Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 452 -

*Olivia*

Everyone deserves second chances.

That had been my policy growing up, one of the core beliefs that had framed my relationship with others. When Alessandro blackmailed me and Gio, we gave him a second chance because he learned from his mistake. I remembered Becca telling me that she thought she would never be able to forgive James when he'd faked his death to go on the run, leaving her with two kids to raise by herself. But eventually, she said, it just happened. Forgiveness wouldn't come easy and perhaps, it never would.

This stranger had just stepped foot in the aftermath of my son's first birthday party to absolute dead silence, and I owed it to both myself and this stranger the opportunity to prove he was worth that second chance.

"Hey there," Salvatore chuckled, switching feet a bit nervously as everyone in the room turned to stare at him.

Gio's grip on my waist tightened, clearly not liking this situation, but this was my decision and I had made it. There was no going back now.

"Da-er, Sal." I gave him an awkward smile.

No matter what he was supposed to be to me, I couldn't call him Dad. I didn't even call my stepfather 'Dad,' and I'd known him longer than the man who shared half of my DNA.

Though a lot of the guests had gone home already and the party had died down considerably as kids began to fall asleep, a few guests had lingered and now, they were staring at this random guy who looked like he belonged out in the sticks of Florida and not in Florence, Italy.

There was an uncomfortable and heavy tension in the air, and though most of the guests who remained had no idea what was happening or who this strange man was, they could probably feel that he wasn't very welcome.

"Livi-" Sal tried for a smile, looking just as uneasy as I was and he stepped forward, opening his arms like he was going for a hug "I—"

"Olivia." I cut him off firmly, reeling out of his reach before he could touch me.

My childhood nickname falling from his lips was anything but endearing, and the fact that he thought he could just hug me like he wasn't a stranger did not bode well. I could give him a chance to make this up to me, but trust and forgiveness would not come easy from me.

He'd missed twenty years of my life, after all.

"Olivia." He swallowed, a hurt look crossing his features. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I-" His eyes widened, landing on the baby in my arms and then glancing up at Gio and me.

Elio had fallen asleep in the middle of the party and decided my arms were the comfiest place to take a nap.

I tensed, unsure of what was going to happen. "Is that.... Do I have a grandson?"

He took a step forward, clumsily, reaching out for Elio with a hand and I flinched, stepping back into my husband's arms and clutching Elio tightly to my chest.

"How dare you?"

Before he could take another step, My mother stepped between us and if I could have seen her face, I would have known exactly what I would've seen. That tone of voice only came out when she had lost her patience-whenever one of us kids had done something stupid and she had to step in to save us from ourselves.

I felt myself shrinking already, despite not being on the other side of her fierce glare.

"Amanda." He tried for a nervous grin, folding back in on himself. "You look good." "Don't you dare try that on me, you bas-"

"Mom!" I interrupted, giving her an incredulous look as I gestured to the baby in my arms and the various other toddlers peppering the room. Despite how young they were, it only took one word and then we'd have a bunch of two-year-olds running around calling people bastards. Not gonna happen, not on my watch.

She huffed, crossing her arms but changed her word to, "Jerk. What the hell do you think you're doing showing up like this after leaving for twenty years? You should've stayed dead to us, you son of a...." She paused, glancing at me and then reluctantly biting out, "Dog."

"Look, Amanda," Sal said pleadingly. "I know I messed up-"

"Messed up doesn't even begin to describe it!" she snapped. "You left us for twenty years! I raised that girl on my own because you decided we weren't worth staying-"

"That wasn't it!" Sal bit out, giving her a firm glare. "I didn't leave because I wanted to, Amanda. I got into trouble. That part was on me, but I only left to protect you two. I couldn't let them replace you and hurt you just to get to me. It was wrong of me to leave but I had good intentions."

"Good intentions?" she growled.

I stepped forward, shifting Elio's weight to lay a hand on her arm. She glanced at me, her eyes swimming with indignation. I was relieved to see she wasn't in any pain.

Even if I wanted to give him a second chance, that meant nothing if it hurt my mom. I never wanted to see her broken like she was when I was a kid.

But she had been right. She had spent twenty years getting over him and she had my stepfather now. Her wounds were healed up and buried in the past where they belonged. She was angry for me, for Elio, and for having him here to ruin the party.

"It's all right, Mom," I told her with a smile. "Thanks for protecting us, but I can handle this, okay?"

Surprise and pride swam in her eyes and she smiled at me, cupping my cheek before she nodded.

"I'll lay Elio down for a nap." Mom nodded, and I passed over my son into her arms. He stirred only the slightest, letting out a loud snore. I laughed as she and my stepfather fled into the other room.

I turned back to Sal, giving him a scrutinizing look. I still didn't know exactly what I wanted to do about this situation, but if what he was saying was the truth, then at the very least, I could hear him out.

But not now, not in the middle of my son's birthday party. This was his day, and no one was going to ruin it.

"I don't want Elio's birthday ruined," I told him firmly. "So I'd appreciate it if we could talk about all of this later. We can figure out everything soon, but not right now."

His face fell, looking like a puppy who'd been kicked into a river of mud. "Livi-"

"Olivia," I said sharply. "Only my mom can call me Livi. We may be related, but I've never met you before in my life, Salvatore. If you're being honest and you want to be in my life, you'll have to prove to me you can be trusted. Being a father isn't just about DNA. Twenty years aren't going to be fixed with an apology."

Sal nodded, taking a step back with a glum look. "I know, and I'll be happy to prove that to you. But for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I know I have no right to be here after being absent for so many years. You should hate me for leaving you, no matter what my reasons were."

He gazed at me, a small smile curling on his lips. "But you grew up beautifully, Olivia, even without me. Your mom did a great job. I don't want to do anything to make you uncomfortable. I just want a chance to know my daughter again in whatever way I can."

The sincerity in his eyes was difficult to fake but not impossible. I frowned, still unsure if I could trust him but I nodded, taking a deep breath.

"We still have a party to finish, so I'll let you know when we can speak again, okay?" I said firmly.

He took the hint, nodding to himself. "You have my number, so just give me a call when you're ready. Sorry to ruin the party."

He shuffled backward, sending me pitiful glances, but I held firm on this. My son came first. Eventually, Sal sighed, giving in as he turned around and left. The door shut behind him and I breathed a sigh of relief, slumping into Gio's arms. "You okay?" He rubbed my shoulders, whispering into my ear so the guests wouldn't hear. I nodded quietly, leaning my head on his chest before I turned to the remaining guests.

I turned to the guests with a wide smile. "Thank you so much for coming to Elio's birthday party. Please, take some cake and party favors before you go."

I gestured to the table lined up to the side with a bunch of bags filled with party favors we had left. A lot of them were now missing and luckily, the three or four parents still remaining got the hint.

It didn't take long for the party to end, the guests fleeing and thanking us as they passed by. A few of the moms gave me encouraging smiles, but I could see a few who had latched onto the new gossip. Most likely it would be everywhere by tomorrow.

I sighed once we were alone and the maids began to clean up. I left them to their work, heading straight for our room to get my head together. The sheer relief I felt as I collapsed onto our bed face-first, groaning from the chaotic event, was mind-numbing.

No matter how well I had planned, not even Gio could've known my long-lost father would've shown up. I was glad to have an answer as to why he had been missing all my life; as a child, I had always assumed it was my fault, but I still couldn't be happy about all this.

A part of me wished he had just stayed a shadow, a figure I never knew and never would. But the other part, some kind of broken part of me that I'd had since I was a little girl, wanted to know him, to understand what it was like to have a Dad like Dahlia did, to know who he was and where he came from and if he had any family I didn't know about. I had so few blood relatives but one had literally just shown up on my doorstep, offering a relationship.

"If he really is my father," I said quietly, listening to the sounds of Gio moving around, "I want to get to know him."

I glanced at him, gauging his opinion, and from the way his jaw was set, he did not like the idea at all.

Well, that was too bad.

"Just be careful." Gio sighed. "People are capable of anything, carina. Even if he is your father, he left you for twenty years and never came back until now? And he could've told your mother why he was leaving before he did, and could have gotten into contact with her one way or another, but he never did. Just... don't get your hopes up too high, okay? People can disappoint you."

As I listened to him, I could tell he was speaking from experience, but I didn't pry. I turned my eyes to the ceiling, pondering the existence of a father I had never known before.

Curiosity burned inside of me and if I was a cat, I would've been worried.

Who is that man? Is he really my father, I wondered.