Chapter 9 - The Man Who Came Home
Marriage didn't change Noah into a different man.
It changed what he cared about.
He began selling off parts of his illegal empire.
He invested in legitimate businesses.
He funded scholarships.
He created a foundation for children affected by organized crime.
People called him weak.
He ignored them.
Then one night, an old enemy came.
He wanted Noah to return to the old ways.
Noah refused.
"You'll lose everything."
Noah looked at me.
Then at our small house.
Our shop.
Our life.
"I already have everything."
The man left.
Months later, my father retired.
I took over the tailor shop.
Noah became my biggest client.
He ordered suits constantly.
"Do you need another one?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"Because my wife looks beautiful when she's measuring me."
I rolled my eyes.
"You are impossible."
"I've been told."
We eventually expanded the shop.
But Noah insisted the original sign remain.
KEANE TAILORING — EST. 1984
He had a second sign installed beneath it.
Family Owned.
One evening, I found him standing in front of the window.
"What are you doing?"
"Thinking."
"That's dangerous."
He smiled.
Then he turned.
"I'm going to be a father."
I froze.
"What?"
He walked toward me.
He placed my hand against his chest.
Then against my stomach.
I started laughing.
"You knew?"
"For three days."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
I hit his shoulder.
"You scared me!"
He laughed.
Then he hugged me.
His face pressed into my hair.
"I've never been this happy."
Neither had I.
But the biggest surprise came six months later.
We discovered the baby was a girl.
Noah cried.
Actually cried.
Paulie claimed he had allergies.
My father said nothing.
He simply hugged Noah.
May you like
And for the first time, I understood that the Moretti family wasn't doomed to repeat its past.
We could build something different.
