. "I got ice cream and monies!"

  Haven's brow furrowed. "Money?"

  Maura reached into her pocket, whipping out the filthy twenty-dollar bill and tossing it on the table.

  Haven stared at the crumpled bill, eyes wide. "You didn't get candy?"

  "They not have candy," Maura said.

  "What? Where did you go?"

  "Aunt Celia's!"

  Haven looked at Carmine with surprise, noticing the bag on the counter beside him. "You took her to the Moretti's trick or treating?"

  "I didn't take her there," Carmine said, unloading the bag. Fucking fudge pops and cans of fruit and even the goddamn box of cheerios. "She went there all on her own."

  "And she got money?" Haven asked. "They gave her money?"

  "Corrado did," Carmine said. "She didn't like anything else he offered, but she was more than happy to take his cash."

  Dom laughed, reaching over and holding his hand up for a high-five from Maura. She smacked his palm, hard, having no idea what the hell she did right, but the praise excited her anyway.

  "Just for that," Dom said, "you deserve the sword this Halloween."

  He held it out, and Maura grabbed it before any of them could object, jumping down off her mother's lap. She bolted toward the doorway, already swinging it, lollipop still in her mouth.

  "Don't run with the sucker in your mouth!" Haven yelled. "You fall, you'll choke on it!"

  Maura didn't miss a beat, spitting the fucking lollipop out, right on the kitchen floor as she continued to run, smacking the doorway with the sword as she shrieked, disappearing toward the living room.

  "Fucking three-year olds," Carmine muttered, picking up the lollipop and tossing it in the trash less than five feet away. "They're assholes, I swear."

  Dom stepped over, plopping down in the spot Maura had just vacated, right on Haven's lap. Haven laughed, leaning her head against his back, her eyes shifting back to Carmine as he leaned against the counter. She smiled softly, and he returned her smile, no words necessary to convey a message. She was happy, and that was all that mattered to Carmine.

  "Halloween is the best holiday there is," Dom said, picking up a small peanut butter cup and tearing off the wrapper, balling up the foil in his hand as he popped the candy in his mouth. "None others come close."

  "How do you figure?" Tess asked.

  "Because, for one, it's pretty much the only holiday where you're not obligated to visit family," Dom said. "I mean, we do, mostly because I like you guys some days, but you don't have to. Secondly, you don't have to buy anyone presents. There's no gift giving, and let's be real… gift-giving is only cool when you're the receiver. C, because it's completely acceptable to go into public dressed like a fool." He motioned toward Carmine. "Proof."

  Carmine made sure Vinnie wasn't looking before flashing his middle finger at his brother, mouthing 'fuck you'. Dom laughed, flicking the foil wrapper at him, hitting him in the chest.

  "And fourthly," Dom continued, "people give you candy for no reason. And D, because there are swords. Everywhere you look, swords. What's not to love about Halloween?"

  The women laughed, as did Vinnie, while Carmine just stared at his brother. "You know that should've been E, right? Not D."

  Dom waved him off, picking up another piece of candy.

  "Technically," Haven said, pushing on Dom to get him off her lap. He rose up, letting her slip out from beneath him, before he commandeered her chair. "He started with firstly so it should've been fifthly."

  "You heard the woman," Carmine said, just as there was a loud crash in the living room, followed by an exaggerated 'uh-oh'. Haven sighed, heading out of the kitchen to investigate, while Carmine pointed at his brother. "Whatever that was, you're paying for it."

  Dom picked up the twenty from the table, holding it up. "Prett
y sure that'll cover it, bro. If not, put it on my account."

  "What account?"

  "On the account that I ain't got no money to give you right now."

  An end table, it turned out. She knocked the lamp right off the motherfucker, taking some picture frames with it. Haven carried Maura into the kitchen, the girl still wielding the sword.

  "Say goodnight," Haven said.

  "Night!" Maura yelled.

  Dom jumped up. "I'll trade you some sugar for the sword."

  Maura debated it for a moment before holding the sword out to him. Dom took it, tossing it to Vinnie, before grasping both of Maura's cheeks with his palms, holding her face there so he could smother her in kisses. She giggled, loudly, the sound warming Carmine's heart.

  Haven took Maura upstairs for a bath while the others got their stuff together to leave. Carmine walked them out, pausing on the porch with his brother, while Tess got Vinnie buckled into the car.

  "Good to see you, bro," Dom said seriously, reaching over and smacking him on the back. "Probably won't see you before, but I'll see you Thanksgiving at Celia's, right?"

  "Of course," Carmine said. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

  "Better not," Dom said. "Corrado would probably come down here and drag you to his house if you tried."

  Dom walked away, getting into his car, as Carmine turned around and headed back inside. He locked up the house, going straight upstairs, making his way down the hall toward his daughter's bedroom. Maura was already out of the bath and had her pajamas on, climbing into her bed. She looked over toward the doorway, spotting Carmine, and grinned.

  "Story, Daddy!"

  Carmine sighed, pushing away from the doorframe and strolling over. "What story?"

  "The princess story!"

  "Again?"

  "Again!"

  Carmine had told her this story so many times he was shocked she wasn't sick of fucking hearing it. Haven kissed Maura's forehead before walking out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. Carmine kicked off his shoes, climbing into the bed beside her, laying on his side to give her most of the space, as she snuggled into his arms. She smelled like soap with a hint of something else, something fresh and calming and beautiful. Sunshine.

  The girl was sunshine.

  'She got that from you,' Haven always said.

  "Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a princess…"

  "A pretty princess, Daddy?"

  "A beautiful princess," he said. "The most beautiful princess I've ever seen."

  "Beautifuler than Mommy?"

  Carmine ran his hand through her wayward hair, pushing it back off her forehead. "Just as beautiful as Mommy."

  Maura nodded, satisfied.

  "So there was a beautiful princess, a special princess, but nobody knew she existed, because some monsters kept her locked away. They didn't want the rest of the world to know about her… they wanted to keep her all to themselves. And they did, for a lot of years. The beautiful princess grew up alone, and sad, wishing she could be a part of the world outside of her dungeon, but they never let her even get close to escape."

  "Until the angel, right, Daddy?"

  "Until the angel," he agreed. "The angel was beautiful, too, the most beautiful angel to ever exist. She saw the princess, and she knew she had to save her from the monsters. And so she did. The angel risked it all to free the princess from captivity, and in the process she became a real angel."

  "Like grandma?"

  "Just like grandma."

  Maura smiled. She asked the same questions every time, and Carmine couldn't help but wonder if she'd figured out this story was true, but she never pressed the matter, and he hadn't admitted it. She was young, but she was a smart child, much too smart for her age.

  "So the princess was saved from the monsters, but she wasn't free yet, because there were more monsters out there, more monsters who didn't want the princess to be free. They were afraid she would claim her crown, that she would bring an end to their reign, so they tried to take her, tried to imprison her again."

  "But it didn't work?"

  "No, it didn't, because they'd underestimated the brave knight who had sworn himself to be her savior. He slayed the monsters, saving the princess once and for all, freeing her and letting her take her rightful place as princess, where she lived happily ever after."

  Maura stared at him for a moment. "Daddy, are you the knight?"

  Carmine was surprised by that question. She hadn't asked that one before. The story always ended here, and she was always content with that. "Uh, no."

  "What happened to the knight?"

  "He was awarded for his bravery by getting to spend eternity with the angel."

  "Did the princess get a prince?"

  "Yeah, she did, and he was the luckiest prince to ever exist."

  Carmine kissed her forehead before climbing to his feet, grabbing his shoes as he headed for the door. He paused, his hand on the light switch, when she spoke again.

  "Daddy, are you the prince?"

  He laughed, looking back at her. "Do I look like a prince to you?"

  She stared at him, hard, like she was genuinely considering his question, eyes studying every inch of him looking for signs of royalty. "I dunno."

  He laughed, turning off the light, the automatic heart-shaped nightlight kicking on in the darkness. "Goodnight, piccola. I love you."

  "Night, Daddy. Love you."

  The day she was born, Carmine fell in love for the second time. He never thought he'd ever love someone as much as he loved Haven, that all-consuming, soul-gripping, fuck-you-up kind of love that leaves you breathless and weak in the knees, that squeezes your fucking heart and takes over your chest. The kind of love that alters you, changes the person you are, making someone who once thought they were hopeless feel like they're worth a million fucking bucks. Carmine thought that feeling was once-in-a-lifetime, never expecting it to hit him twice. She colpo di fulmine'ed his ass.

  He'd been terrified to hold Maura for the first time, afraid he'd drop her or hurt her, but the second she was in his arms he knew he'd never be able to let go.

  Carmine walked out, strolling down the hall, hesitating near the doorway when he stepped inside his bedroom. Haven was changing out of her clothes, the glow from the moonlight illuminating her creamy, bare skin. She was beautiful, he hadn't lied about that—the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. And he was a lucky motherfucker to have her. He hadn't lied about that, either.

  She'd changed some over time, ageing and maturing, but she wore it well. Her hips were wider, body softer, stretch marks joining the scars that still marred her pale skin. Every inch of her told a story, a story Carmine knew intimately, a story he never wanted to forget. It was her story—their story—a story of love and loss, regret and redemption.

  Carmine liked to think of it as the greatest story ever told. Sure, he might be biased, but fuck… he thought it was perfect. Even when it got ugly, Haven made it beautiful.

  Stepping further into the room, he reached for her before she could put on a shirt, swinging her toward him, wearing only a pair of simple black cotton underwear. She smiled, blush on her cheeks, as his hands settled on her hips. She reached behind her, grabbing something from the bedside stand and plopping it on his head.

  The fucking missing tiara.

  Haven laughed, leaning toward him, pressing a light kiss to his lips. "Principe. Have you come to rescue your Principessa?"

  He rolled his eyes, reaching up and grabbing the tiara, instead putting it on top of her head. "I've come to worship her… and come. I've come to come."

  "Is that right?"

  "It is."

  He kissed her, dragging her toward the bed, sitting down on it and pulling her on top of him. He lay back, fully clothed, as she straddled his lap, his hands running up her bare stomach, fingertips tracing the marks before he palmed her breasts. He massaged them, thumbs grazing her nipples as they pebbled from his touch.

  "So b
eautiful, tesoro," he whispered, his chest aching at the words.

  She leaned down, kissing him, as his arms encircled her, hands gently running up and down her back, tracing the curvature of her spine. His left hand settled on her ass as his right gripped the back of her head. He held her there, deepening the kiss, as he shifted his hips, pushing against her. Even through his clothes, he could feel her warmth, his body yearning for more of it. His cock throbbed, desperate to bury itself deep inside of her.

  "We shouldn't," Haven whispered. "Maura isn't asleep yet. She might hear."

  "We can be quiet."

  "You, maybe," she said, her blush deepening. "You make it hard for me."

  "Yeah, well, you make it hard for me, literally."

  Haven laughed, kissing him again, as she started fumbling with his clothes. Carmine loosened his hold on her, letting her slip off of him so he could strip, as she pulled her underwear off. Carmine grabbed the comforter, pulling it the whole way up on them, covering their bodies, as he climbed on top of her, settling between her thighs.

  "Should we…?" Haven asked, hesitating as she glanced around the room.

  "I already said we should," Carmine mumbled, kissing her throat. "I'll take it easy on you so she doesn't hear us."

  "No, I mean… should we use, you know…?"

  Carmine pulled back to look at her just as she bit down on her bottom lips nervously, cheeks bright pink, the flush extending down her neck. Countless times together and even a baby later, this shit still made her blush. "Use what?"

  "A condom," she said. "You know I'm not on anything right now and you've been, well… you've just been using them so I haven't bothered…"

  "Ah, nah," he said. "What's the worse that can happen?"

  "A baby."

  Carmine kissed her neck again. The last baby they had worked out wonderfully. He wouldn't mind another.

  "Maybe even twins."

  He hesitated a moment before slowly sliding inside of her, letting out a deep sigh at the sensation. Fucking heavenly.

  "Or triplets, even."

  Just as fast as he'd pushed inside of her, he pulled right back out. He sat up, reaching over toward the bedside stand, yanking the drawer open to dig around inside of it, fishing out a condom. He ripped the wrapper with his teeth, tossing it aside as he rolled the condom on. Haven laughed, watching him, as he pulled the blanket back over them, once more pushing inside of her.