JOHN PAUL

I'm nervous as hell as I get closer to Timo's office.

I had asked to meet with him privately, and he agreed, telling me to come an hour earlier to his office before the actual meeting we were supposed to have, began.

As I knock, I panic for a moment realizing my father may be in there with Timo, and given how our argument from a couple of days ago went, I can only assume he would interfere, again, as I attempt to talk to Timo.

"Come in."

Timo's deep voice comes from behind the door. I take a few calming breaths as I open the door and inwardly sigh that my father is not there; I shut the door behind me.

"Buongiorno, John Paul." Timo stands to shake my hand.

"Boss," I grip his hand in mine.

"Please, have a seat." He gestures to the chairs in front of his desk, but I shake my head.

"I think I'd rather stand, sir."

"Sir?" He looks at me, amused.

Fuck, I'm so nervous.

I clear my throat and don't realize I already started to pace.

"Is everything okay, John Paul? Is it Charmaine?" He asks me; his eyebrows are pulled together in concern.

"No, I mean, yes. Everything is fine." I run a hand through my hair. "I'm not sure where to start."

"Sit down, John Paul." He orders me, but his voice is calm, and I sit in the chair in front of his desk.

He leans back in his chair, waiting for me to collect my thoughts or remember how to form words. But he begins to speak before I do.

"This life isn't for you, is it?"

I look up at him, and I expect to see the disappointment in his face, but I don't; instead, he's smiling back at me.

"I thought it could be before..." I trail off I clear my throat again. "You gave me a chance to prove myself, to be a part of the family. And I will always be grateful to you, and you'll always have my respect." I tell him.

"And you have mine, John Paul. You're a good man, with a good head on your shoulders." He sighs. "So, what are your plans, now?"

I smile, thinking of Charmaine. "I'd like to finish these next two trips, but I want to go with Charmaine when she leaves for Paris. There are some projects I've looked into out there that I can do while she takes her courses.

And then, when we get back, I'll help her start up her business. I've also looked into a development firm that I want to work with once we get back; they have a couple of construction management positions opening next year."

Timo looks at me for a moment before he speaks. "Charmaine is an exceptional girl, and I'm glad you two have each other in this crazy and dark world we live in."

"I just don't want you to feel like I'm abandoning my responsibilities, though." I tell him.

"Listen, JP, if I could do it all again at your age, I would be doing the very same thing," Timo tells me.

I let out a big exhale as I prepare to unload the next part. "I don't know if my father has said anything to you, but...since we're already talking, I plan on asking her to marry me."

"And before you lecture me on being too young or it being too soon, or try to talk me out of it like my father has. I need you to know that I've loved her since we were kids; since I first saw her, I was drawn to her. And I need you to know, I will take care of her and protect her, and I know I can make her happy.

I want to help her live out her dreams, and if her plans don't go as planned, I'll be there to help her through it, to push her to her next goal. She's stubborn and overthinks everything, and she fucking drives me insane sometimes, but I love her with everything I am. She's everything to me."

Timo doesn't say anything for a moment before he smiles back at me. "It's a bit surreal to see her grown-up, in love, and moving on.

I will always picture her as that little girl who came to live with us all those years ago. There was a part of me who hoped that maybe she and you would take over for me one day, but I also am glad she's going her own way, away from all of this, if that is indeed what she wants.

There's a reason why I haven't had you involved in some of the darker things of what we do, JP. Much to Tony's disappointment," He chuckles, shaking his head.

"He kept pushing to have you do other things, but I wanted to see how you'd do on the legitimate side of the business first, anyhow." He sighs. "I think he's going to have a hard time with this, but you have my blessing, John Paul.

The only thing I ask is that she finishes her courses before the wedding. And if you need any help when you get back, with your own plans, let me know; I have several connections."

"Thank you. I'll let you know," I stand as he does, and he comes around the desk and hugs me.

He pulls away, holding on to my shoulders. "It's a great weight off my shoulders, JP, that she has you and that you will take care of her and love her the way she deserves. And I am proud of you and the man you've become. Your mother would be proud of you as well."

I leave Timo's office feeling relieved, even relaxed. I wish it had gone that way when I had asked my father for mom's ring, after I told him I was planning on asking Charmaine to marry me, but he wouldn't give it to me, telling me it was a mistake.

I shake my head. Somethings won't ever be, I guess.

The sound of Charmaine's laughter reaches my ears, coming from the kitchen, and I head there and find her talking with Annalisa, Santino, and Enzo.

He's been coming around more frequently. I try not to let it bother me, but I still don't fully trust him. Charmaine turns when she sees me, smiling as she walks up to greet me. "Hi, Lover."

I bend down to capture her lips. "Hello, princess." I squeeze her ass lightly, and she smiles up at me.

"What are you guys talking about?" I ask as I turn to the others.

"Going out tonight," Annalisa says. "We were talking about karaoke night at Lucky's; you in?"

"Sure, sounds fun; what time?" I say as I pick at some of the fruit on Charmaine's plate while she runs her fingers through my hair on the side, the way I secretly love. I feed Charmaine a grape, and she smiles shyly at me as she takes it in her mouth.

"How about eight?" Annalisa says.

"What's at eight?"

Joey walks in, and Annalisa mutters something under her breath.

"Karaoke night at Lucky's," Santino tells him, and Charmaine chuckles at how he says karaoke in his thick accent.

"Sweet, I'm there," Joey says, helping himself to Annalisa's fruit bowl; she scowls at him and moves to stand next to Charmaine.

"I'll see you guys tonight, then. Char, call me later, okay?" Annalisa says and walks out.

Enzo calls after her. "Wait up, Anna. I'll head out with you." Enzo gives Charmaine a side hug and walks out behind Annalisa.

Joey watches them, pursing his lips. "What's with the nickname? He's literally been here for like a minute, and he thinks he can shorten her name? Who the hell does he think he is?"

"Actually, Enzo's hung out with Annalisa and me a few times, and they get along like they've known each other for years," Charmaine informs him, and Joey mutters something under his breath as he walks out of the kitchen.

Ares and Zeus trot into the kitchen, immediately heading for Charmaine. She laughs as they nudge and push up against her legs. Then, she kneels to pet them and nuzzles their heads as they lick her affectionately.

"I'm going to go take them out; you want to come?" She asks me.

"I would love to, principessa, but I have to take care of something; I'll be back before we have to leave tonight."

"Okay, love you." She reaches up and kisses me. "Be safe."

"You two are so cute." Santino teases us, and I roll my eyes at him and head out to meet with a Jeweler.

<><><><>

STELLA/CHARMAINE

After playing with Zeus and Ares; tossing their favorite ball around for a couple of hours, I have some lunch with Carmela and Santino.

They share with me some of their favorite places and things to do in Italy, and I make a mental note to check some of those places while I'm in Paris and plan on taking a trip to Italy.

After lunch, I went to my room and hadn't planned to take a nap, but that's what happened. One minute I was reading, and then the next thing I know, I'm waking up from a two-hour nap.

I have a few messages from JP checking on me, and I let him know I had fallen asleep and was going to take a shower to start to get ready for the night out.

While I let my hair air dry, I decide to check my email and see a few responses on a couple of the rentals I've looked into for Paris.

Both are within walking distance of the classes I'll be taking; I'm getting excited that the date is getting closer.

I know it'll be hard to be away from JP, but he's so supportive of me going, telling me he'll visit as much as he can; a part of me wishes he would come, but I know he has his own plans with working with my Uncle.

Still, it would be nice to be together, just the two of us, away from everything, making our own life together.

I send off a few more questions to the landlords and review some of the pictures they sent me.

My phone chimes, and I check the screen; it's Annalisa, asking if she can get ready here, so we don't have to stop for her later. I'm responding, telling her to come over when there's a knock at my door.

I rush over smiling, thinking it's JP, but I'm surprised when I see Tony standing there.

He clears his throat. "May I speak to you, Charmaine?"

"Um, sure. Come in." I'm suddenly aware that I'm only in my robe and need to get dressed. "Let me just get dressed quickly."

I discreetly grab a pair of underwear and bra and rush to my closet to get dressed in the black crop halter top, and dark blue ripped skinny jeans. I step out of the closet, and Tony stands as he sees me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disrupt you, Charmaine."

I motion for him to sit back down while I move to sit on the edge of my bed.

"You didn't. I was just finishing checking my email on places I've looked into staying in Paris," I tell him.

"So, you still plan on going?" Tony asks me, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I?" I question him, confused.

"I just assumed with what's going on with you and John Paul; you wouldn't want to go away. You two have been practically glued to each other, and I know you have strong feelings for each other." He explains.

"We love each other," I correct him, folding my arms.

"Right...love." He nods his head in acknowledgment, pulling in his lips. He inhales deeply, and I notice he doesn't hold any emotion on his face.

"Look, Tony, I don't know why you hate me all of a sudden or if you just don't like me being with JP, but I love him. I want the best for him. He's my best friend. He's always been there for me, and I would never hurt him."

"I don't hate you, Charmaine. I think of you as if you were my own. But John Paul is my son. And as his father, I know he can be impulsive, especially when he's emotionally invested in something or, in this case, someone. Things are so uncertain right now, and he's young; you both are. I just don't want him to lose focus and lose sight of what is important. He needs to get his priorities in order."

"You mean not having me as a priority." I catch on to his roundabout way of speaking.

"I just want you to consider the fact that there is a real danger out there for you and Timo. Adding..." Tony gestures with his hands. "Whatever this is between you and John Paul when you will be leaving here in less than a couple of months...not to mention you'll be away for a little under a year, why not just take a step back. Once things settle and you get back from Paris, if you two still feel the same, then you can pick up where you left off." He suggests, smiling kindly at me.

"So, in the meantime, what? You want me to break it off with him?" I stand, and I realize my hands are clenched into fists. I take a deep breath relaxing my hands as I do.

"I love my son, Charmaine. But you have to be realistic. Men in this type of lifestyle—this world—are all the same when it comes to women. It's easy to get distracted, swayed."

"My Uncle's not like that." So I tell him, as I recall, never seeing him disrespect women or have them hanging off of him. The thought that he may not like women comes to my mind, but I push it aside as Tony speaks.

"He's no exception, cara." He gives me a cruel smile as I try to hide my surprise.

"So what about you? You're saying you weren't faithful to your wife, either?" I ask him boldly.

Tony's eyes flash for a moment before he gives me a tight smile. "We're not talking about me."

"JP's not like that. He wouldn't do that to me." I tell him.

He smiles at me coldly and then chuckles. "Come on, cara. It's no secret you've already had your doubts about him with that girl, Victoria. What about the ones you don't know about?

Do you really think he's going to wait for you while you're in Paris? You know how he and Joey are; how they like to party. They are constantly surrounding themselves with women; save yourself the heartache, Piccola."

I open my mouth to give him a piece of my mind when JP storms into my room. "Get the fuck out of here, Tony!" His dark, angry eyes zero in on his dad.

"Don't you fucking disrespect me, John Paul. I'm still your father!" Tony stands his own dark eyes, matching his sons.

"Don't fucking remind me! Not a day goes by that I don't wish it was you that died and not mom!"

I gasp at the brutal honesty JP unleashed on Tony. And Tony punches JP, causing him to fall back.

I cover my mouth with my hands. Why is this happening?

JP gets up quickly and tackles Tony, and starts hitting him back. I yell out for them to stop, but they don't listen.

I quickly grab my phone to call my Uncle and realize he probably won't answer and should have called Joey, but I'm thankful he answers right away. I tell him what's going on, and he tells me he's on his way.

Tony is now on top, throwing more punches on JP. I keep yelling out for them to stop, but they continue fighting, grunting, and cursing with each hit.

JP hooks his leg over Tony's and bucks him off, overpowering his dad.

I try to grab JP to stop him, but when he pulls back to throw another punch, his elbow hits me, knocking me back on the floor.

I taste blood in my mouth as I reach up, touch my lips, and see blood on my fingers. But then I hear the thundering sound of running footsteps, and I look up when my Uncle, Tobias, Joey, and Santino scramble in after each other.

My Uncle rushes to me and bends down, looking at my bloodied lip before turning around and yelling. "Enough!"

He gives me his hand to help me up off the floor.

JP and Tony continue fighting, however, struggling to get position over each other.

Tobias and Joey move in to pull them apart, and Santino helps Joey restrain JP.

His hair is messy, with his eyes wild; his dress shirt is untucked, and he's breathing heavily. I notice his mouth has a small drip of blood in the corner. Tony's hair and suit are just as tousled, and his nose and lip are bleeding, too.

"What the fuck is going on?" My Uncle demands.

"Tell this asshole to stay the hell away from Char and me, or I will kill him!" JP yells, pointing at Tony.

"You don't have the balls, figlio," Tony taunts him. He shrugs Tobias off, straightening his suit and smoothing back his dark hair.

"Don't fucking tempt me," JP says through his teeth.

Tony wipes at his mouth and nose. "She's making you soft, John Paul. You're so far up her cunt to realize it, and when you do, it'll be too late." Tony says. JP starts towards Tony again, but Joey and Santino hold him back.

"What the fuck did you say?" Uncle Timo's voice is frighteningly quiet. He walks up to Tony, and Tobias moves away from Tony.

Tony holds my Uncle's gaze for a moment before looking down. "Perdonami, I'm sorry." He mutters. (Forgive me)

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to or ask forgiveness." Uncle Timo starts to walk away before turning back to look at Tony. "You've never let me down, Tony, until today."

My Uncle looks over at me. "Are you okay, piccola?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

JP rushes over to me. "Fuck. What happened, baby?" His hands are over my face looking at my throbbing, split lip.

"My face met your elbow when I tried to stop you from beating the shit out of Tony," I try to smile, but it hurts. He doesn't find my attempt to lighten the mood funny and looks down.

"I'm so sorry."

"Hey, look at me. I'm okay. I shouldn't have tried to stop you from behind, anyway." I lift his face to look at me, and his eyes are glistening. My eyes move over his face and take in the bruises showing on his cheeks, forehead, and under his eye. I reach around his neck to hug him and hold him close. He wraps his arms around me tightly.

"Whoa, I didn't know we were going to have a pre-party in your room, Char." Annalisa walks in.

We all look at her, but when her eyes fall on me and JP, her eyes widen. Her smile falls. "What the hell happened?" She rushes in, dropping her things as she crosses the room towards me, looking directly at my lip.

"Who the hell do I have to castrate, Char?" Her eyes are blazing as she looks around the room. It's hard not to notice all the guys shift; some hands fall in front of their crotch.

"It was me, but it was an accident," JP tells her dejectedly.

"How the hell do you accidentally hit her, John Paul?" Annalisa turns her glare at him.

"It was an accident, Anna," I tell her.

"Okay, everyone out." My Uncle announces.

He turns to Tony. "Mio ufficio, adesso." (My office now)

JP turns to me, capturing my lips gingerly, being careful with my hurt lip. "I'll see you later." He leaves, following everyone out. His shoulders sagging as he walks out, and my heart aches to see him hurting.

"Okay, so what the hell is going on?" Annalisa asks, her arms folded. I walk to my bathroom and grab a washcloth to wipe the drying blood on my lip and chin, still thinking about JP, looking so disheartened.

I tell her how JP was fighting with Tony, but I stop before I go into detail.

"I'll tell you everything; I just gotta check on JP first. So help yourself to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

She nods at me, and I rush out of my room.

~~~~~~

Who thinks Tony's right about JP and Charmaine (Stella)?