"Okay. Well, I believe you now because there is absolutely no way to fake that," Dani said with a smile as she watched Alex attempt to regain her composure.
Alex placed a chaste kiss on Dani's cheek before saying, "Please excuse me for a moment." She stepped through the open door into the kitchen and leaned against the wall beside the door.
As she closed her eyes she heard Dani say, "Why didn't you tell me?" She held her breath as she waited for Nikki's response, and smiled when she heard, "Because it is not mine to tell, it's hers." Hearing a noise, she opened her eyes to see Maria watching her.
Knowing they could be overheard just as easily, Maria spoke softly in Italian. "Why are you eavesdropping, darling?"
With a shrug she replied, "It wasn't my intention, Mamma, but once I heard the question, I needed to know the answer."
"Was it what you wanted to hear?"
"Yes." She looked at Maria with a lopsided grin. "I think maybe I'm in trouble." Maria raised her eyebrows in question as she quietly waited for her to continue. "I think I'm in love, Mamma." She watched as Maria's eyes lit up and a smile split her face.
"Why is that trouble darling? She is good to you, yes?" Maria asked.
"Yes, she is good to me. I just don't know if I am ready. Is it too soon? I've only known her for a few weeks." She pushed off of the wall and walked over to stand next to Maria.
"Time is of no importance to the heart. It knows when it knows."
Nikki watched as Alex moved through the kitchen speaking to Maria in Italian, their voices carrying on the evening air. As the conversation inside grew quiet, she turned her attention back to her sister. "I was thinking about having a small get together next weekend for our birthday. What do you think?"
Dani looked at her sister with a surprised expression. "Really?" she asked. "I think that would be great. What exactly were you thinking?"
Nikki watched Alex walking towards them and gave her a smile. "I was thinking about cooking lunch and keeping it simple. Just the four of us." She looked between Rachel and Dani before tentatively adding, "And Mom and Dad." She watched as Dani opened her mouth, and then quickly snapped it shut without making a sound.
Alex sat down on the bench beside Nikki and said, "What did I miss?"
Dani turned startled eyes towards her and said, "My sister just informed me that she is planning a lunch next weekend for our birthday."
Alex's surprise at the news was obvious. "Your birthday?"
"Yes. That sounded lovely until she said she is inviting our parents." Dani turned back to Nikki and said, "Why on earth would you want to do that?"
"It's been years, Dani. Surely we've all grown and changed. Maybe we just need to give each other another chance." She looked down and picked at the inseam along her knee. "Part of me still misses them. I'm hoping they feel the same way, and maybe their hearts will melt when they see how wonderful Madison is."
Dani began to shake her head as she clenched her fists. "No, I will not let them anywhere near my child."
Alex stood and with an emotion choked voice said, "You should reconsider. Every child deserves to know its family. Good or bad, they need to know where they come from." She quickly walked towards the western wing of the house, disappearing through the door.
Nikki asked Maria to watch over Madison, and they quickly followed. She unlocked the door, and held it for Dani and Rachel before opening the door into the room containing the indoor pool. She ignored the exclamations of surprise and went directly to the edge of the pool. She noticed Alex had the current turned up at a much higher rate than they usually swam in, and was concerned. She sat at the edge with her feet in the water and waited. She watched Alex slip under the water and fall back several feet. As she reached down to push off into the water, she saw her resurface and surge forward. "Alex, do you need me to slow it down?"
Alex pushed her body hard as she tried to fight through the anger to the pain it concealed, for she knew that only then would she be able to begin the healing process. After swimming for several minutes, she went under a second time. As she struggled against the current, she felt her anger dissipate. She stopped struggling, and allowed the current to push her to the back wall, where she hit the emergency stop button, shutting the current down. She gasped for air as she surfaced, leaning against the wall for support. She looked to her right and saw Dani and Rachel sitting on the decking with their feet dangling in the water.
She slowly swam over and looked up at Dani, gasping for breath. "I realize it's none of my business, but I have to say this." Dani nodded as she watched Alex's pain filled eyes turn and look at Rachel then quickly return to hers. "Do you believe seeing your parents will physically or psychologically harm Madison?" Dani took a deep breath and slowly shook her head. "Then why are you withholding their love from her?" She watched Nikki move to sit beside her sister. "My mother and my grandparents made a decision long before I was born that has affected me every day of my life. Their anger deprived me of ever knowing my mother's family. So instead of going to live with them when I lost my immediate family, I was thrown into the system,
