The Court of Redemption

Chapter 13

Costano

Costano waited. A few moments later, the door opened. Pia smiled at him already knowing it was him. Their son, Matteo, was in her arms playing with the fabric of her sweater. Pia looked down at Matteo and averted his gaze to Costano.

"Look who it is!" She spoke, sounding surprised. Once his blue eyes settled on Costano, he immediately reached forward to him. Matteo squealed. "That's right baby. It's daddy!"

Pia handed Matteo to Costano and he immediately bombarded his son with kisses. For the year he had missed spending with Matteo, Costano would try to repay it however he could. Matteo let out squeals and laughs, and mix of the two. The three settled into the living room. Pia and Costano had agreed to share custody of their son. They'd have their own days with Matteo but that one day of the week would be spent with all three of them.

Things weren't exactly alright between Costano and Pia. There were things left unsaid and things that only time would heal.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Pia asked Costano.

He declined, but thanked her. "It's almost time for Matteo to eat right?"

Pia nodded before gathering the food. She settled beside them on the couch. She fed their son while Costano watched. He'd ask her questions about Matteo. He wanted to know everything he possibly could. He already knew the major things such as what Matteo could and couldn't eat, his sleep and eating schedule, and how to change his diapers.

Halfway through Matteo's meal, Pia handed the small spoon to Costano and asked him to feed Matteo. The problem wasn't feeding a baby, it was making sure the food stayed in their mouth. Matteo, like many other babies, got easily distracted with other things that they tended to forget they were eating. He'd babble or laugh whenever he saw something occurring on the television screen.

"I saw Arabella at my event. Spoke with her a bit," Pia confessed.

Her comment was somewhat of a surprise to Costano. Although he didn't quite know exactly how the modeling and fashion industry ran, there was a part of him that knew it could be a possibility that his ex wife and best friend—now client—would run into each other.

"How did your event go?" He asked.

"It went well," she answered. "The feedback from guests on the designs and the event was positive. So far there haven't been any scandals or negative news coverage on the event or the guests, that's good news."

Costano nodded. Seeing Pia rise to fame had shown him what it was like for those who lived on the spotlight. News media outlets didn't respect the privacy of those they wanted to get coverage on. Even if Pia wasn't a model, she was known for her designs. While celebrities did have an impact by wearing and exposing the public to her clothing designs, many actually enjoyed the art she created. She created various designs many of which were seen as more high brand and expensive, but others that suited many ages, ethnic groups, and were affordable.

While married, there were times their privacy was invaded when in public. They didn't like revealing much about themselves or their lives, not for fear of criticism, but simply because that's how they wanted things. Even through their rocky moments, their marriage was going great. They were happy.

Costano wondered whether he should ask Pia about her conversation with Arabella.

"I offered Arabella to be my model for my next launch," Pia said. "That was the main gist of the conversation"