Finding What's Real

The rest of the ride was silent, allowing Vinnie to compose himself by the time they reached his mother's home.

"Angie, I thought we were going to your house?" Kira asked curiously.

"We are, but I wanted you to be here while we went through Mom's affairs. She would want you here and we do, too." Angie replied as she smiled sadly and drew another tissue from one of her endless supply of pocket-packs.

Vinnie got out and opened Kira's car door for her. They both reached to close it at the same time, and her hand jerked away at the contact as if she had been shocked. He saw Kira blush as she turned away and he had to fight back a grin.

Vinnie closed the door and watched Kira walk with Angie toward the house, their arms linked together. He rushed ahead and opened the door for the ladies, catching a tantalizing whiff of vanilla as Kira passed in front of him. He groaned inwardly. Damn, this was going to be a tough few days.

He watched Kira remove her sunglasses and look around, surely reminiscing about the time she'd spent here. He couldn't help but pull her into another hug when he saw her puffy eyes and blotchy face. She only stiffened for a moment this time. He turned his face into her hair and allowed himself to cry for a moment about everything; the loss of his beloved mother, his messed-up head, and pushing away the girl that had been his best friend, despite their age difference.

Stepping back and accepting the tissues from Angie, he tried to compose himself. "Okay, let's do this." They somberly walked into Donna's bedroom and Vinnie approached the closet, opening the door and feeling around on the top shelf, muttering softly about a will.

"She didn't leave her will with an attorney?" Kira asked curiously.

Angie sighed. "You know how Mom was, never trusting anyone for these kinds of things."

Angie and Kira both waited expectantly as Vinnie grasped what appeared to be a jewelry box and carefully set it on the nightstand beside the bed.

*****

Kira was so touched that they'd waited for her, and she tried to push away the feelings that she was invading in a private moment. She watched as Angie reached over and opened the lid, drawing out memorabilia, photos, and finally a manila envelope. Angie was brushing away tears as she fumbled with the metal clasp.

"Here, let me," Kira said gently. She firmly clasped the prongs together and opened the flap. As she pulled out a thick set of documents, a worn photo fell into her lap. She put the documents aside and picked up the photo. In it was a young Donna cradling a baby swaddled in a blue blanket. "This must be baby Vinnie," she said softly.

Vinnie peered at the photograph in her hands for a few long moments, slowly shaking his head. "But...how..." he stammered in what appeared to be disbelief.

"What's wrong?" asked Angie, taking the photo. Angie looked from the photo to Vinnie several times and then started shaking her head. "That's not Vinnie, see? This baby has brown eyes." Angie flipped the photo over and gasped audibly. "Michael, August 4, 1983," she read.

Kira reached for the documents that she had put aside. She flipped past the will to what appeared to be a letter from a private investigator. She read in a shaking voice.

Dear Mrs. DeLuca,

I was able to locate your son, Michael, whom you gave up for adoption in 1983. He is currently known as Jason Carruthers and was adopted by David and Monica Carruthers. David and Monica had a natural child, Allison (Ali) 14 years ago. I was not able to discern whether Jason is aware of the circumstances surrounding his birth, but from what I've learned, he has led a happy and healthy life. He currently works as a family law attorney and has had full custody of Ali since their parents were killed when they were struck by a drunk driver two years ago. They reside in San Diego, California. Please let me know if you require any additional information. Sincerely, Ross Calhoun

The date was only three months ago.

Several moments of silence passed before Vinnie pulled his sister tightly into his side, his face set in tight lines. It was then that Angie finally let out a disbelieved sob. "How could she do this to us? How..."

"Shh," Vinnie comforted as he gently rocked his sister. "Kira, is there anything else?"

Kira flipped through more pages with shaking hands, finally coming to an envelope addressed to Vinnie, Angie, and...Kira? She silently handed the envelope to Vinnie, taking the shaking Angie into her arms so that he could open it.

His hands shook as he read aloud:

My beloved children and Kira,

If you are reading this, it means that I have gone to join your father in Heaven. I'm sorry for not telling you about my heart problems. I didn't want you to worry about me, and I enjoyed our time together too much to have changed our relationship with that kind of announcement.

I'm sure that you now know that I gave birth to a son, Michael, in 1983. I was only 20 years old and struggling to put myself through college. I refused to terminate the pregnancy as the father requested, and I had every intention of raising Michael myself. As the pregnancy went on, I realized that I couldn't be much of a parent if I sacrificed my education to take a full-time, low-paying job, just to make ends meet. He deserved better. Letting him go was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I continued my education in a fog until I met your father. All of a sudden, life had a bright outlook again. We married right out of college and had Vinnie not long after. I vowed to be the best mother I could be. Several years later, my lovely Angelina arrived, and my heart was so full of love. Michael was never forgotten, but my life was so happy that I found myself worrying less and less about him. Now that you have both grown up, I find myself becoming more and more curious about Michael's life. What kind of man did he become? Did he know that he was adopted and was he told that he was given up out of love? That's when I contacted Ross Calhoun to find him for me. Please know that you three are the lights of my life and I love you like I could love no other. Kira, I can't thank you enough for giving me insight into your life as an adopted child. It was invaluable to me. Continue to live your bright lives and don't grieve for me too long. I'll be keeping my eyes on you from heaven and look forward to seeing you when it is your time.

Love, Mom, a.k.a. Mama D

All three of them had silent tears streaming down their faces.

Kira hugged Angie tightly and silently left the room so that Angie and Vinnie could have a private moment and she could have a moment to collect herself. She walked down the hall, gazing at the family pictures that lined the walls. The loss of Mama D was sad, but the knowledge that she wasn't the last family that they had left was comforting, even if they would never know Michael. She sighed and continued to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. It would do everyone some good.

Kira was staring out the window in the kitchen when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Vinnie's fresh scent gave him away. He must have felt her stiffen because he dropped his hand abruptly.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," he said, "I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know Mom was a big part of your life, too."

Kira turned with tears pricking at her eyes. "She was a really special lady and I hate that I wasn't able to say goodbye," she choked out as the tears started to flow heavily once more. She'd be lucky if she was able to open her eyes at all tomorrow.

Vinnie pulled her into a tight hug, his own body trembling. She wrapped her arms around his waist and cried into his shirt that smelled faintly like Irish Spring. She felt his chin on top of her head and he held her tighter. They stood that way for several minutes, and Kira sank into the familiarity with a bittersweet sigh.

Finally, she forced herself to let go. "I'm sorry, I'm getting your shirt all wet." She took a couple of steps back and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Thank goodness the coffee was ready. "Would you like some coffee?"

"I can get that," Vinnie replied softly, his fingers brushing hers as he took the decanter from her hand. "Sit. Please."

She watched as he prepared a cup and set it in front of her. Kira blushed and looked down into her mug, realizing with surprise that he had put cream and pink sweetener packets in it. He must have seen the surprise on her face.

"I'm sorry, do you not like it like that anymore?"

"No, it's...perfect actually," she replied after taking a sip, trying to keep her eyes from their magnetic pull to his face. She was bewildered that he remembered how she took her coffee. Interesting. She was still staring into her cup pondering that when Angie came barreling into the kitchen.

"We have to go find him," she said, her swollen, blotchy face at odds with the excitement in her voice.

"Find who?" Kira asked.

"Michael! He's the only other family we have left and it's what Mom would have wanted us to do." Angie had a spark of determination in her eyes that Kira was wary of.

"Ang, maybe this isn't the best time to make that kind of decision," Kira replied tenderly, taking Angie's hand. "Let's just get through the next few days and then we'll talk about it."

She hated to put a damper on Angie's reprieve from tears, but she didn't want her to make any rash decisions that could alter her life.

Angie quickly deflated, nodding and slumping down into the chair as the tears started to flow freely again.

*****

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Kira helping to make preparations. The wake was to take place tomorrow and the funeral would be the following day. Vinnie was grateful to Kira for taking charge of everything that had to be done but could tell that she was exhausted. She spent the day trying to make things easier for him and Angie and he wanted more than anything to take care of her. He watched her back as she finished drying the few dishes that she had just washed.

"Why don't we get you settled in at Angie's? I'm sure you're exhausted."

She nodded solemnly, briefly meeting his gaze before quickly tearing it away as electricity and tenderness zinged between them. She shook her head as if to clear her mind and the tantalizing vanilla scent surrounded him again. He felt his self-control slipping. He needed some distance, now. He turned around and quickly went out the front door, closing it a little too hard.

Chapter 2

They rode in silence, though Kira could feel the tension radiating from Vinnie. She couldn't help but feel déjà vu from that infamous Christmas Eve. Seriously, Kira, it's not all about YOU. He just lost his mother and found out he had a brother.

"So, Ang, tell me more about life as a model, besides the lettuce," Kira inquired, hoping to bring a little lightness to the mood of the car.

Vinnie jumped in obnoxiously before Angie could answer. "I can tell you about it in three words: men, men, and more men."

Angie punched Vinnie's arm. "That was five words, smart ass, and don't even try to go down that road, what with the women AND men falling at your feet. The women are all tall & slim with big, fake boobs and dollar signs in their eyes, and the men are the same."

"Hmm, that sounds a little like you," he retorted just as Kira jumped in with, "The men have big, fake boobs?"

"My boobs are totally real and are hardly big. Oh, why am I discussing my boobs with my brother? Eww!" She turned to Kira. "And you know what I meant about the men, though there was that one drag queen..."

"Shut it, princess." Vinnie punched his sister in the arm and glanced back at Kira in the mirror. "Notice she didn't dispute the rest of the description," he said with a mischievous grin.

Kira smiled at the camaraderie between them. It was amazing how two, mature people could turn into children in the blink of an eye. She grew up an only child and while she now had contact with her birth family, she had never known a brother-sister relationship. It was a blessing and a curse, she figured.

Angie turned around in her seat, making it known that she wasn't going to let Vinnie interrupt her further. "Anyway, yes, the men are fun, and traveling is great, but modeling is quite hard work. In the short time that I've been doing it, I've hung from buildings, sat atop unwilling animals—remind me to tell you about the bull later—, stood in six-inch, spike heels that were two sizes too small for hours on end, and gotten my body into positions I didn't even know were possible," she abruptly stopped to glare at her brother. "Vinnie, one word out of you and you'll know what testicular torsion feels like." She turned back to Kira and continued. "The swimsuit/beach shoots are the worst. It's almost like they specifically pick the time of year when the water is coldest, and the undertow is the strongest."

"Any reason you neglected these lovely tidbits of information in our chats?" Kira asked with narrowed eyes. Angie had only told her about traveling abroad, meeting famous designers, and sunning on beaches with glistening, blue water. Of course, Kira had been withdrawn and not very forthcoming about her own life. No wonder Angie hadn't felt like she could tell her anything.

"Well," she replied sheepishly, "you've seemed so stressed with work that I didn't want you to worry about me."

"So, you decided to make me jealous instead and wait to spring the rest on me in person. I see how it is," she said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "Find anyone special in your droves of men?"

Angie let out a full laugh. "Yeah, right. I've had some really good sex, but..."

Vinnie suddenly interrupted removing his hands from the wheel & putting them over his ears. "Lalalalalalala", he exclaimed loudly.

Angie rolled her eyes and gave her a look that told her they would discuss it later.

Several minutes later, Vinnie announced their arrival. Kira's eyes widened at the mansion that was Angie's home. When Mr. DeLuca passed away, he left monster trust funds for Angie and Vinnie that they became eligible to draw from when they turned 22. It said a lot about their respective characters that they both continued to work, even though they would probably never need to work again. Mama D was the same way. Her husband's money never made a lick of difference to her, and they both instilled in their children that money meant nothing if you weren't willing to work towards your own goals and stand for what you believed in.

Kira looked at the house curiously. It had a large circular driveway and honest-to-goodness gargoyles out front. Gargoyles! Before she could open her mouth to question Angie's peculiar taste, Vinnie was opening the door for her to get out of the car. Unable to take her eyes away from the "house", she stumbled out and almost did a face-plant in the driveway. Luckily, Vinnie caught her before she could hit the pavement.

Angie burst out laughing. "Some things never change, I see."

"I haven't broken a bone yet!" Kira rolled her eyes. "But blood has been involved once...or twice."

"I'll be sure to bring a helmet for you tomorrow," Vinnie said with a smirk before pulling the girls into a group hug. "Good night, ladies, I'll pick you up at 11 am." He got back in the car and backed out of the driveway.

"Finally, some girl time!" Angie exclaimed with a little too much enthusiasm, dragging Kira into the house. "How about pizza for dinner?" she asked as Kira gazed at her questioningly. "I haven't had pizza in over a year and after what I've been through these past few days, I deserve an indulgence."

"That sounds great. While we eat, you can tell me about the gargoyles out front."

Angie laughed. "Oh, you mean Butch, Rocky, and Jorge? They're my bodyguards. No one would ever think that I would have the things, so I've decided to think of them as a light-hearted attempt at privacy. They've grown on me. Just don't insult them within their earshot or they come alive," she said with a wicked, teasing gleam in her eyes. "Vinnie designed the house and added them as a joke, purposely cementing them down so that it would be hard to take them out. I've made the best of them but haven't figured out how to pay him back for his brotherly love yet. Let me know if you think of anything wicked enough."

"Wait, Vinnie designed your house?" Kira asked incredulously.

Angie proceeded to show her through the state-of-the-art kitchen, the huge master bedroom, the gorgeous master bath with a whirlpool tub, and three other bedrooms before arriving at the guest bedroom where Kira would sleep. Kira gasped at the intricate carvings on the chair rail, the bright blue walls, the art deco bedspread, and the huge window facing the woods at the rear of the house. This was one of the most gorgeous rooms she had ever seen.

"I asked him to design and decorate this one for you. I know that the rest of the house isn't exactly your style, but I wanted you to feel like you could visit more often and feel at home. I didn't even have to give him suggestions, he just jumped right in and ran with it. Do you like it?"

"It's absolutely amazing. I can't believe you guys did this just for me. I mean, I live almost 500 miles away and haven't come back here in 15 years. I haven't even been a good friend." Her eyes were quickly filling with tears.

"I know that, but I also know that you don't make close friends easily, and I know that even if you're hiding away, you love me. You're still like my sister. Especially now that Mom is gone, I'm going to need you more than ever."

Kira turned and hugged Angie tightly. "How do you still know me so well after all of these years?"

"Lady, we had the best years of growing up together. We might have matured and changed, but deep down, you're still the same Kira and I love you."

Chapter 3

Kira awoke from a deep sleep feeling groggy and as if her eyes were filled with sand. She sluggishly got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She seriously needed some coffee, and she could have sworn that she caught a whiff of bacon, but despite the state-of-the-art kitchen, she knew that Angie couldn't cook anything. While Angie was brilliant and multifaceted, cooking was not, nor had ever been, one of her skills.

Already feeling the heat of the day, she didn't bother with a robe and went downstairs in only her tank top and boxers. The smell of bacon got stronger as she descended, but she was still too sleepy for it to register who would be frying it.

She was wandering the kitchen searching for the coffee pot when she heard the deep male voice.

"Good morning. I assume you need coffee?" Vinnie inquired, his voice laced with amusement.

"What tipped you off?" she grumbled irritably.

"Maybe it was the fact that you walked right past me three times without seeming to notice me and, you don't look like you've been able to open your beautiful eyes all the way yet. Here, I poured you a cup while you were trying to determine which appliance yielded the caffeine."

"Jeez, I must be really out of it this morning. Maybe I had too much wine last night. What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I slept like a rock last night and woke up feeling oddly refreshed, so I thought I would come by and entertain you since Angie probably won't get up for a while."

"What time is it anyway?" she asked as she tucked herself into a chair at the kitchen table.

*****

"10:00. You ladies must have been up late last night," he replied, settling into the chair across from her. He knew that she would be embarrassed once she realized she was only wearing that tiny tank top that revealed ample cleavage and did nothing to disguise the small, hard peaks of her nipples. He tried to keep his eyes on her face, but that didn't help to tame the tightening in his groin. He could more clearly see all her freckles this morning, and her fiery curls were sleep-mussed and sexy.