The Twelve Vitali Ch. 06

"As long as it takes to get a contract drawn up that we are both happy with," he gave her a goofy smile, feeling a strange sense of joy that she had finally agreed to do it. "It will be worded like a basic prenup, most probably. I can do the basic work on it, and we can probably ask Romy Donati to put in the unbiased legalese stuff. Aside from him, no one will know the true nature of our relationship."

"We'll do the whole first date thing tomorrow night. Favourite flower and colour?" he asked.

"Champagne pink roses," she said with a smile. "It's a fairly broad spectrum that you can't get wrong, but I prefer the golden shades to the girly pink shades. You?" she asked.

"Can't say that I have a favourite flower, but I guess blue is the colour, not the deep, dark kind of blue, but I like clear crystal blues, like your dress last night," he said, stopping himself before likening it to her eyes. "This isn't about me though; it's about you and our first official date tomorrow. Today, however, we ride!"

"You will ride, cowboy. I will be back at base camp panning for gold," she laughed, and at his confused look she shrugged. "It's a figure of speech, I'll just be doing a little research for the commission Peri has asked me to do. It involves some of the family members, so I may as well ask their wives about them."

"About that commission," he said in a businesslike no-nonsense tone. "I get how important it is to you, but if Peri tries to usurp all your time can you throw my name in there with the word date, so she understands that you have other commitments too?" he said in a commanding tone.

"Yes, Sir," she grinned in response to his business-like commands and persona.

"Seriously, the sooner we iron out all the details, the better we will both feel," he said softly. "We need some time together, alone, to just talk about what it is we want and need from this partnership. Plus, I don't want the dating phase to drag out for the full year if we can help it. My father's health is not improving, and I want him to relax and retire without having to worry about me and what I'm doing with my life."

"You should call Roberto tomorrow. He knows me pretty well, and he mightn't be happy with the idea of his son marrying a girl from... well, the wrong side of town," she smiled crookedly. "It might make him worry even more, especially given the fact that a couple of months ago I was dating Ricco," she added, remembering the conversation she had overheard and his words to her.

"Also on the tomorrow list now," he promised. "Unless you'd like to hear what he says?" he started to fish his phone out of his pocket.

"No, I don't need to know what he says. You're doing this for him, after all. If he didn't approve what would be the point?" Cat shrugged.

"What would be the point, indeed," he echoed her thoughts and felt oddly uneasy about the idea that either of his fathers would warn him away from Cat.

*****

"You must be Catriona," Louisa smiled as she welcomed Cat into her house.

"I've been looking forward to meeting you. Your website is wonderful, you're very talented," Louisa waddled back into the house, leading them to a sitting room where she was going through catalogues from some baby stores. "Can I get you tea or coffee?"

"You sit, I'll get it," Margarite chirped happily.

"I didn't realise Peri had shared the website with anyone," Cat frowned. "I guess that's a good thing, so you all know what to expect from my style, in some ways."

"I haven't seen it, I didn't even know there was one," Margarite laughed, "But that's not unusual, I am usually the last to know anything."

"Peri and I used to work together before she met Josh, I've known her for years, and we both have an arts degree and a fascination with the visual arts and antiquities. She's been looking for just the right artist for a while, so we were both excited when Dante found you down in Melbourne. He's a gem, that man, always seems to be in the right place at the right time," Louisa said with a genuine fondness. "I dated him for a little while, but I think Dante was already in love with Peri and just in denial at the time. Just as well, because that's how I met Carlo."

"You dated one brother before dating another?" Cat's interest was peaked.

"Yes, but Dante and I never would have worked out; we didn't have one of those great "How I met your mother" stories that all solid couples need to have," Louisa Laughed. "You should ask Dante to tell you how Josh met Peri one day, he always tells it best. It's the craziest story ever!"

"A "How I met your mother" story?" Cat asked.

"You know how a couple first meets, or a first date story that's beyond awesome. You have to have one of those stories or you're doomed," Margarite explained patiently. "Did you say you wanted coffee?"

"I've already had two this morning, so maybe I should stick to water, or you will be scraping me off the ceiling," Cat shook her head. "Can you tell me your story? The "How I met your mother" one?"

"Oh, sure, but mine isn't as good as Peri's," Margarite lamented.

"I am sure it is amazing, you and Larry seem so much in love." Cat encouraged.

"Isn't he dreamy," she sighed. "I just adore every little bit of him." She seemed to consider Cat for a moment. "I hate to be rude and not tell you my story, but it's sort of related to stuff we don't really talk about with people who aren't family."

"I signed a non-disclosure for Peri so people could tell me their family stories without worrying about saying anything they shouldn't," Cat hastened to reassure her, and both women visibly relaxed.

"That's different then!" Margarite bubbled. "My family all live in the Victorian Alpine region, with snow and fireplaces and freezing cold winters," she shivered and pulled a face. "It's the Amarti family up there. Anyway, my father had told me one of the Donatis' was coming to visit, and that he wanted me to meet him," she rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to meet an uptight old-fashioned guy in a suit. The Donatis' have the most powerful family table, mainly because they hold to the old laws and traditions the closest, and because of that they have the respect of the other powerful families. So, you can imagine that I thought whoever was coming was going to be the biggest bore ever, and no one wants to be set up on a blind date by their father!"

"Your father introduced you to Larry?" Cat asked, thinking Margarite had been right and there wasn't a lot of awesome in that story.

"Not exactly, when this uptight bore in a suit was supposed to arrive I went snowboarding with friends instead. While I was out snowboarding one of my girlfriends spotted Lorenzo Manuel, who was well known on the extreme sports circuit, though he mostly raced bikes. So we stalked him and watched him until I realised the guy he was snow-boarding with was my brother. My friends and I immediately went over and said, "Hi." Honestly, it was love at first sight, and we spent the whole afternoon together. He said he had a family thing to go to and that he'd meet me later that night in the resort bar for a nightcap, and I agreed, racing home to get ready for my big date. By this time I had totally forgotten about the bore my father wanted to introduce me to."

"I think I see where this is going," Cat said.

"Can you imagine that the guy I'd ranted and raved at my parents about not wanting to meet or go out with on a blind date was the same guy I'd just fallen madly in love with?" she grinned.

"That is an awesome story, don't let anyone tell you it's not as good as theirs," Louisa said with a wide smile. "Yours is about love at first sight and finding your soul mate. Peri and Josh's story is hilarious, but it wasn't love at first sight, and don't ask me to tell it. I can't do it justice, but if you're at a family dinner ask Dante, he never misses a chance to tease Josh about it."

Cat continued to ask questions about Carlo and Larry, getting to know not only the two men through their wives' eyes but also some of the strange laws and traditions of the Donati family, and she realised the other twelve families as well, including the Vitalis'. She understood now why there seemed to be two fathers in the Vitali family.

"The neighbours are at it again," Lucia announced as she walked into the house without knocking. "I wouldn't count on seeing your menfolk again today unless you go and collect them."

"Ooh, who started it this time?" Margarite clapped her hands again.

"The king of the kids, who else could get Dino out of bed on New Year's Day. He sent an emergency SOS to Dino's phone that had him running over here," she shook her head. "Come on, ladies, the neighbours are expecting us."

"Who is the king of the kids?" Cat asked Margarite, liking the effervescent young woman.

"Josh," she giggled. "He and Dante are always declaring some sort of war when all of their nieces and nephews are there, it's loads of fun. Last year they brought in four small excavators and had a competition to build the best mud castle on one of the neighbouring properties they had just bought."

"Wow," Cat said as she followed the women out of the house to Lucia's Range Rover.

*****

The Donati estate was a mass of noise and confusion as men and children scrambled around large obstacles wearing vests and carrying laser guns. The most amazing tree fort she had ever seen teemed with children all shouting and running for cover. It had been declared a kid only zone, but, as the King of the kids, Josh took cover there as well.

Cat sat watching all of the men play with each other and the huge crowd of children. She could see the different personalities she had got an inkling of from comments the rest of the family had made over the last forty-eight hours, especially the two women she'd had brunch with. She could see Ben watch everyone protectively, and Dino act similarly, his size and his strength showing clearly as he took careful aim at one of his brothers. Each of the other men all had traits that she could see worked in harmony with their teammates.

"Hey," Matteo jogged over to her wearing a vest. "How was your morning?"

"Good," she laughed. "I'm a little overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people here. You stay and play, I'm thinking of trying to find a quiet corner so I can do some sketching."

"You okay if we stay for an early dinner and then head back?" he asked.

"Of course, I have work to do, and being here is perfect for that. The sooner I get it done the sooner we can move on your project," Cat said lightly.

"Good thinking, smarty pants," he grinned and whirled around as a group of tiny children all charged at him with Dante, and he swooped the little girl into his arms. "I have your leader," he growled in a mock pirate voice. "Yield or the Pirate Princess gets it!" he held the squealing little girl above his head, making Cat laugh as Dante immediately yielded, but the little boys kept charging. "Your brothers aren't too bright, are they, Eden," he chuckled as the boys danced around his legs and he tickled the little girl. "If that was a sneak attack you need a better crew," he advised Dante.

"That wasn't an attack, these are our secret weapon to get the King of the kids out of that tree fort," Dante waggled his eyebrows. "Where's your Dada, Eden?" Eden immediately began calling for Josh loudly in a high-pitched squeal. "We capture the King, and we win," he chuckled. "Check and mate."

"Alright, boys, let's go find Dada," he picked the wriggling boys up in each arm and marched toward the tree fort.

Cat curled on a couch with her sketchbook, keeping half an eye on the tree fort battle. She'd begun a light sketch based on an image she got from this morning's activity. The movement and noise around her suddenly stopped, and she looked out to the tree fort again.

"You can't win with those hostages," Josh called in a loud booming voice, "Because I've already stolen your queen!" He pulled Peri onto the balcony with him. "Rule number one, always protect the queen!"

"You're all fired," Dante said to his brothers disgustedly. "Beaten by a bunch of kids!" He raised his voice and shouted, "We yield, give us back the Queen or I will unleash my secret weapon on you!"

"Never!" Josh raised his fist, and the kids cheered.

"Release the queen, or there will be Brussel sprouts for dessert tonight!" Dante threatened, and Cat laughed, as he could see a few of the kids' waver in their commitment to Josh.

"And," CJ came to stand beside Dante, "I think I may have forgotten the Wi-Fi password I just changed. Did I text it to you, Carlo?" He smirked.

"Not me, Ben might know, he knows everything, but you know how much he hates losing," Carlo said sadly. "Plus, I think he lost the key to the garage where the quads are, so he's a bit cranky at the moment anyway."

"Fine, you can have the queen, but dessert better be awesome!" Josh grumbled and helped Peri from the tree house. "Besides, we already won, we don't need her anymore."

"He's got you there, Zio D.!" Christo, one of Angelo's sons shouted down.

"Alright, we'll call it a draw, this time," Dante conceded, and a huge cheer went up.

Cat remained curled on the couch in the corner as the chaos moved closer to the house. She watched each of the men interact with each other and their families and smiled. These people genuinely loved and enjoyed being together as a big noisy group, that was obvious. Matteo melded in as if he had always been part of the family, and she wondered what big gatherings with his family would be like.

"How are you doing?" Matteo came to check on her again.

"It's a lot to take in," she said quietly.

"This is just the inner circle, wait until all of the family arrive in a few weeks," Matteo said with a chuckle. "There will be hundreds of all singing, all dancing, Donatis'."

"Is your family like this when they are all together?" she asked.

"At times, I guess. We have different traditions, we probably don't get as excited about waging war on each other as these guys do," he explained.

"They do seem to love a good battle, from what I gather," she laughed.

"You have no idea! I guess the holidays are for the kids though," Carmen said, as she and Romy came to sit with them. "It's good to see you, Matteo, it's been far too long. I hadn't expected to see you running around with the pirate king today."

"The pirate king? I thought Josh was King of the kids?" Cat asked, trying to keep up.

"He is, but a few years ago we were going through a bit of a rough time as a family and my brothers and I took Dante on a deep sea fishing trip to say sorry for getting him shot," he began his story.

"Dante was shot?" Matteo said, obviously startled by the news.

"It was just after Nik died, and you weren't really talking to any of us back then," Romy considered Matteo, who nodded in acknowledgement. "Anyway, we were out there relaxing on a dinghy in the bay," he paused. "We were just having a quiet break from the world when Dante appeared wearing a pirate hat and told us all we were prisoners of the pirate king. The next thing we knew Josh, Mama and Papa were speeding toward our little dinghy with all of the kids shaking swords and yelling pirate curses. It was the last big adventure we had with Mama and Papa before they died." His voice became sombre.

"You had all of these people and these children in a dinghy?" Cat asked incredulously.

"He means a small yacht, Cat, not a dinghy," Carmen laughed and let her husband go on.

"Anyway, Dante had been shot, so Pete wouldn't let us make him walk the plank, so he still claims it as a win. We made Josh walk the plank instead because he was the only one who had to bring his Mama to keep him safe that day," Romy chuckled, obviously enjoying the memory.

"None of your wives went?" Cat asked. "Not even Peri?"

"The only woman on that dinghy was Mama, because she had to come to look after Josh. He is the baby brother, after all, he needs more looking after than the rest of us," he smirked.

"That might be because he has so many older brothers picking on him," Matteo chuckled.

"Don't even think about joining team Josh," Dante warned Matteo, as he came to sit with them, having finally convinced his children to go with their nannies for a small rest. "He already has Dino, and that guy is a one-man army."

Cat's fingers worked absent-mindedly as she listened to the men talk. Her sketched becoming more detailed and morphing into different concepts as the afternoon wore on. Sitting in her one spot, it seemed as if they all ebbed and flowed around her, making sure they spoke to everyone. It seemed to Cat as if they were engaged in a delicious dance around each other and their wives.

"I've come to steal Cat away from you again," Pete announced, holding out a hand to her.

"I can't catch a break in this family," Matteo shook his head. "I think I need to take her back to Melbourne just to get a proper date alone with her."

"Probably," Pete agreed with a perfectly straight face before guiding Cat inside. "I thought you might need a break from all the chaos," Pete murmured. "Angelo would like a chat as well," he said, leading her into a library.

"Are you a history buff, like Peri?" Angelo asked, as Cat was ushered to a chair.

"Only when researching a piece of art I'm doing, although this is a first for me where I didn't already know most of what I needed," she answered thoughtfully.

"Great, you get the short version then," Angelo's chuckle was full of relief. "Way back in our family history the Donati family joined with the extraordinarily wealthy Medici family, and a bank was formed to look after the family members and their needs. So, while the family all had their own careers and finances, it became a place to go for no interest loans and sanctioned financial gifts. I am the current president of the family bank." He finished his explanation.

"I see, but that's not the sort of research and information I am looking for. I am more curious about your personality and relationship to your brothers, that sort of thing," she said quietly, unsure of the giant sitting across from her.

"Ah, here is where the rub is and why you need to know that information. The job you are doing is for the family, and as such, as much as Peri is steering the ship, so to speak, I will be the one funding the project, so we need to iron out a few details. As we have a little time today, and it will save me a trip into the city tomorrow when I would rather just be relaxing with my family," he pulled a leather case in front of him and unzipped it.

"I understand Matteo found an artist's loft in South Brisbane and is letting you use it for the time being?" he asked.

"Yes, it's lovely. I'm not sure how long I can stay there though," Cat admitted.

"If you're happy there I will organise keeping it on a longer-term basis with him," Angelo explained and opened a wallet full of cards.

"This is your corporate card, you can purchase anything you need on it, within reason, I wouldn't like to see that you needed a Lamborghini, for instance," he chuckled. "These others are charge cards for various stores that the women in this family can't live without." He indicated several slim envelopes on the other side. Information pin numbers etc., he zipped it back up. "Try not to lose it, Margarite lost hers last year, and it was a pain in my ass for weeks," he rolled his eyes but smiled. "Not that we couldn't fix it, but it's more paperwork." He grinned. "I don't suppose you have your bank account details on you so I can get you set you up on the payroll?"

"I do," she said, digging to the bottom of her carryall that held her pencils and sketch pad.

"Excellent, let's get you all set up today and then you can concentrate on the work that needs to be done," he said, seeming relieved.