Read Online A Family Affair: The Secret by Mary Campisi - Free Book Online Page A

“Got it.” They could talk about something else, anything…he scratched his neck and realized he did that when he was working his way out of a predicament, too. Like father, like son? Hell, no . He snatched his hand back and folded it across his chest. “So, what do you want to talk about?” They hadn’t had a decent conversation since Roman was eighteen.
    Sal worked up a smile and said, “Babies.”
    “Huh?”
    “Babies.” He nodded, his face lighting up like it did when he spotted a beefsteak tomato. “Pop Benito’s granddaughter had a baby girl a few weeks ago; named her Teresina Lucinda Benito. Kinda has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
    “Sure.” Why did his father want to talk about babies—with him? There was only one reason, big and glaring, and Roman wasn’t having anything to do with it. He grabbed onto what he hoped would sidetrack his conservative, old-school father. “Pop’s granddaughter has a kid named Benito?”
    “Don’t think Pop took too kindly to seeing his only grandchild show up in Magdalena with a baby in her belly and no husband. But Lucy’s a good girl, and Teresina is an angel sent straight from heaven.”
    Roman was still stuck on his father not making judgment calls on the Benito girl. When had that happened? He poked around with a few casual inquiries. “Sounds like you’re expanding your opinions.”
    His father developed a sudden interest in a snag in the afghan and mumbled, “Opinions don’t do no good if they push everybody away.”
    Now that was a comment he’d never expected to fall out of his father’s mouth. Was he talking about them and how their relationship split apart fourteen years ago when Salvatore Ventori accused his son of dishonoring the family name by getting a girl in trouble and refusing to admit it? He wanted to ask the old man to elaborate but chose a different tactic. “How is Pop Benito?” He’d always liked the guy, had appreciated the talk Pop gave him about doing right and standing by your word. Roman hadn’t needed that speech and Pop seemed to know it, but he gave it anyway, and then he’d told him to forgive his father for his bullheaded short-sightedness.
    But Roman had never quite been able to do that.
    “Pop’s the same old wiry bird he’s always been. People still coming to him for advice, penance, bunches of basil, and a handful of those pizzelles he loves to brag about. His son made it home for Christmas.” He shot Roman a look, went on. “That boy hadn’t been home since his mother died and then only long enough to see to the services. But this time, he and Pop straightened things out between them, and Tony promised to visit again.” He lowered his voice, nodded. “Word has it Tony’s sweet on someone in this town. Now how’s that for a surprise? A California boy finding love in Magdalena.”
    “Yeah.” Roman let out a sigh, knew where this was going before his father said another word. “How about that?”
    The singsong voice came next with, “You never know.”
    “Nope.” The old man was reeling him in, but damn if Roman would make it easy for him.
    “You’ve been gone a long time.” Pause. “Maybe that ex-wife of yours didn’t last because she wasn’t the right one. You ever think of that? And how were you gonna have babies with those tiny hips of hers?” He shook his head and tsk-tsked. “And her traveling all over the country, never stopping long enough to think about having a baby? How can you have a baby when you don’t sleep in the same bed?”
    “Dad.” He was not going to discuss his and Jess’s sex life with his father.
    Sal held up a hand, his face growing flushed, his eyes bright. “I wasn’t always this age. I know about these things.”
    “Dad, please. Stop.”
    “Your mother and I—”
    “Dad!”
    The old man actually laughed. “What I was going to say is that your mother and I were talking about you.”
    Roman let out a sigh. Thank God they were talking about him , even