Chapter 7
Waking up the next morning, I wake up and smell breakfast being cooked. I walk downstairs and see mama at the stove and when she sees me, she walks over and hugs me. "Morning baby." she says. "Morning mama. Can I help?" I ask and she nods. "So, he's really serious about marrying you." she tells me. "I guess so." I say. "What is it?" she asks. "Mama, before we came here, I slept with him. It was amazing and perfect and he's been so patient with me. He's doing everything to show me that he's serious and that he wants this but why can't I let myself believe him?" I ask. "Honey, what you went through, that's not something that goes away overnight. You have to give yourself time to get your heart and your mind right. It's going to take you a while to fully trust anyone. Not just him. But you will get there." she tells me. "I hope so. I know he asked me to give him a year but mama, what if he gets tired of me before then?" I ask. "I see the way he looks at you. Baby, to him, no one else exists. Do you know what he asked me when he asked to speak to me?" she asks and I say "He asked for permission to marry me." She nods and says "He did but did he tell you what else he asked?" I shake my head no. "He asked me if I would be open to moving to Italy with you because he plans on giving you a house full of kids and knows you are going to want me there." she says. I start laughing and say "Judging by the size of his house, I'll never not be pregnant." and she laughs with me.
After we get breakfast done, she starts setting the table and I walk to the guest room. Knocking on the door, Nico opens the door and I say "Breakfast is ready." He kisses my cheek and heads downstairs. I walk into my room and see Mas lying on his back with one hand behind his head and the other on his stomach. "Aren't you going to tell me good morning baby girl?" he asks, eyes still closed. I smile softly and walk over to the bed. Climbing up, I lay down next to him and he whisper "Good morning Mas." He kisses me softly as he wraps his arms around me and I lay there a second before saying "Breakfast is done." He puts his forehead to mine and asks "Are you okay?" I nod and say "Yeah. Still trying to get my head right." I tell him. "You will baby girl. I promise." he tells me. "I know." I say softly. "We better head down." I say and pull away from him but he grabs my hand gently, stopping me. Before he can ask, I say "I'm okay." He pulls me to him and kisses me softly before we head downstairs.
After breakfast, I get a shower and dressed and we head to the funeral home to pay our respects to my father. As soon as we all walk in, my grandmother walks up and hugs my mother and then Nico. She sees me and smiles softly. "Il mio miracolo." she says softly and the tears start to fall. "Nonna." I say softly before she pulls me into a tight hug. When we pull away a little she asks. "How are you?" I smile softly and say "Better. Mom sent me to live with Nico and his best friend...my boyfriend." say even softer. "Boyfriend?" she asks and smirks at me. I turn and hold my hand out for Mas. He takes my hand as he walks closer to me and I move into his side. "Nonna, this is my boyfriend Massimo Toricelli. Mas, this is my grandmother, Juliana." I introduce them. "It is very nice to meet you." he says. She hugs him and says "Nice to meet you too." she says. After introducing him to the family, we head into the chapel.
After listening to the priest talk about what a good man and father he was, I lower my head remembering what an embarrassment I was to him when I hear Mas whisper in my ear "You are absolutely perfect baby girl. You have no clue how much you mean to me." I look up at him and he kisses my forehead and I look back at my father's casket. After the service, I asked to have a moment alone with my father's body to say my final goodbye and was granted my request. "Are you sure you want to do this alone?" Mas asks. "I need to. I won't be long." I tell him. Kissing me softly, he lets go of my hand and I walk into room where my father's body is. I look at him for a minute and I say "I don't know what I did to make you hate me so much but, now, I don't care. I finally found someone that wants me Daddy. Someone that wants to marry me and give me kids but I promise you this. When I have my kids, they will never know who you are and I will never make them feel the way you made me feel. I hope you rot in hell Daddy." I say before turning and walking out of the room, fighting off the tears.
il mio miracolo=my miracle