Page 74 of Family Secrets

Chapter Thirty-One

Gino slipped his father’s cufflinks through the slots on his shirt. In the end, they were the only possession he kept of his. The Vitale estate had sold in less than an hour, a collector from France offering a full cash offer, which Gino gladly accepted. Gino put every penny in the bank, waiting for the day he found a new house to call home; one he hoped he and Elizabeth would pick out together.

“I’m told when you were little, every time your father couldn’t find those cufflinks, he’d send one of the men to your room to retrieve them as he knew you’d stolen them once again.”

Gino loved the cufflinks, there was nothing special about them, no jewels or initials, just a blank silver circle. He recalled watching his father dress for what he assumed were meetings, thinking if he wore the cufflinks, he could be as big and as brave as his father. It seemed so long ago to Gino, a time where he thought his father was the strongest, most powerful man in all the world.

“I’m so sorry he treated you so poorly,” Gino admitted to Chiara. “And I swear, this is as close to my father as I will ever become.”

Chiara shared a smile with her son as she helped him to secure his cuffs, “Good, because Elizabeth received some news today I think you should know about.”

Sitting heavily on the edge of his bed, a sinking feeling settling heavy in his stomach. Since returning from their trip to the Hamptons, he and Elizabeth had struggled to find balance between his work and her classes. They’d had several arguments, one or two of them heated after plans to get together fell through. “Is something wrong?”

“Apparently, a young man, Jonah I believe she said his name was,” Chiara waved her hand around. “An old boyfriend if I understand correctly.”

Gino knew exactly who Jonah Kelley was, and the extent of their relationship. Jonah was Elizabeth’s first love, and the last real connection to the seemingly normal life she had in Kansas.

“He’s become a single man.”

Fear gripped Gino square in the chest, his heart pounding so hard he could feel it in his head.

“How so?” Gino whispered, the skin around his left eye beginning to twitch.

“According to Elizabeth, the young lady he was engaged to, had a baby last week. During the celebration of the birth, the child’s real father burst into the room giving undisputed proof the infant was his, and not Jonah’s.”

Gino's throat felt thick. Reaching up, he pulled at his tie, the edged of his vision wavering.

“Is she…” he paused, his tongue too heavy to continue. “Is she going back to Kansas?”

Chiara held back a smile, she’d begged Elizabeth to allow her to share the news with Gino, her maternal need to remind her son the world did not center around him. “Oh, heavens no, Giovanni. I’ve never seen anyone laugh as hard as Elizabeth did. She deleted her social media from her phone and shouted it was a call for celebration as Karma really does come around.”

Gino sighed in relief, not caring if his mother saw his weakened state. He loved Elizabeth with everything in him. He’d respected Emilio’s conditions about giving her the space she needed to settle into her new life. Being the supportive boyfriend and not the cocky, sex-crazed man he notoriously was. It angered him each time he saw her profile still active, the connection to her previous life he wished she would sever.

Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved the ring his mother gave him when they were cleaning out his father’s safe. The two-carat princess cut was an Amato family heirloom, stolen from Chiara’s dressing table the night before Jonathan was tossed out of the country.

“She’s going to love it, Giovanni,” Chiara assured, not used to seeing this side of her son.

Pinching it between his fingers, “I slipped it on her finger about a month ago when she fell asleep watching a movie. Just to see if it fit.”

“And?”

Shoving the ring back into the box and his pocket. “Like it was made for her,” Gino choked.

Chiara pulled Gino into her arms, “Only one way to find out if she feels the same.”

* * *

Elizabeth had never seen somany suits in one room in her life. The last formal event she’d attended was her senior prom, and, with the school located in a rural area, the majority of the guys were dressed in jeans and pressed shirts. As she walked around the room, she recalled how Jonah spent most of the dance in the parking lot getting drunk with his friends. Lifting her glass of champagne to her lips, she wondered how many of those good ‘ole boys helped him numb the sting of Karen’s betrayal?When Jonah’s instant message popped up a few days ago, she’d ignored his pleading for a second chance and deleted her account.

Looking across the room, her eyes landed on her father, his deep laugh, which always brought a smile to her face, was impossible to ignore. He’d been generous with her, much like Giovanni, giving her time to adjust her sails and become comfortable in her skin.

Scanning the room, her eyes land on Gia talking with a young man Elizabeth didn’t recognize. She considered rushing over, telling the poor guy he was wasting his time, but the smile on Gia’s face kept her rooted in her spot. While she and Gino were away in the Hamptons, Gia stumbled upon a crack in the security system for Blind Date, and managed to get the real first name of Chess Guy. They’d moved their conversations from the messenger to a program from a well-known search engine, allowing them to keep their anonymity while getting to know one another better.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

Elizabeth closed her eyes, allowing her body the pleasure of submitting to Giovanni’s embrace. Melting into the caress of his lips on the shell of her ear, and the way his hands skimmed under her breasts.

“Once or twice,” Elizabeth admitted, turning in his arms to face him.

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