The Things You Make Me Feel Ch. 11

"Cool wheels, Bro," Oliver bantered.

"Mock all you want, but it was cheap, and it more than serves its purpose. And besides, I'm selling it when we leave." He dug his phone out of his backpack and powered it up. "Speaking of, has Antonio got back to you yet? I know you said you'd get me in, but it's been a couple of weeks now, and Kara is starting to worry. Hell, I'm starting to worry."

"Yeah, about that... he, actually, called last night and gave me an answer."

Dave sipped his shake from the straw, fearing the ominous note in his brother's voice. "And...?"

Oliver heaved a sigh that made his brother's heart sink. "And I have some good news and some..."

"Yeah...?" Dave uttered with bated breath, more than a little anxious.

A sly smile illuminated Oliver's face. "... better news."

"Oh, you..." Smiling, Dave shook his head and breathed a sigh of relief. "Not. Cool."

Oliver laughed, reveling in his masterful performance. "Okay, so it's like that: the good news is that they agreed for you to come on board."

Dave pumped a fist. "Yes!"

"Don't get excited just yet because Antonio wants to talk to you beforehand, face to face."

"What, like a business meeting?"

"Not like, but exactly. And you'll need to bring it because if he doesn't like you, or doesn't think you're serious enough, or—"

"Oliver, you know how fucking serious I am about this, whatever this is."

"I know, but he also needs to know that, and you'll need to sell it. And that means no goofing around, no dirty jokes, no any of that. Also, don't smile too much."

"Why not?"

"You look a bit feeble-minded when you do. I just don't want him to get that impression about you, even if it's true. He doesn't need to know that just yet."

"Fuck you," Dave chuckled, always the jokester, enjoying a good-natured ribbing.

"Seriously though, Dave. Don't fuck this up."

"Bruh! Give me some credit." When Oliver's face remained cautiously skeptic, he gave him a reassuring chuckle. "Come on, have a little faith, little brother! It's in the bag."

"Yeah, that smile right there -- don't."

Dave's smile swiftly waned. He scooched down, facing the driver's side mirror, and anxiously inspected his smile from multiple angles. He had to agree Oliver's concern was not completely unfounded. He tried a few different smiles, and when he was confident he found the right one, he stood up, awaiting his brother's verdict.

Oliver's face twisted in dissatisfaction. "Yeahhhh... we'll work on that."

They laughed.

"You said something about better news?"

Oliver bobbed his head. "Assuming the meeting went well, and he's happy with you, he's leaving it to me to decide how much you'll get. Naturally, it's coming down from my share. They're staying with their 80%."

"Okay. Then how much are you willing to give me?"

"That's for you to decide."

Dave binned his shake, pondering how much to ask for. Antonio's idea, although still a mystery, seemed like a sure thing according to his brother. The fact that Antonio had chosen to keep Oliver, his own son-in-law, in the dark about it spoke volumes about its financial potential. The better the idea the less you're likely to hear about it, Dave figured. Clearly, Antonio felt that confidentiality was necessary, and counter-intuitively, the veil of secrecy only instilled in him greater confidence that this could be a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity.

"Will you be willing to give me... 5%?"

Oliver nodded.

A little over $60K would buy Dave 5% of the future company's stake, and those 5% could translate to well over a million-dollar payout, provided Antonio's estimations held water. Still, it would only measure to a third of his brother's stake. He didn't want to come off as ungrateful or greedy, but...

"And... suppose I wanted half of your cut?"

"Then we'll do that. 125Gs each for 10% each."

Dave studied his brother's face, moved by his generosity. "Seriously, Oliver? You're willing to give up for me half of your cut?"

"You're my brother."

Dave heaved a sigh. "I don't know what to say..."

"Say yes."

Dave embraced his brother with all of his heart. "Thank you, Oliver. This means so much to me."

"You have Kara to take care of now and a child on the way... consider it settling the score for Ellie."

Dave disengaged and gave his brother a motivated look. "It's on."

"Oh, you bet your ass, it's on."

They laughed excitedly before Dave's phone began ringing.

He plucked it from his pocket and rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance. "I gotta take this. The old ball and chain, you know."

"Oh, for god's sake..." Oliver grumbled before chuckling at how so smug and superior his brother sounded.

Dave laughed back at him and took the call.

While attentive to the abrupt change in his brother's tone as he talked to his wife, Oliver fetched his phone from his backpack, and his stomach knotted. His eyes were bombarded with too many missing calls from Ellie, his mother, and Kara.

Dave quickly ended that call, his face anxious. "Oliver, Ellie's—"

"I know," he chimed in, fearfully staring at the tracking app that disclosed his sister's location. "Start the car."

***

Less than an hour later, the brothers raced into the hospital, following their father's instructions. Ellie's water had broken while they were in the gym, full two weeks before the estimated due date. Trotting into the maternity ward, they sighted Dan and Michela sitting in the waiting hall.

Dan rose, smiling confidently at Oliver. "Now just calm down. Everything's under contr—"

"Where is she?" Olive demanded, panting from the run.

"She's in good hands. Your mother and Kara are—"

"Dad?!"

Dan gave a defeated sigh, realizing his son wasn't going to relax any time soon. "Room 317."

Oliver kissed his daughter and dashed off.

Searching for the room, Oliver couldn't help but worry. Painful memories crept up on him while he was marching down the hall, heart racing and fraught with stress. Ellie wasn't supposed to go into labor until October. This couldn't bode well. His heart gave a jolt as he set his eyes on Room 317. He wrapped his fingers around the door knob, but he couldn't bring himself to open the door. What if something happened to the baby? To his sister? Sensing weakness, his knees gave, and he crouched against the door, breathing raggedly out of distress.

"Grow a fucking pair, will you..." he muttered to himself, attempting to conquer his fears. "She's fine. She has to be." He gulped, pacing his breathing. "Get up." He tried to stand, but to no avail. He was paralyzed by fear. "Get up, god damn it!" He willed himself up and expelled a sigh. "Here goes nothing." He opened and door and walked in.

Hoping for the best yet fearing the worst, he treaded gingerly. The room was agonizingly silent. Surely, this wasn't right. Past the wall to his right, he saw his sister's doctor jotting down notes, and then his mother and Kara sitting at either side of the bed. Between them, there was his sister, adjusted to a sitting position. She was pale and sweaty and exhausted. More than anything, though, she was happy.

A smile exploded across Oliver's face, watching his sister breastfeeding their child. She was so focused on the baby, making sure she was holding her breast correctly to facilitate the flow of milk. His eyes filled with tears. It was extraordinary to watch as well as to listen to the suckling of his child.

Ellie raised her head, beaming at her mother, when she saw her brother standing at the end of the room. She gave a giggle, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're late."

Oliver nodded, no less emotional. "I'm sorry."

Kara and Alice laughed as they rose to embrace Oliver. Shaking his hand, the doctor congratulated him as well before his sister beckoned to him when patting on the bed next to her. "Come meet your daughter."

"Daughter?" Olive echoed excitedly.

"We'll give you some privacy," Alice murmured warmly and kissed her son and then her daughter.

She and Kara stepped outside followed by the doctor.

Oliver sat next to Ellie, jittery. "You're okay."

Ellie grinned at him, bobbing her head. Her brother might have said it matter-of-factly, but she knew he needed her to reassure him. "I'm great." She looked back at their baby as she sucked the milk from her pale breast.

Olive took a deep breath and placed his finger in his daughter's tiny hand. Her miniature fingers instantly clenched around him as she gorged on Ellie's tit. He laughed, his eyes watering. "Look at her! She's... perfect."

Ellie laughed, so incredibly emotional. "She's amazing! Just like her father."

Oliver cupped Ellie's cheeks and kissed her lips over and over. "I love you."

"I love you."

They both sniffled as they looked back at their love child.

"Do you want to burp her?"

Oliver nodded and gently took his daughter from his sister. He rubbed her back in circles while propping her on his shoulder. A loud belch resounded in the room not long after, triggering joyous laughter from the siblings.

"You're gonna have to teach me how you do it," Ellie said, smiling lovingly at her daughter.

Supporting her head, Oliver kissed their baby and placed her in Ellie's arms, so she could continue feeding her. "You'll get the hang of it in no time at all."

"Are you disappointed?" Ellie asked a few seconds later.

Her brother's brows knotted in puzzlement. "Disappointed?"

"I know how much you wanted a boy."

Oliver smiled at his daughter. "I wouldn't have traded her for anything."

"Well, don't worry, my love. I'll give you a boy. I promise."

Oliver chuckled. "You do know that it's not really up to you."

"I know. We'll just have to keep going until we succeed, now won't we?"

They kissed deeply while their daughter kept feeding. Alice interrupted their kiss when she returned, this time, though, with Michela by her side. The little Italian climbed the bed and grinned at the baby.

Ellie laughed at how excited Michela looked. "Sunshine, don't be shy. Say hello to your sister."

"Hello, Baby. My name is Michela, and I'm your sister. Welcome."

The grownups laughed before each kissed Michela.

"Can I touch her, Papi?"

"Gently."

Michela stroked her plump thigh and laughed at the experience. "Oh, I love her so much!"

"And she loves you," Ellie said.

"She does?!"

"Uh-huh."

"Yes!" Michela celebrated. "Are you and the baby coming with us home now, Mommy?"

"Maybe tomorrow, sweetheart."

"She looks like she's done," Alice interjected.

Ellie propped the baby on her shoulder, the way her boyfriend had a moment ago, and burped her. She laughed excitedly. "I did it, hon!"

"Well done, Mommy," Oliver approved.

"Can I call your father and brother now? They're anxious to meet her."

Ellie covered her breast nodded. "And after that, she and I need to get some sleep."

Alice laughed as she opened the door. "That's what you think."

"What are we going to call her?" Oliver asked, stroking back his sister's fair mane.

Ellie smiled from her daughter to her brother. "Well...."

***

"I miss my girls."

"We miss you, too, Daddy. We can't wait to see you."

"Is Bianca talking about me?"

Ellie chuckled. "All the time. You know, when she's not eating, sleeping, pooping, or crying."

Oliver laughed. "Good to know. Michela?"

"She's amazing. She's such a great help. Really, I can't stress you how much. I'd be lost without her."

"Yeah, that girl is something else. I miss her so much. I miss all of you."

"Well, the wait is over. We'll finally be together."

"Thank God," Oliver said in a sigh. "Okay, I gotta run. We'll pick you up from the airport."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you too, baby. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Ellie exited the room and descended the stairs. She entered the living room and smiled at the sight of Michela conversing with her sister in Italian. Bianca was lying in her crib, laughing and making baby sounds. Her mother and Kara were setting the dining table while Gena was feeding little Jeremy from a bottle filled with the milk she had pumped beforehand.

"How are my boys?" Alice inquired, pouring herself and Ellie chardonnay.

"Tired. Antonio has been working them really hard."

"What are they doing now exactly?" Gena asked.

"Well, now that the website is up and running, they need to manage the orders and stuff. They've been driving across Europe, pushing the product, negotiating promotion deals..." Ellie tickled Jeremy when he took a break from the bottle. "Give me my nephew. I'll burp him."

"God bless you," Gena said and gladly handed her son over to his aunt. "What are you two planning on doing when you get there?"

"Eat," Kara said and stuffed her mouth with a carrot.

The women laughed.

Kara was six-month pregnant now, and her appetite had grown accordingly. Luckily, she too had good genes, and similarly to Ellie, only her belly and boobs had seen an increase in size.

"And you, Ellie?"

"I... honestly, I'm not in a rush to go back to work. I'm at a stage in my life where I much prefer to make babies."

They all laughed.

"Just make sure Oliver can afford it first," Gena quipped.

"Hi, everyone," Jack said as he entered his parents' house. "There's my little guy!" He took Jeremy and the bottle from Ellie and started feeding him. "Where's Dad? I'm starving."

"He should be home soon," Alice said. "While we're waiting for him, I have some news to deliver, so sit your butts down."

Everyone sat around the table.

"Okay. Me and Dan have been talking about everything that's been going on, and what we want for ourselves in the future. Ellie and Kara are leaving us tomorrow, Dave and Oliver are already gone, and this house is getting too big for just the two of us."

"You're selling the house?" Jack asked worriedly.

"Yes. We're selling the house, and we're going to buy a place more suitable for us."

The twins were both dismayed at the thought. They had lived there since they were 11, and this house encapsulated their best memories.

"This wasn't an easy decision, but we've come to realize that this house would feel very lonely for us very soon. We'd like a smaller place, somewhere closer to you, Jack. You're shopping for a house. Once you find your future home, we'll sell the property and relocate next to you."

"Well... I can't say I'm happy that you're selling the house, but I'm glad I'll have you close by."

"So am I," Gena said with a benevolent smile.

Alice kissed Gena before she sipped her wine. "Now, for the second part: I'd applied for an early retirement from work a couple of months ago, and last week, my company approved it. Starting next month, I'll be retired. As you all know, I love all of my kids and grandchildren, and I want to spend time with everyone as much as I can. So, Dan and I are going to purchase a second place in Milan, next to all of you, and I'll be dividing my time between there and here."

"Oh my god, Mom!" Ellie exclaimed joyously and rose to hug her mother. "That's like the best news ever!"

"Awesome!" Kara joined in on the hug.

She'd gotten very attached to her mother-in-law, and since her own mother was a bitch, the thought of having Alice around was immensely exciting.

"So... you're going to be in Italy for six months of the year?"

"Jack, I know this isn't ideal, but—"

"Ideal? You're essentially leaving me with no family at all!"

"First of all, your father is here, and he isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future. Secondly—"

"That's a load of crap, Mom!"

"Careful, Jack. Don't speak to me like that."

Jack passed his son to Gena and lurched to his feet angrily. He started clapping his hands in derision at his twin. "Job well done, Ellie! You and that perv have successfully torn this family apart. You must be so proud of yourselves!"

"Jack, you need to understand that everyone will have to compromise," Alice said.

"No, not everyone! I don't see fucking Oliver making compromises!"

"Jack!" Ellie snarled. "Do not talk about him like that. His daughters are in the next room in case you've forgotten."

"You know what, Ellie? Fuck you. Just fuck you. And as for you, Mom... don't bother. Just go ahead and move to Italy. We all know that's what you're planning on doing anyway. God forbid you'd be away from Ellie. I'm outta here." He marched out of the house and slammed the door on his way out.

***

Jack set down the remote and beer and got up from his TV couch when he heard the knocking on the door. He answered the door and snorted bitterly. "Why am I not surprised..." He walked back to the living room and plumped down in his leather couch.

His father shut the door and fetched a beer from the fridge. He sat on the sofa and took a draft. "You missed one hell of a dinner. Your mother went through all the trouble of putting together a—"

"Oh, cut to the chase, Dad!"

"Jack, you need to cool down. No one's deserting you, and no one wants you to feel like you haven't got a family—"

"Dad, stop! Just stop!" He shuffled to his father, his face bitter and hurt. "Can I ask you a question? How the fuck can you be okay with this? Your children are fucking and making babies, your wife is going to leave you alone for months at a time... your whole family is falling apart, and yet, you don't seem to give a fuck."

Dan shot his oldest a look. "Is that right?"

"I don't know. Do you?"

Dan guzzled his beer and looked sternly at his son. "Let me tell you something, son: you don't get to judge me. Until you have faced what I am facing, you don't get to criticize me. You think that's what I had planned for us? You think I wanted this? You think I don't resent them? You think I enjoy the thought of my wife being away from me?"

"Then do something about it, Dad!"

"Like what?"

"Well, you can start by disowning them!"

"Disown them?"

"Damn straight!"

"Suppose I did that. Then what?"

"Forbid your wife from leaving! That looks to me like a smart move."

"And you think she'd listen?"

"Dad, you're either the head of this family, or you're not."

"Jack, you see the world in black and white, but life is colored with infinite shades of grey. Oliver and Ellie are my children just as you are my son. Do I agree with what they're doing? No. Am I happy about it? No. Does any of it even matter now? They've made it clear that they are committed to each other. For crying out loud, they had a child together. Do you think if I shunned them, they'd break up? Undo Bianca?"

Jack shook his head bitterly but didn't comment.

"You have a son now. Suppose he did something you didn't approve of twenty years from now, could you erase him from your life? Like he never existed?"

Jack took a gulp from his beer and remained silent.

"You need to grow up, son. This... no one wanted this. I don't think that even they wanted this. I can't imagine they one day woke up and decided to start dating, maybe have a few kids together... and I don't think you believe that, either. For them to do what they did... they had to be crazy in love, or straight-up crazy, and from what I can tell, neither of them is crazy, which leaves us with the alternative. How could something like that happen? I don't have an answer. But it doesn't mean it didn't happen, or won't happen to other people."

"But... everything is so... " He shook his head and finished his beer.

"Complicated? Yes. It's definitely complicated, but we'll have to cope. We have no choice."

"But... how do you cope? How do you..."

Dan nodded, relating to his son's predicament. "You start by taking it one day at a time. Don't rush it. You're angry right now, as you should be. So be angry. Don't try to suppress it or ignore it. Be angry. After a while, maybe you won't be angry anymore; maybe you'll be sad. Then do that, be sad. Allow yourself to fully exhaust everything you feel. If you're still angry or sad for a year or two, I don't think anyone would blame you."