Chapter 129. FIONA

Chapter 129. FIONA
Mia Fernandes was a sweet girl. I immediately liked her the moment we met this afternoon at Joshua's mansion. Erick introduced her to me very formally. I gently elbowed him in the ribs because he looked so tense.
"Are you okay, Rick?" I held back a laugh as I stared at him.
Joshua was right, Erick was attracted to Mia. I wasn't surprised if he liked her. She was beautiful with golden skin and black hair. She had Latino blood from her late father. She had a very sweet smile, and she was very agile, like Rose. I'm sure it was her smile that made Erick fall for her.
"Don't mind me. I'm always fine."
"Then why are you still standing here? Joshua has gone to his office."
"Umm... Right. I'm going to Joshua's office now."
"See you at dinner," I called after him.
Mia stared at Erick with raised eyebrows. She must have been confused by what was happening. Mia had probably never dated before. She didn't know if Erick liked her, even though it was very obvious. Erick was different from Joshua when he was in love. Erick tended to be nervous and silly, while Joshua... Well, he was cold and indifferent.
Mia led me to Melissa's new room, which was right next to Joshua's. She stood alertly by Melissa's bedside, in case I needed anything else.
"Thank you. You've worked hard to prepare Melissa's new room."
"You're welcome. I only had two hours to prepare this room."
I gently put Mellisa in her new bed. The walls were covered in pink wallpaper with Melissa's favorite floral motif. It was a very girly room. But there weren't many things here yet, as it was a hasty arrangement. The wardrobe was still empty. There was no dresser to store Melissa's combs and skincare.
"It's okay. Joshua and I will buy some furniture for Melissa's new room. We came here on a whim. We didn't even bring anything except the clothes we were wearing."
"There are several boxes of women's clothes in the storage room. Some of them are new."
"Did you clean out my closet four years ago? If so, those are definitely my clothes."
"I guess so. Those clothes need to be washed before you wear them. There's a lot of dust in the storage room."
"I'll check to see if there are any clothes that can be worn without washing."
“Okay. If you need anything, just call me.”
“Oh, I’ll cook dinner tonight. Roberto must have known my habits from four years ago,” I chuckled softly. I’d missed everything about this house without realizing it.
“We’ll have a memorial dinner for Grandpa and Rose. I’ll go to the kitchen and check on the ingredients I need.”
“Okay. I’ll be in the kitchen whenever you need me, Mrs. Craig.”
I hoped she wouldn’t speak to me so stiffly and formally as time went on. Like Rose, we’d grown close after I’d lived here for a month. She’d stopped speaking so formally to me and seemed more relaxed.
I missed her.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I remembered everything that had happened four years ago. I left this house in a state of chaos. I thought I'd come back here after what happened in Sicily. But yeah, things didn't go as planned.
I made a hasty decision this morning. I didn't have much time to think, and suddenly I was in the car, on my way to NYC. Melissa and I didn't have time to pack clothes or even eat breakfast. I just gave Melissa some cookies from last night, then I immediately put her in the car. I told Melissa we were going on an adventure and meeting Daddy. She was so excited the whole way, while I was so nervous. My heart was pounding because I was worried I'd be late. It was a two-hour drive from Atlantic City to NYC, and we were stuck in traffic for twenty minutes.
My heart sank as soon as we reached the runway and saw Joshua's private jet ready for takeoff. I sped like a madwoman, firing a gun into the air in frustration. I knew I'd put Melissa in danger with my actions. If something bad happened to her because of my recklessness, I'd never forgive myself.
Luckily, Joshua saw me coming and stopped the jet just in time before takeoff. That was brutal. If I'd been even a minute late, it would have changed the entire story of my life with Melissa.
I stroked the top of Melissa's head, then kissed her gently on the forehead. My wonderful little girl.
"I love you, baby."
After making sure Melissa was sound asleep and wouldn't wake up for at least two hours, I went downstairs to the kitchen, as I'd promised Mia. She was wiping down the dishes before putting them away in the kitchen cupboard.
"Mrs. Craig."
"Call me Fiona. I'm a little uncomfortable with that. It's too formal."
"But..."
“I know. It'll take you some time to get used to it. It’s okay. No need to be so formal with me, Mia.”
My eyes scanned the kitchen.
“Where’s Roberto? I haven’t seen him since I arrived.”
“He’s painting the rose shelves. He’s in the backyard.”
“I’ll say hello to him then. I’ll be back soon to check the groceries in the fridge.”
A lot had changed in the backyard. There used to be no apple or peach trees near the greenhouse. Now I’d discovered some new plants in this spot. The gazebo was still the same as it had been four years ago. The first time I spoke to Brian was there. I was so naive and had fallen for his sweet talk. It felt strange to imagine him dead, and so were his parents.
I smiled at my foolishness.
Life is about the process of becoming better.
“Fiona? Is that you?”
“Roberto!”
I waved at him enthusiastically. He put his paint can on the ground and took off his gloves before striding toward me.
“Sorry. I should have called you Mrs. Craig.”
“No. I prefer you call me Fiona. Besides, I’m no longer Mrs. Craig. Our marriage was annulled four years ago. Joshua and I…” I shrugged quietly.
Our status was unclear. I couldn't even call us lovers. But one thing was certain, we were Melissa's parents.
"To me, you're still Mrs. Craig."
I hugged Roberto tightly. Tears streamed down my cheeks uncontrollably.
"I miss you so much. I'm sorry for what happened four years ago."
"It's not your fault. Don't cry. I've moved on. I'm sure Rose is living happily in heaven."
"Yeah, I'm sure."
Roberto patted my back gently as I released him.
"How's life been these past four years? You look amazing. You're still as beautiful as ever. But you look more mature now."
I chuckled softly.
"I'm a mother now."
"You what?"
I chuckled at the surprise on Roberto's face.
"I have a three-year-old girl."
"Sorry, Mr. Joshua's girl?"
“Yeah. She’s Joshua’s daughter. I found out I was pregnant after Joshua saved me from Alana’s clutches. But Joshua was in prison at the time. So yeah, it was a mess.”
“Let’s not talk about the mess of the past. You’re happy now.”
“You’re right. But sometimes it’s hard not to talk about the past. Especially when I’m back here again. It feels like a dream to be here again. I didn’t even come alone, but with my daughter.”
“Where is she now?”
“She’s sleeping. She’s exhausted after flirting with the flight attendants on the plane. I’ll bring her to meet you after she wakes up.”
“What’s her name?” Roberto stared at me in amazement.
He looked like a grandfather eager to meet his granddaughter for the first time.
“Mellisa.”
“Mellisa.”
Roberto pronounced it like he was reciting a prayer in church. His face was radiant with joy. I had a feeling he loved children.
“What a beautiful name. There have never been any children in this house other than little Mr. Craig. And that’s been a long time. This house will definitely be even livelier with Melissa’s pressence.”
“I hope she won’t become a troublemaker. She’s very talkative and very curious about new things. You’ll tire of her questions.”
“I’m ready to be her answering machine. Anyway, welcome home.”
“Thank you.”
I smiled at him. A calm I hadn't felt in a long time crept into my heart as I met the people I'd considered family.
"I'm going to cook a memorial dinner for Grandpa and Rose."
"You just arrived. You should get some rest."
"No. I'm really excited to cook today."
"Mia will help you then. I still have some shelves to paint."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. By the way, your adopted daughter is very beautiful," I nudged Roberto's arm teasingly.
"She is. Have you talked to her?"
"A little. Do you know something?"
I suddenly had an idea to play a prank on Erick.
"What's wrong?"
"Erick is interested in your adopted daughter."
"Erick? God, that's bad."
"Why?"
I thought I'd made a big mistake. Roberto didn't look happy about it. The cheerfulness on his face turned to gloom in an instant.
“I don’t want Mia to have anything to do with the mafia.”
“But she works here.”
“Just work, nothing more. I want her to marry a good man someday.”
“Erick is a good man.”
“Still, I don’t want Mia to be exposed too much to the mafia life. She’s only here to work. She never know the terrible things Mr. Craig or Erick do out there.”
I stopped confronting him because it would only make things worse for Erick. I didn’t mean to get him in trouble for telling Roberto about my secret.
“Bad mouth.”
I smacked my lips as I walked into the house. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if Erick failed to date Mia because Roberto didn’t approve of their relationship.
“Mrs. Craig, is everything okay?”
I gasped in surprise when I saw Mia standing in the kitchen doorway that led to the backyard.
“Umm... Yeah. Yeah, everything is fine.”
“Have you decided what you’re going to cook?”
"I think I'll cook with whatever ingredients I find in the fridge. Let's go. I'll need an assistant today because I'm going to make several dishes."
I grabbed her arm and half-dragged her toward the kitchen.
I’d forget about Erick for a moment and focus on my cooking.