A Hart To Call Home

Chapter Thirty Five

The ride back to the estate was strange. Luca kept feeling as if he had forgotten something, but that something would never return home again. Andre and Carly were in the back, Carly would occasionally sniffle, and Andre was staring out the window quietly. Kit sat next to him in the front, holding his hand; he wasn't sure she'd let go of it once since she let go of his dad's.

They found a cold, quiet house waiting for them when they walked inside. A half-eaten sandwich sat at the table. Was he in the middle of lunch when it happened? Luca shuddered, not wanting to envision the moment his dad had the stroke. Maybe it was better they didn't see it happen. Did he even get to see the pictures Kit sent him?

"We should charge dad's phone," Luca spoke his thoughts out loud. "See if he saw the carnival pictures."

"I hope he did," Kit whispered; she was still holding his hand. He brought her over to the couch, and they sat down.

Carly rummaged through the small bag with Leonardo's belongings and set the phone on the charger in the kitchen while Andre reached into an upper cabinet. He produced an expensive bottle of bourbon, Leonardo's favorite.

He took a nip off the bottle directly as he came and sat across from Kit and Luca on the recliner.

"Didn't we have that chair in the old apartment?" Luca asked a needless question; why he wasn't sure, but Andre nodded as he passed the bottle over.

"He sold the apartment as is with all the furniture except this chair," Andre confirmed. "He said they don't make them this good anymore."

"It is a comfy chair," Carly came to sit on the arm of it, but Andre pulled her into his lap. "That sounds like your dad. It took Andre and me three days to convince him to put in the stairlift. He said it would devalue the house."

"He was stubborn," Andre agreed.

"And now we have to get rid of it," Luca said dryly. He took a large gulp from the bottle, enjoying the burn, and then handed it to Kit.

"Thanks," she whispered before tilting the bottle back.

"You okay, Kit?" Carly asked. "I mean .. sorry, I know you're not, but you've been so quiet.."

"I'm just so sad," Kit said as a fresh batch of tears filled her eyes; she slammed another gulp and passed the bottle to Carly.

"Dad and I were going to have a few drinks one night," Luca mumbled, "never got to. I missed so much."

"You were there, in the end," Andre spoke up, "when he needed you. You were there. That meant everything."

"It did," Kit confirmed.

Andre took a swallow from the amber colored bottle this time and passed it over to Luca again.

"I'm sorry, Andre," Luca said regretfully. "I never should've shut you out too. You could've used me the whole time, not just at the end."

"Will you tell me the story now?" Andre asked with a curious gaze.

"No," Luca said firmly, "and I never will, so don't ask again."

"But"-

"There's no need for you to know now," Luca cut him off. "All you need to know is he made it right in the end, and I forgave him."

"He's right, Andre," Kit advised. "It won't do you any good to revisit their past."

Andre heaved out a heavy sigh but relented silently.

Carly laughed suddenly, and they all looked over at her.

"I was just thinking about when Andre and I first started seeing each other," she explained. "Leo was out of town for a business thing. Andre was trying to show off, so he had a small party here."