Chapter 104

Luca’s POV

The morning sunshine shined through the curtains. It was pretty late last night when Marabella fell asleep on my chest in the tub, so I didn’t bother to wake her up. I just took her to bed. I lay there silently, staring at the ceiling, planning the day out. I need to take her to see her mother, then we can go take care of her father. I already have a visit set up with her mother, unbeknownst to both of them. I am hoping that some time in rehab has sobered her mother up enough to be nice to her. If not, Sherry is going to see a bad side of me today.

Marabella stirred in her sleep, groaning and moaning as she did so. I watched her closely, loving every detail about this woman. From her long eyelashes to her plump lips and even her messy bed hair. I stroked her hair flat, tucking it behind her ear. Mara whined and rooted her head into my hand. “Luca”, she grumbled.

“Yes, baby girl”, I whispered. “I’m hungry”, she whined. I chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Get up and get dressed, piccola. I will take you to breakfast”. Marabella’s eyes popped open with excitement. The bright smile on her lips told me I had said the right thing. “Go”, I uttered. Marabella jumped up and went into the closet to get ready.

I stood from the bed and stretched out my muscles, before following her to the closet. She was sifting through her clothes looking for something to wear. She looked at me with a contemplative look. “What’s going on in that beautiful mind?”, I asked, cupping her cheek. “I don’t know what to wear”, she whined, looking around.

“If that is your only issue, then that can be solved”, I grinned. I took a moment and looked at her clothes. I chose a simple but modest outfit. I know that her mother is very judgmental, so avoiding that altogether would be best. I handed Mara the outfit I chose, making her smile. Many sentences in this chapter have been removed because you are not reading them on * . “I love it”, she uttered, dressing in the clothes. I also grabbed a simple shirt with jeans. I want today to feel as casual as possible to Marabella.

“So what are we doing today? Are we going to try and talk to Franky?”, she asked softly, looking over at me as she slipped her shoes on. “Do you want to speak to your father?”, I asked, arching an eyebrow at her. Marabella bit her cheek as she looked down at her laces. “Kind of”, she shrugged. I nodded as I swallowed hard and slipped my shirt on. I shouldn’t be hurt or upset by her decision, it is her father.

I just hate the man because he killed my father. “Is that okay?”, she asked in a small voice. I looked over at her and smiled gently, “Absolutely, baby girl”, I answered. Mara nodded and stood from the chase to walk into the bathroom to finish getting ready. I could see the indecisiveness on her face. She can feel the hatred I hold towards her father. She is seeking my approval to understand her father’s motives.

Yet, here I am blowing it. I want her to know everything she wants about him. Even if I have to just keep him locked up in my basement for years. I quickly threw my shoes on, so I could follow her to the bathroom. She looked at me through the mirror as I walked in. Her eyes quickly cast down, shame showing on her face. Why is she ashamed?

“Piccola”, I uttered, wrapping my arms around her waist. “If you want to get to know your father, I am not against that. I will be here for you with anything you need. I understand why you want to know him”, I told her. Marabella spit out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth and brush. “But he killed your father”, she uttered, looking at me through the mirror.

I sighed as I turned her around to face me. “Yes he did. That’s why I wouldn’t agree to set him free. But I will let him live, if that’s what you want”, I said tenderly, trying not to cross over a line with her. “I don’t know if I want to know him though. He said he knew what happened to me. That he pretty much caused all of it”, she said, anger lacing her voice. “But, you want closer”, I said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Marabella sighed as she rested her head on my chest. “Yes, I do”, she muttered, choking up slightly. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly. “I will help you get that, bambina”, I whispered, kissing her head. “Thank you”, she murmured, holding me tighter. I smiled as I held on to her. “Anything for, mia principessa (my princess)”, I uttered.

“Let’s go get some breakfast, baby girl”, I said, pulling out of the hug. I kissed her gently, and grabbed a hold of her hand. My mother was in the foyer as we descended the stairs. “Where are you two headed?”, she asked, eyeing us suspiciously. “I am going to take Marabella to breakfast, ma”, I answered her, as I opened the front door. “Be safe!”, she hollered, as we crossed the threshold. “We will”, I called back to her.

The drive to my favorite breakfast joint only took a few minutes. The little diner on the corner of Main and Westonia makes the best biscuits and gravy in town. “Have you ever been here before?”, I asked her, as I opened her door. She smiled up at me as she took my hand and stepped out of the car. “It’s been a really long time”, she answered.

Marabella laced her fingers with mine, a brilliant smile on her face. The little diner was buzzing with business. “Be right with you, dear”, one of the waitresses called out. “You can seat yourselves”, she said. “Come, baby girl. I have a spot”, I told Mara, leading her to the back. Taking the booth all the way to the end, I gestured for Marabella to slide into the seat first.

I sat down next to her, as I scanned the restaurant. The best part of being in casual clothes is that unless people know who I am, not very many people stare at us. “Good morning, my name is Clarea. I will be taking care of you today. What can I start the two of you off with? Coffee? Milk? Soda?”, the server asked.

“I’ll take a coffee, black. What about you, love?”, I asked, looking at Marabella. “Sweet tea, please”, she answered. “A coffee, black and sweet tea. Coming right up”, Clarea said, turning and heading to the server station. “You like sweet tea?”, I asked Mara. “Oh, I love it”, she giggled. “I know what I want”, she smiled. I nodded, “Good, me too”, I said.

“So what are we doing after breakfast?”, Mara asked, looking up at me with puppy dog eyes. Fuck, she’s on to me. “Here we go”, Clarea said, setting down our drinks. “Do we know what we want to order?”, she asked, taking out her notepad from her apron. “Yes”, Mara said, telling the lady what she wanted. Eggs, bacon, and hash-browns with biscuits and gravy. Funny, because it is exactly what I wanted as well.

Once Clarea was finished taking our orders, I looked back down at Mara. “I am taking you to see your mother”, I admitted to her. Mara’s face fell, breaking my heart slightly. “Today?”, she uttered. “Yes, baby girl. Today. I will be with you the whole time. So you don’t have anything to worry about. Okay?”, I assured her. She nodded, “Okay. I can do this”, she pep-talked herself. I smiled, “Yes, piccola. You can”, I agreed.