Cay busied herself in the kitchen with Jules, fixing lunch for the twenty or so men that were living in the safe house. Jules had loved the idea and was excited about doing it with her.
Cay made three huge pans of lasagna and her and Jules made two huge pans of baked ziti. There was tons of salad, bread and antipasto by the boat load.
They kept dessert simple and made two kinds of cannoli. Chocolate chip and pistachio, then Jules made ricotta pie and lemon bars.
After everything was done, Cay felt exhausted but happy and when the table was set, they set out twenty-four glasses of champagne and one glass of sparkling water.
Marco and the men had been in meetings since the funeral and had no idea what had been planned until Cay went to get him.
Knocking softly on the door, one of the men opened it and as soon as he saw her, he bowed and let her in. As she made her way to where Marco stood, the men that were seated, stood in respect.
Cay went to her husband's side and whispered "Jules and I have something for you and the men. Can you break away for the moment?"
"Men, we're going to take a short break as we've been summoned by the women of the house" Marco said, smiling at his wife while the men chuckled lightly.
You could tell by the reactions, after they got into the dining room and kitchen area, they were shocked, especially when Cay took her glass and started to speak.
"Our famiglia has suffered a tremendous loss. Callo DeLuca was as special to me as he was to all of you here.
I admit that I've not been taking this loss easily, in fact, someways I blame myself, but knowing Nono he would not want us sitting around grieving, he would want us laughing and eating.
My beautiful sister in law and I have made you lunch and it would be our honor to serve you, just a small way of thanking you for protecting us with your lives.
Now, if you please, raise your glass in a toast to our Nono, Callo DeLuca. Salute" Cay said, sipping her sparkling water.
Without anymore delay, Jules and Cay started serving the men immediately, beginning with Marco and working their way down to the soldiers and when all the men had been served, she fixed Julian's plate and took it to where he was sitting by his father.
When Cay walked in, all the men stopped eating and stood up. Her cheeks flamed by the attention but she knew this was ingrained in these men from a young age, to respect their queen.
"Mommy, are you going to eat?" Julian asked innocently. "Yes baby. Aunt Jules and I are going to eat right now. I just needed to take care of you first" Cay said.
The little boy smiled happily as he began to eat the savory lasagna on his plate.
When she turned to leave, Marco grasped her hand, causing her to look at him.
He didn't say anything, just gave her a silent expression, to which she flashed him a heart stopping smile, then headed back to the kitchen to eat with Jules.
God love her, Jules had a plate waiting for her at the table and Cay groaned in appreciation at being able to sit down.
"Thanks sis" Cay said to Jules. "Thanks for helping me with this. It just felt like the right thing to do, you know? These men needed to be taken care of, even if just for today's meal."
"You did the right thing, Cay. Nono would have been so happy with this." Saying his name brought on the tears for both of them as they quietly wept, holding each other's hand.
After all the men had eaten, most of the meal itself gone, they were served dessert and then the house staff came in and cleaned up.
Jules retired to her room with an exhausted Julian and they laid down for a nap, while Cay started the water going for her bath, her feet screaming in agony and her back aching from standing.
Removing her clothes, she got in the tub and on her knees, on all fours and immediately the pressure went away, her head down, eyes closed, letting out a deep sigh.
She heard the bathroom door quietly creak open and then Marco was crouching down beside her, on his knees.
"Fiore, I fear you did too much. Can I do anything for you?" He asked, stroking her head. She sighed at his touch before looking up at him. "Can you wash my back?" He nodded as he put body wash on the soft cloth.
"God Marco, that feels so good" she hummed. She sighed again as he gently washed up and down her back and when he finished, he took a cup, scooped up water and rinsed off her back.
Marco helped her out of the tub, dried her off and then slipped a plain back long sleeved V necked tee shirt and then made her get in bed.
"Are you too busy? Could you lay down with me for a while?" Her eyes were heavy with sleep as Marco took his shoes and socks off. Then he slipped his shirt and pants off and crawled in next to her.
"I have you fiore. Shh, just sleep now, rest." He kissed the back of her head, placing kisses in a small circle.
"Marco?" Cay said sleepily. "Si fiore?" He replied. "I love you so much. Please don't ever leave me" she said.
Marco gently rolled her over and tenderly caressed her cheek while pulling her leg over his hip and bringing her closer.
"Cay I will never leave you or our children. You are stuck with me and I will get retribution for you and Nono. Make no mistake about it, Whitford will pay."
Cay exhaled a large breath and tightened her grip around her husband's hip, her lips coming up to meet his.
As they engaged in their kiss, Cay felt his hand slide down her back, cupping her behind and squeezing gently.
"Hmm, I love your body" Marco murmured as he nipped at her earlobe. "I love how you make my body feel. Take me, Marco. Please."
STAI LEGGENDO
The Boss's Heir
Romance"Why didn't you tell me?" Marco's voice boomed with authority as Cay's body shook from his outburst. "I tried" she cried softly. "I was six weeks pregnant, when I found out. I tried coming by your home, everyday for a week, only to be told that y...
