15.

M ATTEO

“What’s wrong?” Luca asked the second his face popped up on my screen. He frowned and asked, “Do I need to come to Texas? What’s going on?”

“What makes you think something’s wrong?”

“You look constipated.”

“How the fuck would . . . Where did that come from?”

“Ember’s having issues,” Luca groaned.

“Ew.”

“Anyway,” Luca said dismissively. “What’s up with you?”

“I’m going to dinner at Bella’s parents’ house. They apparently have a family dinner every Sunday.”

“Did you think Mama invented that or what?” Luca asked with a grin. “As a matter of fact, Tabby’s doing Ember’s hair right now so we can go over to Mama and Papa’s for our family dinner.”

“Tabby was nervous the first time she came with you, wasn’t she?”

“I thought she was going to hyperventilate on the drive over,” Luca said through his laughter. “She begged me to let her stay in the car for a few minutes while I took Ember inside to break the ice.”

“Did you?”

“No. While we were sitting there talking, Mama got impatient and came out to get us.” I burst out laughing because I could imagine Mama doing just that. She wasn’t the most patient of people on a good day, but when it came to her kids, she had even less than normal. “Did you buy a gift?”

I scoffed before I said, “That was a fucking adventure.”

“Couldn’t decide what to get?” Luca asked. “A good bottle of Scotch for her father and some flowers for her mother would probably be nice.”

“I tried that,” I told him with a laugh. “Went to three different liquor stores and all of them were closed. Turns out that liquor stores here aren’t open on Sundays.”

“Well, shit.”

“Yeah. Now what do I do?”

“You’re nervous.”

“Yes, Captain Obvious, I’m fucking nervous.”

“You’ve never been nervous about meeting a girl’s parents before.”

“I’ve never met a woman’s parents before.”

“Shit. You’re right,” Luca agreed. “No! Wait! You met . . . Who did you go to prom with?”

“That was high school! I’ve never met a woman’s parents. Do you know why?”

“Because you’ve never been serious enough about any of them to even consider it.”

“Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!”

“It’s not like you’re going in blind. You’ve already met her siblings, right? That should pave the way.”

“Well, her twin brother wants to rip me limb from limb and doesn’t even try to hide it. Her younger brother has been way too quiet about his intentions and that’s also a little concerning.”

“The quiet ones are usually more psychotic.”

“Exactly.”

“I wonder what her dad is like.”

“I’m about to find out.”

“At least you’ve got Salvatore and Rocco so you won’t be completely alone and defenseless.”

“Fucking traitors,” I mumbled. Rocco heard me and started laughing, so I flipped him off and asked, “Are you guys ready to go?”

“Just waiting on you,” Salvatore retorted.

“Do they live nearby or do you . . .”

“Get this,” I said as I walked out onto the porch. I hit the button to flip the camera view and said, “They’ve got a neighborhood.”

“What do you mean?” Luca asked.

I pointed at the houses across the street as I aimed the camera that way and said, “That’s her little brother’s house, that one belongs to her cousin, that one is another cousin, that’s her little sister’s house, and that one belongs to her twin brother.” I flipped the camera again and said, “See my problem? We’re not just outnumbered, we’re surrounded.”

“You’re really nervous!”

“I’m glad to see you finally picked up on that,” I said sarcastically.

“It’s gonna be fine, Matteo,” Tabby said as her face came into view. “Just remember your manners, say yes ma’am and no ma’am, and be really respectful. Make sure to compliment her cooking and thank her for having you. People from our neck of the woods appreciate that.”

“She doesn’t live in the woods, Tabby.”

Tabby rolled her eyes and explained, “It’s an expression, dumbass.”

“What’s up with the lack of respect aimed my way lately? I feel like I need to go balls to the wall and torture someone just to get my rep back.”

“It’s the fact that you’re not walking around with a homicidal frown all the time now. We’ve come to realize that the beast just needed to be tamed by a beauty to make him a little more approachable.”

“Well, I don’t like it,” I grumbled. Then I asked, “How do I get on her dad’s good side?”

“Stop dating his daughter,” Tabby said at the same time Luca blurted, “Quit banging his daughter.”

While my brother and his girlfriend laughed at me along with Salvatore and Rocco, I decided that maybe moving to Texas wasn’t a bad idea after all. That was probably the only way to get rid of all the assholes that I had formerly considered friends and family. Maybe it was time to start fresh.

“Why the fuck did I call you?” I asked my brother.

Tabby ignored my question and said, “Just be respectful and appreciative that they invited you into their home, and that will set the tone between you and Bella’s parents.”

“I can do that.”

“How is her friend doing?”

“She’s recovering. The family asked that there are no visitors today so she can rest, but I’m sure Bella will be there first thing tomorrow morning.”

“You should take her friend flowers.”

“No!” Tabby said emphatically as she shook her head at my brother’s suggestion. “Everyone does that, and she might not be a flower kind of woman. Take a gift basket of snacks and treats for the people who are staying there in the hospital with her, and take her some things to do during her convalescence. A deck of cards, some crossword puzzles and seek-and-find books, and maybe even a Rubik’s cube or something like that she can fiddle with.”

“Fiddle . . .”

“God! You two are dense! Fiddle with means play with. Fidget toys and stuff.”

“It’s like she speaks a different language,” I muttered.

My brother laughed before he agreed, “Yeah. There have been a few times where I thought I might need an interpreter, but I found my way through.”

Tabby ignored us and asked, “Do her parents know what you do for a living?”

“I’m sure they know that I’m a businessman,” I said with a straight face.

“All it will take is for one of them to look you up on the . . .”

“I think they’re aware. Bella knows, and she doesn’t seem like the type to hide things from her family. I am positive her brother knows after the grilling I got from him this morning. I’m beginning to wonder if he might be a Fed.”

Luca burst out laughing and said, “There’s one thing you’re going to have to deal with that Zach and I don’t.”

“What’s that?”

“A mother-in-law!”

“That was just mean!” Tabby said in outrage, her accent getting more pronounced as she got irritated. I had noticed the same thing happened to Bella when she was emotional about something, and although I hadn’t seen her angry yet, I guess it might happen then too.

“I haven’t mentioned marriage yet, Luca.”

My brother scoffed. “And you haven’t met a woman’s parents yet either, but here you go blazing a trail of firsts.”

“Let me tell you about another first,” I said angrily. “I rode with her brother, alone in a truck, to get breakfast this morning. He’s missed his calling. We could use him.”

Luca laughed and asked, “For what? Our personal chef?”

“He’d make one hell of an enforcer. I’m fairly certain he’d be pretty good at torturing people given the right motivation.”

“And by the right motivation, you mean dating his sister?”

“Exactly.”

◆◆◆

BELLA

“What time will your friends be here?” Mom asked as she shut the oven door.

“About that . . .” I took a deep breath and then blew it out before I asked, “Do you remember when I asked what you would think if I fell in love with a criminal or a mafia don?”

Mom stopped wiping the counter and clutched the towel in front of her as she turned to face me. “Have you?”

I put down the peeler I’d been using and tossed the last potato into the bowl of water next to the cutting board before I said, “I think I have. Yes. I have.”

“What kind of criminal are we talking about?”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m trying so very hard to be open-minded right now, Bella.”

“I can see that.”

“Blue collar? White collar? Embezzlement? God! It’s not for drugs is it?”

“Um, no. He said that they don’t have anything to do with running drugs.”

“They? Who is ‘they?’ Is he part of a gang? I just . . .”

“Not really.Sort of.No.”

“Which is it?”

“He’s a . . . Hold on,” I said as I rushed across the kitchen to the bar and picked up my phone. I did a quick internet search on Matteo and pulled up the first article that I saw. Before I handed it to my mom I said, “He’s not part of a gang. He’s part of a conglomerate of families who work together.”

Mom’s eyes narrowed, and she reached for the phone as I handed it to her. It took her just a second to scroll through the article, her eyebrows getting higher and higher as she read the words before she looked up at me with wide eyes.

“You’re dating a guy in the mafia? ”

“Yes.”

“This is all my fault.”

“What is?”

“The four of you are destined to fall in love and marry people that are gonna test my resolve to be a better human.”

“What?”

“I’m not doing it! I’m not gonna fall into the same trap! I won’t!”

“Why are we yelling?” Dad asked calmly as he walked in from the patio where he was preparing the grill.

When he looked over at me accusingly, I put my hands up and said, “I’m just as confused as you are!”

He took Mama by the arms and murmured something in her ear, and after she gave him a whispered response, he looked over at me in shock. He gently pushed Mom away as he settled his hands on her shoulders so he could look into her face. “Babe, I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“There’s not a time limit on things like this.”

“Lena, you apologized for how you behaved, and everyone put it behind them years ago. This isn’t . . .”

“It’s karma, Finn. I know you don’t believe in things like that, but you can’t deny . . . I’ll prove it to you!” Mom grabbed her phone off the counter. She pushed a button on the screen, and after a few rings, my Aunt Liberty’s voice greeted her on the speaker. Mom instantly got to the point and said, “I’ve got a hypothetical question for you, Lib.”

“Shoot.”

“What would you think if one of my kids came home and said they were dating an ex-con?” Aunt Liberty started laughing, and Mom asked, “Or better yet, what would you say if Bella suddenly decided she was in love with a . . .” She looked at me and asked, “There are different kinds, right?”

“Kinds?”

“Of mobsters.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked in exasperation.

“Let’s say he’s Russian,” Mom proposed. “Lib what would you say if I told you that Bella was in love with a Russian mobster?”

“I’d say that karma is a fickle bitch with a very long memory!”

“See?” Mom shouted as she shook her phone at Dad. “I told you!”

“He’s not Russian, Mom. He’s Italian.”

“Who is?”

“Her mobster! He’s coming to dinner at my house in . . . He’ll be here in half an hour!”

Liberty started laughing, and it wasn’t the sweet laugh I was used to hearing. Instead, it sounded maniacal and more than a little bit scary. “Set two extra plates at the table. I wouldn’t miss this for the world!”

◆◆◆

I walked out onto the porch to take a minute for myself, wondering if inviting Matteo to my family dinner was a good idea after all. I hadn’t asked him impulsively. I considered the fact that it might be too early in our relationship for him to meet my entire family, but then again, he’d already spent hours in the hospital waiting room with my chosen family - although they were very subdued considering the situation. I decided it was a lot like ripping off a bandage.

He could come over and have dinner with my parents, brothers, and sister before he gradually met my aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Of course, the best laid plans never worked that way. I figured that out when Aunt Violet showed up with Uncle Mace, followed soon after by the Ros - my identical twin uncles, and their wives, Paula and Thea. All we were missing now were Tavin and Chess, but I was under no illusion that they’d miss this spectacle. I had the sudden urge to go find Matteo, throw all of his things into his suitcase, and then escort him to the airport so he could make a quick escape.

However, if things were going to progress with him, and I sincerely hoped that they would, he’d have to meet everyone sooner or later.

I finally decided to take the escape option and turned to walk to my house when Matteo, Salvatore, and Rocco appeared at the end of the street.

“What are you doing, Belly?” Flynn asked from behind me.

“I’m going to tell him to save himself and leave town immediately,” I called out over my shoulder.

“Then he’d look like a little bitch.”

I stopped in my tracks and turned around to glare at my brother before I asked, “Do you think it would be better for him to meet the whole crew at one time and then spend the next six hours thinking of ways he can dump me gently because he knows without a doubt that every member of my immediate family is certifiably insane.”

“I’m not insane. I’m sure they’ve already had me tested.” I rolled my eyes because, as usual, Flynn wasn’t getting the point. “Come on, Bella. Give the guy a chance. If you ask him to leave before he meets them, he’s going to think you’re embarrassed to introduce him to your family.”

“He’s already met you, Dylan, and Teague. He’ll believe me when I tell him it’s for his own good.”

“He won’t run.”

“He will if I ask him to.”

Flynn shook his head. “No, Bella, he won’t. He’s used to being the one in charge. The fact that he’s willing to tamp that down, knowing he’s walking into a house full of people who are probably going to hate him at least a little just because you’re moving away and even more because they know what he does for a living, tells me a lot about his character.”

“You secretly want to come with me, don’t you?”

“So bad it fucking hurts,” Flynn mumbled. He took a deep breath and smiled at me before he said, “I’m on your side, Belly Button. Never forget that.”

I saw that my little brother was more upset than I’d realized and got toe to toe with him before I threw my arms around his neck and said, “I love you, Flynn.”

“I’m gonna miss your smartass around here.”

“I’ll just be a phone call away, and I’ll always have a place for you to crash if you want to come visit.” I kissed him on the cheek before I whispered, “Or if you want to come stay.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Flynn said with a grin before he turned me so that I was standing beside him. “If I had any doubt in my mind that this guy was playing with your emotions, the fact that he’s showing up in enemy territory with gifts proves me wrong.”

“It’s not enemy territory if I’m the one standing beside him.”

“And since I love you so much, I’ll be on his other side running defense.”

“You’re my favorite brother, Flynn.”

Flynn burst out laughing and said, “Even though it was a 50/50 chance, I’ll still take that win.”