Precious

Chapter 17

It wasn’t until a few weeks later that everyone truly had a reason to celebrate. Nick and Vinny’s impromptu love making had been productive. Though, there had been some trepidation about the situation before, Dr. Giacomo was happy inform them that treatments had been a true success.

The party was in full swing inside of Domo. Everyone had come up to Nick and Vinny to offer their congratulations. Vinny received hugs and handshakes from his compatriots, while Nicky received kisses and words of advice from the others. Between his grandmother and Adrian, he hadn’t been allowed to do anything.

Michael was even there with the new baby in tow. Somehow, the baby had wound up in Nick’s arms. He was still dealing with the idea of having one that he couldn’t pass back. It would be his and Vinny’s.

“You okay, Sweetie?” Adrian pulled up a chair beside him. Looking all the more radiant in his royal blue gown, tailored perfectly to caress every curve and contour of his form, Nick was almost jealous.

“I’m good. Just a little queasy…excited...nervous.”

Adrian patted his hand. “Don’t worry, kid. You’ll be a great parent. Vinny has always wanted to be a daddy. Plus, you’ll have me and Sal as the kid’s aunt and uncle.”

“You don’t know how happy that makes me.” Nick smiled over at Adrian, who squeezed his hand.

“Go cut a rug while you still can.”

The party was still going strong. Nick received more than a decent share of congratulations. Between Alfredo, Michael and Adrian, he’d been asked every question in the book. He wasn’t that far along and he definitely didn’t have the answers. Every so often, he looked up, hoping to make eye contact with Vinny, who was also in the midst of a congratulatory storm.

His husband had only made it over to him once during the evening, and he received a little peck on the cheek as assurance. In the crowd of men, at his side of course was Sal and Paulie. The other two were off mingling. Though, it seemed Johnny was more apt to check in on Peter, who seemed just a tad too friendly with one of the patrons that night.

Nick’s stomach began to do flip-flops, lightly fluttering. Nerves, he believed. Having a baby was a massive change to one’s life. But, there was something else. Watching Vinny standing with that crowd of men, he seemed so far away, out of reach of Nick.

The feeling continued to grow, so he reached for water and patted his cheeks. The motion caught Adrian’s eye who had yet to leave him. “Penny for your thoughts?”

Shaking his head, Nick set his water down. “My stomach.” Adrian frowned, his manicured brows rose in alarm. “I’m fine. I think. Just a bit anxious.”

“You have nothing to worry about.” Adrian supplied. It wasn’t that Nick was worried about the baby. Something, some feeling made him want to draw closer to Vinny. Some unseen force made him uneasy. As if Vinny was being pulled away from him.

“Things will be just fine.” Nick caught Adrian’s eye. His eyes were distant; the cloud of memory took over.

It had always nagged at him to ask, but Nick felt he might be overstepping his friend’s boundaries with his intrusion. The twinkle in Adrian’s eyes as he looked from Michael’s chubby cooing baby and back at Sal made Nick get over his inertia. “Why did you and Sal never have children?”

Dressed like a glamorous siren or not, Adrian still had a youthful air about him. Nick was sure Adrian could still be a candidate to become andro-progesterone positive.

The bubbly sound of Adrian’s laugh made him think otherwise. Those long manicured nails glittered in the dim light, and Adrian watch them like they held all the facets to his past and present, and the faults of his future.

“I grew up caring for my sisters and brothers. It was tough back then. After Pop came back from the war, he was short tempered, a quick draw to the drink, and a bit heavy handed. As the second oldest, it fell to me to watch out for the children. My mama worked her fingers to the bone, even while my Pop was drunk off his ass. My oldest brother had gotten drafted in the follow up to the big war and got killed. So, it was me and the kids all the time.”

Adrian began to light a cigarette, then stopped, remembering Nick’s condition. “I wasn’t half as good as I am now with my sewing machine, but I was good enough to make some bucks for the family or get some dinners in exchange for alterations and outfits.”

Nick stared at his best friend. None of this he’d ever heard before. If Adrian had been so busy, the question had to be asked, how did he meet Sal? “How did you meet Sal?”

Adrian snorted. Plainly snorted, and waved a hand in front of his flawless face. “Sal was always around. Making a ruckus or just getting into a little trouble here and there from his business ventures.” Adrian’s eyes drooped, and his eyes latched on to Sal’s big roving frame. “One day I was walking home from the store and I was getting some flack from some of the neighborhood guys. I was just too pretty for their tastes. Sal stepped out of nowhere like a big goofy knight in shining armor. He chased those jerks off and walked me home. Instead of saying thank you, I told him I could have handled things myself.”

He stopped as chuckles burst forth. “I should have known that wouldn’t be the last time I saw him. He waited at the bottom of my stoop everyday and I walked right past him every day. Then, he came with candy for my sisters and brothers and they loved him for that. I told him we didn’t take charity. So, he showed up with a suit for me to tailor.” His painted lips curled in a soft smile. “After I gave him his suit, he asked me on a date, and told me I’d better bring, because we didn’t believe I could look half as good as he would…I proved him wrong. These were the old days where things were quite as accepted as they are now…I gave him a shock though. Imagine me showing up to his door, looking more like Liz Taylor than Liz Taylor. His tongue almost fell out of his head.”

“We’ve been together ever since that first date…After all this time, we still have each other. Kids, yeah, we wanted some. Now, we’re not as young as we used to be. If we really decided to, then we’d have one. Sal thinks I’m too old. I’ve done the research. I’m not quite that old.”

The pair shared a laugh. Nick took Adrian’s hand. “Until you decide, you’ll have mine to spoil the crap out of.”

“I’m okay with that.”

The night worn on with great food, drinks, and friends. Yet, nothing would be as great for Nick as drawing just a little closer to his best friend, the aunt-godparent to his child. Their closeness almost made him forget the flipping of his stomach.

TBC/?