Laying a Foundation: Bonus volume: Includes series prequel, The Groundbreaking (The Love Under Construction Series) (45 page)

“Well, I think Daddy outdid himself on the barbecue this year,” Annabeth said with pride.

“He certainly did,” Nikki said, attempting to make conversation.

“Now how would you know, little girl?” Tony asked her. “You’ve never had my barbecue before.”

Something in Nikki’s gut turned.
Oh, god,
she thought,
he’s trying to tell me I won’t get another chance to find out.
She felt her eyes well.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t let them see you cry,
she repeated in her head. Tony looked over at her, an odd expression on his face, and she turned away. She couldn’t take his gaze right then. And all over some stupid dinner rolls. Who would’ve thought some stupid bread would be her undoing? She tried to breathe, but it was getting more difficult.

“Son, I also think you did a fine job,” Raffaella echoed. She sat on the other side of Nikki and, surprisingly, she patted Nikki on the hand. Nikki tried to hide her shock.

“Thanks. I enjoy doing this for everybody. It’s my gift to all of you.” Tony took another bite, beaming, and looked at his youngest and smallest brother. “Bennie, I’m glad you guys could be here. I’ve missed you.”

Bennie gave a curt, “Thanks, bro.” Caroline smiled a tiny smile.

“Well, I, for one, am glad to be included in this family.” Vic sat on the other side of Raffaella, and she hugged Vic and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Zia Raffie,” he said and kissed her back.

Nikki didn’t try to say anything else during the meal. She had no stomach for her food either. Anything she tried to swallow made a knot in her throat and she almost choked, so she resigned herself to going hungry. She grew more heartsick with every passing moment, but she comforted herself with the knowledge that it would be over soon. Of course, then she’d have to deal with Tony’s anger with her, and things weren’t looking too good in that regard.

Annabeth, Katie, Brittany, and Raffaella tried to help Nikki clear the tables, but she shooed them away. “No, this is your annual family gathering. Go, go. Have a good time, visit with everybody. I’ll take care of this.” They retreated, and she was finally alone in the kitchen.

She leaned against the countertop and took a huge, heaving breath. The window over the sink looked out over the back yard, and she could see everyone out on the patio, laughing and talking. No one even realized she wasn’t there. She’d been so stupid, actually thinking her life could change, that she could be a part of a family like this and be happy and loved. It had been nice while it lasted, but along comes some dinner rolls, and what’s a girl to do? She swallowed hard as her heart broke. Then she felt someone near her elbow and turned.

Caroline stood at the counter next to her, latex gloves on her hands, holding a dish brush. The tiny blond scraped food off of the plates into the sink where the disposal was, then stacked them on the counter. Nikki looked at her, and she smiled a sad smile back and kept scraping. Then she peered back out the window, and she heard Caroline say in a small voice, “It’s okay. They don’t like me either.” Turning back to look at Caroline, a tear escaped one of Nikki’s eyes and ran down her cheek. Caroline continued to scrape the dishes. The two women stood in silence.

“I like you, Caroline,” Nikki finally said quietly. “And so do Tony and the kids; they love you. Thank you for being kind to me.”

“I know what it’s like to not have one single kind soul to come to your aid. I always try to be kind when I can.” She smiled. “What else can I do to help?”

That did it. Nikki began to sob; she couldn’t help it. She felt Caroline’s hand on her back, and she tried to get herself under control, but she couldn’t manage it. Caroline patted her shoulder and told her, “Now, run upstairs and pull yourself together. We wouldn’t want them to see you like this. Go on now. I’ve got this.” She went back to work, loading the plates into the dishwasher.

Nikki whispered, “Thanks,” then hugged the little blond and hurried to the stairs. As she passed through the foyer, she saw Raffaella coming out of the downstairs bathroom, and Raffaella smiled at her and turned back out toward the patio.
What must she think of me?,
Nikki wondered. She made it to the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Nikki rinsed her face, reapplied her makeup, and brushed her hair. Looking down, she realized she’d spilled something on her top, so she pulled another one out and changed. As she was getting ready to go back downstairs, the door opened and Tony walked in, closing it behind him.

“Babe, where’ve you been?” he asked in curiosity. “I was missing you. You weren’t in the kitchen. Caroline told me you were up here.” She steeled herself for whatever he was going to say, and the fear and uncertainty were plain on her face. That’s when his curiosity turned to concern. “You okay?”

Nikki drew in a shuddering breath and straightened as well as she could. “Look, Tony, before you say anything, I’m sorry,” she started, but she couldn’t hold back the tears. “I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t mean to do it. I just didn’t know. I know it was stupid. I messed everything up. It won’t happen again. Please, please,” she pleaded, “please, whatever you do, please don’t embarrass me in front of all of them, okay? Wait until they’re gone. Then you can say whatever you like to me, do whatever you like, send me away. But please don’t humiliate me. Please?” She felt nauseous and had started to shake all over.

Tony’s eyes went round, his eyebrows shot up, and his mouth dropped open. “What in the hell are you talking about, sweetie?”

“Oh, Tony, I know I messed everything up. I know Molly’s mad – Freddie’s probably mad too. I know Bart and Kathy and Vic were just trying to be nice to me. They think I’m an idiot too. And the girls practically tore me a new one – I deserved it. I’m so stupid. But please, oh, god, please don’t leave me!” Her knees buckled and she dropped down onto the floor, trembling all over.

“What the . . . baby, what in the hell are you talking about?” Tony dropped to his knees in front of her and gathered her against him. “I’m not mad at you! Why would you think that?”

She sobbed and choked. “The rolls . . . you were mad when you found out. And you didn’t talk to me all through dinner. I’m so sorry.” She sobbed harder and dissolved in his arms.

“You thought I was . . .” Tony laughed. “I wasn’t mad, princess. I was trying to make light of it. I couldn’t figure out why anybody was all worked up about those rolls – they’re terrible! The ones you bought were fifty times better. I didn’t see it as any big deal. It was actually kind of funny. Molly’s such a bitch – serves her right.”

“But at dinner? You didn’t say a word to me . . .”

“I’m sorry, honey.” He tried to comfort her by smoothing her hair. “I had no idea you thought I was mad. I was just hungry! I hadn’t had anything but beer since breakfast, and I was starving. Clayton was too – did you notice he didn’t have much to say either? That’s why – that’s all. As for the girls? They were just giving you shit, so all I can say about that is, welcome to the family.”

Nikki shuddered and took a deep breath, a sob still bubbling in her throat. “So we’re okay? I mean, you and me? Okay?”

“Yeah, there wasn’t a time when we weren’t, honey.” He wiped the tears off her face, then reached over to the dresser and grabbed a tissue. “Here – blow.” Nikki blew her nose into the tissue.
God, I must be a real mess!,
she thought. “Better?” She nodded. “Okay, well, we’ve got to get back downstairs or they’re going to wonder where we are. And I don’t want them knowing you were upset, okay? I want them to know how strong you are. Don’t let Molly ruffle you – stand up to her.” He stood and pulled her to her feet. “Ready?”

“No! God no. I have to fix my makeup and my hair again. You go on – I’ll be down in a minute.” Nikki released his hand and he walked to the door. He opened it to go out, then closed it back and turned to face her.

“What?” she choked out, terrified he’d remembered some other mess she’d made.

Tony crossed the room back to her and took both her hands in his. “I was going to wait until later, but I want to do this now.”
Oh, god, what now?,
she thought, her heartbeat racing again. “Nikki, will you move in with me? As soon as possible? I don’t want to wake up one single morning without you beside me. You don’t have to answer right now, just think about it, okay?”

“I don’t have to think about it.” She took a deep breath. “If Walters Construction has a truck I can use, I’ll move tomorrow.”

Tony laughed, picked her up, and spun her around, then kissed her. “Baby, I love you so much!”

She threw her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “You have no idea how much I love you back.”

“Where’s Nikki?” Mark asked. “I was hoping we’d all get to know her a little better.”

Tony popped the top on another beer and sat down on the end of one of the chaise lounges on the patio. “Got something on her clothes while she was straightening up the kitchen. Changing. She’ll be down in a minute.” He took a draw on the bottle. He’d noticed she’d changed, so that sounded better than
She was bawling ten minutes ago and she’s pulling herself together.
If he had anything to say about it, they’d never know they’d gotten to her, especially Molly. He’d known the stress of the day would get to her, but the thing with the rolls had pushed her over the edge. He hadn’t paid enough attention to her, hadn’t been supportive enough, and he wouldn’t make that mistake again.

They were all chatting and laughing, enjoying the warm breeze coming across the patio. Freddie was telling everyone about a new car he was looking to buy and was in mid-sentence when he dropped his voice and growled, “Holy shit!” Everyone turned to get the same view he had. Vic whispered, “Oh, wow!” Molly scowled. Tony turned too, and a long, low whistle escaped his lips.

Nikki stood on the steps leading to the patio, and she looked unsure as to whether or not she should join everyone. After Tony had left the bedroom, she’d changed again, this time into a black, bustier-type camisole, and she’d pulled a sheer, lacy, red and black top over it. Her black diamond pendant shone against her creamy breastbone, but the guys were mostly staring at her legs, shown off to perfection under some skin-tight capris. Her red toenails matched her top. She’d pulled the sides of her glittering hair back low into an elastic band and tied a black ribbon around it. As she glanced around, she fidgeted with her nails, clicking them together, and she tried to decide what she should do, where she should go. With everyone staring at her, it was even harder to feel comfortable.
Somebody say something,
she thought.
Please!

“Ah, there’s my baby now!” Tony called out, finally coming to his senses. He stood and closed the gap between them in less than a second, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her as he lifted her off the flagstone. When he set her back down, he took her hand and led her back to the chaise, where he sat down and drew her onto his lap. “Everybody, we’ve got an announcement to make. Sweetie, why don’t you tell them?”

Nikki looked into Tony’s face, and he nodded and smiled. She addressed the family in a voice barely over a whisper. “Tony asked me to move in with him.”

“And?” Annabeth squealed.

Nikki was beaming. “Oh, I said yes, of course.” Tony’s arms tightened around her waist, and she hugged them to her.

“Well, it’s about time!” Clayton said as Annabeth, Katie, and Brittany jumped up and ran to Tony and Nikki, hugging them, each other, and anyone else who’d hug them back in their excitement. One by one, the brothers and their wives hugged Nikki and Tony and congratulated them.

Then, over the ruckus, they heard the sound of crystal ringing and turned to see Raffaella standing, wine glass raised, gently tapping a spoon from the dessert table against it. When they quieted, she spoke.

“For more years than I can count, I have wished for my sons, all of them, to be happy. It seemed all of them had found happiness – all but one. Today, we celebrate the birth of my adopted homeland and my pride at being a citizen of the greatest nation in the world. But we also celebrate the happiness Antonio has finally found with this lovely woman. Nikki, welcome to our family, and thank you for finally bringing my son happiness.” She raised her glass, as did everyone else.

Tony lowered his face to Nikki’s and pressed his forehead against hers. “Well, baby,” he smiled, “if there was any question before, this locks it – looks like you’re in!”