The days were getting closer to Isla's wedding date, and she was growing scared. She knew she loved Enzo, and he loved her back, but she was afraid he would find a reason not to love her after the wedding. Everyone told her it was cold feet, and she shouldn't look too much into the situation, but it was hard. Sometimes, she thought he was too good for her, especially since he was a virgin, and she was far from it. It made her think she could do something he didn't like. So much was running through her head, and she was having trouble processing it all.
"You're like this every time I find you. What's the problem now?"
"Random thoughts that I wish would stop poking at me... what's up with the weird smirk?" She asked, looking up at Milana as she quickly sat beside her. She was up to something, and every time she followed Lana, they ended up in trouble. "Whatever you're thinking about doing, drop it now. The last time you and I ran off, I had to call Enzo and help us out of your mess, and he was pissed at me for a full week."
"Wow, I didn't know you thought that less of me." She smiled as Isla cut her eyes at the crazy girl. "Okay, I see how it is, but I promise it's nothing for us to get in trouble for. I was thinking about how we should have a girls' spa day and bring your little sister along. She's been doing well with her rehabilitation and deserves a reward."
"That sounds good, but I have to finish this. My wedding is in three days, and I have so much that needs to be done. I have another dress fitting in two hours, and I have to make sure everything is ready on time. I need to pick up our wedding bands. Lana, what if Enzo makes a mistake by marrying me?"
"Issy, why would you say that? You're the best match Zo could ask for. There was never a mistake in choosing you. Plus, if he does something to break your heart, I'll fuck him up for you. No one hurts my best friend and gets away with it." Isla laughed, shaking her head as Carter and Camila walked in. She was looking for Enzo to be behind him or Yamaguchi, but surprisedly, it was only them.
"I found your sister down by the horses. It seems she have a love for them."
"I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be down there—"
"You can go down there unless you were doing something you didn't have any business doing." Camila shook her head as Isla turned to Carter, shaking his. It confused her why he would walk her back unless she was doing something wrong. "Babe, we should leave them alone—"
"You can go, but she's my sister too, in a way; therefore, I would like to stay. I'll catch you in a bit, and maybe we can watch a movie..."
"You mean fuck. Keep on, Milana, and you and Carter will have a baby before you're married. If you know what's good for you, Car, you should propose." The man bowed and gracefully left the room as Isla turned to her little sister, staring down at the floor until she and Lana saw her arm.
"What the hell did you do to yourself?"
"It was an accident... Carter walked up on me, and it frightened me. I cut myself on the fence...."
"Then what do I need to talk to you about?" Again, the girl looked down at the floor with a heavy sigh as she slowly took a seat. "I know it's been six months, but I still get the urge for a high, and sometimes I can't help it. I stole some of Ma Catrina's weed." She spoke as Isla and Milana looked at each other and started to laugh.
"Hell, we do that all the time, but it's not good for a recovering drug addict. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know what you are going through, but as I said before. We are here for you, Cam. Promise me you'll come to me if the urge to get high becomes stronger."
Isla didn't see anything wrong with her smoking weed, but it worried her Camila was having a hard time shaking the habit, which encouraged her to seek answers to help her through whatever this was. Maybe she needed to feel wanted by everyone here or their dad. Whatever it was, she would get to the bottom of it. "Milana, is there an extra bridesmaid dress that will fit Camila?"
"Me? Oh no, I can't possibly be your bridesmaid. Have you seen me?" Isla and Milana stared at each other before they started to laugh. Clearly, Camila hadn't seen herself. She was beautiful... beyond beautiful; she was gorgeous and needed to see that for herself. "Bella, have you not looked at yourself? You're fucking Bellissimo. Girl, when are you going to open your eyes and see how beautiful you are? Why do you think Yamaguchi is so attracted to you? You also have caught the eye of his brother and Aoi, but if you ask me, Yamaguchi is the best choice."
"Carter's going to beat your ass, and Yamaguchi is around the same age as Giuseppe. However, age has nothing to do with it, and if you're looking for maturity, then Yama is the best option. He has offered you help and has made sure you stay on track, but Yokoyama isn't the person you should align yourself with, nor is Aoi. Milana, we should have that spa day, and I would love it if my little sister joined.
Jake thought long and hard about the one thing that had been on his mind for the last six months. He had a son that he knew nothing about. How could Zoey do this to him, and what else could she have done without his knowledge? He loved her... hell, he still did, but she chose someone else over him when he was finally free. Sadly, he didn't think he would know how to move on from that.
Jake always thought she would wait for him. Instead, she found someone else to love, and at first hard for him to stay away when she was near, and he knew she knew, which was why she stayed away. He was hoping they had one of those unbreakable bonds, but with every day that passed, he knew that had broken. At least he had his daughters, and it was time to sit down and talk to Regenia.
"Babydoll, can we talk?"
"About what?" Jake sighed as he took a seat, petting Chief and making the big fur ball roll over so he could scratch his belly. "When you were little, you use to ask me about buying you a dog. She refused to allow it, and it made me feel terrible. I never meant to hurt you—"
"You never hurt me, but I am disappointed you lied to me. I understand when I was younger, but as soon as I turned eighteen, you should have opened your mouth no matter what your wife had to say about it. You asked if we could talk— then talk. I don't have all day." Jake nodded with a sigh. His daughter wasn't the little girl he remembered. She was angry, fearless, and something he couldn't describe, but he knew she wasn't the little girl he raised any longer.
"I told you how I ended up with your... my wife. I had a record, and being with your Mother would have torn her down. Zoey was trying to make something out of herself, and I didn't want to hold her back from her dreams. I also didn't want to let her go. When she told me she was pregnant with you, I wanted a divorce from my nightmare, but she found out. She used Zoey's past against her and forced her hand, but it didn't keep us away from each other—"
"She was a bitch, I get it. Why did she want to hold on to you knowing you didn't love her? Or was it all about my Mom? Petty people like her always have an agenda and, from what I'm hearing, she had something against my Mom." Jake chuckled, knowing Regenia was right, but it was something his wife never shared with him. However, he believes it had something to do with the death of her brother.
"You're right, but she never shared the reason with me. I believe she thinks Isaac had something to do with her brother's death. She was far from the truth... and no, I didn't kill him. I didn't know about my son Harmony, and I share, and you have to understand when we were younger, Zoey was a ruthless woman... still is. But I would be wrong not to tell you the truth. My lying has done nothing but hurt the ones I love, and in order for me to move on, I have to tell you the truth."
Regenia quickly turned to him, resting her hands on her belly, causing Jake to smile. He thought he would never see the day his daughter had his first grandchild. He was happy she decided to wait for this moment, but it seemed that it would never come. "You remember when we tried talking to you about the birds and the bees..."
"Yeah, and I told you I would wait until I was married. She thought I was being stupid, but you encouraged me to save myself for someone worthy of loving me for who I was, and I did. Thank you for that." Jake nodded with a smile before kissing the side of her head.
"The truth is I have never been a good person. I joined the force to try to be him, but I found myself wrapped up in Isaac's gang. Then I met Giuseppe, and I can't say that was a bad thing because of what came of it. However, you must know you have three other siblings besides your older brother, we must find, and your two younger sisters. I'm not proud of who I was, but I'll make up for it now. You have a fifteen-year-old brother, a fourteen-year-old sister, and two eleven-year-old sisters. Your Mother and I were sometimes on different pages. We loved each other, but we had to move on. She had other relationships, and I wasn't happy with the woman I was married to."
"Who are their mothers, or are they all by the same woman?" Jake chuckled to himself. Many may have thought of him as a whore. Especially since he slept around on the woman he was married to, but they didn't understand their marriage. He and Zoey were another bad story, and the more he saw her with Jacob, the more he knew their romance had come to an end.
"Same woman... oh boy. Do you remember Hope—"
"Dad, are you fucking serious? Hope Anderson, the woman you used to bring around your dying wife, claiming she was a cousin. You're fucking dirty, but the shit is funny all at the same time. Her kids are your children. Why didn't you tell me before now? I would have spent more time with them." Jake thought she would be mad about his lying, but his daughter thought the shit was funny. It wasn't his proudest moment, but it happened.
"Do you love her?"
"Not the way I loved your mother, but yes..."
"Then I will tell Santino to run a background on her and bring her here. They're not safe in Manhattan, and I won't allow my siblings to be hurt. Thank you for finally being honest... I have something else to ask you." Jake nodded, rubbing Chief once more as Shadow nudged her head against his arm for attention.
"Kodama challenged Giuseppe to a duel, which I know he's going to accept. Does he have a chance of winning?"
"Kodama talks a big game, but his strongest warrior is the woman in your home. He knows nothing about fighting with a blade as his men do. You have nothing to worry about." Regenia glared at him for a moment, but Jake was speaking truthfully. Kodama called himself a Samurai but was far from it. He challenged Giuseppe because he wanted to die in a fight besides being looked at as a coward or loser.