“Yeah, Aunt Theresa, that’d be good,” Joe replied, Theresa beamed and my stomach dropped. “Gotta get them home,” Joe finished, moving us to the door.

“I’ll get Mom’s purse,” Keira said then she started to move away, stopped, turned into Vinnie, gave him a hug around the middle with her cheek at his chest, tore free and started to run to our booth.

Vinnie’s eyes watched her go then they went to Joe and the gentle and content look in them made my stomach drop more.

“Don’t forget Mom’s shoes, Keirry!” Kate called. “They’re on the floor.”

“Gotcha,” Keira yelled back like they’d often been honored guests, family stopping for dinner at Uncle Vinnie’s pizzeria and they could yell at each other and run through the restaurant.

We waited for her to get back and all of them, sans Benny who was sorting out his kitchen after Vinnie had let loose in it again, walked us out to the car. We got big hugs from Vinnie, Manny and Theresa then the girls piled into the car.

As Joe opened his side after getting another back pounding from Vinnie, Vinnie still with him, their hands in a grip, Vinnie close and talking about something that looked serious but I couldn’t quite hear; Theresa caught my attention by catching my hand.

“Next time you’re here,” she started and my heart clenched because I knew there wasn’t going to be a next time, “when it’s a good time, a happy time, one you wanna remember, we’ll get your photo. Put you and the girls on the wall with the rest of the family.”

“Theresa –” I began, not knowing what to say and again pissed at Cal for putting me in that position at the same time confused why in the hell he would.

She squeezed my hand, cutting me off and whispering, “Bring him back to his family soon, yeah, cara mia?”

Shit.

“Yeah,” I whispered back. I mean, what could I do?

“Thank you,” she replied, kissed my cheek then stepped out of my door.

I turned to look at Joe who was staring down at his uncle. I saw, somewhat astonished, that Joe’s face was set tight. Vinnie’s face was pale and, I gawked, angry.

What was that all about?

“You get what I’m sayin’ to you?” I heard Joe ask quietly.

“I get it, son,” Vinnie’s voice was tense.

“Whatever it takes,” Joe finished, I knew this was the finish for I saw Vinnie nod once, his hand jerked Joe’s and then he clapped him on the shoulder, let his hand go and stepped away.

I thought I imagined the look on his face, his tense voice, when Vinnie looked at me and gave me a gentle smile.

“See you soon, Vi,” he called.

“Yeah,” I said again because there was nothing else to say.

I climbed in, Joe folded in, we slammed our doors and the girls and I waved at Vinnie, Theresa and Manny as Joe pulled away.

I thought, nursing my anger, there was no way I’d fall asleep.

But breadsticks, antipasto, great pizza, delicious cheesecake, a full bottle of wine and a weird and emotional day got the better of me and I passed out before we were out of Chicago.

I woke up with Joe’s hand at my knee, his mouth at my ear.

“Wake up, baby.”

My eyes fluttered open and I saw we were home and he was bent into my open door.

“The girls are out,” he went on and I turned to see this was true. “Get out, buddy,” he finished gently.

I exited the car and moved out of the way as Joe pushed the seat forward and then bent in. Seconds later, he moved out again with Keira in his arms.

“I get her to bed, you can deal with her, yeah?” Joe asked but didn’t wait for me to answer; he was striding to the door.

I fumbled with my purse, pulled out the remote, hitting the buttons then lamely hustled around him and unlocked it, pushing open the door as he walked through.

I tried not to let this affect me, Joe carrying Keira to bed, but it did, strong, hard, a sock to the gut, but a weirdly warm one and, even partly asleep and it being the middle of the night, it still pissed me off.

I hurried after them as best I could on my foot, catching up to them in Keira’s room after Joe had put Keira on her bed and Joe walked by me as I walked into her room. His eyes caught mine but he kept going and I closed the door halfway and went to my daughter who always slept like a log. I took off her shoes and struggled with her dress, so much she half-woke. Helping her, we got on her pjs and I pulled back the covers.

“Where’s Joe?” she mumbled sleepily as she settled in and I heard movement outside, footsteps, Joe and Kate.

“He’s bringing Kate in.”

Keira rolled to her side, her hands going under her cheek as she asked, mostly still asleep, “Do we have him back?”

That hit me too, a sock to the gut.

“No, baby,” I answered honestly but she didn’t hear me, she was asleep.

I pulled the covers over her, tucked them around and then bent and kissed her hair.

Then I moved out, saw Kate’s door closed and I went to it, knocking softly and going in at her call.

“Hey Mawdy,” she said, I’d caught her with her knee in the bed, she’d already changed. “Joe helped me in,” she finished as she collapsed in bed and pulled up the covers.

I moved to her and tucked them tight all around.

Then I slid her hair away from her face. “That’s good.”

“I asked him to sleep on the couch, like Mike,” she told me and I felt my body freeze then I forced it to move and I bent and kissed her hair.

“What did he say?” I asked her hair.

“He said, ‘sure, girl’,” she muttered, her lips tipping up in a drowsy smile and she cuddled deeper into her pillows.

I was going to fucking kill him.

“All right, baby, go to sleep,” I encouraged but it was a wasted effort, she was already asleep.

I turned out her light, left her room and closed her door.

Joe was dumping my purse on the kitchen counter, my pumps on the floor when I limped into the living room and then through it, right to him.

I leaned in and hissed on a whisper, “You’re not spending the night.”

He took me in for a moment then replied, “Promised Kate.”

“Then it’ll suck, you needing to break your promise, because you’re not spending the night.”

“Yeah, Vi, I am.”

“No, Joe, you’re not.”

“Baby –”

I leaned in further and demanded angrily, “Don’t call me that.”

His hand came to my neck and I was so furious, I jerked free. His hand stayed suspended in mid-air then both his hands moved quick, grasping my hips. They yanked me forward, my body slammed into his and his arms locked around me, one low at my waist, one high up my back. Caged.

“Let me go,” I ordered, pushing against his shoulders.

“We gotta talk.”

“Yeah, we do, later, when I don’t wanna rip your head off, we’ll talk. There’s a few things I wanna say to you. Now, you’re gonna go.”

“Nope.”

“Joe!”

“Shut it, buddy.”

I tried a different strategy. “The girls are both going with Dane and his parents to the lake early tomorrow. They’ll be gone by eight. That’s four hours away. I’m sure we’ll be safe for four hours.”

“I am too,” he replied and I knew what he meant.

“Joe –”

“Go to bed, Vi.”

“Joe –”

His face came close and I stopped talking.

“You can go to bed or you can stay in my arms and argue. I’ll tell you right now, baby, I’m tired and need sleep so I’m not arguin’. You stay in my arms, I’ll be forced to find creative ways to stop that mouth of yours. You want that?”

He could just not be believed!

“We’re over,” I reminded him.

“I didn’t agree to that decision,” he shot back and I felt my body turn to stone.

“What?” I whispered.

“Go to bed, Vi.”

“But, Nadia… you said –”

He cut me off, threatening, “Should I get creative?”

I clamped my mouth shut and shook my head.

Joe held me awhile, staring at my face in the dark.

Then he leaned in and kissed my neck, lifting slightly, he whispered in my ear, “Sleep.”

Then he let me go.

I instantly turned and walked (okay, limped) as calmly as I could to my room.

I was trembling as I got ready for bed, my mind too full, too active, too crazed, I didn’t even think when I pulled Joe’s tee out from under my pillow and, after I took off my suit, brushed my teeth, washed my face, I slipped it on.

Then I got into bed.

My mind so active, so crazed, I thought I’d never sleep.

But I did.

And I did it soundly.

But I woke up when I heard the muted noises of the girls moving around and I felt him there, his shoulder against my cheek, his arm curled around my waist, my thigh thrown over his.

I didn’t have a chance to react when he slid out from under me carefully then pulled the covers over me while I acted like a chicken and feigned being asleep. Nearly silent, he got dressed and left the room. But he left the door open partway and I heard the girls and Joe murmuring. Then I heard the doorbell, Dane’s murmur mingled with theirs then the door closed.

Then silence.

I kept my eyes closed, waiting, but he didn’t come back.

Somehow I fell back to sleep, telling myself that whole thing was a dream.

Now I was awake, hoping the same. But I knew he’d gotten into bed with me.

The bastard.

I stared at the ceiling wishing I hadn’t encouraged the girls to go with Dane and his parents. They’d wanted to cancel and Dane had said it was okay, even that he’d stay and not go with his brother and parents to the lake which they’d done every year since he could remember.