Fioritura Preview

Chapter 1

“How can Dad’s instructions be so simple and so convoluted at the same time?” Liam held up the leg of Harmonia’s crib that was supposed to connect somehow with the bed portion of it. “Where did I go wrong?”

I looked back at the paper. “Somewhere between, unfold the bed component and attach the leg.”

“What was between that?”

“Nothing.”

Liam growled and raked a hand through his thick red curls. They’d gotten longer the nearer we drew to Harmonia’s birth as the two of us became consumed with preparations.

“It really is lovely when it’s put together,” Granya assured us. “I saw it just two days ago.”

“You were there with its builder, Mum,” Liam grumbled. The sweat in his hair made the section he’d just pushed back in his frustration stand up in defiance.

“He assured me it would be a few simple steps,” Granya took the paper from me and ran her finger over it as if a secret code might appear. “Bloody-minded goat,” she grumbled. “He’s worse than IKEA!”

“At least this will be a crib with a personal home made touch,” I said. Now that my hands were free I carefully scooted across the floor to the woodpile.

Liam watched me as I moved as if I were an egg that may crack rather than a mere week short of my due date.

I met his gaze when it had trailed up from my belly and winked at him. “Relax, won’t you? I’m not going to hurt myself.”

Liam nodded slowly, but was still fixated on me when I took a few pieces of the crib and examined their joints. “Would he help us if we called him?” I gingerly pieced parts I thought might go together into the slots that could have matched up, but something was wrong and they didn’t slot.

“He might do,” Granya acknowledged, sighing heavily. “I am for one excited to tell him what I think of his instruction manual!”

As I laughed along with Liam, something within me contracted just a bit more than usual, and the baby rolled around irritably as if to whine that she’d been disturbed. Once my hand flew to the spot, I noted Liam’s eyes fixed there as well.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

I moved my hand to show where the tiny foot poked up, and he cooed over it.

“She’s fighting to get out and meet us,” he said, rubbing the area as Harmonia decided it would be fun to kick him a few more times.

“I hope she doesn’t try it that way, it’s tough to have a nice peaceful home birth if the baby decides she’s an alien.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Granya assured me. “Now how about we all take a quick walk around the loggia? The breeze will do you some good, love.”

The thought of moving my legs at a time like this spiked my anxiety up a notch. Even the open space overlooking the courtyard with its many distractions from looking down at the fountain to up at the open sky couldn’t chase away the pain.

Liam’s arm was firm around me and his warmth enveloped me as well. “Rosie,” he whispered, “Mum’s got experience but you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“If she thinks I need to walk, I should at least try to stand,” I decided. “It will do me no good to sit here and fret.”

Liam hooked an arm under both of mine and guided me slowly to my feet. His strength calmed me as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I think the pictures came in from the photography studio. How about we go look through them and choose our favorites?”

I blushed dark, feeling the prickle on my cheeks as if I were sipping our most acidic red. “I’m worried if I see myself I’ll be embarrassed,” I admitted. “It was fun to take them, but what if I don’t look as good as I felt?”

“I was there, it’s impossible,” Liam reassured me, and squeezed me to his side. “Mum, I’m sorry if you get a little uncomfortable. Some of these photos were meant for private viewing so maybe you’d like us to curate them for you?”

Granya waved a hand then undid her hair from her ponytail only to redo it. “Never you mind, you two. I’ll keep working while you look through the photos and then you can curate exactly what you’d like for me to see.”

“That’s a great idea,” Liam said, already settling one hand on the small of my back and ushering me out of the nursery.

We stood now by the balcony overlooking the courtyard. The pleasant burble of the fountain calmed my anxious heart, and I leaned my head against Liam’s arm. “The air is boxed out here… ah… someone in the village is grilling octopus.”

Liam snickered. “With senses so finely tuned, Sugar, I’m glad it’s something you like!” He bent to rest his chin on the top of my head. “How’s the little butterfly?”

“She feels more like a whole menagerie than just a butterfly!” I shook my head. “I think she’s fine, she isn’t moving right now, but she stretched when I got up.”

“May I?” His hand hovered over me.

“If you wake her up, I get to hit you once for every time she kicks.”

“I’ll take that chance,” he said with an even broader grin. “Please, Sugar?”

“Oh, I can’t say no to that face,” I patted his cheek while he eagerly set both hands on me.

“Nice and relaxed for now,” he said softly. “Ah, there she is.” He pressed his brow to mine. “Her toes are at the top, thank God. I paid too much attention to those diagrams, now I worry she could be in all kinds of breech positions.”

“She would have to work awfully hard at this point,” I restrained a laugh at how concerned he was. “With how attentive and studious you’ve been, I know you will be the perfect partner when the time comes for the ordeal.”

“You make it sound like you’re preparing to be knighted,” Liam chuckled.

“I will attain a new title, won’t I? After vanquishing a great obstacle to happiness?”

“My lady,” Liam took my hand and kissed the knuckles. “It will be my honor to serve you before and after this ordeal, and dub you with the most esteemed title of mother.”

If anyone else had carried on the way he did, I may have laughed and urged him to stop mocking me. Liam’s particular talent for bridging the gap between silliness and seriousness overcame any of that.

Down below, the back door from the garden opened and my brother entered the house with his wife on his arm. They looked up at us with joy that quickly became concern.

“Are you unwell?” Rosario asked, his brows knitting.

His wife Ester elbowed him. “Don’t assume the worst,” she chided sweetly, then beamed up at us. “You two look so cute!”

“Grazie,” I patted Liam’s arm. “There is no reason to worry, but we are monitoring some contractions which could be a false alarm.”

“But I would be stoked if it weren’t!” Liam gushed, which didn’t help when another began.

I gripped his hand and leaned on the balcony.

“Got you again, huh?” Liam asked, rubbing my back. “Don’t worry, Sugar, I’ve got you.”

“Still stoked?” Rosario asked from below.

“I’m excited, as well,” I forced out from between my teeth. “I can’t wait to see her face…”

Liam leaned his head against mine and breathed steadily until I joined in with him.

“Let us know if we can help!” Ester called.

The contraction released me, and I slowly straightened. “Don’t worry, as long as you’re in the house you will know whether I need help.”

Rosario grimaced. “Do you want me there?”

“Only if you can handle the screaming and only take pictures when Liam tells you to.”

“I will support you however you need me to,” Rosario replied. “I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to be here for you, I won’t squander it.”

My eyes welled up with tears as was much too easy to do recently. It had been over a year since my brother emerged from his coma, but

He led me to the room across from ours which had once belonged to my parents. We had turned it into a games room with a luxurious couch and all the puzzles and baby toys we could think of. The computer there was really intended for gaming as the work computer was downstairs in the library, but its three screens would make examining our photos much easier.

Liam pulled up my purple accented gaming chair and held it for me as if we were at a fancy restaurant, with his boyishly ironic smile the only break in character.

Clad in all the grandeur of a shapeless black maternity maxi dress, I settled into it and my body rejoiced at the way the chair contoured to and supported it.

Liam perched on his own gaming chair, this one accented with green, and awakened the computer. “This is so exciting!” he said, wiggling in his chair as if he were a school boy awaiting sweets.

I set one hand on his shoulder and the other on the crest of my belly where Harmonia had decided to drum her feet. “I’m so glad you’re this invested, you know. I know there are fathers like you in the village but I didn’t have one.”

Liam took both my hands and grew serious. “That’s the past. We don’t have to live in it, Rosie.” He nodded at the door to the games room. “Mum’s here, your brother’s here, we’re all here for something so miraculous…” As he spoke, the photo folder loaded and he caught sight of the first open file on one of the screens.

The first set of photos in the file were a collection of thumbnails depicting Liam and I sitting on wine barrels out in the garden behind our home. All around us, the gazebo was hung with cascading flower garlands draped around us like a set of curtains.

Liam eagerly opened the first thumbnail and sighed appreciatively at what he found.

I had opted for a lavender Grecian dress draped with false grape vines heavy with soft plastic grapes so large that had they been real they could have been the juiciest ever grown. I wore a crown of the same grape vines and rested my head on Liam’s shoulder.

“She was right…” Liam murmured, zooming in on the picture. “I can see your shape even better the way you arched your back.”

I squirmed in my chair. “I am still proud to carry her, but looking at myself in so much detail is still a little disconcerting.”

“Are you ok looking at more?” Liam tore his eyes away from the picture with difficulty. “We don’t have to submit any of these for publicity, you know. Just because that was the plan doesn’t mean it can’t change.”

“No, I was right the first time. It’s important that the vineyard and Contessa both have a personal edge. Our being together is a triumph, and so is our daughter. I will not shrink away from victory.”

Liam leaned over to kiss my cheek and left a hand on my knee as he scrolled through the rest of the album. “We should print out the whole photo book,” he mused. “Some of them we can blow up for display but I love every angle. You are so… radiant is the word. You glow and I just get to be there with you.”

“Now you know how it feels to live with you.” I leaned over to rest my cheek on his shoulder. “All this?” I circled my onscreen face with one finger. “Never would have happened without you. I am the moon reflecting back your light.”

“There is far more to you than that,” he said with a gentle smirk in my direction. “One day when you see how she adores you, you’ll realize it’s not just me.” he glanced back at the pictures and came across one that made him laugh. “I was really into it by this one,” he said, circling the mouse over his own image. “Look how my shirt is billowing, it’s like we’re in a romance novel!”

“Traditional clothing suits you,” I stroked his knuckles where they rested on my knee. “You look like something out of a dream, every day. Seeing you dressed up with those boots… and don’t forget that belt…” I sighed dramatically with a toss of my hair. “When we do put one of these on the wall, I will be looking at you the whole time to admire you.”

“Huh… now I’m worried I’ll have to compete with my own picture…”

I let out a high, breathy laugh. “I don’t need a portrait to remind me how handsome you are,” I reached over to cup his jaw in one hand. “I’ve got the real thing.”

He blushed so brightly I could feel the heat under my fingers.

Before either of us could say anything, the next wave hit and I let go of his face to grip his shoulder instead.

Liam glanced at the time on the computer then swiveled to face me. “Is it getting worse?”

“No… it’s still about the same.” I narrowed my eyes. “It’s over,” I announced a few seconds later.

Liam checked the time again. “We’ll keep an eye on how long it is until the next one,” he smiled. “You’re amazing, by the way.”

I rolled my eyes as the tension left. “Oh, sure. You haven’t even seen me do the real work.”

“But I know that you will be incredible,” he looked back toward the computer and his excitement surged once more. “The second file is for the more sensitive materials…” he checked the door. “As long as nobody interrupts…”

“Ah…” I squirmed at the memories of how I’d felt posing for those pictures. “Maybe you should look at those on your own… I find myself too embarrassed to look.”

Liam took my hand. “Sugar, are you really so afraid to see yourself the way I see you?”

I took a shaky breath. “It’s really that… I remember how I felt when I took them, and I was proud as could be… Yet, what if I don’t look as good as I felt?”

“Impossible.”

“Biased.”

“Guilty!” He replied with a broad grin and stole a kiss. “Do you really not want to look through those photos with me, Rosie?” His voice took on a more bashful tone, and he looked at me through the corner of his eye.

“I just want to look how I felt and now I’m afraid I will shatter the illusion.”

“You know what I’m about to say by now, right?”

“That no matter how I criticize myself, you are going to praise me?”

“You do listen!” he laughed, his mirth overflowing until I had to laugh along.

A return of the now-familiar tension paused the laughter. “It’s not so bad this time,” I informed him, sitting up straighter.

Harmonia squirmed against the tightness, kicking so her footprint showed on my dress.

“I don’t like it all that much, either,” I reassured her, rubbing the spot where her foot showed through. “But soon we’ll meet each other, and I can snuggle you and kiss your face, and you won’t have to get squeezed, anymore.”

When I glanced up, I found Liam watching with dreamy eyes. “I love it when you speak to her… I’m going to be all over you two once I’ve got the chance to see you hold her…Or I’ll take as many pictures as humanly possible. Or both.”

“Likewise. I know you will make such a wonderful father, and I cannot wait to watch you in action. I’m sure she will be just as spoiled as I am.”

Liam leaned in closer. “Oh, yeah? Tell me what you’re most looking forward to.”

“I want to watch you pick her up when she falls, teach her to speak in English while I teach her Italian and Griko. I want to see what accent she chooses over time, and if she takes after you more than me. There are so many beautiful unknowns with Harmonia, but I am so grateful that you are part of what makes her who she is. She cannot fail to be wonderful.”

“Now we have to be extra careful not to spoil her, I think we’re both likely to try… But everything you say is so sweet, I love to get you going.” He glanced at the computer screen and smirked. “Now while we’re both on an emotional high…”

“Open the folder,” I said with a soft laugh, turning away.

“Sugar,” Liam purred, “You have to know you’re beautiful…” he brushed hair from my neck and kissed it, making me squeak in surprise. “You ought to see the pictures of us by the fountain.”

I glanced at the screen closest to me. It displayed a picture of me beside the fountain in the courtyard. The balconies above were strung with hanging fairy lights and I wore a dress which was made primarily of gauzy transparent material. Its sleeves were off the shoulder and the sturdiest portion of the garment. If split over the curve of my belly to let the golden lights reflect off the skin.

“You look like a goddess,” Liam sighed. He flicked through a few pictures in this series. “Look how the light from the water reflects off of you, you’re spectacular!”

“Am I?” I looked again. That night, I had been so comfortable in my body, and joyful in spite of all the regular discomforts. All that had faded away with Liam worshipping at my feet. That was his new way with me, where before he had been adoring and thoughtful he had escalated beyond that the closer we drew to the birth.

Liam switched to another picture where I saw my own smile.

If I didn’t know my own face so well, I may have also said I was radiant. Since I was looking at myself, there was a mental blockade of self criticism in the way. However, even that could not fully dim the impression of how much joy shone through me that night.

As he gazed at the pictures, tears welled in Liam’s eyes. He finally returned his attention to me and his smile was as bright as the sunrise. “That’s what I’ve always wanted,” he spoke though his throat was choked with unshed tears. “To see you so happy…” He took both my hands. “I want to hang up this picture, it doesn’t matter where. I want that memory of how happy I’ve made you to always be within view. That’s our future, you know. Every day I’ll work to bring that smile to your face.”

Tears pricked my eyes. “I want to give you what you want…” I squeezed my eyes shut until I could control myself, and his hand was on my cheek when I opened them.

“Is something wrong?” He asked softly.

“Not yet… but I am afraid of one thing.” I took the deepest breath possible with Harmonia’s feet pressed against my diaphragm. “The closer we get to the event, all of the books we’ve read and documentaries we watch don’t feel like enough preparation. What if in practice I become more like my own mother and I fail her?”

Liam made a noise in his throat and shook his head. “It isn’t in your nature. Since the day I met you I’ve known you for your kindness and magnanimity. What more could a child wish for in a mother? To be known and loved and cared for while your mind is always working to find the newest way to show your love? I know my life has been massively improved with you in it. I have been so proud to make you the mother of my child, and all those that follow. You worry you can’t do enough, but your standards are so much higher than your mother’s that there are no comparisons. You are in no danger.”

By the time he had finished his reassurances I was in tears. I leaned toward him and he gathered me into his arms as I rocked with sobs.

“The ghosts are gone,” I hiccuped at him. “They have been for months… why do I feel like this?”

“Because they were never ghosts, they were your memories. Of course, at a time like this, you would remember your own mother and try to take any lessons from her that you can. But you know, I’ve got good news. You’re not stuck with just one example of what motherhood can mean to you. You’ve got my mum here for you, and even though I don’t expect you to be very much like her, you can pick what you like from what she has to offer. What you’ll always have is support, you can count on that!”

“You’re right that I don’t have your mother’s fire, but I do have resilience when it matters. Your mother is a godsend, you know. I am grateful she chose to stay with us for so long when she has her own home and family across the ocean.”

“That’s something you have in common. Both of you are so giving and protective. When the time comes, you can be there for one another, and I will be the proudest son, husband and father in the world. Or at least in Puglia.”

I scratched him under the chin and revelled in how his eyes slid closed with pleasure. “Just as you seek my smile, I seek your sense that you have done well. May you be at peace as often as I can quiet the voice in your head that says you must do even more.”

He opened his eyes and they shone all the brighter. As he was about to say something, an alert pinged on the computer and we both instinctively glanced at it.

The alert was for an email, sent to our business address, titled, “Notice: in reference to the ruling vis a vis the Sarto case.”

I sucked in a breath and leaned away from the computer.

“Don’t worry, Rosie,” Liam’s voice was both firm and gentle as he swiveled to face the computer while still rubbing my knee. “You don’t have to read that if you don’t want to, and it is probably good news.”

I set my hand firmly on his and scratched his knuckles. “Seeing anything to do with the case is disturbing… Especially at such a delicate time…”

Liam had opened the message, but paused to look at me. “Speaking of which, the contractions stopped awhile ago, right?”

“Oh! So they did. I was too distracted speaking with my favorite person to notice.”

This time Liam turned a smirk in my direction. “I intend to interrogate you later on how awesome I am. But right now, how about I tell you in a few days we can have a meeting with the lawyers?”

“I’d say please let me give birth so I can go on maternity leave from this whole thing.”

Liam scanned over the message a few more times. “We have carte blanche,” he informed me. “If you want to take their house and their business, they are both without immediate family, and their wills would have given everything to one another, anyway. So we’re looking at all kinds of opportunities to dispose of their property however we would like. You’re really the injured party in this case, but they did try to take you from me, so I can’t wait to hear what you decide to do.”

I leaned back in my chair, considering the broadest scope of the situation I could grasp in my situation. “Jardichara has depended on the Sarto family for centuries now. Now that they will be without the people who generate the vast majority of their income, someone else will have to step in.”

“See, this is why I love you,” Liam said with a soft chuckle. “Given the opportunity to exact your revenge, you’re only concerned with how to do the right thing.”

“You know, it would be more altruistic if Jardichara weren’t so close by that I have to worry about them coming over to Calovissi with their complaints. As they are our neighbors, we ought to look out for them on principle.”

“My point still stands, and I’ll add to it that you’re very pragmatic. This meeting will be awesome. Imagine their faces when they realize you’re taking over their old turf!”

I nodded slowly, not wishing to revel too much in the idea. “They intended to steal my home, lands and business from my family, and they almost wiped us out of existence to do it. There is a certain degree of poetry in the fact that I may yet attain that which they were dissatisfied with. However, I may yet choose to auction off their property and business if it becomes too much for the two of us to carry.”

Liam leaned back in thought. “You did mention that without the Sartos, the Jardicharans lack the sort of leadership they used to enjoy. Maybe they’ve been missing out on what Calovissi has gained with you at the helm.”

“Do you think I can handle supporting twice the business we have now? We’ve got cafes launching across Europe, the fashion and lifestyle side of things, the vineyard itself…”

“And maybe all those things need space to grow.” He pulled up the pictures our lawyers had sent us with overhead shots and blueprints of the Sarto villa. “Look at all this space, Rosie! Tell me, right off the top of your head, what would you do with this space?”

The answer presented itself as it tumbled from my mouth. “It would make a fine hotel. But who would manage it?”

Liam grinned. “I bet you there are plenty of enterprising young Jardicharans who’d like a shot at proving they can. Think of all the things a vineyard hotel in the Italian countryside could accomplish! We can double the amount of horseback tours, we can offer wine tasting packages, we can do all sorts of things!” He was now giddy and his eyes gleamed with his excitement.

“You make fine points.” I eyed the photo set more critically. “We ought to acquire the property and turn it into a hotel. Make it the crown jewel of our enterprise, set apart from where we live. We can set up a conference room there, allow people to rent the space…” I leaned forward then, noticing that there was almost half a floor taken up by several pool areas. “What if we opened the pool area to the public, too? We could even make it some form of spa resort…”

“All of it is possible! We just need to keep pushing through all this madness to earn our rewards. It’ll be incredible when we have all this to offer our daughter.”

I curled an arm around my middle. “We don’t want her too spoiled, remember. She might be as bad as the Sartos if we allow it.”

“We will teach her compassion and responsibility,” Liam replied in full confidence. “She is going to be such a joy. I can’t believe how close we are to meeting her,” he shook his head as his grin grew back into place.

“Sometimes it feels far away and sometimes I feel as if the pains are already with me. But I know it’s just my imagination. I’m always imagining that the slightest cramp means labor.”

“Well, you’re the one who lives in your body and you’re the one most attuned to any change that takes place within you. We had a little bit of a test run today, and I think you did a marvelous job coping with it. I’m always a little nervous, myself, too. Every little peep I hear out of you gets me thinking it’s time. Either I’m over eager or I’m overly cautious.”

“You have always been attentive, and we are so new to this. All the preparation we’ve done has only given us more warning signs to watch for. We had a good practice run, but I’m uncertain whether I should be relieved or disappointed that we will have to wait even longer to meet her.”

“Considering it’s this close to the due date and we’re still struggling with the crib? Probably a good thing she gets to live in her snug little world a while longer. Though I know it’s rough on you.”

I forced myself to my feet, against their protests and the aches that shot up through my legs and my back. “There is only one remedy for an unfinished crib, and that’s teamwork. Let’s go see how your mother is doing.”

When we returned to the nursery, we found Granya seated on the rocking chair, petting our on again off again cat, Selena with a grin that matched the expression on the purring cat. “I knew if I sent the two of you away, I could concentrate.” She nodded to the crib, now in pride of place under the green gauzy canopy covered in silk butterflies that blended in with the woodland mural behind it.

“How do we know if it’s sturdy enough?” I asked, setting one hand on the railing and giving it a light shake.

“I’ll climb into it myself,” Liam said, and his mother laughed at the notion. “What? If it’s built properly it'll hold me!”

I squeaked and shook until the laughter escaped. “I’m taking pictures. And sending them to your sister.”

Granya began cackling. “Then I will add it to the family newsletter to go with the birth announcement!”

By now I had joined my mother in law with her cackling.

“You both underestimate my dedication to my child’s safety,” Liam said, grinning though his face was nearly as red as his hair. “

“You both underestimate my dedication to my child’s safety,” Liam said, grinning though his face was nearly as red as his hair. “I’m not too proud to let everyone know I stress tested her crib.”

“You have changed him for the better,” Granya told me with a fond tilt of her head. A thought flashed across her face and she asked, “I suppose we are not meeting the little one today?”

“Not yet, at least.” I checked the time on my phone. It, too, had the alert from the lawyer but I swiped it away and focused on the time. “Unless I can pop her out in only five hours, we will have to wait for another day.”

Granya stood, bringing the cat with her. “Then it’s time for the little Mama Conte to rest while she has a chance.” She looked at Liam. “Help her settle, then you should help me prepare dinner.” Then she turned back to me. “What would you like?”

“A dangerous question,” I shook my head, scrolling to the ebook I was using to keep track of healthy options. “Can I have an omelet with salmon, feta and spinach?”

“You most certainly can. Would you like your cat, also?”

“It would be nice to cuddle her before she runs away again,” I said, holding my hands out for Selena. I gathered her to my chest and walked from the nursery into my room with her squirming and purring against me.

“Do you need your sound machine?” Liam asked as he opened the bedroom door and curled an arm about me so he could help guide me inside.

“I think if you find me the remote, I will scroll around and find a documentary. Searching will help me fall asleep, too.”

When I reached our bed, I picked up one small blanket from the collection awaiting Harmonia’s arrival and wrapped one around my cat. “Now you’ll snuggle with me,” I told her and kissed the Orange spot on the crest of her ear.

Selena immediately began to purr once she was wrapped in the blanket.

“See, there are perks to sticking around in the villa,” I told her as I lowered myself into bed.

Liam settled a few pillows around me the way he knew kept me as comfortable as possible. “When I come back to you, I plan to make you mine.”

“Oh?” I scratched a line from the tip of Selena’s nose up between her ears while she purred into sleep. “And how could I be more yours than I am now?”

“Suppose we’ll find out won’t we?” He winked, kissed me on the forehead, and backed away grinning.

I let out a breathy squeal from all the excitement while Selena’s ear twitched against my cheek. “I would have thought bearing your child was proof enough I was Team Kinkaid, but we’ll see what you have in mind.” I blew him a kiss and went scrolling through the documentary list, watching him from the corner of my eye. My blush was so hot it cooled against Selena’s fur.

Before Liam ducked away from my field of vision, he pulled out his phone with a smirk, and I heard him snap a photo. “Just like that,” he murmured just loud enough for me to hear. “As happy as I can make you.” With that, he took off down the stairs.