I tried not to think about Angelo.
He was the cause of all my pain.
I still couldn’t understand why my brother would do something like this. How he could be so cruel.
Looking around the room, I noticed Reggie was no longer with me. Heading to the bathroom to wash my face and use the facilities, I left the bedroom and headed back downstairs, where several people were moving about carrying bags. A woman with big pink hair was directing the men to which bag belonged to whom.
Quietly making my way across the room, I didn’t want to bother anyone when I accidentally bumped into a woman.
“Oh, hi,” the pretty blonde woman smiled at me as she held a tiny baby in her arms. The little girl looked tired as she could barely keep her eyes open as she drank her bottle.
She was so small.
So beautiful. “You must be Catarina. I’m Ari. I’ve heard such wonderful things about you.”
Snapping out of my head, I smiled at the pretty woman with the baby in her arms. “It’s nice to meet you. Do you know where I can find Reggie?”
“You mean Player? He’s in church. Reaper just called a meeting. He will be out when it’s over.”
“Oh,” I said, looking around at the chaos happening. I didn’t know what was going on but seeing all these new faces was a bit overwhelming. When I first arrived, there wasn’t hardly anyone here. Now, it’s like the place exploded with bodies. Men and women I’d never seen moved about the area as if they’d lived her their whole lives.
“You look a little lost.”
“I’m sorry, but yes. I am. I don’t know what to do.”
“Well, I was going to put Hailey down for a nap, then get started on dinner. You can help me if you like. I would appreciate the help since Remi has locked herself in her room.”
“Remi?” I questioned.
“Reaper’s woman. She’s seven months pregnant and pissed at Reaper.”
“Oh.”
“Viper, you’re going to break it,” Ari said, looking over my shoulder to a man trying to set up a playpen. I turned to see a large man roughly trying to pry the playpen into position. I could tell the man had never touched one before, and from the looks of frustration on his face, I was sure he was about to break it.
Frustrated, the man pointed at the playpen before him and angrily said, “What the hell is this thing? You need a fucking degree in engineering to put this contraption together.”
“Would you please,” Ari said, handing me the sleepy little girl. “I’ll be right back.”
Shocked, I didn’t know what to do.
I couldn’t believe she just handed me her baby as if it was nothing. I would never have done it. As I cradled the pretty little girl in my arms, I turned as Ari marched over and started explaining how to erect a playpen. Looking down at the little girl in my arms, I watched as she yawned, closed her eyes, letting the bottle fall from her lips.
My heart melted. She indeed was a precious little thing. Deciding to help her momma out, I moved over to one of the many sofas in the large room and sat. The place was chaotic and honestly no place for a baby. The best thing I could do was move out of the way.
Sitting on the sofa with her in my arms, I smiled. “So, your name is Hailey. My name is Catarina. It’s very nice to meet you,” I said as she yawned again, snuggling closer to me as I held her.
“You must be very tired,” I grinned. “I’ll tell you a secret. I am too.”
Before I knew it, I was gently rocking the little girl as I quietly sang a lullaby to her. It was the least I could do until her momma returned.
I tuned everything out around me, just concentrating on the little girl in my arms. She indeed was a darling. Her bright red hair curled at the ends, and I absolutely adored the spray of freckles across her little nose. She was going to be a looker when she got older, and whoever her father was, was going to have his hands full.
Lost in my own little world, I sang,“Fai la ninna, fai la nanna, Con'sto fialio non c'è più pace, Fai la ninna, fai la nanna.”I continued to sing the lullaby to the now sleeping baby in my arms as I forgot the rest of the world, only concentrating on the little girl in my arms. Before I knew it, all I heard was total silence. Looking up, I found everyone staring at me, including Reggie and Luciano, who were smiling at me.
Reggie walked over and kneeled before me, kissing my cheek. “You still have a beautiful voice, my love. I can’t wait to hear you sing to our son.”
“She was so tired, Reggie. I didn’t know what else to do.”