Epilogue

Epilogue

Six months later

“Ohh, this is gorgeous.” Eyes wide, his mother walked through the apartment. She’d been after them to see the final renovation since he’d moved, but Nico had wanted it to be completed, down to the bathmats and towels. And with Ford settling into the new practice, he’d left it to Nico to decorate.

“Ford’s partner’s wife was a decorator—interior designer is the fancy term for it—and she took me ’n Tre to all the places you gotta know people to get into.” He ran his hand over the gleaming-white quartz waterfall island. “Pretty, huh?”

“Beautiful.” She took Frank’s hand, and the bright light spilling in from the windows overlooking the park hit her engagement ring, sending rainbows against the pale-blond wooden floors. “You did a great job, honey.”

They’d had so much to celebrate over the holidays: Ford moving in, Nico’s new job, Joey and Teresa’s engagement, and the biggest shocker—Frank surprising everyone by asking Nico’s permission to marry his mother. He’d moved in with her, and Nico couldn’t have been happier that she now had a man who adored her and treated her like a queen.

“No reason to wait. Gotta grab every moment of life,”Frank had told him, and Nico couldn’t agree more.

“Ain’t it stunnin’?” Tre hooked her arm through his. “I said to Nico and Ford, it belongs in one of those magazines with all the expensive apartments. Leslie was so nice to help me too with my house. Free of charge. She’s got some really famous clients.”

“Teresa, that ring is stunning.” Ford handed Nico’s mother a glass of sparkling water and Frank a beer. “Did you and Joey set the date yet?”

Teresa spread out her hand to admire the two-carat ring. “Yeah. The weekend after Memorial Day. It’s gonna be at our house. I don’t need nothin’ that’s gonna cost us a bundle. Especially now that we’ve got a mortgage.” She rested her hand on her stomach. “And a little surprise on the way.”

“You’re pregnant?” Nico couldn’t stop smiling and hugged her. Gently.

Her face shone with happiness. “Yeah. It’s early, though. I didn’t wanna walk down the aisle with a big belly, so I should be okay in a month or so.”

They all crowded around and congratulated her and Joey, who, puffed up with pride, bragged, “I already got him a Mets cap and a onesie.”

Ford laughed. “What if it’s a girl?”

“She can wear it too. It don’t matta. Lulu’s got a Mets collar. We’re a loyal family.”

Nico hugged Ford’s waist. “We are.”

“So how does it feel to be workin’ in an office?” Anthony asked Nico. “Bet it’s a lot different from them bus rides.”

“Yeah, it sure is. I love it. And my supervisor liked some of my suggestions.”

“Make sure he don’t take credit if it’s your idea,” Jack warned.

“Negative Nelly, I know that. He’s gonna bring me to the meeting so I can tell everyone.” Nico frowned. “He’s not gonna stab me in the back.”

“Just looking out for you.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Ford jumped in. The relationship between them and Jack was still somewhat strained, but Jack had started to show up more regularly whenever they hung out. Which, Nico had to admit, hadn’t been as often.

“You’re right,” Nico relented. “And I gotta tell you, the work you did on Joey and Tre’s house was real nice. Great tile job in the kitchen.”

“I know, right?” Tre piped up with a big smile. “I was scared of a fixer-upper, but Jack made it look easy.”

Joey had surprised them by buying a house near Bensonhurst, and Aunt Justine moved with them to the downstairs apartment they set up for her.

“And my apartment is be-yootiful,” Justine crowed. “Now I get to watch my grandbaby grow up and take care of him or her when Teresa goes to work.”

“I’m thinkin’ of maybe rentin’ out your apartment, Nico. Now that we’re sellin’ the restaurant to Bobby and his family, it’ll be steady income for me and Frank, since he’s not gonna be working full-time at Maxie’s.”

“Yeah, good idea,” Nico reassured her. “I still can’t believe you and Aunt Justine are selling the place.”

“I don’t wanna be tied down no more. Justine’s gonna be with Joey and Teresa, and Frank and me wanna travel—he wants to go all over Italy. It was my father’s dream to own the restaurant, not mine.” Her eyes grew soft as she gazed at Nico. “All I ever wanted was a family. And I got the best—having you, Nico. But the restaurant…” She shrugged. “So one more month, and it’ll be done with.”

“No more lasagna.” Ford pretended to pout.

“For you, sweetheart, anything.” She kissed his cheek, and Nico’s heart swelled with more love than he thought it could contain. His mom and Ford had bonded as deeply as if they were related by blood, and Nico knew how Ford had longed for that kind of relationship. “I have my two boys together now. I couldn’t be happier.”

“Me too, Ma.” Nico raised his glass to Ford, who winked at him.

Nothing could’ve prepared him for the complete happiness of coming home and spending every evening with Ford. How could he have ever thought that seeing the same face on the pillow every morning would get boring? Waking up to Ford curled around him was like celebrating Christmas and his birthday every single day.

And he’d never had a lover leave him so blissful and wrecked. Even that morning, knowing their friends and family were coming for a visit, Ford had kept him in the bed, kissing him from head to toes, leaving no inch of skin unloved by his tongue. Ford had edged him for an hour before taking Nico’s aching, throbbing cock between those fabulous lips and sucking him all the way down.

Nico’s cheeks grew warm, thinking of his scream of pleasure as his climax rocketed through him. His body tingled with anticipation of their night to come. He’d promised revenge on Ford and couldn’t wait to be inside him.

“Are we all ready for dinner?”

They were off to La Dolce Vita for a family celebration. They’d closed the restaurant for the evening, so it was friends and family only—Ford had invited Bruce and Leslie Sandler, as well as Marisol and her husband, Tomas, and they were meeting them at the restaurant. Nico and Ford surprised everyone by getting a car and driver for each of them.

“Thanks, bro.” Joey hugged him while Tre kissed his cheek.

“Wow, thank you.” Anthony and Sergio each hugged Ford, and Jack squeezed his shoulder. “Cool, thanks.”

“Justine, Mom, and Frank will come with us,” Ford said, and Nico stopped talking to Joey to stare at him. A beautiful yet nervous smile overtook Ford’s face. “Joanne said if I felt comfortable enough, she’d love it if I called her that. You don’t mind, do you?” He searched Nico’s face anxiously.

His eyes burned with the tears he held back. God, how did he get to be such a sap? But Nico knew he’d do anything to be able to keep that absolute joy on Ford’s face.

“I think it’s fantastic.”

An hour later, they met at the restaurant, where Ford introduced Marisol and Tomas to everyone. She and Tre hit it off, and soon the two of them were exchanging numbers and making plans. Tomas, a little quiet at first, came alive when Joey started talking sports, and Joey invited him to their Sunday games.

“Only requirement is you gotta bring something tailgate-ish. Wings, nachos, chili, hot dogs…”

“Did someone mention the holy grail of food groups?” Bruce and Leslie stood at the door, and Nico and Ford greeted them. Bruce was still the funny, wisecracking man Nico remembered, and Leslie pretended exasperation but played along. Ford spoke of him almost as a father figure.

“Come meet my mom, her fiancé, and my aunt.”

They sat at a table in the center of the room, and all were soon chatting like old friends. Nico, Joey, and Bobby brought out platters of antipasto, both hot and cold, as well as salads, and set them along with plates, cutlery, and napkins.

“Everybody,” Nico called out. “We got the antipasto here and more food comin’. There’s red and white wine on the counter, and water and club soda too. We’re not fancy here, so help yourself and dig in.”

The door opened, and Tre ran over to tell whomever it was that it was a private event and that the restaurant was closed tonight. She didn’t seem to be getting through because she continued to shake her head. Nico decided to help her get rid of them, and Tre glanced over her shoulder, looking relieved.

“Oh, good. I tried tellin’ them we’re not open, but they don’t care. They were askin’ to speak to you.” She stepped aside, her face a mask of curiosity.

“Me?” He put a pleasant smile on and opened the door wider. And almost passed out.

Facing him were the two women in the picture on their father’s desk—a little older, of course, but still as pretty. Blue-green eyes widened as they met his.

“Nico?” one of them asked—he didn’t know if she was Tessa or Lucy.

“H-how do you know my name?”

“It’s kind of rainy, can we come inside?” the other asked, cheeks pink and teeth chattering, despite her being bundled up in a wool jacket and a cashmere scarf.

He could be a piece of shit and tell them to leave, that he had nothing to say, but he opened the door and let them in. Tre gave him the raised eyebrows. “It’s okay. I’ll tell you later,” he murmured.

“You betta,” she hissed. “They look exactly like you.”

She returned to Joey, who was talking to Ford. She whispered in Ford’s ear, and he immediately left them to join him. His hand rested at Nico’s waist, supporting him. Nico led them to a corner of the room. A room which had suddenly gone too quiet for this crowd.

Tessa and Lucy stared at him, and he at them, until Nico couldn’t stand it any longer. “Why are you here?” He ran a shaky hand through his hair. “Which of you is Tessa and which is Lucy?”

They side-eyed each other. The one with the scarf spoke first. “I’m Tessa. Last weekend, we went to see our parents, and they were having an argument. Seems my father told my mother he’d been visited by someone claiming to be his son, and he didn’t want her to find out from anyone else, in case this person decided to go to her.”

“I wouldn’ta done that,” he muttered. “It’s not her fault.”

“It’s not our father’s either,” Lucy piped up. “He said he had no idea your mother was pregnant. You can’t blame him.”

Nico folded his arms. “I don’t blame him for that. I blame him for cheating on my mother while they were engaged and dumping her right before the wedding. And I don’t care what you say, that’s an extremely shitty thing to do. It says a lot about a person.”

Tessa and Lucy shared a quick, stunned glance, cluing in Nico that their father had conveniently forgotten to mention that not-so-minor detail. “Uh, he…he didn’t say that. Only that he didn’t know she was pregnant, and you just popped up in his office, demanding to be part of our family.”

“That’s not what happened. I didn’t demand anything.”

Ford held him tighter, and Tessa’s brow furrowed. Her gaze shifted from him to Ford, then back again. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“He is Ford, and yeah, he is.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” Her smile was nervous. “I have a fiancé, and Lucy’s serious with her boyfriend too.”

He didn’t know what to say, so he repeated her words. “That’s nice.”

Tessa blew out a breath. “Look, I’m sorry, Nico. This is awkward as hell for us too. But we came because…because we wanted to meet our brother. When we found out that Dad wasn’t even going to tell us about you, we got really angry with him.”

“Wait, what? You wanted to meet me?”

For the first time, Tessa and Lucy, his sisters, laughed and Tessa nodded. “Well, yeah. I mean, you’re our brother. We have nothing against you. Our father didn’t cheat on our mom, and what happened between them isn’t your fault either.” She put a hand on his arm, and he trembled. “I’m so sorry about the way this turned out for you, Nico, and we don’t expect to have a big family reunion.” She peered over his shoulder. “But it looks like you have a wonderful, close family of your own.”

“Yeah, I do.”

Lucy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Do you…do you think maybe Tess and I could see you sometimes, get to know you? And Ford too.” Her anxious but hopeful eyes shifted to Ford.

“I’d like that. It’s nice to meet you both.”

Tessa hesitated, and Nico sensed she was the more serious one. “My dad and I were always close, so this hit me hard. I wasn’t sure I wanted to even see you. But I kept thinking about you and wondering how I would feel in your place, knowing I had siblings but couldn’t talk to them. And it was keeping me up at night because I was so damn sad. Finally, I told Lucy, this is stupid. It happened almost thirty years ago, and the three of us aren’t to blame. I had tonight off work, and I grabbed Lucy, and we came here.”

“How did you know where to find me?”

“We asked our father, and he told us about the restaurant your mother’s family owned and suggested to start here.”

“He did?” he asked, shocked that Ray had helped them.

His face must’ve reflected his tumbling emotions because a wry smile quirked Tessa’s lips. “I’m not saying he’s happy about it. But we’re both adults, and we make our own decisions. My father’s not thrilled with my fiancé, Luke. He turned down working for a lucrative pulmonary practice and chose to open a clinic in the Bronx.”

“He sounds like a wonderful person,” Ford said. “And maybe you can put him in touch with me. I’m a dermatologist, and I’d be happy to help out sometimes if he has people with skin issues.”

Tessa’s pretty eyes grew wide. “Oh, wow, yes, I’m sure that would be very helpful. If you give me your card, I’ll have him reach out.”

Nico felt it was up to him to say something at that point. “I’m glad you came by. Since I saw your pictures, I couldn’t stop wishing I could meet you, but I gave up hope because of how I left it with your father.”

Lucy’s brow puckered. “He’s your father too.”

Nico frowned. “No, sorry. I’ll never be able to think of him like that. But if I end up with you as sisters, that’s better than I could’ve hoped for.” He lifted his chin. “He thinks I came to see him to get money from him. But that’s not true. All I wanted was to know who my father was.” He swallowed, his throat tight. “And for him to know me.”

Tessa brushed her eyes, her lashes spiky with tears. “I’m sorry, Nico. Maybe one day…”

But Nico knew better. In his heart he knew there would be no father-son reconciliation.

Her phone buzzed. “We’d better go. We have dinner plans, and the guys are waiting.” She hesitated. “Is it okay if I give you a hug?”

He nodded, and she wrapped her arms around him. She smelled like sunshine and flowers. Lucy held him tightly too.

“Can we have your number? Would you mind if we texted you sometimes? Maybe we can all get together.”

A little dumbstruck, Nico said, “Uh, yeah, sure.” He recited his number, watched them enter it in their phones, and felt the buzz of his seconds later. They waved and then left. He stood watching them, unaware for how long, until Ford held him in his arms.

“You okay?”

Nico turned and studied his face. Those sparks of sunlight in his warm amber eyes. The high cut of his cheekbones and the full, soft lips Nico couldn’t not kiss when they were this close. It was brief but gave him the energy he needed.

“I’ve got you, Ford. I’m great.”

“Yeah, you are.”

Hand in hand, they approached their friends and family, who were trying and failing to pretend disinterest. All conversation died, and Nico knew he owed them an explanation.

“Those were my half sisters. Tessa and Lucy.”

His mother gasped. “I knew it. I said to Frank, they look exactly like Ray. And you.”

“Yeah, they’re really pretty. And smart. Tessa is an anesthesiology resident, and Lucy clerks for a judge.” He huffed. “Ray told them about me and about the restaurant. That’s how they knew where to find me.”

“Are they nice? They seemed happy to talk to you. I saw them smilin’.”

Nico rushed to soothe his mom’s anxiety. “Yeah, yeah. It’s all good. We’ll keep in touch. They want to, and I think it would be nice.”

He gazed around the table, at his mom and Frank, at Aunt Justine with Teresa and Joey, who were about to take a huge step. Anthony and Sergio, still going strong a year later. Nico had no doubt they’d be the next to get married. Jack had revealed a bad breakup with a guy he’d been seeing, and he’d apologized for taking it out on them. Nico suspected he’d fallen hard, and understood his pain. If Jack felt like talking about it, they’d be there for him.

New friends like Tomas and Marisol, Bruce and Leslie, who fit in with the crew as seamlessly as if they’d always been there.

Most of all Ford, who gave him all the love and support he could ask for, and more.

Bobby brought out the mains—mussels, chicken parmigiana, baked ziti. Chicken marsala and veal piccata. Eggplant rollatini. Two different kinds of fish. Fettucine with shrimp. Calamari. Spinach with garlic and broccoli rabe.

The table was filled with the trays of food and bottles of wine. He caught his mother’s eye, and from her beaming face, knew she’d never been happier. He stood and raised his glass.

“To my family, mia famiglia. You are all that matters to me.”

He leaned over and kissed Ford, soaking in the lifetime of love on his lips.