Ch. 24
The sun was already high and streaming into the room when Dante awakened. He looked over at Valerie, who was sprawled out on the other side of the bed, with a tender smile. It was the weekend so he had the thought to lie back down next to her and snuggle a bit to just relax into the day but when he glanced at his phone, he realized that someone had already left a message for him. This early in the morning? He hoped it didn't mean trouble, he thought as he eased out of bed and walked into the bathroom to retrieve the text. "Sonny here. Call me when you get this," Dante read. Sonny, this early in the morning? Must be a problem. He sighed and then called his father.
"Dante? Hey, thanks for callin' me back so soon. So, here's the deal. Carly and I are plannin' to have dinner over here tonight to welcome Val to the family. The boys will be here and Joss, and we're havin' a special guest, too. Why don't you get with Val and see if she can make it?"
"I'll ask her, Sonny. A special guest? Like who?"
"You'll find that out when you get here. Try to see if you can bring Rocco, too. My guest wants to meet him."
"I'll talk to Lulu about it. What time is this dinner?"
"Let's shoot for five-thirty, six o'clock, since the kids shouldn't be up too late. So it's doable so far?"
"Yeah, Sonny. I still have to talk to Val but she knew Michael and Morgan wanted to meet her, so I'm sure she'll be up for it. I'll let you know if she can't come; otherwise, expect us around fiveish."
"Good, good. Lookin' forward to it." Sonny disconnected and Dante returned to the bedroom to find Val sitting up, groggily scanning her surroundings. "Mmm," she said when she saw him, "I thought maybe you'd left already."
"Left for where?" he inquired with a puzzled frown.
"Work, silly," she responded with a little laugh.
"You're the silly one, Angel. It's Saturday, remember?"
"Is it? It is, isn't it? Wow, how did get that mixed up? I sure did think I had to get up and get ready for work!" She fell back onto the bed with a groan, adding, "Maybe I can get a couple more hours sleep in then."
"Is that your plan, to laze the day away?"
"Doesn't it sound good? Just lying here in each other's arms drifting in and out of sleep?"
"That's one plan, but I have to call Lulu to see if I can get Rocco earlier than we'd agreed, and depending on her mood, that might take some finessing. Plus I want to give her enough advanced notice before springing it on her."
"Why, what's up?"
"We, my lady, have been summoned."
"Summoned? Summoned where?"
"Sonny tagged me this morning. He and Carly want to host a 'Welcome to the Family' dinner for the latest Spencer. They're expecting us to show up around five o'clock or so."
"For the latest Spencer? For me? Oh, wow."
"Problem?"
"No, just feeling like I'll be under a spotlight or something. Who all is going to be at this dinner?"
"Just family, I think. Well, mostly. Sonny, Carly, Michael and Morgan, Joss, Avery, and I think that's it, unless the guys bring their girlfriends. Oh and there's gonna be a 'special guest' there, too. And before you ask, Sonny wouldn't say who it was so I'm just as in the dark about it as you are."
"Hmm," she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and sitting there for a moment. She gazed back regretfully at the pillows before standing up resolutely. "Wyndham's is having a pretty good sale so maybe I should go and see what I can get for this dinner. Is it formal, casual, what?"
"Don't go to any fuss, Val. I'm sure it's casual—Sonny would have said otherwise. We're gonna show up, you'll meet the family; we'll eat some good food and have a good time. One thing I can say for Sonny—he knows how to cook."
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When Dante mentioned to Lulu that he wanted to pick Rocco up earlier than they had previously agreed upon, he didn't tell her the reason, thinking that discretion would be the better course of action. He didn't know how she'd react if she knew that Sonny and Carly were having a dinner in Valerie's honor. And that a special guest would be there who wanted to meet Rocco. He thought it best not to give her a reason to refuse.
Shortly after five o'clock, Dante, Valerie and Rocco were headed to Greystone. Initially, Valerie had wanted to bring a 'Thank You' gift to Sonny and Carly but Dante was able to talk her out of it, assuring her, "They won't be expecting one, Val. What can you get them that they don't already have, anyway? Don't worry about it." They pulled up to the driveway and while Dante wrestled with getting Rocco out of the car seat, Val was gathering his baby bag and toys from the back seat. Finally having retrieved everything, they trooped to the front door and Dante rang the bell. He was pleasantly shocked by the person who answered the door, exclaiming, "Whoa, Mike! Hey, man, it's good to see you!" He shifted Rocco to his hip to give Mike a side hug. Turning to Val, he made the introductions. "Val, this is Mike Corbin, Sonny's father. My grandfather. Mike, this is Val, the guest of honor." Mike reached out to shake Val's hand, saying, "So you're Val. Nice to meet you. Michael has been telling me about you—it's good to finally put a face to the name. Come in, come in." He stood back to allow them entry into the house.
"Michael's been telling you about me?" wondered Val, further explaining, "He and I haven't even officially met yet."
Dante laughed at her puzzlement. "I think Mike and maybe the court system are the only ones who refer to Sonny as 'Michael'. Everyone else knows him as 'Sonny'."
"Dante's right. I do call him 'Sonny' from time to time but I named him Michael and that's the name that sticks most of the time in my mind when I think of him. And this," he added, nodding at the toddler, "Must be Rocco. My great-grandson. I never thought I'd live to see my own great-grandchild, and here he is. He's a good looking boy, Dante." He chucked Rocco under the chin and tickled him, making him giggle.
"Thanks, Mike."
"Three generations of Corinthos men under one roof-"
"I still think of myself as a Falconeri, Mike. That's the name Rocco has, too."
"Of course, of course. You can be a Falconeri, Dante but don't forget—whether or not you claim it for yourself or for your son, half of your heritage is Corinthos. Which reminds me, I hope you two brought strong appetites! Sonny and I have been dueling it out in the kitchen and you'll all have to judge the results."
Carly entered the front room and after giving Val a hug and Dante a nod of the head, she commented, "Welcome. The kids are upstairs in the playroom, Dante, if you want to take Rocco up. Mercedes and another part-time nanny are there to watch the smaller ones, so he'll be in good hands."
"Thanks, Carly," Dante said, taking the baby bag from Val before ascending the staircase. Val and Carly watched them walk away and then Carly turned to Val with her eyebrow raised. "So he's carrying the baby and you're carrying the baby bag. You two look awfully cozy."
Val laughed inwardly as she thought of how she had spent the last couple of nights sleeping in Dante's arms. Aloud, she stated, "I don't know about all that, Carly. We haven't decided what, if anything, we are to each other. He needed help carrying the baby stuff—I had an extra hand, that's all."
"Uh huh."
"No, really, that's how it is. We haven't made any kinds of declarations—we're just taking each day as it comes."
"Sounds smart. Don't forget, he and Lulu are still married. I know they're saying they're getting divorced but they have a habit of breaking up and getting back together. I'll admit this split is a bit more serious than the usual, but they might surprise you. Just be careful, little cousin, that you don't get your heart broken."
"Well, I'll say this much, with all the warnings I've been getting from just about everyone except maybe Sonny, if I do get my heart broken, it won't be because I didn't know any better! Changing the subject, thank you for hosting this dinner and inviting me. I'm looking forward to meeting my cousins."
"You're welcome. We knew Mike was coming to town so it seemed like the perfect time for a family gathering. Come on, I'll introduce you to the boys." They walked from the front room to the living room where Michael and Morgan were having a lively debate about the Yankees-Blue Jays game that had been played earlier in the day. They both stood when the ladies entered the room and Carly gestured to them, saying, "Valerie, this is my oldest, Michael, and my middle son Morgan." Val extended her hand to each of them in turn, shaking their hands. Michael smiled and remarked, "It's strange that we're just now meeting. One way and another, we've heard so much about you—welcome to the family."
"Thank you. I was telling Dante how strange it is to go from being an only child with seemingly no other relatives to having a house full of them! I'm glad to meet you both-"
"That's because you don't know them yet," Dante interjected as he walked into the room to join them. "Once you actually know them, you'll regret it just like I do!" He laughed when Morgan shot him a dirty look.
"You're just feeling like that because you're a big brother. I'm sure I'll grow to appreciate my cousins very much. And if I'm not mistaken, I seem to remember someone saying that he was glad they had stopped by to keep him company a few days ago… That was you, wasn't it? He likes you both more than he's letting on." Dante pinched Val's side playfully, causing Morgan and Michael to exchange knowing looks. He told her, "Don't tell all my secrets! They don't need to know that!"
"I'm only saying people should be told when they're appreciated, that's all, and not be made to feel like pests!" Dante was preparing to respond when Sonny entered the room with a big grin on his face as he rubbed his hands together. "It's time to eat," he announced with a flourish, further asserting, "I think you guys will be impressed with the menu tonight. Mike and I were havin' a showdown, so you'll have to tell us what you like better." Leading the way to the dining room, he explained, "Tonight's menu is Greek and Cuban, just like we are. We've got two kinds of lamb, one fixed Cuban-style, and one Greek. Same thing with the salads. I let Mike have his way with the dessert, which, according to him, is actually some kind of fusion thing—I'll let him tell you about that. Sit, sit. Hey," he stopped speaking and glanced around the room, "Where's Josslyn?"
"I told her to come down when she saw Dante," Carly said in exasperation. She walked out of the room and went to the edge of the staircase, shouting, "Josslyn John Jacks! I told you we were having dinner as soon as Dante and Val got here! Get down here!" Joss came down the stairs, her hands on her hips in displeasure as she muttered, "I was playing with the babies and I didn't see Dante."
"Sure you didn't," she was told. She and her mother made their way to the dining room where everyone else was waiting to dig in. "There's plenty, so eat up," Sonny said. As they began passing dishes around the table, Dante asked, "Why exactly is there so much food when it's just us? Michael, Sabrina couldn't come? Kiki, Morgan?"
"Sabrina thought it would be better if it was only family for this one. I tried to convince her to come but she said next time, definitely. I hope," he went on, addressing Mike, "you get a chance to meet her before you go back to New Mexico." Mike nodded after taking a bite of his Kokkinisto.
"Morgan, where's Kiki?"
"Ididn'tinviteher," he tried to say around a large helping of lamb shank.
"What?"
"I didn't invite her," he said again. Everyone looked around the table in astonishment before Carly finally voiced what they all were thinking. "Why on earth didn't you invite her to come, Morgan? I thought she'd just decided not to come, not that you didn't even invite her!"
"Dunno," he responded, stating further, "I didn't think about it." There were collective frowns on the faces of the adults before Michael spoke up, "You two have the weirdest relationship in history!"
Josslyn piped up, "Well, Morgan's weird, so he would have a weird relationship!" Everyone but Morgan laughed, who huffed, "Shut up, brat. You don't know anything about it." "I know you're a weirdo," she insisted. Smothering a chuckle, Carly said, "Enough, Josslyn. Eat your dinner and stop upsetting your brother." Sticking out her tongue at Morgan as a parting shot, Joss turned her attention back to her plate.
Conversation briefly lagged as everyone tucked into their meals and then Val turned to Mike, asking, "Did I hear right? You live in New Mexico?" "Yeah, I do." "I've always wanted to see the Southwest. What's it like there?" "It's beautiful. Peaceful. There's just enough to do during the day to keep me out of trouble, and enough to do at night to keep me from being bored. It's nothing like New York but that's part of the attraction, I guess."
Morgan wondered, "Enough to keep you out of trouble? Aren't there casinos in Albuquerque?" A collective groan went around the table and Sonny briefly dropped his head in embarrassment before muttering, "The mouth on this kid!" Aloud he growled, "Morgan, seriously?" Genuinely confused, Morgan shrugged and asked, "What'd I say that was so wrong? I was just saying-"
"Hang on, guys," Mike spoke up, "In Morgan's defense, he and I both know something about gambling issues so I see where he's coming from. Answering your question, Morgan, there are casinos in Albuquerque. Something about the action is different, though. For example, if I was here, I know about four different places where I'm known and I could get a game. That old buzz would set in and before I knew it, I'd be in over my head in no time flat. The excitement isn't the same back home, which works for me. Plus, I know if I wanted real action, Las Vegas is a short plane ride away. I remind myself of all I allowed gambling to take away from me, though, and I'm able to resist. One day at a time, right?"
"That's good to hear, Mike," Sonny said, "I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Michael. Believe it or not, making you proud of me, making you all proud of me is one of my main motivations for staying straight."
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After dinner, Mike brought out his masterpiece, an oregano and lemon flan, the ultimate in fusion cuisine, he declared. Most of the looks on the faces of those at the table ranged from mild disbelief to outright skepticism as they eyed the dessert. "Just try it first, and then decide," he challenged them. Slowly, the expressions changed from skepticism to delight as they tasted the treat. "It's good, right? There's a restaurant back home that serves this as a specialty of the house. The key is the right balance of lemon zest and oregano. Greek and Cuban flair at its finest."
Valerie frowned as she looked first at Mike, then at Sonny. "I thought you guys were Italian."
"A lot of people make that mistake, Valerie," Mike told her, going on to say, "I'm actually Greek and Irish. Michael's mother was Cuban. Then you throw in someone like Dante, whose mother is Italian, and you've got-"
"A mutt," finished Dante jokingly, making everyone laugh. Mike shot him a recriminating look as he pointed at him. "I was going to say, an interesting mixture. A lot of nationalities represented here but at the end of the day, we're a family. That's really the most important thing—that we all belong, that there's a place for all of us."
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Not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings, a clear winner for the best lamb dish wasn't declared. The entire meal had been exceptional, enhanced only by the feelings of familial warmth shared by all at the table. The night was ending and the leftovers were divided up among the boys before they departed for the evening. Hugs and kisses were given, a thump on the back of the head from Morgan to Joss for which he was sharply reprimanded, and then Michael and Morgan left. After a few more minutes of idle chitchat, Dante went to the playroom to retrieve a sleeping Rocco. Valerie, Mike, Sonny and Carly stood in the front room waiting for his return. Into the silence Valerie asked Mike, "How long are you here for, Mike?"
"I'm planning to try to hang on until after Sonny's and Carly's wedding, if they can ever make some definite decisions!"
"Hey, we're workin' on it—we want everythin' to be just right."
"Yep," wisecracked Carly, "The fifth time has to be perfect!"
"Well, I'm glad I got the chance to meet you either way. You are a master chef—I see where Sonny gets his skills from!"
"Thank you, Val. I'm glad I got to meet you, too. Welcome to the family. Well, I know you're a Spencer, but you know what I mean!"
"Thanks, Mike." Dante came down the stairs holding Rocco and without even thinking about it, Val reached out for the baby bag just as Dante was handing it to her, making Sonny smile and nod his head. As they walked outside, Dante turned to Mike and queried, "Are we gonna see more of you before you head back to New Mexico?"
"I was just telling Val that I intend to be here at least until the wedding. And we're going to have to make some time for each other, too, Dante. We talked more when we didn't know we were related than after! You need to come hang out with your grandpa a bit before I go home, ok?"
"I'll do that, Mike—bet on it." Sonny and Valerie were walking slightly behind Mike and Dante and in a low voice, Sonny remarked, "You guys look good together—like a family." "Don't get ahead of yourself, Sonny. That's not what this is," Val responded, shaking her head. Sonny disagreed but he didn't challenge her. Dante settled Rocco into his car seat and then Val thanked Sonny again for the invitation, and the great meal. "Anytime," he told her, adding, "I'm glad you could come." With a final wave goodbye, they pulled out of Sonny's driveway.
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Staring out of the window, Valerie was reflecting on the evening's events when Dante interrupted her. "You're quiet. What are you thinking about?"
"I had a nice time. I like this family of ours."
"Ours?"
"Yeah. Weird, isn't it? Your brothers, my cousins. Your son, my cousin. Carly and Joss, my cousins. Of course I'm not related to Sonny or Mike, but you are. It really felt like a big, happy family tonight. It was cool to be a part of it. I'm glad we went."
"Yeah, I enjoyed myself, too. And I haven't seen Mike in forever! He looks good—I think New Mexico has been good for him. One less worry for Sonny." They eventually arrived at the Harbor View Towers entrance and Val turned to Dante with a smile. "Thanks for the ride, mister. I had a great time."
"You're welcome, lady. I'm gonna miss having you in my arms tonight."
"Me too, but it's more important for Rocco to see something familiar since he's away from Lulu so you should be at the loft tonight. If you want to dream about me, though, that's not against the rules." He reached out suddenly and pulled her to him, cupping his hand behind her neck to bring her closer. Slowly kissing her, he used his lips and tongue to coax her into returning his embrace. Their tongues darted and danced caressingly for a few moments before Valerie finally drew back. "Whew. You'd better go before I ask you to stay," she told him.
"Ok. See you tomorrow?"
"Count on it. Good night. Dream of me."
"Let's dream about each other. And remember, you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine." She watched as he drove away and then with a contented smile, she made her way to the penthouse.
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