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Chapter Three
(Dante's POV)
"It's New Year's Day. We should be at a bar eating buffalo wings, drinking beer and watching football," Lucky groaned as he packed up a duffle bag on top of his desk. "Instead, I have the distinct pleasure of driving halfway across the state to pick up a prisoner and bring him back here to testify against some other dirt bag tomorrow."
I rolled my eyes at his attitude. He had been in a miserable mood all week without explanation. I realized that he had been spent Christmas sick and alone, which would make anybody feel bad, but I couldn't shake him out of it. Granted, I was not exactly giving it all of my energy due to my own distraction.
My trip to Bensonhurst had been incredible up until the moment that I ruined it by kissing Lulu. When she had gone inside the restaurant to clean up, I had a brief glimpse of hope that she would be alright with what had happened between us – that we could figure out a way to move forward. But when I got a text message from her thirty minutes later explaining that there was an emergency at work and she needed to get back to Port Charles right away, I knew that there was not going to be a simple resolution.
"Are you even listening to me?"
I blinked a few times to bring myself back to reality and nodded. "Sorry, man. I think I need some sleep or something. I don't know where my mind is."
"You and me both," he sighed, zipping his bag and picking it up in his hands. "Look, I need you to do me a favor. Drive by the house later and make sure everything looks alright."
"Your house?" I questioned. "Why? Isn't your sister going to be there?"
"Yeah," he affirmed, leading me to the door. "Just check in with her."
I had texted, called and emailed Lulu more times than I could count since my return to Port Charles. Her lack of response was giving me a pretty clear answer that she was not interested in talking to me. It sucked, but I had to respect her wishes. So stopping by unannounced to check up on her at her brother's request was not topping my list of great ideas.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea…"
"Why not?" Lucky questioned.
Well, Lucky, I kissed your little sister over Christmas. It was amazing, but now she's not talking to me. That response definitely was not going to work. By that point, I was sure that Lucky was going to pick up on my discomfort surrounding the topic at hand.
"It's just… look, she probably won't like it that you have me checking up on her. She's a grown woman."
"I don't want you to babysit or anything," he defended. "Just make up an excuse and pop in. She's had a rough week."
My heart sunk when he described Lulu's week as being rough. I felt terrible for making her life any harder than it already was by crossing the line and taking advantage of her in a vulnerable moment. And, to think, I almost thought she had felt something during that kiss.
"All the more reason to leave her alone."
Lucky groaned and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out his driver's license and shoved it in his pocket, then handed me the wallet.
"I forgot this at work. You have to return it to the house for me."
"That's ridiculous," I started.
"What's going on with you?" he questioned. "Did you and Lulu get in a fight or something? Is that why she came back early on her own?"
"No!" I denied vehemently. "Absolutely not! Nothing happened with me and Lulu. She just needed to get some work done, and my mom needed some help around the house, so we came back separately."
"Fine.. great, whatever. Look, I have to get on the road. Just bring the wallet back to my house and check in on Lulu. I owe you one!"
Without allowing me a chance to argue, he turned and walked out of the precinct, leaving me to figure out what I was going to say to Lulu when I saw her.
(Lulu's POV)
I walked into my house and made it exactly fourteen steps to the couch before collapsing on it out of exhaustion. Calling the past week chaotic was a gigantic understatement, and surprisingly, the massive wedding we had planned for the previous evening was the easiest part.
Maxie had been in an awful mood, making work ten times more difficult than it should have been. When we worked in sync, we split up the events with precision and actually found a way to enjoy ourselves doing it. But when one of us was off, which was usually my dramatic best friend, the workload seemed to double.
On top of work, I came back to Port Charles to the news that Ethan and Kristina were engaged. While I was trying desperately to be happy for my brother, I knew that he was going to have to face Kristina's family with the news. Telling Sonny Corinthos that he intended to marry his twenty-year-old daughter was a moment that Ethan was going to have to prepare for. While Lucky had spent most of the week trying to convince him that it was too soon to get married, I was working hard to remain neutral. Ethan and Kristina were adults making their own decision, and they were going to need support from someone.
I closed my eyes, prepared to let myself drift off to sleep, when my doorbell rang. I remained stationary, hoping that whoever it was would leave. But soon, the doorbell rang again, followed by incessant knocking. I rolled off of the couch and adjusted my hair before dragging myself to the door and opening it to find my brother's bride-to-be on the porch in tears.
"It was awful!" she cried, pushing her way into the house.
"What happened?" I asked, closing the door and following her inside to the couch. "Did you and Ethan get in a fight?"
"No," she sobbed, wiping her tears from her face. "Nothing like that. We invited my entire family to the my dad's restaurant to announce our engagement."
As soon as she said that much, I could picture how the evening played out, but when Ethan was not with Kristina, I needed to ask the most important question. After all, Kristina's father and brother-in-law were both dangerous men. "Is Ethan alright? I mean… is he physically well?"
"Dad freaked out, but he wouldn't hurt Ethan. At least not in front of all of us," she explained through her tears. "And my mom went totally insane. She started asking my dad to whisk me off to the island, which is completely ridiculous. I am an adult. I can make this decision without them. I just… just…"
"You want them to be there on your wedding day and be happy for you," I completed her sentence, digging in my purse and handing her a tissue. While I was never a huge romantic, I had dealt with my fair share of emotional brides.
"Exactly!" she agreed. "Ethan thinks we should just elope. Maybe he's right."
"I can understand how that would be easier," I started, getting on my feet. "But before you make any decisions, let me show you something."
I crossed the room to our dining room table, which was full of paperwork and portfolios that I had brought home from work. I started rummaging through everything until I found what Maxie and I referred to as our dream book. It was the first portfolio we had ever created, and we used it most often when a bride came in for her first consultation.
Kristina needed something to be excited about, and what would be more exciting for her than thinking about her dream wedding? I knew that if I gave her a little time to look at the book by herself, she would calm down enough to listen to her heart and make the right decision.
"This is it," I smiled, bringing the large book over to her. "Just take some time to breathe and look at this. I was actually going to jump in the shower before you got here. Is it alright with you if I do that quickly now?"
She was already enthralled with the first few pages of the book, which was very satisfying. "Of course."
"Great," I smiled. "I'll be back down in a little bit."
(Dante's POV)
I had left work with every intention of ignoring Lucky's request and going straight home. Lulu didn't need me showing up on her doorstep, especially not if she was having a rough week. If she wanted to talk to me, she would have answered the phone when I called or texted earlier in the week. She was avoiding me, and that gave me all of the answers I needed.
It wasn't until I got home and started cleaning my apartment that I reconsidered. I was digging through the box of Christmas gifts that I had brought back with me from Bensonhurst when I came across the necklace that my mother had given Lulu on Christmas morning.
They had never even met before, but my mom's gift brought Lulu to tears. What I had not realized was that my mom had done her research. She found Lulu's parents' wedding announcement online and purchased a necklace for Lulu that was almost identical to the one her mother wore on her wedding day. My mom insisted that she was just trying to find a personal gift, but I knew that she was trying to fill a void in Lulu's heart on Christmas.
When Lulu left early, she had forgotten to grab her gift from under the tree. As nervous as I had been about facing her after our kiss, it was only right that she have the necklace in her possession. So I grabbed Lucky's wallet and the necklace and got into my car, which led me to my current position on her front porch.
I knocked on the door and waited only a moment before it opened. Only, it wasn't Lulu on the other side. Kristina stood staring me in the face.
"Dante… come on in," she greeted, stepping aside to give me some space, "Lucky's not home."
"I know," I replied, entering the house and closing the door behind me. "He left his wallet at work, so I just wanted to drop it off so he had it when he gets back into town tomorrow."
"No problem. Lulu's in the shower upstairs," she explained, taking a seat on the couch and picking up a large book of wedding photos. "She should be down any minute if you want to wait."
"Are you interning with Lulu and Maxie or something?" I wondered out loud.
"No," she answered quickly, then realized why I had been asking. "Oh, this… I'm actually a client. Well, I guess I'm hoping to be a client. They haven't taken me on yet."
It took me a minute to process what Kristina was saying, but when I did, I felt my heart drop. There I was, sitting across from my sister who had no idea we were related. She was telling me that she was getting married, and I was terrified for her.
"You – you're engaged?"
She nodded. "Ethan proposed on Christmas Eve."
"Wow…" I exhaled. I knew that I had no right to tell her what to do. In that moment, I wished that I had come clean about being Sonny's son years ago just so that it would give me the opportunity to be a protective older brother. But I had made my decision, so I would have to stay calm. "Well, congratulations."
"Thanks," she offered me a huge smile, but it was accompanied with tears in her eyes.
"Hey, don't do that," I begged, unsure that I'd be able to watch her cry. "This is all happy news, right?"
"I know," she nodded, wiping her eyes. "It is. It's just… nobody has been really happy about it yet. I barely even know you, and your approval means so much…"
It took me a minute to piece together what she was talking about. Sonny and Alexis were both more than a little overprotective. Knowing my own shock about Kristina's impending nuptials, I could only imagine what kind of reaction she had received from the members of her family that she knew as family.
Before I could respond, I heard footsteps on the stairs. I looked back and said a silent prayer of gratitude that Lulu had interrupted the moment before I said something to Kristina that I couldn't take back.
"Hey Dante," she greeted me casually. The surprise of my sister's engagement had temporarily distracted me from the awkwardness about facing Lulu, but now that she was in the room, it all came back and hit me like a freight train. "What's up?"
"Uh.." I stumbled, trying to remember what my original intention for coming to her house was. "Lucky left his wallet… at work."
Lulu rolled her eyes, but fortunately, Kristina's cell phone rang and provided another distraction.
"It's Ethan," she announced. "I should probably leave."
"Are you sure?" Lulu asked. "We can talk more if you want."
"You've been really helpful. And after looking through this book, I realized that my wedding is going to be the best day of my life, even if my family can't be happy for me. Ethan is going to be my new family."
"That's great," Lulu replied with a smile, which changed the dread in my body back to nervous energy. Even in her sweatpants, she looked gorgeous. I had spent a week wondering why I was stupid enough to kiss her, and there I was, feeling the urge to do it all over again.
"When you're ready, we can start planning. That is, if you're open to letting me help," Lulu offered.
"Absolutely!" Kristina exclaimed, standing up and wrapping her arms around Lulu. "But you're not the wedding planner. You're a bridesmaid."
"Oh, I don't know…"
I could sense Lulu's hesitation about being in the bridal party. She was excellent at her job. She knew how to run the show behind the scenes. Putting on a big gown and walking down the aisle did not strike me as her idea of fun.
"All of our siblings are going to be in the wedding," Kristina insisted. "That's my first demand. We can talk about the rest soon, ok? I'm so excited to talk to Ethan and set a date!"
There was not a chance for anybody to argue. Kristina picked up her things and dashed out the front door, leaving Lulu with a look of confusion on her face. She turned to me and shook her head.
"So Lucky left his wallet at work, huh? Funny…. The last time he left town for a night, Ethan needed to stop by and get a book from Lucky's room. And the time before that… I think that was when one of your officers in uniform had to come by and hand-deliver his time card for a signature."
"Yeah, you'd think a detective wouldn't be so transparent," I offered with a grin. I pulled the necklace out of my pocket and handed it to her. "I was going to leave you alone, but then I got home and saw this."
She dangled it between her fingers and smiled. "Thanks, but you didn't need to return this gift to me after I've spent an entire week avoiding you."
Her honesty surprised me. We had been friends for years, so I knew that she was a pretty open book. But even the most open person in the world would deserve to be a little reserved considering the circumstances.
"Would you sign a confession to that effect?" I joked.
She rolled her eyes and took a seat on the couch, pulling her legs underneath her. I followed suit and found a seat in the armchair across the room. I was afraid sitting too close to her would allow her to see the beads of sweat dripping down my forehead. I had not been this nervous in a really long time. "I feel bad for taking off without talking to you first. So I owe you an apology for that."
"Well your letter was very cordial. Short, but polite. My mother appreciated it, although she was a little critical about the lack of explanation as to why you needed to leave earlier than expected, and by yourself. I didn't exactly clue her in about our kiss."
She made a face that was difficult to interpret. It was only because I had known her for several years that I could see her mind working hard to censor what was about to come out of her mouth. "I didn't leave because of the kiss."
"Lulu, we've been friends for a really long time. You don't have to lie to protect my feelings."
"I'm not lying," she continued. "I left because… God, this is not really something I wanted to go into tonight. Do you want to get something to eat? I think I have a frozen pizza in the kitchen…"
"I'm a cop, remember? You can't use distraction to get me out of my line of questioning."
"True," she nodded, "I was in the bathroom freshening up after… well, you know… and I overheard a conversation that I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to hear."
"Now you've got me curious. What was it? Did one of my uncles hit on you or something? Because they've been known to do that. Not with any of my dates, but my cousins'… not that you were my date. I mean, there was that kiss…"
"I know that Sonny Corinthos is your father."
(Lulu's POV)
I could not believe that I just blurted it out like that. It was a moment that Maxie referred to as "word vomit", and in that situation, I found her terminology appropriate. Admitting to Dante that I knew his deep, dark secret without laying a little groundwork first was insensitive. I should have started by telling him that I would not judge him or look at him any differently, by telling him all of the reasons why we were better people than I parents ever were. But, instead, I spat out my knowledge and let it hang in the air until he finally found an appropriate reaction.
"Who told you?"
"Nobody – I mean, not directly," I explained. "I overheard your grandmother telling Olivia that she should force you to have a relationship with Sonny."
He rubbed his forehead and sighed. It was obvious that his grandmother had shared her opinion with him, as well.
"Dante, I'm not going to say anything to anyone, ok?" I promised. "But I'm curious. Is there anybody else who knows about this?"
"Just my ma and grandma," he answered. "I didn't even know until I moved to Port Charles."
"Olivia never told you?"
"She had always said she didn't know who my father was. But after I told her about transferring to the PCPD, she sat me down and explained that Sonny was her high school boyfriend. She got pregnant, and he got involved in the business. She was never going to tell me the truth, but then she knew I was going to be face-to-face with Sonny at some point. She wanted me to know the truth."
"I'm guessing that Sonny doesn't know?"
Dante shook his head and stared at his hands. I found it off putting that he couldn't look me in the eye. "She never told him she was pregnant."
"And you don't want him to know?"
"I'm a cop, Lulu. I have spent years of my life trying to put criminals behind bars. The last thing I want to do is invite one over for Sunday dinner just because we share DNA."
He was saying all of the right words, but I didn't believe him, at least not entirely. The fact that he was not looking at me as he spoke had to be because he was conflicted.
"I get that. But what about his kids? Michael and Morgan, Kristina… they're your brothers and sister. Don't you want to have that relationship?"
"They have their own lives. They don't need some long-lost brother coming out of the woodwork."
"I don't buy that for a second," I argued, finding myself on the opposite side of the couch where I was within arm's length of him. "You are the guy that convinced Lucky to give Ethan a chance when he showed up, remember?"
"I didn't do much…"
"I wouldn't have Ethan in my life if it weren't for you talking some sense into Lucky," I reaffirmed. "Lucky was so angry at my dad for his affair that he could barely see straight, which was insane because he had been dead for almost a year. He wouldn't listen to me, but he did listen to you. So it's because of you that I get the joy of planning my brother's wedding… to your sister."
I reached forward and placed my hand on his. The contact sent shockwaves through my body, but I suppressed the feelings and tried to focus on helping a friend.
"That's nice for you, but that's not happening in my situation," he started, pulling away from my touch and getting up. "I should go."
"No you shouldn't," I argued, standing up and following him towards the door.
"Lulu, don't," he warned. "Don't worry about it, okay? It's really nothing to think about. As far as I'm concerned, I have my mother and a ton of Falconeris as my family. That's all I need. Now, I'm going to get out of here and leave you to your quiet night alone. I'll text your brother and tell him that you're fine."
Before I could argue, he walked out the front door and closed it behind him. I debated going outside to follow him, but decided it was best for me to let him have a little time to himself. Besides, had I followed Dante, who knows how much longer I could have avoided talking about the larger issue – my growing feelings for him.