Kristen Ashley - The Promise

“Let me guess. Sal called you,” Ben stated.

“Fuck yeah, he called me. Jesus, Benny. You went into an unknown situation with Sal as backup and me fifteen miles away, havin’ no clue serious shit was goin’ down?” Cal asked irately.

“As you can see, cugino, I’m breathing,” Benny replied.

“Jesus, fuck me,” Cal muttered as he turned to me. “And you. Shit’s goin’ down at work, you got family five miles away, nothin’?”

“Uh…Ben and Sal had it covered,” I replied.

Before Cal could say a word, there was another knock on the door. I looked to Ben, who was already on his way toward it, then back to Cal, who was scowling at me and ignoring Gus, who appeared to be attempting to climb up Cal’s jeans.

“You want a beer?” I asked.

Cal kept scowling at me.

I didn’t know if that meant yes or no and had no chance to make a guess before I heard Vi snap, “Joe! For goodness’ sake! You can’t go tearing into someone’s house at dinnertime.”

Then Vi stormed in with Angie cradled in an arm, Kate and Keira on her heels.

“Hey, Frankie,” Kate called on a smile.

“Hey, baby.” I smiled back as she didn’t ignore Gus when he waddle-galloped to her. She bent, picked him up, and gave him a cuddle.

“Yo, Frankie,” Keira greeted.

“Hey, honey,” I returned.

“I think we need more pizza,” Ben muttered, coming in after the girls.

“Cool! Pizza!” Keira cried, grabbing on to Angie but not getting very far. She got her little sister out of her mother’s arms only to have Joe stalk to her and pull her into his own.

He did this automatically, his attention still on Benny.

“Ben. Explanation,” he growled.

Benny was on his way to the kitchen and he stayed true to his path while saying, “I’m not explainin’ anything.” He opened the fridge and looked to Vi, then the girls. “Vi? Girls? Drink?”

“Diet Coke,” Kate ordered.

“Does Frankie have any of that diet Fanta Grape?” Keira asked.

“Is she Frankie?” Benny asked back to Keira, and I found myself smiling again.

“That for me,” Keira put in her order.

“Me too,” Vi called, moving toward a chair and taking a load off. She then looked up at me. “You got any games?”

“We’re not playin’ a fuckin’ game,” Cal bit out.

“We’re not havin’ an argument either,” Vi returned, twisting in her seat to look at her husband. “They’re fine. So now we’re havin’ pizza and family time.” Then she turned to me. “And I have to tell you about Virgin Gorda. Oh my God, Frankie. You have to take Benny there.”

“Fuck me,” Cal muttered and another knock came at the door.

Benny came out of the kitchen with cans of pop while Cal stalked to the door.

“We’ll have to eat pizza in waves,” I noted as he handed Vi her can.

“I’m on it,” he said. Giving cans to Kate and Keira, he headed to the door, hand to his back pocket probably to get out his wallet to pay the pizza guy.

“You guys want glasses?” I asked the girls, ready to head to the fridge to polish off Ben’s hosting skills.

They didn’t get answers in.

This was because I turned toward the entryway when I heard Sal exclaim, “Dear God, Cal, she’s a beauty!”

Two seconds later, Sal walked into my living room with Angie held up to his face, Cal prowling close to his back with an expression like thunder, and Benny joining the party last, looking part-resigned, part-annoyed, and part-like he was about to burst out laughing.

“Who’s a beautiful girl? Who’s a pretty baby?” Sal cooed, then cuddled Angie close to his chest, looking into the room. He spied Vi, Kate, and Keira and turned back to Cal. “You did good, figlio, a room filled with beauties.” He turned back. “Hello, girls,” he greeted Kate and Keira. “I’m Uncle Sal.”

“I’m Kate,” Kate told him.

“I know,” Sal told her.

“I’m Keira,” Keira told him.

“I know that too, bella,” Sal told her.

“You wanna give me my daughter back?” Cal butted into the conversation.

“No,” Sal answered.

“That wasn’t really a question,” Cal pointed out.

“Take this beauty from me, I’ll cut off your hand,” Sal shot back.

Cal looked to his boots before he repeated, “Fuck me.”

“Do I have to say, again, how I’d prefer you refrain from the f-word in front of my girls? All of them?” Vi snapped.

“Buddy, Angie doesn’t even understand what I’m sayin’,” Cal bit out.

“Let’s not let her understand that particular part of what you’re sayin’ until she’s about twenty-three,” Vi fired back.

“Yeah.” I heard Benny say at this point. “This is Benny Bianchi. Twenty minutes ago, we ordered a pizza to go to The Brendal. I need”—he looked through the room—“two more. Large.”

“I like pepperoni!” Keira shouted.

“Sausage!” Kate yelled.

“Don’t forget the peppers,” Sal put in.

That was when I flopped onto the couch and burst out laughing.

I felt Sal (and Angie) sit beside me. When I could see again through my laughter, I saw Cal sitting on the arm of Vi’s chair, his hand on the back of her neck, with his eyes on Kate and Keira, who were settling in, Keira close to my side, Kate on the arm of the couch next to Sal and Angie.

And I heard Benny saying, “One half pepperoni, half sausage. The other with everything.”

Keira leaned her weight into my side and whispered into my ear, “School’s gonna start soon and I think I have Joe where I want him on the Jasper Layne situation.”

I turned my head, looked into her beautiful face, and that was when it hit.

There I was. Safe. At home. With my man and my family.

A moment that was the beginning of the rest of my life.

It was full of promise.

I parked at the back of the pizzeria, opened my door, threw out my foot in its high-heeled pump, and hauled my business-suited ass out of my Z.

I dashed in the back door of the restaurant, through the vacant kitchen that was nonetheless messy, and into the dining room.

They were congregated close to the front door. Vinnie, Benny, Vi, Cal with Angie, Kate, and Keira. Theresa, with her camera, was standing in front of them.

“Hey!” I called, rushing around the bar.

“Frankie!” Kate cried.

“Yay!” Keira yelled.

“Frankie! Just in time! Get in the shot,” Theresa ordered.

“I can’t, honey, got another interview I gotta get to. But I wanted to pop by and say ‘hey,’” I said, coming around them, seeing Kate and Keira in stained white aprons, holding a pizza pie.

This was because Benny had spent the last hour, while I was at another interview, teaching them how to make it.

They were up for Thanksgiving. They’d gotten in late that morning as I was headed off to interview numero uno.

Theresa was hosting Thanksgiving (of course), and Carm, Ken, and the kids were arriving that evening.

So it was good Ben and I got our guest room done, because with Carm and the family in town, that meant Vi, Cal, and the girls could stay with us.

Something that made me happy.

Then again, those days, days that started with Benny in bed with me and ended the same way, I was always happy.

I gave out quick hugs and kisses, ending with the girls.

“Save me a slice,” I said, smiling down at the awesome-looking pizza pie that I knew was also awesome-tasting because Benny showed them how to make it.

“We will,” Kate promised.

I gave her a grin, then I went to my man.

Hand to his chest, feet up on my toes, I said in his ear, “Be back as soon as I can.”

“Knock ’em dead, cara,” he said in mine, hand on my waist when he kissed my jaw.

I kissed his, leaned back, gave him a smile, and made to rush right back out.

“Frankie! Two seconds! I want you in this shot!” Theresa called.

“I’ll be in the next one!” I called back, hustling forward but smiling and waving backward.

“Frankie!” she shouted.

“Love you, Theresa!” I yelled from the kitchen and kept going.

It sucked that I had back-to-back interviews the day before Thanksgiving when family was hitting town, but the jobs were both local and they were both promising.

It wasn’t that I minded being out of work for a while. It was nice. It was just that all Benny’s junk was sorted, the house was clean, the guest room done, so I had nothing to do with my days. It would also be good to get back.

And anyway, I was right.

I wanted to be in that photo Theresa was taking.

But I’d get in the next one.

***

I disconnected my call, got off the couch in the living room, and headed down the hall. Hearing Godsmack playing low in the kitchen, I got myself a diet Fanta Grape from the fridge Ben had moved in the den.

Then I walked across the hall and stood outside the baby gate at the kitchen door, which was there to keep Gus out. This was something Gus didn’t like and I knew this considering he was sitting on his ass at the door, his tail wagging, his eyes aimed through the gate.

I aimed my eyes into the kitchen and saw my man in the gutted space, its walls newly painted butter yellow, laying tile.

“I’m uncertain how me wanting new towels, a floor, and backsplashes translated into you gutting the entire kitchen,” I remarked, popping the tab on my Fanta.

“Is that you askin’ me why I’m doin’ something?”

I grinned. “Yeah.”