The Turning Point Read Online Free Page A

infant. “This one’s my favorite.”
    My eyes traced the precise delineations that intertwined to create a masterpiece of my once-intact family. “I never knew you drew.” I was in awe of my grandmother’s talent. I glanced up from the portrait. “How did I not know this?”
    “I gave it up a long time ago, Principessa .” Nonna looked lovingly upon her creation. With a shaky hand, she touched the paper again. “Did your mom ever tell you about the day you were born?” Lifting her verdant eyes to me, she awaited my answer.
    I shook my head. “Uh-uh. Mom doesn’t talk much about when Dad was around.”
    “You’re right. Your mamma has a tough skin, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t deep scars. Let me tell you what I know.”
    “The day you decided to make your appearance, you were two days late.” She winked. “It seems like you’ve spent your whole life trying to make up for the two days you lost.”
    I shrugged my shoulder and nodded. “I could have used those forty-eight hours.” My lips curved up at the corners and Nonna pressed her hand over mine and squeezed.
    “Your mamma and daddy were so excited. When labor finally started, Andrea called me, flustered out of her mind. I told her to take a deep breath and get her butt to the hospital.” Nonna chuckled at the memory. “When I walked into the hospital room, your dad was right at your mom’s side. I’ll never forget it.” Nonna smiled thoughtfully. “He had his forehead pressed to her temple, whispering assurances into her ear, helping her through a contraction. When it was over, he swept his hand across her forehead and tucked a sweaty piece of hair behind her ear.”
    Nonna’s features were soft as she recounted her story, her eyes focused on something that happened twenty-two years ago.
    “I’d always liked your dad.” Nonna looked me in the eyes. No, more like pierced me with emerald daggers. “But it was in that moment I knew how much Gio loved my Andrea…and you. I could see it in his eyes. I could feel it pouring out of him. It warmed the room.”
    At first, there was a pinch in my chest as Nonna spoke of my dad. But hearing how much he loved Mom…and me, the pinch intensified. It felt more like a screwdriver being wedged between my ribs. If he loved us half as much as Nonna said he did, why wasn’t he still here?
    I loved Nonna, but she watched too many soap operas, read too many romance novels, and subsequently turned my birth into both. I didn’t interrupt, but I may have rolled my eyes at her last comment.
    “Yeah, you roll those eyes, girlie. I speak only the truth. You were being a stubborn little thing and refused to come out. Put your mamma through her paces.”
    “Mmm-hmm.” I nodded. “Sounds like me.”
    “Every time your mamma pushed, your heart rate would drop. Scared everyone to death. That’s when they prepped Andrea for surgery, an emergency C-section. I thought your daddy was going to have a heart attack, he was so worried.”
    “Nonna, does this story have a point?” Since when had she turned into the leader of the Giovanni Belmonte fan club?
    She waved her hand. A trait I’d gotten from her, talking with my hands. “It does, and I’ll get there. Anyway, when you were born, there were more complications. You weren’t breathing on your own.”
    The screwdriver burrowed deeper, twisting on its way in. “Mom never told me that.”
    “Ah, well, it’s all water under the bridge now, Principessa . You’ve been breathing just fine for quite some time.” Nonna gave a thin-lipped smile and continued. “They had to send you to a hospital that was equipped with a neonatal facility. Your mamma couldn’t go, so your daddy went with you.”
    I felt the onset of tears, but I held my breath, keeping them at bay. I was not going to cry.
    “Even before your mamma got to hold you, you had already bonded with your daddy. About two weeks after you were born, you were finally well enough to come home. That