Forever in My Heart Read online

  “I guess you’re still not willing to see the counselor with her.”

  His father shrugged.

  “Johnny.” Joe DiFranceso walked over to the table. “It’s good to see you, old friend.”

  His father accepted Mr. D.’s outreached hand. “It’s nice to see you, too, Joe.”

  “Your boy, here, has done a fantastic job with this place. I barely recognize it,” Mr. D. commented. “You should be proud of him.”

  His father had never praised him. Ever. Not even when he hit home run after home run in Little League. Of course, his father was often working and didn’t make it to many of his games.

  “Not bad,” his father replied.

  That was probably as good as it was going to get, which was better than nothing.

  “Thanks, Pop.”

  Vicky returned with three coffees and a plate of pastries. “You handsome men look hungry. I hope this will tide you over.”

  “You’ve done a nice job here, Vicky,” his father said.

  “Thanks, Mr. DiSilva.” Vicky put a hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “Your son transformed this place into something magnificent.”

  Jamie wanted to yank her onto his lap and kiss her. Probably not a smart idea with both their fathers across the table from him. “Thanks,” he said with a wink.

  “Hiya, Aunt Vicky,” Lucas yelled out, running across the café to envelope Vicky in a hug.

  Vicky planted a kiss on the boy’s head. “Hi there, cutie. I’m glad you made it here.”

  Jamie looked over the boy’s head and searched the room. If Lucas was here, that meant Kate and Edward were here. Sure enough, luck was not on his side, unless you considered bad luck a good thing. Kate had zeroed in on their little table like a missile locked on its target. And from the sparks shooting out of her eyes, all hell was about to break loose.

  ****

  Even as Vicky hugged her nephew, the realization that Kate was on the premises registered. Vicky met Jamie’s gaze and knew he was thinking the same thing—time for damage control.

  Just as Vicky was ready to pull Kate aside, there was the sound of a cup falling over.

  “Pop, are you okay?” Jamie asked, grabbing napkins to mop up the spilled coffee.

  Mr. DiSilva’s face was chalk-white. “Tony?” he whispered.

  Crap. Jamie’s dad must not have heard Kate adopted a boy his grandson’s age. The boys did have similar coloring. It didn’t surprise Vicky that someone who didn’t know what happened all those years ago would presume Lucas to be Tony. But Mr. DiSilva knew Tony died.

  “No, Pop. This is Kate’s adopted son, Lucas. Tony died, remember?” Jamie said.

  Mr. DiSilva stared at the boy before eyeing his son. “Of course I remember, but he looks…”

  Vicky touched the older man’s shoulder. “He resembles a boy with the same coloring as Tony, but he’s not.”

  She needed to explain before Lucas got freaked out.

  “Lucas, this is Jamie’s dad. Mr. DiSilva, this young man is my nephew, Lucas.”

  “Hi, sir,” Lucas said. “Hi, Jamie. I’ve been playing with the fighter jet you got me for my birthday. It’s my favorite toy. I’m going to be a Jedi this year for Halloween.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying the gift. You’ll make a rockin’ Jedi,” Jamie said.

  Kate had finally pushed her way through the crowd and now stood behind Lucas, her hands protectively on his shoulders. Kate radiated pissed-off and despite her petite frame could kick some serious ass. And given that Vicky had seen her do exactly that in this very room, she knew it was possible. Time to defuse her sister’s temper.

  She signaled to Lucy. “Lucas, why don’t you go see Lucy, and she’ll help you pick out something to eat.”

  Lucas skipped off to the counter, not needing to be told twice to eat something sweet.

  “It’s been a while, Kate. How’ve you been?” Mr. DiSilva asked.

  Edward kept an arm loosely around Kate’s shoulders and leaned forward. “I’m Edward Weston, Kate’s husband. I see you’ve met our son, Lucas.”

  Vicky followed Mr. DiSilva’s gaze over to where the boy stood staring at the display case as though choosing the right dessert was the most important decision in his life. She pressed her hand to her stomach and prayed Kate could hold it together.

  “At first I thought he was my grandson, but that’s not possible.”

  “No, it’s not.” Kate spoke for the first time. “We adopted Lucas earlier this year.”

  “He’s a lucky boy.”

  “Why are you here?” Kate spat out.

  “I’ve been hearing a lot about this place from my boy, here. I wanted to see if it lived up to the DiFrancesco tradition of fabulous food.” He took a bite of cinnamon bun and chewed. “And it does.”

  “That’s a variation of my mother’s recipe,” Vicky said. Mr. DiSilva always had a sweet tooth.

  “I’m glad you’ve been able to move on after…well after everything you’ve been through.” Mr. DiSilva continued to address Kate.

  “Losing a husband and child isn’t easy, especially given the circumstances,” Kate said.

  “No, it isn’t.” Mr. DiSilva looked down at his plate as though in deep thought. “Barbara hasn’t handled things well, as you may have heard.”

  “But Ma is getting help now, Pop,” Jamie said.

  “I’m just glad she’s not here today. Seeing that boy could put her right over the edge again,” Mr. DiSilva said.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you or Barbara to be around Lucas.”

  “Really, Kate,” Vicky snapped. Could her sister be any more inappropriate?

  “I’m sorry, Vick. I can’t stand here and pretend everything’s okay.”

  Vicky had enough of the tension.

  “Let’s go, Sis. It’s almost time for cupcake decorating, and I could use your help.”

  Vicky grabbed Kate’s arm and pulled her through the café to the kitchen.

  Behind closed doors, Vicky leaned against the work table and crossed her arms over her middle. “Well, that was awkward.”

  “I thought I could do this—be civil—but seeing that old man out there…” Kate covered her mouth with a shaky hand.

  “He’s not bothering anyone. Even Dad is happy to see him again.”

  Kate snorted. “Even Dad can have poor judgment. Being around that man makes me feel sick.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “I’d forgotten how much Mario and Sal resembled him.”

  Thankfully, Jamie took after his mother’s Irish side of the family.

  “I’d forgotten that, too. But Mario and Sal are gone and you’re safe.”

  Kate nodded and brushed away a tear that slid down her cheek. “But sometimes I still remember. And seeing him now brought it all back again; both accidents, losing Tony and then miscarrying.”

  “I’m sorry. How can I help you?”

  “Stop dating Jamie.”

  She said it so quickly, Vicky thought she’d misheard. “Excuse me?”

  “Stop seeing him.”

  “Kate, be reasonable.”

  Kate’s voice rose an octave. “Reasonable? You want me to be reasonable after the hell that family has put me through?”

  The naked vulnerability on her sister’s face nearly broke her. Vicky hated fighting, but she was tired of sitting back and being the placid sister.

  “Let’s be clear. The entire DiSilva family did not put you through hell. Mario and Sal did.” Vicky’s voice shrilled with frustration.

  “It’s close enough.”

  Hardly.

  “Jamie has worked his ass off to prove he’s different than his brothers. He shouldn’t have had to do that, but he did and he did it with tact. He didn’t get all pissed off even though he had every right to.”

  “Have you forgotten how his brother tied you to a chair after he knocked you around?”

  Like that was really something she could forget.

 
; “I haven’t forgotten what Sal did. Not Jamie. Sal. Jamie was off in Afghanistan defending our country. Not too much he could do to be influenced by the behavior of his brothers from there.”

  “My nightmares are back, and I’m even jumpy while driving again, after finally overcoming my fear. I feel like I’m going backward. It all started when Jamie came back to town and is worse now that you’re dating.”

  “I hate that you’re having problems again, but I can’t put my life on hold. Not that long ago you encouraged me to risk falling in love.”

  “I didn’t say fall for a DiSilva.”

  “You can’t control who I have feelings for or who I date. It doesn’t work like that. Have you forgotten how close all of us used to be? Maybe our family abandoning theirs is part of what drove Jamie’s mother to drink? Maybe if we hadn’t held onto this grudge for so long things may have been different.”

  “You are so out of line.”

  Vicky squared her shoulders. “I don’t think I am.”

  Edward came storming through the door followed by Jamie.

  “Enough. We can bloody well hear your voices outside,” Edward said.

  Jamie stood next to Vicky and reached for her hand. “I’m going to take my father home. I’ll stay there until closing and then come back and help you clean up.”

  His offer touched her. Clearly, he was a better person than Kate, but continuing to avoid the situation was not going to help matters.

  “You’re the reason for this reopening. You should be here to take credit and celebrate with us.” God help her for taking this stand, but it was long overdue. “You’re not leaving.”

  Having thrown down the gauntlet, she stared down Kate. The surprise and hurt on her sister’s face nearly broke her. Jamie’s presence beside her kept her strong.

  “We can work through this, Kate. You can stay on the opposite side of the café. You don’t need to be near him.”

  For a moment, it looked as though Kate was going to agree, but then the DiFrancesco stubbornness showed through and she shook her head.

  “Let’s go, luv. I’ll take you to your parents’ house,” Edward said in a calm voice.

  Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones that were driving Kate to be more unreasonable than usual. Regardless, Vicky didn’t know how Edward dealt with her.

  “You’re going to take her side?” Kate snapped.

  “I’m taking the side of our unborn child. This stress isn’t good for either of you,” Edward said in a calm but firm tone.

  Her husband’s comment got to her and reluctantly she nodded.

  “Can you ask Carmen and Joe to bring Lucas home with them?” Edward asked Vicky.

  “I don’t want Lucas—” Kate started to interrupt.

  “He’s staying,” Edward said with enough force to make Kate not finish her sentence. “The child’s been jabbering about the cupcake decorating for two days. I’m certain that despite your differences, Vicky won’t allow anyone to hurt him.”

  “We’ll look out for him. Don’t worry,” Vicky said.

  Edward ushered Kate out the back. The door had barely closed behind them when Jamie pulled her into his arms.

  “This is my fault. You should have let me leave.”

  “No. I’m tired of this tension between our families. It needs to end. Look how our fathers were talking as though they haven’t been estranged all these years.”

  “Pop was more animated than I’ve seen him since I’ve returned. Between that and your mother visiting mine, they’re starting to close the gap put there by my brothers.”

  “And all Kate wants to do is force everyone to remember. It’s not like we can ever forget it, but it doesn’t need to drive our actions.”

  “What you did now…it’s going to drive a wedge between you and Kate.”

  “We’ve never been close, but she stood by me during my divorce, and I was there for her when Mario and Tony died. After she cools off, I’m sure we can work through this.”

  At least she hoped they could.

  “What can I do?”

  “Exactly what you’re doing.”

  She pulled him close and allowed the tears she’d been holding in flow freely down her cheeks. As angry as she was, she couldn’t help also feeling sad. Sure, there’d always been animosity between her and Kate, but it had never been anything this intense. No matter what, they’d always been able to work through their differences. What if they couldn’t this time? What if it wasn’t possible to repair the damage between them?

  The door pushed open and Lucy poked her head through. “Sorry to bother you, but we have another problem.”

  Dear God, what now?

  Vicky wiped away the tears. “I’m not sure what could be worse, but lay it on me.”

  “Jimmy and his buddies are here.”

  So much for nothing being worse. She should have kept her big mouth shut.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  This was the last thing they needed. What started out as a happy day was spiraling quickly out of control. The scene with Kate put everyone on edge, and the last thing he wanted was those brainless twits further twisting the metaphorical knife in Vicky.

  Beside him, Vicky, already tense from dealing with Kate, was like a tightly coiled spring ready to snap. Rather than burst into tears, which would be completely understandable, her light brown eyes got fierce.

  “If it’s a fight he wants, it’s a fight he’ll get. I’m in no mood for his bullshit,” Vicky said.

  Jamie rubbed her shoulders. “Why don’t you call Nick and see if he can swing by or even send a couple uniforms over. I’ll deal with Jimmy. You got to have all the fun last time,” Jamie deadpanned.

  Lucy pointed to her watch. “We should start the cupcake decorating soon. There are kids bouncing all over the place in anticipation.”

  Vicky exhaled. “Fine. Let’s get everything ready,” she said to Lucy and turned to Jamie. “Try not to get any blood on my new floor.” She kissed his cheek and reached for her phone.

  Satisfied, Jamie headed into the main room. His father sat where he’d left him with both Mr. and Mrs. D. and Lucas. The boy was talking and showing Jamie’s father a Star Wars figure. Jamie had only been around Lucas a few times, but from the little he’d observed, the kid was quite the chatterbox once he got to know you. A pang of longing filled him. Yeah, he wanted that.

  Jimmy, Snake, and Tommy were in line for coffee. It was time to clear out the street scum and restore the café to normalcy.

  He clapped a hand on Jimmy and Tommy’s shoulders. “What are you doing here, boys? I thought your preference in beverages was the alcoholic not caffeinated type.”

  “We wanted to check out the new digs. Nice work, DiSilva. I bet your little bitch girlfriend is real proud of you,” Jimmy said.

  “Yeah, I bet she puts out big time tonight,” Tommy said.

  Jamie’s temper soared, and he wanted nothing more than to deck the assholes. Instead, he grabbed a fistful of Tommy’s shirt and pulled. “Let’s take this outside.”

  “This is a free country. I’ll stay if I want, you prick, unless you want me to make a big scene in front of all these paying customers,” Tommy said.

  Since that was exactly what Jamie didn’t want, he let go of Tommy’s shirt.

  “That’s better,” Jimmy said. “Why don’t you get us a table, Snake. I’m in a mood to stay awhile and watch the festivities.”

  Like hell.

  “The cops are on their way here. Why don’t I get your coffee to go?”

  “Need some help, partner?” Tristan asked, walking over.

  “Good timing.”

  Together, they escorted the trio outside.

  Once on the sidewalk, Jimmy jerked away. “Get your fucking hands off me.”

  “I don’t want any trouble. It would be best if you didn’t show your face here,” Jamie said, hands fisted at his side. One wrong word and he was going to use them.

  “We had a deal, man. You find us the drive
, and we don’t mess up your pretty girlfriend’s or your parents’ faces. And we can do it, too.”

  Jimmy was too much of a wimp-ass to do more than shoot off his mouth. And Tommy fainted at the sight of blood, a fact Jamie remembered from when he was a kid. But Snake could cause damage, and Jamie was sure the lot of them knew plenty of people who wouldn’t think twice about hurting a pretty girl or an old man.

  “We combed practically every square inch of the place and nada,” Jamie said.

  “What’s on it?” Tristan asked. “Maybe knowing would help us isolate where to look.”

  “None of your business, pretty boy,” Tommy said.

  “You knew Sal better than me. I hadn’t seen him in nine years. I didn’t know who he hung out with or where. Why don’t you come clean with what you know?”

  Jimmy cast a glance at his friends before speaking. “We’ve checked out the place where he worked and talked to the guys there. They don’t know.”

  “Or they’re not saying,” Jamie added.

  Jimmy shook his head. “Nah. The guys are cool, and besides, they’d have no reason to lie. Sal didn’t hide it there.”

  So they were back to ground zero with no leads.

  “This looks like a fun party,” Nick said as he rounded the corner. “Can I join?”

  Good timing, for once.

  “We were saying goodbye to Jimmy and his friends, here. Do you have any parting words for them, detective?”

  Nick flicked off his sunglasses and put them in the pocket of his shirt. He wore a short sleeve button-down shirt over a dark T-shirt, which Jamie presumed was to hide the sidearm the man was certainly sporting.

  Nick cupped a hand around Jimmy’s shoulders as though they were best buds, but Jamie knew the man was being anything but friendly with the jerk.

  “This here’s a respectable neighborhood. We don’t take kindly to crime and harassment.”

  Nick squeezed the man’s neck, and the discomfort on Jimmy’s face was apparent. With his face scrunched up, Jamie wouldn’t have been surprised if Jimmy cried or called for his mommy. What a wuss.

  Jimmy put his hands up. “We weren’t causing any trouble. We just wanted coffee, and these two assholes here kicked us out. They’re the ones harassing us. Maybe we should file charges against them.”