King of Stars (The Next Generation #2)

17. Matteo

Chapter 17

Matteo

I waited outside Stella’s room like a nervous fucking groom. She was being released from the hospital, and she was about to meet my father, but first, she was getting dressed with the women of my family. After that, mamma was holding a garden party at our house in Siena in honor of her. Mamma said it was perfect. Stella was blooming, just like her garden. She also thought Stella would appreciate staying in the same house I partially grew up in. There was something about the villa in Sienna that was homey, warm, safe.

And there wasn’t a place on earth, I was convinced, that was better for star gazing.

Mamma had a sharp memory, and she told me not long ago that when she was thinking of making it a home for her and my father, Rosaria called it dare alla luce , then told her, “It is the way the house is cloaked in total darkness at night, except for the love of the stars, and then, when the time comes for the darkness to give over to the light, she breaks free and basks in the glory of it. She gives herself over to it. She not only reflects it, she bathes in it. You see this?”

I desperately wanted Stella to see it. To feel as if she were floating in the Milky Way with me. A galaxy made for just the two of us. Na muri scrivutu ne stiddi , or un amore scritto nelle stelle . Our love that was written in the stars was calling us home.

My father was standing with his back against the wall, watching me pace the floor. “By the time you’re done, a contractor will have to come in and pave the holes you’ve worn.”

My eyes rose to meet his. He gave me a shit-eating grin. And I knew exactly what it meant. Get used to it. I’ve waited many times and still wait. I’m waiting right now. But I knew he was enjoying it more because I was the one wearing holes in the floor.

“You have your heart checked lately?” He grinned at me.

I gave him a narrow look, and he exploded with laughter. He pushed away from the wall and set his hand on my shoulder, squeezing. “Every time you see her come out in something new, something she wants you to love, you’ll fall even harder, even deeper, and it will have nothing to do with the clothes,” he said in Italian. “It’s the wait. It always makes us appreciate being close. The distance, even this short, is a killer.”

“If anyone ever told you that you were bad with words…lies,” I said. “You hit the nail on the head time and time again.”

He nodded. “That’s what living is about. Experiences and learning.”

The door opened, and we both looked in the same direction.

Mia smiled. “It’s eerie how you both do that. Move at the same time.”

Saverio seemed to materialize at the exact moment my sister did, and he took her hand, his eyes brightening at the look on her face and her lavender dress. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear, something that made her close her eyes and put a big smile on her face. Magpie came out next, followed by mamma. Papà met her by the door and took her hand, kissing it. I doubted she could move from his side if she tried. He always kept her close, so close, there wasn’t breathing room between them.

I wanted to charge into Stella’s room and grab her, sticking her to my side, my palm keeping her hip next to mine. But I refused to cross the threshold, allowing the suspense to linger. A few seconds later, I heard her heels lightly tapping, and then she made it to the door. My hand instinctually went over my heart, just like my old man did when mamma broke his heart because she was so fucking beautiful.

That was the woman standing before me.

Mamma had called Guido’s wife and asked her to style Stella’s hair. It was short, but it was slicked back to showcase how gorgeous her face was. Her body, a tad bit thinner than it was before, was covered in a bright floral embroidered dress, the hem uneven and landing right at her ankles. A pair of gold heels were on her feet, lifting her a good two inches. I’d had our jeweler create bangle bracelets for her, and the diamonds inside of the stars caught the light and glittered. I couldn’t wait to buy more for her—a claim.

Mine.

I held my hand out for her, and she took it.

“Say something,” she whispered, ducking her head, tucking a strand of hair back that hadn’t moved.

“That’s going to be a fucking problem,” I said. “I can barely breathe.”

She smoothed the dress. “It’s the dress. It’s stunning.” She looked at the three women, who had all my love before, and smiled.

Now there were four women who had all my love.

“Fuck the dress,” I said. “It’s nice, but you’re beautiful, Stella. You.” And I was getting choked up. She was leaving this fucking hospital on my arm. She’d be with me forever. A physically transformed woman from the one who had entered this place.

“Thank you, Matteo,” Stella said, her voice stronger, louder. She smiled at me, and I turned into a fucking puddle at her feet.

I pulled her forward, so proud I wasn’t sure my chest could swell any more, or my heart might fucking burst. “Stella,” I said, “this is my father, Brando Fausti. papà, Stella.”

“Stella,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it.

She nodded, but she didn’t add anything else. Her eyes were still wide. Mamma, Magpie, and Mia laughed a little but didn’t say anything.

“Let’s not linger.” Magpie looked around like someone was going to jump out and put her in a straitjacket. “I don’t like these places unless a woman I love is giving birth.” She nudged my sister with her hip, and they started laughing.

Stella was still staring at my father. Once they walked ahead, I narrowed my eyes at her. “Tell me,” I said.

“Erm…tell you?”

“You’re staring at my father.”

She blinked at his back and then turned her eyes on me. “Oh.” A smile came to her face. “It’s hard to look away from him. You’re his twin!”

I grinned. “Wait until you meet my grandfather.”

“Nonno,” she said.

I nodded and offered her my arm. She took it and we followed behind the group. “He’ll expect you to call him that.”

“Sweet. I never had a grandfather before.”

She was about to have an entire life she never had before. And I couldn’t wait to fucking give it to her.

Even though we’d taken walks around the hospital in Tuscany, it was the first time Stella was riding in a car in over two months. The entire time, her hand was locked on mine, and her head was pressed against the window. Dr. Casella said she might get nauseas from not experiencing motion in a while, but when she offered Stella something to take, Stella declined. I’d asked her if she got car sick before, and she just shrugged. She’d never travelled for long periods in them, she’d told me, not since she was a kid.

Occasionally, she’d eye Saverio in the driver seat, my sister sitting next to him, fiddling with the radio. I could tell certain songs piqued her interest, but she wasn’t feeling good enough to enjoy them.

It was times like these that I knew it was going to take time for her to get used to life. The last time she’d experienced real life was when she was twelve, before her mamma left her with the Nemours. When I brought up all of that, she said she wasn’t ready to talk about it. I got the feeling she had been extremely close to her mamma, and she was worried about what had happened to her. I hated to be the one to break it to her, but one day, I would. I’d show her all the things Saverio, Mia, and Evelina found. I told her about the box, but she didn’t want details.

“Not ready yet,” she’d whispered in a voice so broken, I couldn’t deny her the time to get stronger before all the answers she needed would break her heart all over again.

Her eyes had been shut tight, last I checked, but they were cracked open. A slight smile was on her face. An older song that was making a comeback was on the radio, and my sister was singing it to Saverio in the same sort of baby voice the singer had. The singer said something about waiting for the guy’s love, and every time my sister would sing it, Rio would have a different response for my sister. Like when the singer sang, we can’t be friends, and my sister repeated it, Rio said, “Fucking right. You’re so much more than my friend. You’re everything.”

Mia loved singing to Saverio while he drove, and I could tell Stella liked it. As we got closer to Siena, she started to sit up straighter and ask questions about the songs playing on the radio. I wasn’t sure if Stella caught it or not, but at one point, my sister wiped tears from her eyes. I stared at Mia until she met my eyes through the rearview mirror. She nodded, and I knew why she was crying. She felt bad that Stella had missed out on so many years of her life. She’d missed doing all the girly shit my sister did because she’d been a prisoner.

Lifting Stella’s hand to my mouth, I closed my eyes and breathed her in. I’d make her life better. I’d take care of her. I’ll never let her hurt again, if I can help it.

It seemed like every day, I vowed something new to her, whether I spoke the promises out loud or not. Some of them were meant for me only. Vows that I would aspire to keep, only her happiness my reward for keeping them.

“Did you like that song, Stella?” Mia asked.

Stella nodded. “I’ve never heard anything like it!”

Mia smiled. “Want to listen to it again?”

“Yes!”

“You got it, baby girl,” Mia said, turning the song back on for her. “I love this one too!”

Stella looked over at me with a huge smile on her face, and I touched her chin before she started to move her shoulders and sing with Mia.

“That’s it, baby girl!” Mia encouraged. “Sing it louder for the people in the back!”

It warmed my heart that my sister and the love of my life were getting along. Though it would take the spawn of a devil not to want to be friends with Mia. She was so open and caring, just overall a good person. Unless someone dared to cross someone she cared about. Then she turned into a fierce lioness. She had a lot of Fausti running through her blood, and she wasn’t afraid to tap into it if someone she loved was hurting or in danger.

By the time we arrived at my parents’ farmhouse in Siena, I knew every word to the song, because Mia had it on repeat. She did that sometimes if she really loved a song. She’d beat it to fucking death until she knew the lyrics better than the singer. After we stepped out, Rio looked at me and stuck his fingers in his ears, shaking them a bit. I grinned at him, but I knew things were about to get serious.

Luca Fausti was waiting in the villa, and even though he loved women, he still expected a certain behavior from all of us. Like, we had to dress out of respect. That whole wearing pajamas out in public movement was still a sore spot for him. If it weren’t for his iron will to live, he might have allowed it to fester and take him out. My grandfather was big on romance and respect. Two of the values we, as Faustis, lived for.

Saverio and Mia both straightened and started to make their way toward the villa. Children laughed in the distance, and opera music crooned at us from the speakers mamma had papà install years ago.

Stella was gazing at the villa, her eyes telling me she was already in love with it. But I could tell she was nervous and feeling out of place.

“You belong wherever I am,” I said, bringing her hand to my heart. Her skin was cold, even though the temperature was warm.

She turned and met my eyes. “I can’t believe how beautiful this place is, Matteo.” She looked toward an area of wildflowers rolling with the hills. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing right now. Did you say you grew up here?”

“Partially,” I said. “Nonno has a walled village in Lucca, and my parents have another home in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Also New York. And London.”

“Anywhere else?”

“We enjoy Fiji. There’s an island there. It’s special to my parents. To us.”

“I was just kidding, but…” She kicked a rock with her heel. “This is a lot.”

“Only in the beginning. You’ll get used to it. You’ll find a rhythm. You’ll find what makes you comfortable.”

“And then?” She squinted at me, and I made a mental note to buy her sunglasses.

“Then I’ll create the world you want.”

She nodded. Took a breath. Breathed it out in a slow push. “Remind me again. What’s about to happen? I need to get this right.”

“You’ll meet my grandfather first. He’ll want to take you on a walk around the property. Then…everyone else.”

“Your brothers? Mariano, Marciano, and…Maestro.”

“ Bene ,” I said.

“Okay,” she said almost to herself. “At least I got those right. And you have…three uncles? Rocco, Dario, and…”

I exploded with laughter, and she jumped a bit. I pulled her in by the head and kissed her forehead, speaking an apology in Italian for scaring her. Then I said, “Romeo. You won’t forget him once you meet him. He won’t allow it. And if he knew you just did, he would be deeply wounded.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m already making mistakes, Matteo!”

“Because you haven’t met them yet. Once you see faces, get to know personalities, you’ll remember in no time.”

“I’m not so sure,” she mumbled, her eyes wary as we made our way arm in arm closer to the villa.

As expected, my grandfather was waiting with Magpie to greet us. Even though he was dressed to the nines, his stance was casual. He wanted to make her comfortable. He smiled at Stella, and her breath caught. Magpie beamed up at him, pulling him closer, as if to say, Isn’t this exciting! I greeted my grandfather and then kissed my grandmother on her cheeks, even though I’d seen her only a little while ago. Then I presented Stella, like a princess in waiting, to the current king.

“Estella,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Somewhere in the vast sky, a star has been named after you.”

“Most people call me Stella,” she said, almost like she couldn’t come up with anything else to say.

He nodded, but he hadn’t let her hand go. “Do I have permission to call you Estella? I am not most people.”

“Anything you want,” she breathed.

Magpie exploded with laughter and took my arm. “Walk me inside, my handsome grandson. Your grandfather can take it from here.”

I’d walked the line with my family for years, but suddenly, I didn’t want to leave Stella alone. I knew my grandfather would take care of her. He’d treat her like a granddaughter of the heart. He’d kill for her. Die for her. But being separated from her wasn’t an option anymore, and the distance my grandfather would put between us might just kill me. I grabbed for the spot over my heart and ignored the look on my father’s and uncle’s faces.

My brothers all had shit-eating grins on their faces too. Look how fucking drammatic o ! Another one down!

“Fuck me,” I muttered to myself after Magpie went in search of Mia’s sons, and I went in search of a strong drink.