She was right. Ididstill care about him—it was an active effort to not look after him.
“Will you take him some food?” Bianci asked me. “Please?”
“Of course,” I mumbled.
“He’s probably sick because he’s run down. All this stress…” Bianci tutted. “Working all the time, none of it will be helping his immune system.”
“Who cares?” Vanessa sang. “He deserves the flu. It’s the least he deserves.”
Bianci gritted her teeth and turned to Vanessa, so I jumped in.
“I’ll bring you the scan images to see next weekend, if you like?”
Bianci turned back to me, her eyes shining. “Oh, that would be lovely. Thank you my darling. We didn’t get a scan with Victor. They just handed me a perfect little bundle with too much dark hair. I blame the hair for the indigestion.”
I smiled, but my heart cracked at the thought of a baby Victor, innocent and beautiful. I’d fallen in love with him so hard I’d nearly broken when he’d hurt me.
Somehow though, I was still here.
“I can’t imagine Victor as a baby.” Vanessa tilted her head. “I mean, I’ve seen photos, but you know what I mean.”
“Ah, he was beautiful. But stubborn! Even as a baby. That never did change.” Bianci met my eyes. “Even as a toddler, he was determined. He carried things that were too heavy, and when you came along Vanessa, he was the typical protective older brother.”
Vanessa looked away, twirling the wine glass between her fingers.
“He’s security conscious too,” I said suddenly, surprising myself.
“His father was the same. Always triple checking the locks and driving me mad.”
I laughed. “Did his father work a lot too?”
Bianci’s eyes misted over. “Every hour the good Lord sent. He was a worker first, a husband and father second.”
“Sounds tough.” I watched as Bianci shrugged.
“It was just the way of it back then. The men worked and we stayed home with the baby. Now women are expected to bounce back after having a baby and work. It’s crazy.”
The conversation moved away from the topic of Victor, thank god, and soon we were clearing the table.
“I’ve made enough for a few meals for you both,” Bianci stated as she prepared boxes of leftover food for me to take home. She wrapped garlic bread in foil, placing it all in a bag before waving at the door. “I’ll carry it to your car.”
You didn’t argue with Bianci Rossi, so I hugged Vanessa and headed to my car.
“You know, I pray every night that you two find your way back to each other,” Bianci admitted softly.
I froze, turning to see my mother-in-law staring at the ground.
Jesus Christ, she did? Why?
A lump formed in my throat as she reached for me.
“I love you. Both of you.” Her eyes fell to my stomach, and she smiled even though her eyes were shining with tears. “All three of you.”
“Bianci…” The words got stuck in my throat as she reached out and cupped my cheek.
“I know. I’m a silly old fool who wants a fairytale ending. But sometimes, even my husband fucked up. We’re human; it’s the way we handle it that matters.”
I stared at her.
