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The perfect mother-daughter team.
“You’re just as talented, Eve.” I rubbed her back with my palm and traced soothing circles to calm her nerves. “Age means nothing in the art world.”
“But Ma is a natural. She started sketching when she was two.”
“While your friends painted with their fingers, you were creating art.” I kissed the top of her head. “I love you. We all do. I’m so proud of you. And I can guarantee everyone will love your paintings.”
Luca was on the other side of the room, with Leo and Angelo clinging to his sides. We used to follow our father around the same way. The boys worshiped Luca and thought he was the king of the world.
Alex stood beside Bastian with a two-year-old Marcus on her hip and a ten-year-old Cato between them. He bent down, kissed her cheek, and planted a kiss on Marcus’s head.
Initially, Cato was my shadow and followed me around the house. But after Alex had Marcus, Bash finally found some common ground. Cato was a prodigy like Bash, gifted in math and science. The doctors suspected Cato had ADHD because he quickly got bored doing everyday kid things and acted out.
With the help of his dad, Cato developed a music app and got it approved in the app store after working on it for the past year.
As I watched them from a distance, I couldn’t help but smile. We all felt bad for Bash for the longest time. He was the only one who couldn’t bond with his kid.
I tapped Eve’s shoulder when Alex raised her hand and waved us over. “It’s time to go,bambina.”
Alex wanted to introduce all the artists in the family. She even convinced me to add a few paintings to the exhibit. Of course, Eve couldn’t wait to paint something to honor Nonna. But now that people surrounded her, she was biting her nails and fidgeting. Even with me at her side, trying to comfort her, I could see the worry lines pulling at her forehead.
She was so much like her mother.
Intelligent and beautiful, so intuitive and creative. A bit of a free spirit, too. But she never enjoyed being around many people. With eleven of us living under the same roof and another baby on the way, she still hadn’t gotten used to crowds. My girl was a lot like me in that way. I never liked the attention our family attracted.
Luca wanted to be feared, admired and loved for his accomplishments. I preferred to remain in the shadows and let him lead our family. Eve had a lot of me in her. Maybe it was from observing me, noticing how uncomfortable I was in social settings.
Alex stood on the stage with a microphone in hand. Luca was beside her with our kids behind them. In public, we had to act like our children were Luca’s, even though most people in town gossiped and made assumptions.
You could tell Sofia was Damian’s daughter. Even with Alex’s big blue eyes, she looked like her father. Same with Cato. He had Bash’s brown hair and gray eyes and Alex’s high cheekbones. Marcus was a mixture of them and still had a babyface.
Eve, Angelo, and Leo inherited the Salvatore genes. Except for Leo, who had Alex’s blonde curly hair. He cut his hair short, like his uncle Aiden. But in terms of looks, the twins were the spitting image of Luca. When we were kids, people thought Luca and I were twins. So they could easily pass for my sons, too.
I walked onto the stage with Eve. My brothers gathered beside me with their kids.
Alex clutched the microphone, a smile on her face. A round of applause rang out, and she waited for the crowd to die down before she spoke.
“Thank you all for coming. As you all know, Evangeline Franco inspired my art. And as her daughter-in-law and the director of the Franco Foundation, I’m delighted to introduce two new artists. Marcello Salvatore, Evangeline’s son, and my daughter, Eve.”
My cheeks burned with all the attention on me. The event was for a good cause, another way for us to raise more money for charity. Knowing both of her parents were part of the showcase made Eve feel better about displaying her art to the public.
After months of the three of us putting our hearts and souls into our paintings, they hung around the room for everyone to see. I put my hand on Eve’s shoulder and smiled. She returned my expression and leaned into my side.
“Thanks to all of your contributions,” Alex continued, “we have raised over one hundred million dollars for a good cause.” She clutched her baby bump and winced, turning her head to the side to look at Luca. “Ow.”
Luca put his arm around her and lowered his head, whispering. I wanted so badly to comfort her. But there were too many people studying our every move.
My dad was in the front row with his girlfriend and our kid’s nanny, Adriana. He would never remarry. As far as he was concerned, my mother was the love of his life. But at least he was happy with Adriana. She put a smile on the miserable bastard’s face.
“I’m so sorry,” Alex said into the microphone, breathing hard. She patted her stomach, her face twisted in pain. “I think this child is ready to come into this world.”
Déjà vu.
Her water broke on the stage at the fifteenth-anniversary showcase, and she delivered Sofia later that night.
Luca took the microphone from her hand and gave it to our dad. Our family left the stage, and people applauded as we exited the room. Some even patted our backs.
“Ma stole the show,” Eve said with a smile. “At least no one booed me from the stage.”
