Accept My Baby

“Isn’t it obvious? There is someone else.”

“What?”

“I tried to tell you the night of the party…”

“…No, you told me some weird bull sh*t about not letting my family dictate my life,” she said, cutting him short.

“Yes, because the only reason our families are so interested in getting us together is because…” he started before she put her hand up.

“It is because they know how I feel about you. How I have always felt about you.”

“But we have never even been serious. It’s always been hot and cold with you.”

“What does that even mean?” she asked and he shrugged.

“We are together for two weeks in the summer and the next week I see you are hooking up with some prince in Dubai…and I do the same and get a model on the runway,” he said and she held his shoulders.

“But, I’m here now. We can make this work.”

He shook his head.

“Actually,we can’t.”

“I know we can, baby.”

“Isabella, we can’t!”

“Uncle Rafael,” he heard Ariadne’s voice. He turned around and looked at his niece leaning against the door frame.

“Hey, you,” he said smiling. “Did mommy find you?”

Ariadne shook her head.

“Why are you yelling at aunt Isabella?” she asked and Rafael smiled when he got to where she was.

“We were just having a little disagreement, that’s all. Why don’t you run out to your nonno and tell him to come out here and say hello to his son?”

“Okay,” she said in a soft voice.

He waited until Ariadne was out of the room before he turned to look at Isabella who was clearly upset.

“Isabella, there is someone else,” he said as he looked at her.

“Someone else? You mean the loose models you brought to your parties?”

“No, this is someone I met at the last party I had.”

“You mean the one you had earlier this month? That day I was here?” she asked and he nodded.

“The very same one.”

“What is she this time? A model, stripper?” Isabella asked, contempt in her voice.

“A travel journalist. From the States.”

Isabella ran her fingers through her hair before she began taking small steps back.

“Stronzo!” she cried before she ran out of the living room like the truly spoiled brat she was.

“Thank God I no longer have to deal with that,” he said in a soft voice to no one in particular. Just then, he heard his phone vibrate in his hand and a smile played on his lips when he saw Amanda’s text.

I’m here.

*****

Amanda took a long deep breath as she stepped out of the cab. Meeting Rafael’s parents was a big deal. She had not planned on another meet the parents, especially this soon. She felt even more strange about the fact that she was meeting her younger boyfriend’s parents for the first time. It kind of made her feel like Stella in How Stella Got Her Groove Back in every sense. She was the older woman and he was the rich younger guy. Her story was a little too similar to Stella’s and she was scared of how Rafael’s parents would react when she met them.

“Hi, I’m Amanda Pearson, Rafael’s guest,” she said when a man opened the door. Judging by how huge the Imperioli mansion was, she assumed that he must have been the butler.

“Of course,” he said as he stepped aside to let her walk in.

“Good God, Amanda,” she heard Rafael’s voice making her look up. “You look amazing.”

He looked at her strapless floor length nude colored dress that was the perfect contrast to her brown skin. She had decided to go with her natural curls instead of straightening it out

“You think so? Because I am not sure it is meet the parents appropriate,” she said as he approached her. He smiled and shook his head.

“Like I said, you look amazing,” he said again before he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to kiss her. “Amanda, this is Giorgio.”

“Very nice to meet you, Miss Pearson,” Giorgio said.

“Please, Amanda is just fine,” she said and Giorgio looked at Rafael.

“Yeah, that won’t fly with him, “ Rafael said as he began leading her down the hallway.

Just as they approached the living room, they ran into the Benassi family leaving.

“Is this her?” Isabella asked in a rage. “Is this the bi*ch you are leaving me for?”

“Essere Calmo, Isabella,” her mother said as she draped an arm around her daughter’s shoulders.

“I am not leaving you. I told you, we were never together to begin with,” Rafael said in a calm voice.

Isabella looked at him and then at Amanda before she walked out with her parents.

“Not the best first impression,” Amanda thought as Rafael’s family came into view.

“Rafael, what is going on?” Susanna asked as she looked at her son and then at Amanda. Rafael waited until he walked out of the house before he turned to look at his family. Alberto, Lola and Ariadne had just walked in making the moment even more awkward than it already was. Amanda could feel her heart beating harder and faster and the fact that Rafael had his arm possessively around her waist was not helping.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend, mio figlio?” Paolo asked as he looked at Rafael.

“Guys, this is Amanda Pearson,” Rafael started. “My girlfriend.”

He turned to look at Amanda.

“Amanda, my father Paolo, my mother Susanna. And this is my brother Alberto and his wife Lola.” He looked at Ariadne who was holding onto Lola’s hand. “And this little princess is my niece Ariadne.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you all,” Amanda said smiling.

There was a long uncomfortable silence before anyone spoke.

“Girlfriend?” his mother asked and he nodded.

“Wow, when did this happen?” Lola asked and Rafael looked into Amanda’s eyes.

“It’s all fairly new,” he said in a soft voice.

“Maybe I should take you into the living room and have some champagne or something,” Lola said sensing the tension in the room. “We should celebrate our boy finally settling down.”

“Uh…no champagne for me. Juice or some water would be nice,” Amanda said. “I can’t really drink right now.”

“I should tell them, right? This is as good a time as any,” Rafael said and his mother shrugged.

“Tell us what?” she asked.

“Besides, it’s not like we can keep it a secret forever,” he said.

“I like secrets,” Ariadne said and Rafael smiled at her.

“What is it that you cannot keep a secret forever?” Alberto asked.

Rafael looked at his family and then at Amanda.

“We are going to have a baby,” he said in a soft voice.