The Billionaire’s Prodigal Wife
Chapter 59

Mackenna was scrolling her phone when Nuncio looked in on her the next morning. “Why are you so red in the face?”

“I hate the press. I hate them. Why are they so horrible?”

“It’s nine in the morning and you are already flustered. Why are you reading it?” Nuncio grimaced at her folding his arms across his thick chest and staring down at her in her bed. “This is the opposite of resting. You are all worked up and angry when you’re supposed to be resting.”

“It’s all over the paper he raced to Milan to be with his lover. Like for the love of God, his grandfather had a bullet put in his head,” as Nuncio opened his mouth, she held her hand up, “I’m not saying whether it’s a good or bad thing, but either way, he has family who needed to be seen to. Did they even once consider his grandmother might be affected or his father? Instead, they make it even more sordid than it is, not that it isn’t horribly sordid to start with.”

She slammed her phone down. “And I’m so tired of the paper portraying me as some insipid airhead who can’t keep her dog on a leash.” She looked to Nuncio seriously. “I blame Alessandro.”

“Why?”

“He has told me time and time again he kept me hidden from the world to protect me from this,” she waved her hand at her phone carelessly, “in an effort to make sure I wasn’t constantly dragged through the mud. Instead, he sensationalized our marriage, and everyone considers me the dirty secret.” She could tell by the way Nuncio twisted his lips he[TG1] didn’t disagree. She held his gaze. “If we had just presented as the normal boring married couple we are, then people would piss off.”

“You’ve had too much upheaval in the last few months to do that.”

“Our first year of marriage was boring as far as tabloid fodder goes and I am very much looking forward to it again.” She pursed her lips with annoyance. “What time does his flight get in again?”

He shrugged. “Twelve-forty is touchdown. He’s flying commercial which Carlos hates because of the paparazzi stalking them but this was the fastest way to get him home as the family pilot needed rest.”

She rolled her eyes, “rich people problems. Ooh my pilot is tired, so I need to fly first class. He needs to try to flying economy with two layovers from here to Milan. Takes almost twenty-four hours.”

Nuncio pointed at her, “you are decidedly cranky this morning and you are not yourself. What gives?”

“I don’t know. I think I’m just stir crazy with being stuck in bed and knowing Alessandro is being dragged through the mud yet again.” She pouted, “what time are you and Savannah going for your walk?”

“She’s in the shower. We are leaving soon which is why I came in here. Ari is in the living room. He has a back-up downstairs, and I would prefer you stay in the house until we get back.” He smiled, “if all goes well, maybe we can all go for dinner later to celebrate.”

“I’d like that,” she grinned, “and it will go well. I know it.”

“Then why does my chest feel like it’s caving in?” he made a face as he gripped above his heart. “I’ve never been more nervous for anything in my life, and I have been to war.”

“You worked in a telecommunications room,” she rolled her eyes.

“There were bombs going off nearby.”

“Mm-hmm,” she mocked him. She looked at his outfit. “Is that what your wearing?”

“What is wrong with what I’m wearing?” He looked down at his tan khakis and black t shirt.

“You look like a security agent.”

“I am a security agent,” he grimaced. “I also can’t let her know anything is up.”

“She knows something is up,” Mackenna rolled her eyes at her friend. “Good grief, you told her you need to talk. She’s been panicking since yesterday thinking you’re going to dump her.”

“You told me last night, but I can hardly reassure her now without telling her everything can I?” he argued with her, his dark eyes frustrated as he moved to look at himself in her floor-length mirror. “I look fine.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she teased.

They stared at each other before both breaking into laughter. Savannah poked her head in the room.

“What is going on in here?”

“Nothing,” Nuncio shuttered his expressions quickly, “don’t talk to her right now. She’s cranky and has been reading tabloid trash.”

Savannah wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Stay off the tabloid sites. It’s disgusting. I read one article where they suggest now that Salvatore is out of the way, Dulce and Alessandro are going to get married because he’s been waiting his turn with her. Supposedly Mackenna is drowning her sorrows by hiding in her apartment like a rejected pet. Like, where do they come up with this stuff?”

Mackenna pointed at Nuncio, “see, this is what I’m talking about.”

“You both need to stop reading the trash they print.” He pointed to Savannah, “go get your sneakers on so we can go.”

“I wish I knew where we were going.” She folded her arms defiantly.

“And I wish the women in my life were easygoing and did as they were told and yet here, we are.” He gave them both pointed glances.

Savannah stomped off and Mackenna flung herself back into her pillows with a harrumph. Nuncio waved at her, and she grinned at him, knowing he wasn’t lying about being nervous. Asking Savannah Kirkland to marry him was the craziest thing he likely had ever done. She was so excited for them and their next chapter.

She heard them bickering as they exited the apartment and she looked up as Ari poked his head in.

“Just saying hello.” He said curtly, not used to being in the apartment. “Nuncio said to tell you they are gone but if you need anything to let me know.”

“Okay,” she grabbed her phone and made a face. “Ari, have you worked for Alessandro a long time?”

“I was assigned to his mother for awhile.” He shrugged, “she’s a nice lady but she likes to just up and leave without any consideration for the logistics of security. It makes for a headache.”

She laughed at his comment. She knew Rosetta went through security agents like socks much to Alessandro and his father’s annoyance. “I’m going to get up and get dressed.”

“I think Nuncio wanted you to stay and rest.”

“I can rest in the living room,” she waved him to close the door behind him.

He shrugged and did as he was told, leaving her alone in her room

She got out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom and grimaced at her reflection in the mirror. The bruises on her face were fading now after four full days since she’d fallen. She’d always been clumsy but lately it was a bit much. She touched her fingertips to the yellowing bruise on her forehead and sighed.

She was feeling off and she didn’t know why. Alessandro and she seemed to be on much better footing, Savannah and Nuncio were likely getting engaged in the next hour or so and with any luck things would start to settle down now that Salvatore was dead. He had been the cause of so much of the heartache she had gone through and with him gone, she felt hopeful she and Alessandro could move on to the next chapter in their lives.

Her phone ringing in her bedroom caught her ear and she g*****d and made her way back to the bed. She immediately felt her stomach drop. She recognized the number as her counsellors and realized she had missed her session. “Damn,” she muttered and pushed her bangs out of her face and answered the phone.

“Mackenna, it’s Farrah. Just checking in. It’s not like you to miss a session.”

“Ugh, I’m so sorry. I was up late last night and then overslept and then forgot all about the appointment. Even my security agent, who knows my calendar better than I do, forgot. I apologize Farrah.”

“Well, are you open to having a telephone consult instead of in person?”

She sat on the edge of the bed and scratched her temple. “Yes, as a matter of fact I am. I’m feeling out of sorts this morning and maybe another perspective can help.”

“So how have things been since we saw each other last week?”

“A lot has happened,” she admitted. She gave a quick recap of the last ten days and then sighed. “And after all of this, even know Alessandro is coming home to me, I’m feeling,” she paused, “I don’t know what I’m feeling.”

“Well, let’s talk it through. It’s a lot to unpack and I’m glad I called.”

“Me too,” she admitted quietly.

Mackenna spoke with her therapist for another forty minutes and when she was done, she admitted she felt better. She also felt she had a better plan and more in control.

She stepped into the living room after getting dressed and motioned to Ari. “I’m going to try to use Nuncio coffee maker.”

He looked at her in confusion from his seat on the sofa.

She grinned, “I’m telling you just in case I blow the place up.”

“It cannot be so hard,” he made a face as he rose to follow her to the kitchen.

The pair of them stood there staring at the contraption. Mackenna turned a handle thing and looked at the buttons. “I’m sure we can figure this out.”

“There is no we,” Ari said backing up, “if you break it, Nuncio will kill you and I don’t want to be part of this.”

“Mac!” Savannah’s voice shrieked outside the door as she struggled with the latch on the other side. She finally got through the door and lunged in her direction and only Ari stopping her from jumping into Mackenna’s arms stopped her from toppling them both over. “Right, you’re injured. Oh my god. He proposed. Mac, he proposed.”

Mackenna grinned as she slunk under Ari’s arm and wrapped her good arm around her friend and hugged her tight. “I’m so happy. You said yes, right?”

“Well, when I stopped crying, I said yes.” She leaned back and her swollen bloodshot eyes revealed how much she’d been crying. She leaned her forehead against Mackenna’s. “I never thought I was good enough,” she half-sobbed.

“Pfft, it’s whether he’s good enough for you,” Mackenna winked at him over Savannah’s shoulder as she hugged her friend. He looked like he’d been crying a bit too. His hair was also really tousled, and she knew he’d been running his hands through it over and over with nerves.

“Mackenna is right, you are too good for me,” Nuncio kissed Savannah’s head as he walked past them to the coffee maker. He glared at Mackenna. “Did you touch my baby?”

“She touched the handle.” Ari tattled and Mackenna glowered. “I warned her to touch nothing.”

“You,” she pointed at Nuncio, “make coffee.” She dragged Savannah to the living room. “I want all the details. Show me the ring.”

Mackenna sat on the sofa and held Savannah’s trembling hand in hers. “I asked him last night if I could see it and he said only after you saw it. He wanted you to be see it before anyone else.”

Savannah turned surprised eyes to Mackenna. “You knew?”

“I guessed when he came back last night, and he confirmed. I’m so happy for you Savannah. I know how much you two love each other.”

“He wants to take me to Milan to meet his family.” She whispered fearfully. “What if they hate me?”

“Not possible, besides you will never outdo me in the bad in-law’s department.”

Savannah wrinkled her nose. “I can’t argue there. I called my mom and told her. She’s coming this weekend for a visit.”

Mackenna squeezed her hands. “I can’t stop smiling and staring at that ring. It’s magnificent.”

“I know. It was his grandmother’s. She said it was a good luck ring because she and her husband were married sixty years.” She grimaced, “with my emotional baggage, I’ll need all the luck I can replace.”

“Savannah, with Nuncio, you don’t need luck. He loves you with all the good and the bad and despite your potty mouth.”

She wriggled her eyebrows, “he loves me for my potty mouth.”

“True,” Mackenna giggled.

“And what I can do with my potty mouth,” she elaborated naughtily, and they both laughed when he commented from the kitchen, he could hear every word they were saying.

They sat in silence for a few moments enjoying the moment and then Savannah asked, “did you hear from Alessandro yet today?”

“No, but I know he was landing in New York in the early hours of the morning and then he had a layover before the flight here. I did have a good chat with my counsellor though.”

“Damn,” Nuncio dropped a cup. “I forgot your appointment.”

“It’s okay Nuncio, so did I. We did a call and it worked out well. I feel like I made a big breakthrough today. I just need to talk to Alessandro about it when he gets home.”

“Really?” Savannah pulled her head back. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes. Great, actually.” She shrugged, “Alessandro’s always protected me, and it’s always made me feel like he is hiding me. He lives in this big dramatic world and I’m in the shadows. I don’t necessarily want to be in the limelight, but I need him to know he needs to stop protecting me. The tabloids aren’t going to go away. It’s time for us to step out together and not hide anymore. Everyone knows when he runs to Dulce, but nobody ever knows when he comes back home to me. It makes me feel like I’m the side chick. Just for once, I want a photo of me making out with my husband in a club.” She made a face, “it sounds stupid doesn’t it.”

“No.” Savannah disagreed. “It doesn’t sound stupid. It sounds normal. You’re not ashamed to be with him in private or in public. There’s no logical reason to keep you hidden from the world.”

She had an idea suddenly and she looked to Nuncio who was talking to Ari in the kitchen. “Nuncio, how much would it annoy you, if I completely hijacked the entire security team for the next couple of hours?”