Tied to a Castillo I 18+

five

Different Phases of Life...

Mattia tossed the small ball into the air, slowly spinning in a circle while sitting in his father's chair at the bar. Richie called his sons over to have a brief meeting about a few things, Sam showing up on time for once after being late the last few times.

As they waited for their Father to arrive, Mattia remembered something.

"I saw Natalie the other day," Mattia mentions, causing Sam to snap his head in his direction.

"What? Where?" Sam questioned a bit too quickly.

Mattia tossed the ball up again, "I was walking to get some breakfast after leaving this girl's place, and I saw her. She looks like a grown woman now."

"She's always looked like a grown woman," Sam stated through a mumble.

Natalie's body gave grown woman along with the things she wore; the way she carried herself, her demeanor.

That was a grown woman without a doubt.

"But when I say she looks grown, I mean grown," Mattia tossed the ball up, "she had a blazer on and some slacks, lookin' real professional."

Sam uttered, "she works at her Mom's Firm."

Mattia questions his acknowledgment of her occupation, "how did you know that?"

"Mind ya' business," Sam said feeling caught. He still had someone checking in on her to make sure she was good, but they weren't around so much. Things have died down, and by the time Natalie was making her check ups frequent, the man wasn't there to see, "was she with someone?"

Mattia shrugs with a grin and says, "I'm minding my business," causing Sam to stand up and catch the ball mid-air before hitting Mattia in the face with it, "ow!"

"Was she with someone?" Sam making it clear he wasn't joking around right now.

"No," he held his eye. For it to be a plushy ball, the force made it hurt, "why not just talk to her if you miss her?"

Sam had a glare on his face, leaning back onto the desk. The appearance of their father silenced them both, Mattia moving his hand from over his eye to assure he could see out of it.

Mattia was understanding to Sam's feelings, but this was insane to him.

Natalie was relieved to know that Sam never came knocking at her door, shouting at her for withholding this kind of information him. She knew he wanted to be a father, but she still couldn't tell him. She felt guilty and lonely that he wasn't apart of this journey, especially when she sat in the chair, being the center of attention at her baby shower.

She was six months pregnant by then, and the overwhelming reality snuck up on her slowly.

It first started when she decorating the baby's room, trying to figure out what theme she wanted to have on display. Another moment was when she was searching up benefits of breast feeding along with some facts about new borns. Sam should've been over her shoulder, discovering and experiencing these little things.

She remembered the emotions that washed over when the baby made this big movement in her tummy for the first time, wishing she could've reached for Sam's hand to let him feel. She was eating ice cream and she drew in a breath at the shift.

Natalie constantly felt as like she was stealing Sam's excitement and his ability to enjoy the small moments, especially when him and his family wasn't in attendance at the baby shower. She felt awful. Sam deserved to see what everyone got his little boy, to be congratulated, to be in pictures, and have these memories to look back on.