Annette nodded, too overcome with emotion to get any words past her tight throat. Carlo seemed to know and pulled her into his body, his arm coming protectively around her.
Fantino looked at them with speculation. "Is there something you want to share with the class?"
"We are having a baby," Carlo said, his own tone suffused with joy at impending fatherhood.
He might not think she was great shakes as potential wife material, but he was ecstatic she was having his baby. And Annette knew now that it had been confirmed, whatever his previous plans, Carlo was now set on wooing her into a wedding.
Again.
Only this time, she wasn't living in the fantasy that he loved her. The fantasy that had popped like a soap bubble when he'd laid out his plans for their future without her input, or even taking her feelings into consideration.
"When's the wedding?" Fantino asked. "Only I don't recommend waiting like we did. The wedding was a lot of stress on Joyce in her last trimester.
"Now is not the time for a big wedding, regardless," Carlo said, his tone brooking no argument.
He wasn't going to get one from her. "I agree."
"But there will be a wedding?" Alceu asked,histone equally intransigent.
Before Annette could stutter some kind of answer that basically said she wasn't sure, or Carlo could say whatever he'd just taken a breath to get out, his mother said, "Leave them alone,caro. Today is for celebrating Fantino's recovery. Tomorrow is time enough to begin badgering your eldest about his love life."
Fantino started to droop soon after that, so Annette and Carlo took their leave. Valentina refused to be moved and declared she would read while he slept.
Considering that the furniture in the hospital room was as comfortable as any Annette had had in her living room, she wasn't worried the older woman would make herself exhausted with a bedside vigil. Valentina deserved having whatever moments of wakefulness her son gave her throughout the day after the worry he would not wake at all.
Annette and Carlo looked in on Joyce and found Lynette there, reading to their younger sister from a fashion magazine. "You'll adore this new line from…" She let her voice trail off when she saw them. "What are you doing here?" she asked pointedly of Annette.
"She's my sister too," Annette said, wishing her older sister's words no longer had the power to hurt her.
She'd come a long way to believing it wasn't her fault her family didn't love her, but that didn't mean she didn't love them, or that they couldn't hurt her.
"I guess," Lynette said grudgingly, surprising Annette.
But then she chanced a side glance at Carlo and the glower he was giving her sister was pretty ferocious. Lynette was doing her best to avoid his gaze at this point.
Annette probably shouldn't feel like smiling, but she did. Lynette was so used to everyone being okay with the way she treated Annette; she didn't know what to do with herself when someone disapproved.
Lynette stood up abruptly. "If you're going to be here for a while, I'll take a walk."
"Have you been here all day?" Annette asked, surprised.
"Yes, not that you'd know. You barely bother to visit, despite living less than an hour away."
"I visit as much as I can, but Jo-Jo needs me right now."
"So you've said." Lynette flipped her highlighted brown hair. "She has a nanny. We all heard Carlo say so."
"And yet a nanny cannot substitute for family. The better question might be why neither your parents, nor yourself have taken the time to check on Jo-Jo's welfare during all this."
"She's fine. You said so yourself."
"But none of you stepped in to offer help in her care."
Lynette frowned. "Why would we? Joyce needs us. The baby has carers."
Her sister's blatant dismissal of their niece's needs didn't surprise Annette, but it did hurt. "Jo-Jo deserves to be surrounded by people who love her while her parents can't be there."
"If they ever wake up," Lynette said, genuine regret in her voice as she looked down at Joyce. "It has been more than two weeks."