The Secret Is Out

V A L E R I U S ' S P O V :

My phone rings. I look up from my computer.

Nonna Incoming call. . .

My eyebrows furrow together as I stare at my grandmother's contact name. She hasn't tried calling me in awhile.

I answer.

"Ciao, nonna?" I ask, thinking it might just be a butt dial.

"Valerius, il mio bambino!" My baby boy. Her sweet Italian accent rings through the phone.

"Is something wrong? Why are you calling?" I ask in Italian. It's odd to get a call from my papà's mamma so out of the blue. She hates phones.

"No, crazy boy! I just got to your papà's house. All of us did. I want to call to see if you could take a break from all that damn work of yours! At least that's what your papà has told me is the reason you have not spoken to me in what feels like years!" Nonna's chides me in Italian.

My family doesn't live far, they mostly stay on the other side of Italy. I don't know why, I think it's just more relaxing over there.

I can practically feel her head shaking at me. The tone she uses suggests that she know I haven't been working which worries me.

"Qui? You aren't supposed to be here until November twenty-fifth."

"My grandson. It is November twenty-fifth." She laughs. Panic rises in my chest.

Have the days really gone by so quickly?

My thoughts follow to Ellie who is at school. I'd gone into work earlier but came home to finish so I could be there in time to pick her up. I didn't want to risk being late again.

What the hell am I supposed to do if my family decides to show up at my house? Something is bound to happen, I just don't know what yet.

"Right. I've just been caught up in work. The days must of gone by fast." I shake it off, hoping that she won't ask any deeper into the situation.

"Anyways, Valerius, I want to see you! I will come over later—"

"No!" I sputter a little too quickly. I curse myself mentally. I force myself to think of something on the spot, "I'm not home. I'm at work, the office. I probably won't be home tonight. I'll stop home within the next few days."

Please buy it. Please buy it. Please buy it.

There is a long agonizing pause. "Aright." I relax my body and my eyes shut loosely. "But seeing as though you've been working so much, something important must be going on. I expect you to explain yourself to us when you come so we can be in the loop."

My jaw ticks. Well fuck. I just dug my own grave.

Either I go see them and I'm forced to tell them about Ellie or I ignore them and they barge into my house and find out about Ellie the hard way.

"Absolutely." I grit through my teeth.

When the call ends I go straight to yell at my brothers for not warning me about this but I find over forty missed text messages. Idiots.

• • • • • 5 People

Marcello • Dude val nonna and everyone are like on their way to the house right now

Fabio • Val, I wouldn't answer any calls from nonna • She won't stop talking about how you never answer your calls • She sounds prettttyyy mad

Marcello • Zio Sante is asking where val is what do i say :0

Fabio • Nothing! Say nothing.

Enzo • You all are stupid. Don't let them know anything about Eleonora or about Valerius's work until he says something.

Savino • agreed

Fabio • Nobody let Marcello out of his room • He almost spilled it

And the texts just keep going. I'm really in for a treat.

• • •

"Ellie?" I call out and her cute face quirks up to me. She leans back against my chest with her head pointed upwards so she's looking in my eyes.

"Hmm?" She hums, giving me a blank stare.

I smile, brushing her hair back with my fingers.

"Do you know how big a family can be?" Her eyebrows scrunch together and a confused pout sits upon her lips. Ellie contorts her body so she's next to me and looking at me from a more comfortable angle. I continue, "Like great grandmas and grandpas and cousins and more?"

She nods slowly but I am sure she still doesn't fully understand. I set her bowl of grapes aside and pull out a pen and paper from the side table. I draw boxes to represent people and lines to connect everyone. A family tree.

"This is you, then me, then your nonna and nonno." Her curious eyes followed where my pen was pointing. "And just like I'm your papà your bisnonna is your nonno's mamma." I try to explain to her and her eyes follow where my pen points. "And her mamma will be your grande bisnonna, your great-great grandmother."

Ellie nods her head, reaching over to grab a grape and plops it into her mouth. "Okay, papà." She chews on one of her grapes.

Yeah she definitely understood none of that.

"Are you okay to meet your bisnonna and your grande bisnonna? And the rest of our family?" I know it is hopeless to ask but I do anyways.

"Okay, papà." She mumbles, piling another grape onto her mouth.

It's stupid of me to think a five-year-old could comprehend the workings of a family tree. It was worth a shot.

I settle for her answer and kiss her head. I put her bowl of grapes back into her lap.

She'll figure it out once she meets everyone.

• • •

"Ellie!" I shout, halfway laughing.

Ellie's energy levels have spiked after her second glass of chocolate milk and currently she's running around the first floor of the house. Her small, bare feet tap the ground leaving soft pats behind her.

"Ellie, dai! You're going to fall!" I shout but there is a slight ease to my voice. For some reason I find this oddly funny. Ellie isn't normally this hyper and I don't want to ruin her fun now.

I watch as her head peaks around the corner with a ridiculous smile on her face. A smile reaches my own face and I take a step forward to grab her.

"Ah!" Ellie screeches and runs around the corner, making me let out a laugh.

"Ellie.." I drag out. "Where did you go?" I quiet my steps and peak around the corner to find Ellie pressed against the wall with her hand over her mouth, covering her happy giggles. "Gotcha!" I shout as I grab her and lift her little body up in the air. She lets out a scream from surprise and her giggles fill the house.

"Papà!" She laughs. "Stop it!" She thrashes her body slightly from my tickles. Joy is plastered on her face, her cheeks turning red.

I do, I stop ticking her but I attack her with kisses instead, making her laugh even more. As she laughs, someone's voice makes me stop what I'm doing. I freeze almost instantly.

"Well. I see work has been keeping you busy."

My head snaps to the voice. Who comes into view is my bisnonna. My great grandmother. Her face shows a sly grin and her eyebrows are raised at me. My face turns pale at her pointed look.

Fuck.

My jaw slacks and Ellie stays in my arms, frozen. Her giggles slow as she looks to try and figure out who is here.

"B—"

"You know, your papà told me no when I asked to drive his car." She ignores me. "I thought I was being nice when I asked. Almost ninety years on this planet and still men have the audacity." She lays her over sized purse on the side table in the living room. "So, I stole it and wanted to come see my favorite great grandson. How are you, baby?"

"I'm fine. . ." I utter, a little stunned.

"Vieni qui." Come here. She commands and with Ellie still in my arms, I take a step forward. Bisnonna grabs my cheeks and kisses them, patting my cheek too.

"And is this my great great granddaughter?" Her wrinkly hands reach up to cup Ellie's face gently.

"I can explain—"

"Valerius, if I needed an explanation I would have asked. I do know how babies are made." Bisnonna placed a kiss on Ellie's head which put a smile on both of their faces. "Hell, I had four."

"Hi," Ellie whispers to her while bisnonna clasps both of her hands around one of Ellie's.

"Hello, baby." Bisnonna replies sweetly to Ellie. I set Ellie down and she backs into my legs. "It's nice to meet you. Do you have any toys here or does your papà make you wash dishes for fun?" She winks at Ellie and she giggles, placing her finger on her lip nervously.

Ellie is quiet for a moment before she got the courage to speak up. "Papà got me lots toys." I can't help but smile at her. "Wanna see?" Her doe eyes light up at my bisnonna.

"Of course I do." Bisnonna whispers then winks.

"Watch the steps." Is all I say to Ellie and she runs off to get her toys to show her great-great grandmother. Her excitement isn't hidden.

As Ellie goes, Bisnonna turns to me, grabbing my hand. "Sit." She motions for me to walk over and sit with her on the couch. I look into her old, comforting eyes. "Are you happy, baby?"

"What do you—"

Her fragile hand tugs on mine. "Are you happy, Valerius." She presses on.

I immediately thinks of Ellie and her smile. Getting closer with my brothers and mending my relationship with my papà.

"I am." I answer without hesitation.

Tears start to cloud her vision but she takes a deep breath and composed herself. "Good." She pats my face and sets her hands away. "Good." This time she whispers. "So." She claps her hands together. "Tell me about your daughter. Tell me."

I'm surprised she isn't mad. I would have assumed she be angry about me not being married yet. I don't risk bringing it up.

All the tension in my body leaves after thinking of telling someone so important to me about my Ellie.

"She's shy for the most part. She. . ." my mind wanders to what happened to her before I found her. "She— A lot happened to her. I didn't even know about her until six months ago." My throat clogs with anger and grief.

"Hey." Bisnonna calls to me. She snaps at my face. "I don't want her story, I want to know who she is. Tell me about your figlia. Go on."

I laugh a little, trying to push any emotion other than happiness away.

"She's shy but when you get to talking to her, she's the most crazy girl ever. She's brilliant too, she's picked up everything quickly when she started school. She loves to try new things which surprised me." I went on. Explaining to my bisnonna everything I could about Ellie because I'm proud of her. Because I love her.

"I hope by the end of my stay I can see your daughter the way you see her."

We are interrupted by Ellie running in, slightly tripping over her own feet. I try not to laugh when her wooden toy car drops out of her hands. Ellie bends down to get it and as she grabs her car, her stuffed elephant falls out of her hands. And then she did it again but this time her wooden car falls to the ground with her elephant in her hands.

A pout settles on her once bright face.

I go to get up and help her but bisnonna holds me back. "Lasciala imparare." Let her learn. She speaks softly so I listen and sit back down.

It takes a moment before Ellie figures it out and brings each toy over, one at a time. Now I understand why she was gone for so long.

Ellie climbs into my lap and she leans her weight against me. She doesn't waste anytime talking about her toys to her great-great grandmother. She goes on and on and my bisnonna hangs onto every single word.

Things settle down and the three of us get into different conversations until my bisnonna decides it is time for her to go back home before any of our other family members get too suspicious.

I agree. I have always enjoyed my bisnonna's company. I looked up to her then and I look up to her now. I'm glad Ellie can have her in her life.

"And you!" Bisnonna exclaimed after she finished pressing a kiss to my cheek. She is looking at Ellie. "You are very beautiful, il mio bambina."

Ellie's cheeks heat slightly and she mumbles a thank you. Bisnonna laughs a little and kisses her cheek.

"I think now would be a good time to finally tell me my great-great granddaughters name." Bisnonna joked, making a funny face at Ellie.

My brain fully registered what she has said and my eyes pop open a little. Did I really forget to tell her Ellie's name?

"Eleonora Valarie Armani." I tell her proudly and lay a kiss on Ellie's cheek which makes her giggle.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl."

We say our goodbyes again and when I sit down with Ellie and bring out my phone, I realize I have even more texts from my brothers.

• • • • • 5 People

Mar • has anyone seen bisnonna i think she's gone • ???

My eyes roll as I read Marcello's message.

He really is an idiot.

• • •