Hiding With Her Twin Babies
Chapter 54

“And here I thought you were being romantic! I eloped with you and became your wife! You tricked me because you know you messed up, Bernado Garza!” Mabel shouts at Bernardo, leaning in the doorway and looking at Mabel, throwing random stuff in a suitcase.

“Where are you going to go?” Bernardo asks.

“Back to my apartment! I can not believe you told Riccardo where Gabriella is,” Mabel says.

“You can not go back there as Gabriella and Riccardo are staying there at the moment,” Bernardo says.

“Damn! He is sleeping in my bedroom as Gabriella does not want him near her. I will go back to my parents then,” Mabel says.

“And how are you going to explain to them why you left me after being married to me for one day? Your mother will drive you nuts to make up with me,” Bernardo says, smiling. He loves it when Mabel is this angry, and she does not think straight.

“I will go to Dante and Jennie’s place then. They will have a room for me to sleep in, and Jennie will understand,” Mabel says.

“Do you want to end up in a safe room somewhere with me until we talk again? You know what that trio can do,” Bernardo says. He is close to laughing.

“I will stay with Enzo and Rose or Angy and Andrei,” Mabel says again. She keeps packing random stuff in her suitcase.

“Yeah, you can help catch a baby with Enzo and Angy, and Andrei is still on honeymoon,” Bernardo says.

“Dammit, Bernardo, do you have to have an answer for everything? I will book into a hotel!” Mabels says, looking very proud of herself.

“Not without your purse or bank cards, you won’t, and I have changed your banking details login so you can not pay online,” Bernardo says. He thought of everything.

Besides, I also have the keys to all the cars and cellphones, and I blocked all the phones in the house,” Bernardo says. Mabel stops packing and glares at Bernardo, still standing relaxed, leaning against the doorway. If he were not that damn sexy, she would have killed him by now.

“What if Riccardo hurts Gabriella even more than he already did?” Mabel asks.

“He won’t. He promised me that he loved Gabriella and when he almost lost her, he realised it,” Bernardo says.

“He is lying. I know it! How can he realise he loves her after all these years?” Mabel asks.

“Riccardo is a busy man. He runs multiple companies, and he does not have the time to fly to America to fetch his wife, that ran away from him. So he will only do something like that if he loves her,” Bernardo says.

“So, after treating her like s**t for years, he wants her to go back with him? What will he do? Grab her by the hair and drag her to his cave?” Mabel asks.

“Mabel, stop being so dramatic. You have not even met the man yet, and you have already decided that you do not like him. Give him a chance. He might surprise you and be a gentleman,” Bernardo says, although he does not believe it. Riccardo is a hard man, and it will take a lot to soften his heart.

“I can see you don’t even believe that yourself!” Mabel shouts at Bernardo again, and the first thing she can get her hands on is the vase that stands on a table in their room. She aims it a Bernardo.

“Put down that vase, honey. It is ancient, costing me a fortune,” Bernardo says.

“Oh, I might drop it! Oops,” Mabel says as she pretends to drop the antique vase. Bernardo stands up straight now, not looking amused anymore.

“Fine! We will go to your apartment and see if Gabriella is okay,” Bernardo says.

“And?” Mabel says.

“I will talk to her and apologise for my behaviour,” Bernardo says again.

“And?” Mabel asks.

“I will ask Riccardo to leave if my sister wants him to leave,” Bernardo promises. Mabel puts the vase down and starts unpacking again. She made a lot of work for herself.

“So, are you still mad at me?” Bernardo asks.

“Yes, but if you can fix it, I will forgive you,” Mabel says.

“And if I can not fix it,” Bernardo dares to ask.

“Then you are sleeping in the spare room for the next month,” Mabel says. Bernardo sighs. He better fix what he did wrong, as he can not think of sleeping without his wife next to him.

“Okay, then let’s go fix things,” Bernardo says. So they drive to Mabel’s apartment, and Riccardo answers the door when they get there and knock. Mabel walks past him without saying a word or greeting him as she knows who he is.

“Where is Gabriella?” Mabel asks. Riccardo looks at Bernardo, and Bernardo pulls up his shoulders.

“Riccardo this is my wife Mabel. Mabel, this is Gabriella’s husband Riccardo,” Bernardo tries to introduce them.

“I know who he is. Where is Gabriella? What have you done to her?” Mabel asks. Bernardo feels cold sweat form on his forehead. No one talks like that to Riccardo Marino like that.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs Garza. Gabriella is at work. She works at Jennie Casella’s office, so you can call there if you do not believe me,” Riccardo says. His voice is soft, and he does not look aggressive. Riccardo has a heavy Italian accent as Gabriella does, and Mabel looks at him with a frown. He looks defeated.

“You did not grab her by the hair and pull her to the airport?” Mabel asks.

“I am still here, so no. Besides, I am not a monster, Mrs Garza. My wife chooses whether she wants to come home with me or not,” Riccardo says.

“So you are telling me you will not make her go home so you can torture her more with the ghost of your dead lover,” Mabel asks.

“I made mistakes, but I can not see what that has to do with you,” Riccardo says. He is sad and depressed, but he is still Riccardo Marino, the God Father of Sicily. Riccardo Marino is in love with his wife! Riccardo’s cellphone rings, and Mabel catches a glimpse of a photo of Riccardo and Gabriella on his screen saver. Why else will he have a screensaver of her and him on his phone?

“Well, if you love her, I can help you, and you will need all the help you can get right now,” Mabel says.

“I love Gabriella, but she wants nothing to do with me, and I can not blame her,” Riccardo admits defeat. He looks sad, and Mabel realises that Riccardo, as hardcore as he is, has a soft side to him, and he needs to show that side of him to Gabriella. He will have to fight for her heart, and she will try and help him, but how? She does not know Gabriella that well. She will need the help of her mother and Jennie.

“It is not too late yet. Dammit, you are a Godfather, and you are willing to give up so easily?” Mabel asks.

“I am not giving up, but I am not very romantic, and I do not know how to express myself very good,” Riccardo says.

“It must be a Sicily thing, as Bernardo has the same bloody problem,” Mabel says.

“Hey, I can be romantic. I proved it last night by eloping with you,” Bernardo says.

“You did it to save your own a*s,” Mabel says. Riccardo looks confused, and Mabel tells him what happened and that she found out this morning from Jennie that Riccardo is in LA, and it was all thanks to Bernardo. Riccardo laughs, and it is the first time Mabel and Bernardo hear him laugh.

“Glad you find it funny. I had a hard morning, and that was all because I tried to help you. I could not imagine my life without Mabel, so I put myself in your shoes, which is why I helped you,” Bernardo says.

“I owe you, Don Garza. If you can help me win back my beloved Gabriella’s heart, I will be forever in your debt,” Bernardo says.

“Well, Gabriella is built like me, and she is as tall as I am, so let’s go, boys,” Mabel says. Mabel just got a plan.

“Where are we going?” Bernardo asks.

“Shopping, of course, and we need real Italian food from an Italian restaurant. I got an idea,” Mabel says. The men look at each other as they both hate shopping, but they do as Mabel says. The first stop is a dress shop, and Mabel fits a lot of dresses before she finds the perfect one. Then, of course, she buys herself a few dresses for herself, Bernardo has to pay for hers, and Riccardo has to pay for the one she chose for tonight. Bernardo says nothing as he knows it is his punishment for ratting Gabriella out. Next is the shoe store, and Bernardo says nothing as Mabel buys herself a bunch of shoes she does not really need. Next, the jewellery store and the same happens there. Again, Bernardo says nothing as he does not want to make Mabel angry again.

“Do you know what flowers your wife loves?” Mabel asks Riccardo as they walk past a flower shop.

“She loves white lily,” Riccardo answers immediately, and that is how Mabel realises that this Italian Don, Godfather of Sicily, loves his wife. Riccardo remembers always seeing the white lilies everywhere in the house when he got home. So they order two bunches of white lilies from the flower shop, and then they only have one stop left—the little Italian restaurant in town. They serve the best Italian food in LA, and when they walk in, Riccardo orders as he knows what Gabriella loves to eat the few times they went out for business dinners. Riccardo is surprised that he remembers all these things about Gabriella. How long has he been in love with her and watching her as she did things?

When they get home, Mabel takes on the bunches of white lilies and starts pulling off the petals. She spreads them to the bathroom and tells Riccardo to put water in the bathtub before Gabriella gets from work. She puts in all the lovely smelling bathing oils and stuff in the bath and a hand full of petals. She then puts the new dress on the bed with the shoes and jewellery. Mabel lets Riccardo writes a note asking Gabriella to meet him on the balcony when she is ready.

The three go out to the balcony, and Mabel lets the men bring out a table and two chairs. She goes to fetch one of her best looking tablecloths and put it on the table with the other bunch of white lilies. Next, she fetches some of her best places and two wine glasses. She puts a bottle of champagne and two champagne glasses on the table. Then she puts a bottle of red wine in the cooler and looks at her handy work.

Mabel puts the food on hot plates so they don’t get cold before Gabriella gets home. She looks at the time, and she and Bernardo decide it is time to leave. Mabel looks at Riccardo, who looks nervous, and she smiles at him. She kind of feels sorry for him. He looks so lonely as he stands alone at the door, thanking them for all their trouble to help him.

“Remember, it may not take this one act to win her back, but we will help you where we can,” Mabel says.

“It is a start, more than I have ever done for Gabriella. Thank you,” Riccardo says.

“Well, I will call in the help of my mother and Jennie as well, and we will help you to win her back, but you will have to be willing to work hard to win the heart of the woman you love,” Mabel says, and she glares at Bernardo.

“I took notes, and I will try to be more romantic in the future,” Bernardo says. It is past five when the two drive out to go back to San Diego. Bernardo gets an idea, and when they enter San Diego, he drives to a romantic little Italian restaurant owned by one of his friends.

“Well, Mrs Graza, I want to take you out tonight and make you feel special. I am so proud of you for having an open mind and helping Riccardo,” Bernardo says. Mabel smiles at him and k****s him on the cheek.

“You can stop being so nice now. You are out of the dog box, as I think you are right. Riccardo loves your sister, but you still need to apologise to her for being an a*****e when she needed you,” Mabel says.

“I am not being nice. I am trying to be romantic,” Bernardo says. He is glad Mabel is not mad at him anymore, and he takes her in his arms in the car where everyone can see them and k****s her.