The Complete Legacy Series: Books 1 - 6 Read online

  Chapter 19

  Arianna woke up the next morning feeling great. It was wonderful to have finally made a decision about this trip that she needed to plan. Before Lia had left last night, they’d agreed that she was perfectly fine with Arianna’s planning the logistics with the travel agent that morning, so that was the first thing on her mind as she headed downstairs for some coffee.

  Gigi was in the kitchen humming to herself and seeming particularly cheerful for that time of the morning.

  “What are you so happy about?” Arianna said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

  “Oh, nothing, bella. Just that last night was so much fun, and I love seeing you so happy these days. Lia seems wonderful and her cooking—my God. It was as if I’d been transported back to Italy. I could eat like that every day. Although it’s probably a good thing I don’t.” Gigi laughed, patting her stomach.

  “I know. It really was delicious. Lia loves to cook and she’s so good at it.” Arianna was quiet for a moment, remembering the look in her eyes when Lia had confessed to her that she’d always wanted to own her own little Italian restaurant. Arianna couldn’t wait to share many meals with her in Italy with the delicious wine, cheese, olive oil, and fresh pasta that they were sure to find there.

  “Gigi, forgive me for asking, but are you sure that’s the only thing making you smile so much this morning? I saw that little look that Douglas gave you last night at the dinner table.” Arianna teased her.

  “Oh, stop.” Gigi blushed and looked slightly uncomfortable. “You know that I’ve known Douglas for years. And his wife too—before she passed. God rest her soul. He’s practically been a member of this family. If your father were still alive, he’d think that was a crazy idea, you know. He’d never allow it.”

  “Well, Daddy’s not here, God rest his soul. And I, for one, think you and Douglas together is one of the best ideas I’ve ever heard. It makes perfectly good sense and you have my blessing.” Arianna gave Gigi a squeeze as she teased her playfully, then went to get her coffee.

  “He is very handsome, that’s for sure.” Gigi giggled lightly. “Never mind, then. We’ll not talk about that right now. So, about your trip?”

  “You mean, our trip?” Arianna turned around to face Gigi. “I’m going to go to see my travel agent this morning to buy the tickets. I’ve got a call in to Blu and as soon as I know her dates, I can book yours too. I think Blu and Jemma will come for a week. Shall I book you on that same flight? I know that you’d like to visit your family, and of course I want to meet your sisters, so you can stay on after for as long as you like. You tell me what will work for you. Maybe a month in Italy would be a nice vacation for you?” Arianna asked, guessing that Gigi would be delighted with the suggestion.

  “That sounds so wonderful. It’s been ages since I’ve been back. Are you sure, Ari? And when will you come back here? You are planning to come back, aren’t you?” Arianna heard the unmistakable question of concern in Gigi’s voice.

  “Yes, I will come back here. I’m not quite sure how long I’ll go for, to be honest. If things are going well and I feel up to it, I’d like to stay for a few months at least. I guess I’ll play that part by ear, and you can too if you like. We can always change the date of your ticket—and yes, I would like you to be here when I return. The house would seem way too quiet without you here with me then. And I’m not sure that I could bear it.”

  Gigi was quiet for a moment. “Ari, have you told Lia? Does she know about—”

  Arianna cut Gigi off before she could finish. “No, I’ve not told her anything yet. I will, but it’s not time. I just need to have some more time with her first, you know?” Arianna knew that Gigi respected her wishes, but she did hate keeping this big secret from Lia. She sighed. She would trust herself and believe that she would know when the time was right. And hopefully Lia would understand.

  Arianna busied herself with a quick bowl of cereal and a second cup of coffee as she sat out in the garden enjoying the cool morning air. God, I love it here so much. The garden was the perfect setting for everything hopeful and right in her life. She felt such peace when she sat here enjoying the flowers that her mother had spent so many hours poring over with her landscaper all those years ago.

  The gardeners that they’d had for as long Arianna could remember had continued to faithfully come by to tend to the space, making it one of the most magnificent in the neighborhood. Arianna was sure of that, because she remembered that her mother’s garden used to be on the local tour once a year. God, she’d hated that actually. Her mother had made her dress up every day that week and play the part of the perfect child out playing near the garden, close enough for strangers to see but not close enough to be a bother.

  Arianna bristled at the memory, willing herself to focus on more positive thoughts.

  Chapter 20

  As Arianna and Lia entered the first class section of the plane, Arianna felt very tired. The past week had been a whirlwind, between getting ready for the trip and organizing everyone’s tickets. But everything was in place now and she could look forward to the two weeks that she’d have with Lia before everyone else would join them in Tuscany at the lovely villa she’d rented for a month. She hoped that the next two weeks would go well anyways. She glanced over at Lia beside her, settling in and seeming rather pleased with the ample amount of room she had and the little extras that first class offered.

  “Can I get you ladies some champagne?” the flight attendant asked as she came by with some warm towels.

  Arianna and Lia smiled, both replying at the same time with a heartfelt “yes.”

  “This is the first time I’ve flown first class,” Lia said. “I definitely see what all the fuss is about. How lovely.” She laughed. “Have you traveled a lot, Ari?”

  “In the states, yes. But not so much overseas. My parents—they mostly preferred to spend our holidays in Nantucket or the beach house in La Jolla. Once when I was young—maybe about five or so—we did take a trip to London. Mother had been invited to see an opera there.” Arianna had a flash of a memory of being with her mother. She’d begged her to let her go, and her mother had finally relented and managed to get another ticket for the young girl. They’d had to shop for a new fancy dress for Ari as well. When the day came she could hardly believe that she was inside the theater.

  She remembered sitting in the box seating and feeling mesmerized by the beautiful music and the scene playing out before her. She had grasped her mother’s hand tightly midway through the first act, as her mother tried unsuccessfully to stifle the young girl’s sobs. “Shh. Ari, honey. It’s not real,” her mother had said. And just when Arianna thought she might be in trouble for making so much noise, her mother bent down to kiss her on the cheek and wipe her tears away with her gloved hand. It was one of the fondest memories she had of her mother, and she wiped a tear away now as she remembered the moment.

  “Are you okay?” Lia reached over, lightly touching Arianna’s hand. “Do you feel okay flying? I’m sure it can’t be easy for you.” Lia had a slightly worried look on her face.

  Arianna had never had less fear of flying than she did in this moment, actually. She knew what the odds were and she also knew that when it was her time to go—she’d be ready.

  “I’m okay, thanks.” Arianna gave Lia’s hand a quick squeeze before reaching for her bag under the seat in front of her. “I have a bit of a headache. I’ll just take something, and I’m sure I’ll be fine in a little while.”

  The flight attendant returned with their champagne, two bowls of plump red strawberries, and bottles of water. Arianna raised her glass of champagne towards Lia.

  “To Italy.”

  “To Italia…and spending time with my lovely daughter,” Lia said, her eyes sparkling.

  Arianna smiled and got comfortable in her seat as they got ready for take-off, taking her smartphone and earbuds out of the seat pocket in front of her to listen to her favorite opera.

  Lia looked o
ver at her. “What are you listening to?”

  “‘La Traviata.’ Would you like to listen? I have a splitter, so you can plug your headphones in also if you like.”

  Lia nodded and the two fell asleep enjoying the opera music together.

  Arianna woke up to find Lia reading beside her. “How long have I been sleeping?”

  “A good two hours. Do you feel better, bella? Has your headache gone?” Lia sounded concerned, and Arianna didn’t want to ruin the flight with worry over how she was feeling, even though her head was still hurting her a bit.

  “Yes, much better, thank you. What are you reading?” Arianna leaned over to glance at the cover of Lia’s book.

  “Oh just some cheesy romance novel about a woman who meets her hot Italian lover.” Lia laughed.

  “Hey, stranger things have happened, you know.” Arianna smiled and entertained the thought before she spoke it out loud. “Lia, you’re quite beautiful, you know.” Arianna felt her face grow slightly warmer.

  “Thank you.” Lia looked at her with genuine delight at the praise. “Most of the time, I don’t feel so lovely. Just older. I think I’ve given up on the idea of meeting my Prince Charming. But what about you—you’re so young. Maybe there is a handsome Italian in your near future,” Lia said in a teasing tone.

  “Nah, you know, honestly—before I met you—when I was planning my trip—that’s all I wanted to do. Party and maybe hook up with some handsome men along the way. But now—I don’t really care about that anymore. Not for this trip.”

  “Maybe you say that now—but never say never. You’re young and beautiful. Don’t you want to be married one day—have kids?” Lia asked and Arianna thought she looked worried, as if maybe the conversation was too personal.

  But that’s what this trip was about, right? To get personal. To get to know her mother. But the question stung, and Arianna tried to hold back the tears that she was fighting. It was too soon and not the right place to talk about everything with Lia. There would be time for that later, after they’d enjoyed a bit of this vacation that she’d organized for them. She smiled as it occurred to her to wonder what her father would think if he knew that she was basically buying time with her mother—whom he’d tried to keep from her—with some of the money he’d left for her. And Arianna had spared no expense on this trip. It really was going to be amazing, and for some reason the thought of doing that for Lia, of giving her the trip of a lifetime, delighted her greatly.

  Arianna was jolted out of her own thoughts and back to Lia, who was awaiting her reply. “Oh, I don’t know. I guess there will be time enough for that later, right? For this trip, all I want to do is see the beautiful Tuscan countryside, eat delicious Italian food, and sip some amazing wines from the vineyards near our villa.”

  “It does sound lovely, Ari. Thank you.” Lia’s eyes filled with tears. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “It’s my pleasure. Really.” Arianna could see what it meant to Lia and it made her feel wonderful.

  “But Ari—not only for the trip. I don’t mean that. I mean—for letting me into your life. For allowing me the time to get to know you. I never would have imagined—”

  “I know.” Arianna placed her hand over Lia’s. “It’s like that for me too.”

  Lia looked like she was holding back tears now, and Arianna didn’t know if she should encourage her to say what was on her mind or try to change the subject. It seemed she needed to be so careful lately about her emotions—that is, if she didn’t want to collapse into a puddle of tears. But she glanced at Lia beside her looking so small and honest, knowing that she did want to know this woman. Knowing that she could handle anything now. She took a deep breath. She believed that now.

  “Lia, why did you give me up?” Arianna was almost shocked to hear the words coming out of her mouth but she was ready to have the conversation now. It needed to be talked about.

  Lia looked at Arianna and took a deep breath. “I never wanted to give you up, bella. When I found out I was pregnant with you, I was at first incredibly scared; but I always knew that I would have you. I want you to know that. I never once thought about not having you and it—it was only after you were born that I realized I couldn’t keep you myself—I couldn’t raise you.” Lia was crying softly now. “I knew that you deserved so much more than what I could give you. I was basically alone. In America for the first time. I didn’t know what to do.” More sobs—and Arianna also was fighting back the tears.

  “And my father?” Arianna asked in a whisper.

  “Antonio. He was the love of my life.” Lia smiled as she continued. “We were high school sweethearts, but it was one summer that we started seeing each other. He’d been working at one of the vineyards near my family’s house. I knew who he was from school, but we seemed to instantly click that summer. One thing led to another and we started spending a lot of time together. We were in love—well, as much as you can be at a young age. God, my father would have had a fit if he’d known what was really going on all of those times I’d said I was out riding my bike in the countryside.”

  “Did your parents—my grandparents—ever know about me?” It was a question that had been on Arianna’s mind for a while now. Somehow it seemed to matter to her if Lia had been alone with her pregnancy or if her parents had known. Arianna took a breath as she waited for the answer.

  “No, bella, not at the time. I didn’t tell them I was pregnant. I couldn’t bear to do that to them. But at last—it was only a few years ago—my father was dying and my mother called, begging me to come home to be with them. I managed to scrape enough money together and get a week away from my job in New York to make the trip.” Lia got a faraway look in her eyes. “I couldn’t bear for my father to pass without telling him the truth. So I told them—both my parents. And he forgave me. They both did. And it was just a month later that my mother had a heart attack and passed also, so they are both gone now. I’m sorry for that, Ari—that you won’t ever know them. But I’m mostly sorry that they won’t ever know you.”

  Arianna had never been close with her grandparents. There had always seemed to be a certain distance there, probably due to the lack of closeness between her parents and them. She thought about what it would have been like to be taken into a loving Italian household, and she wished it were different now. But it wasn’t.

  Lia interrupted her thoughts with another admission. “I never told him at all—your father.”

  Arianna raised her head at the words. “He doesn’t know anything?” She couldn’t contain her surprise, and hoped that her question didn’t sound too judgmental.

  “No, I just—I just lost my courage. When I first found out that I was pregnant it was two months or so after arriving at my cousin’s in San Francisco. I didn’t know what to do and Antonio—at first we wrote each other every week and it seemed our love for one another was only getting stronger. But then his letters stopped coming. By then I’d found out that I was pregnant and I didn’t know how to tell him. I was so confused. After he’d not responded to a few of my letters, I assumed that he’d met someone else, and tried to put him out of my mind. I never heard from him after that.” Lia looked like it was all a bit much to retell and remember.

  “And didn’t you ever go back—before the death of your father, I mean?”

  “No, I never did. I don’t know. I suppose I felt too much shame. Like I’d done something really wrong. My parents never would have allowed me to give their grandchild up for adoption. They would have been devastated about the pregnancy. They would have insisted that we be married back then. I thought about it. Going home and telling them everything, but then Antonio stopped writing and I just couldn’t bear it.” Lia turned to Arianna with tears streaming freely down her face now. “It’s the biggest regret of my life, Arianna. That I didn’t fight to make a way to keep you.”

  Lia broke down in sobs and Arianna, caught off guard and crying now herself, reached over to pull her in for a big hug. “We’re her
e together now.” She let a few minutes of silence go by. “We have today and these next weeks together. For what it’s worth, I forgive you, and I think I’m starting to understand more than you could ever imagine.” She wiped a stray tear from her own eye as she thought about the things that she had yet to share with Lia—things that would wait for another day.

  Chapter 21

  Lia pulled away slightly and wiped her tears. “Ari, there’s something that I want to show you.” She reached under the front collar of her shirt to pull out a small locket at the end of the silver chain that hung around her neck. Arianna had noticed that she’d worn the necklace each time that they’d been together.

  Lia carefully opened the locket to reveal two small pictures inside. On the left was the picture of a handsome boy with dark curly hair and a smile that stretched across his whole face. On the right was a small picture of an infant with a headful of dark hair. It looked as if the picture had been snapped during a moment of surprise, as the small baby had a lopsided grin and big dark eyes that were opened wide to the camera.

  “Is it—this is my father?”

  “It is—Antonio. And that’s you, bella. You’re about a week old there.” Lia wiped away more tears.

  “You—you had me for a week?” Arianna asked carefully, trying to contain what she didn’t know yet to be anger or confusion.

  “I had you for two weeks.. I brought you home to my cousin’s house from the hospital.”

  “I—I don’t understand.” Arianna was genuinely confused. Nothing was making sense now.

  “I tried, Ari. I thought I could do it. But then my cousin had to move out of her apartment, which meant I needed to find a place to live too. I had already been struggling to provide anything for you. Formula, diapers, clothes. I just started having such doubts that I could really give you a good life.” Lia looked at her with eyes that seemed to be willing her to understand. “You were so small and you needed so much. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted you to have everything. And I—I could barely take care of myself.”