BY CHANCE NOT CHOICE: Marco's Choice - Moretti Brothers Series Book Two (16 page)

“Okay, Yoshio has done something unforgiveable.” 

“I already know.  He’s the reason I have to go through these treatments.” 

“Wait, Yoshio was the one who poisoned you?” Muri yelled.  “He is going to pay for what he’s done.  First you, then Kimi…” 

“What do you mean Kimi?  What has he done to Kimi?”  Ken asked as he feared the worst.  “Father, Yoshio was responsible for an explosion on the Takahashi jet.  Takeo found out about it and we switched planes.  We used Mr. Dominic Moretti’s plane.  Takeo had ordered all the crew off the plane but they didn’t get the order and Kimi and the two pilots died in the explosion,” Kiyomi explained. 

Ken Sato was furious.  Yoshio tried to eliminate his entire family. He was going to pay. 

“Father, I need to talk to you about something else, the real reason I came to the US, but first I need to you to tell me about my mother and how you found me.” 

“I told you this story many times before.  Why the sudden interest?” 

“When you came and got me, did my adoptive mother say anything to you about my birth?” 

“No, I was so angry that your mother just gave my baby away.  I didn’t really ask her.  My main concern was getting you back.  You were all I had left from…” He rested his head against his pillow.

“Left from what, father?”  

“Left from your mother,” he said just above a whisper. 

Kiyomi placed her father’s hand inside her and began to softly rub it.

“Father, I recently found out that I have a sister.” 

Her father looked at her with a confused look that quickly turned to anger.  “I never fathered any other children.  There is just you and Muri.  If some other woman has come forward claiming to be my child she is lying.” 

“Father, what I’m trying to say is when mother had me she also had another baby, I have a twin.” 

Ken looked at her astonished.  “What do you mean, another baby?  Are you sure?  You know that people run scams all the time.  What proof do you have that she is your sister?”  Ken asked defiantly.  “She’s here.  Can I let her come in and you can see for yourself and talk to her?”  Kiyomi asked. 

Ken did not speak.  After a few seconds he just nodded his head.  “Muri, can you please ask Victoria to come in please?”   Muri stood and walked out the room.  A few seconds later, she walked back into the room with Victoria behind her.  Ken’s eyes widen and he moved his head back and forth between Kiyomi and Victoria.  Victoria moved closer to the bed and Ken had to sit up to get a closer look.  “Oh my God,” he whispered.  “Father, this is Victoria Moretti, your daughter.”  A single tear slid down his cheek as he stared at his daughter.  “It is very nice to meet you, Victoria,” he said as he extended his hand, not knowing how to greet his daughter that he was meeting for the first time.

Victoria looked at her father for the first time and there was an instant familiarity.  He was a very handsome man and she noticed immediately where she got her hazel colored eyes.  Her eyes filled with water as her heart swelled with love for the father she never knew.   Ken was not sure how he should greet her so he extended his hand and Victoria hugged him instead.  Ken wrapped his arms around her as he allowed his tears to fall.  After a few moments he composed himself and pulled back to get a closer look at her.  The resemblance was amazing.  He ran his hand along her cheek.  “You two are as beautiful as your mother.  How is this possible?  I don’t understand.  The records I received only had one child listed.”  Ken said as he racked his brain remembering when he found out that his baby was alive.  “We can explain it all when you get out of here.  Right now you need to rest and get your strength up to meet your grandbabies,” Kiyomi said as she smiled at Victoria.  Ken’s eyes widened again. “Grandchildren?” 

“Yes.  My husband and I have triplets and they are about to turn two years old.  She looked at Kiyomi and smiled, “…and I have one on the way.”  Victoria wasn’t sure if Kiyomi was ready to discuss her pregnancy with their father yet.  Ken’s face beamed with pride for his grandchildren that he has yet to meet.  They continued their conversation until the doctor entered and announced that the treatments were successful and Ken could go home in a few days.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The next day, Takeo and Kiyomi were sitting in the examination room at Victoria’s doctor’s office waiting for an ultrasound.   Dr. Kelly came in and introduced herself. 

“So let’s see how your baby is doing,” Dr. Kelly said with a smile. The doctor’s office had already done the preliminary examination.  The doctor squeezed the gel on Kiyomi’s belly as she looked nervously at Takeo.  She spoke softly in Japanese, “I’m scare Takeo.  What if there is something wrong.”  He gave a slight squeeze to her hand that he had been holding since they entered the doctor’s office.  He kissed her gently on the forehead and responded in Japanese.  “Do not worry.  You and the baby are going to be fine.”  Dr. Kelly paused as they spoke.  She was just getting use to Kiyomi looking exactly like her other patient, Victoria.  Now to hear her speak Japanese so fluently, it caught her by surprise.   She smiled as she continued to apply the gel.  As soon as she placed the doppler on her stomach, you could hear a strong heartbeat. 

              The sound of the baby’s heartbeat seemed really fast for Takeo as he looked at the doctor.  The doctor’s eyes were glued to the screen and continued to move the doppler without saying anything. 

“Is everything okay Dr. Kelly? Takeo asked trying to be strong but was getting nervous.  After a few grueling seconds, the doctor looked at the couple and smiled.

“I have really good news, Mom and Dad.  You are expecting twins,” she said as she tilted the screen towards them.  They looked at each other in both elated and shocked.   Takeo never imagined they would be having twins.  He was unable to contain his smile.  His heart filled with even more love for the woman who was giving him this beautiful gift.  He kissed her on the lips with more passion than he would have normally done in public.  Kiyomi looked at the man she loved and her heart swelled.  The love was so powerful that even the doctor could feel it as she smiled at the couple in love.  Takeo was concerned with the sound of the heartbeat.

“Is it normal for the heartbeat to be so fast?” Takeo asked.

“You are hearing both heartbeats and yes, the heartbeats are strong, and that’s normal.  Now would you like to know the sex of the babies?”  Takeo and Kiyomi looked at each other and said yes simultaneously. The doctor smiled as she pointed to the screen and showed them that they were having a boy and agirl.  They were extremely excited.  Takeo kissed Kiyomi on the lips as tears of joy ran down her face.   Once they returned to the house, they announced their incredible news.  While Victoria was excited she was not surprised.  The entire family went to dinner to celebrate. 
 
Two days later Ken was released from the hospital, Dominic and Victoria insisted that he stay at their house.  Over the next week, Ken, Kiyomi, and Muri bonded with their new extended family.  They had been back a few days and although Victoria talked to her best friend by phone, she missed her and needed to get the issue between Muri and Monica resolved. 

After breakfast on Friday morning, Kiyomi, Victoria, and Muri sat in the family room watching the babies play when Victoria turned to Muri and said, “So what happened between you and Marco to cause my best friend to break off the engagement to the man she loves?” Muri instantly put her head down.   She was really ashamed of her actions and felt bad that issue still lingered without resolution.  “I’m really sorry that I hurt your friend.  That was not my intent, but what happened is completely my fault.  I was briefly engaged to the man I had secretly loved most of my life.  We had been engaged all of two days when he called off the engagement.  I guess I wasn’t totally surprised because he is in love with my big sister.” 

She looked over at Kiyomi who did not respond.  “Well that night I got drunk and didn’t want to go home so I had my security team take me to the condominium.  I remember the guard giving them a key to an available condominium and they dropped me off.  I went straight to the bedroom and remember starting to undress because I wanted a shower.  I guess they didn’t check the bedroom because I was already in there half dressed.  They said good night and left.  I remember taking off all but my bra and panties and deciding against a shower.  I walked towards the bed when I saw a sleeping figure in the bed.  I walked towards the bed and noticed that it was the man who came with the woman from the US.  I could see his amazing chest so I walked over to the bed and lifted the sheet.  He was completely nude and looking incredibly sexy.” Muri sigh
t
ed deeply remembering the sight of his body. Muri continued. “I needed someone that night and I figured he was sleep so he was safe.  I just wanted to lay beside him for a few minutes but I fell asleep and the next thing I remember is him pulling me on top of him saying, ‘Did you miss me, baby?’ I now know he thought I was Monica.  I froze because I have never actually had…” she didn’t complete the sentence. 

“Are you telling me you are still a virgin, Muri?” asked a surprised Kiyomi. 

“Why is that so hard to believe, Ki?  It’s not like I had a lot of prospects in Tokyo.” 

“But you have had several boyfriends and you flirt a lot,” Kiyomi said putting the emphasis on “a lot.’ 

“So does that make me a whore?” Muri asked and Kiyomi instantly regretted her last statement.  “Of course not. I guess if I had made more of an effort to be close to you, you would have felt comfortable enough to talk to me about this.  I’m sorry Muri,” she said as she hugged her sister. 

“Like I said, he pulled me on top of him and I froze, when he looked me in the face and realized I was not who he thought I was and he pushed me to the side and Monica walked in.  He stood immediately and that made the situation worst because he was naked.  I’ve wanted to tell her what happened but she has ignored and avoided me this entire trip. 

Victoria looked at both women.  “I need to make sure my friend is okay.  Let’s take a ride.”  Victoria called the nanny for the triplets and asked her to keep the babies until she returned.  Victoria knocked on Dominic’s office door and walked in.  Domini and Takeo were talking.  “The ladies and I are going for a ride.  We will be back soon.”

“I will accompany you,” Takeo offered.

“Okay, thanks, but no.  We have a driver and where we are going is safe,” Victoria responded.

“You are not going to win that one Takeo, get used to it,” Dominic added.

Takeo nodded.  “I would like to speak with Kiyomi one moment please.”  He spoke to her softly in Japanese.  “How are you feeling?  I don’t want you over doing it.”

She kissed him softly on the lips.  “I feel better than I have in a long time.  I’ll be fine, Takeo, and we will be back soon.” He rubbed her stomach and kissed her again before she walked to join the other two women.  “I still can’t believe you are pregnant, and by Takeo, and twins no less.  He is handsome and I can tell he really loves you, but he always seems so serious,” Muri said as they walked to the car.  Kiyomi only smiled as she thought about that side of Takeo that only she knew about.  That side of him that was compassionate and sweet.  Takeo was also a very passionate man.

The car pulled up to Monica’s residence and the driver opened the door for the ladies.  They walked up to Monica’s door and Victoria rang the bell before using her key to let herself in.  They all stood in the living room as Victoria yelled out for Monica.  “Mo!”  There was no response and Victoria walked to the bedroom.  She found her friend sleeping, with tissues all over the bed.  Apparently, she had cried herself to sleep.  She sat on the bed with her friend and began to rub her hair out of her face.  Monica woke up slightly startled but saw her friend and began to cry again.  Victoria held her friend.  “Don’t cry sweetie,” she said as she moved her messy hair out of her face.  “We need to talk.  Why don’t you get a shower and I’ll make you something to eat.”  Victoria stood and helped her friend up and prompted her in the direction of the shower.  Monica stood in the shower and let the hot strays of water run down her body.  She really needed to get a grip.  There are plenty of men out there and she was stressed out over a no good cheating bastard.  Tears sprang to her eyes because she still loved him and wanted him back in her life, especially now.  She finished her shower and got dressed in a tee shirt and jeans.  She did feel better after the shower.  She walked into her living room and her mood instantly changed when she saw the woman who slept with her man.

              “What is she doing here?” Monica asked angrily.  “I want you out of my house now.  Just because you are Vic’s sister doesn’t mean you are welcomed into my home.  Now get…” 

“Mo, please listen to us before you put her out,” Victoria pleaded.  “Vic, why should I listen, I know what I saw.  The image is burnt in my brain,” she said as her eyes filled with unshed tears that she did not want to give this woman the satisfaction of seeing. 

Victoria sat on the sofa.  “Mo, come sit with me.”  Victoria wanted to put distance between Muri and Monica before the situation escalated.   Monica sat next to Victoria as she took Monica’s hand and began to rub it.  “Muri, please tell Monica what really happened in the condominium that night with you and Marco.” Victoria said softly. “I don’t want to hear this shit. I want her out of my house before I forget she is your sister and show her how Philly girls handle this type of situation.”  Victoria looked at Monica and rolled her eyes.  “Really Mo?  Are you really going to go ‘hood’ on me over a man?  That’s not even your personality to behave that way.  Now please sit with me and listen to what Muri has to say.”  Victoria looked at her friend with pleading eyes. “Please.”

Monica sat back down and listened as Muri explained what happened.  Monica sat extremely quiet until Muri finished.  Monica inwardly sighed, but she was still angry.  Muri continually apologized throughout the conversation, taking responsibly for her behavior but asked that she not continue to blame Marco.  “Thank you for coming over but I have a lot of work to complete,” Monica said as she stood.  Victoria knew her friend; they needed to give her time to process what was said.  Victoria stood.  “I expect to see you at the house this evening. Everyone is going to be there and I can’t keep explaining away your absence.  You know Francesca will be over here if she doesn’t see you tonight, and do you really want that?”  Victoria asked as she caused Monica to smile for the first time in several days.  Francesca was Dominic’s baby sister, a free spirit who was in everyone’s business and could talk you into doing anything.   She also had no filter, whatever she thought she said.  “I will see you tonight,” Monica said because she could not take Francesca tonight by herself.

Everyone was still getting use to seeing Victoria and Kiyomi in the same room.  The babies took an instant liking to their new aunt.  Francesca bonded fast with Muri.  Muri quickly realized what everyone meant about Francesca, but that was an endearing trait for Muri who liked her even more.  Fran was able to show her around town. Monica did come over later, and while she was not ready to become chummy with Muri, she managed to be cordial.  She continued to avoid Marco but she could feel his stare when she entered a room where he was.  Before she left for the evening, Marco gently tugged at her arm. “Can I speak to you in private?” he asked in that deep sexy voice that she missed.  “I can’t right now,” she said and he could see her eyes began to water.  He decided not to upset her in front of everyone.  He released her arm and walked in the other room.

Takeo had a long and private conversation with Ken Sato. Both men came to an understanding not only about his intentions towards Kiyomi but also how to deal with Yoshio. Takeo let Ken know that he loved Kiyomi and would do anything to keep her and his unborn child safe.  Ken already knew that to be true by Takeo’s actions. Takeo was able to keep his daughters safe when he was unable to.   In the end Takeo asked for his Kiyomi’s hand in marriage and Ken agreed.   There was a large celebration planned on Sunday for all of their family and friends to introduce their new family members before the scheduled a press conference that following week. 

It was Saturday and Muri was still feeling down about the loss of her friend.  Francesca declared that a girl’s night out was needed.  She suggested a jazz club, because of the laid back atmosphere, since some the women were pregnant and probably not in the mood for loud nightclub music.  Kiyomi, Victoria, Monica, Muri, Jacqueline, Victoria’s other best friend, and Francesca were all going. Normally, Maria, Dominic’s oldest sister, would go but she was out of town.  The ladies decided to meet at Victoria and Dominic’s home.  Jacqueline was the last to arrive with the love of her life, Kevin, Dominic’s best friend.   Kevin greeted all of the women and Victoria told him the men were gathered in Dominic’s office.  Jacqueline sat on the sofa and asked, “So where are we going tonight?”  She was the oldest of all the ladies but she wore a red snug fitted dress that showed she still had the body of a woman in her twenties.  Monica stood by the mantle in a short black dress with a low scooped back.  Victoria and Kiyomi both decided to wear something sexy but comfortable.  Victoria decided on a cream colored wrap dressed with tee straps while Kiyomi wore a loose fitting champagne colored halter dress that brought out the color of her eyes.  Fran and Muri had gone shopping earlier that day and they both decided to wear maxi skirts. Fran wore a tee strap blouse while Muri decided on a strapless one. 

The woman were all beautiful in their own right as they all gathered in the living room ready to leave when the men emerged from the office.  They decided to join the women at the club.  Dominic arranged for them to have a private section of the club.  “Oh no, you guys are not invading our time.  It’s supposed to be girls’ night.  No men will approach us if all of you are there.” Francesca protested as she motioned her hand towards Dominic, Kevin, Takeo, Suri, Marco, and Rafael.  “And why are you going?” she asked looking at Rafael.  “Aren’t you too old to go to clubs?  “That’s enough Fran, you are being disrespectful.” Dominic scolded her as he stood near Victoria where a silk black button down shirt and black fitted slacks showed off his incredible physique.  “I’m never going to meet my future husband hanging out with my brothers,” she huffed.  “You’re never going to meet a future husband acting like a child,” Rafael joined in.  Francesca flopped on the sofa in protest and folded her arms.