Chapter Forty-Three

Bianca

This was the first time my sisters and I were driving to the Hamptons without Perla, and I didn’t know how I felt about it. Never mind, I knew exactly how I felt about it. I missed my sister. Oh, don’t worry, she was joining us. In fact, Perla and Frankie were already there. Usually Dad got there first to open up the house, but since Dad was staying behind with Isabella until the Fourth of July, someone had to do it. Ergo Perla and Frankie—the boring married couple got the honors.

Actually, they didn’t so much as get the honors as they jumped at the chance to arrive first. “Wait,” I said, my mind reeling as I’d just come to a realization. I looked at Maria beside me, who was driving her SUV, and then shifted in my seat to look back at Allie, sitting behind the driver’s seat. We’d flipped a coin for the passenger seat. She’d lost. Between you and me, I wasn’t giving up the passenger seat even if I’d lost.

Allie arched a brow and waited for me to say what was on my mind. “Perla and Frankie totally wanted to get their first so they could be alone.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Wow, really perceptive of you. What helped you figure that one out, detective?”

I swatted her arm—lightly, of course, she was driving, after all. “I’m serious,” I replied, wagging my brows suggestively. “I think they’re christening the place.”

Allie gagged audibly. “All right, first of all, gross. Second of all, duh.”

Maria, eyes still on the road, asked, “Now that we’re all clear on what Frankie and Perla are doing in our house, can we please change the subject?”

“Prude,” I coughed, and Allie chuckled.

Maria peered in the mirror at Allie. “Am not. I have no problem with sex.”

“No, just discussing it,” I quipped. “But it’s okay. It’s like Allie, who won’t discuss that hunky new roommate of hers. Did I mention how glad I am that he came with us, by the way?” Don’t get your feathers all ruffled, Knox is still my man. But I did have eyes, you know? And my eyes weren’t unhappy when they saw Brady.

Allie wet her lips and began rubbing her hands on the top of her thighs. “I just thought inviting him was the nice thing to do since he took the time off. Let’s not read into it more than we should. He’s just my roommate. I don’t even notice his sex appeal honestly.”

“Really?” Maria asked. “Even I notice it. He’s Irish, right?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?” Allie questioned.

I rolled my lips. “What Maria’s trying to say is that Irish men are known to have a crazy intense desire for sex.”

Maria shook her head. “No, that’s not what I was trying to say, Bibi. I was merely asking if he was Irish.”

“Oh,” I replied, laughing. Allie and Maria joined in as well. “So what do you think the guys are talking about?”

See, we’d decided to take two cars and split up—the sisters and the guys. Maria was driving us while Dom was driving his car—er, apologies, Spitfire (that was what he’d named the thing). Spitfire was red with black and red leather interior. It had nothing on the sports car he’d had before Isabella was born, but this one better suited the family lifestyle he had going on nowadays.

Allie leaned forward, looking up ahead at their car, which was in front of us and had been for miles. “I don’t know. They’re probably talking about guy stuff.”

“In other words?” Maria probed.

Allie shrugged, leaning back in her seat and adjusting her seatbelt. “Not a clue,” she answered, and we all laughed again.

* * *

Knox

“No way!” I refuted Brady’s statement that a 9.9 liter V8 engine that produced 855 horsepower was a moot point. “That thing goes from zero to sixty in seconds, man. You can’t beat that kind of speed.”

Brady replied, “Nah, the turbo V8 engine was literally designed for high speed.” He slapped the side of Dom’s seat from where he was in the back. “Back me up on this one. Isn’t that faster than Knox’s 855 horsepower theory? Has to be.”

Dom shook his head, keeping his eyes focused on the road the whole time as he answered, “I’m with Knox on this one. I think Knox’s is faster.”

I chuckled. “Are you ready to see who’s right?” I held up my phone and waited for him to answer.

“Go for it,” Brady responded. “I’m still right. I know it.”

I passed the phone back to him and snickered wryly. “Sorry, man, but you need to brush up on your engines.”

“Shit.” Brady passed it back to me and raked a hand through his hair. “I was so sure on that one.”

“As sure as Dom was that talking to Angelo would be a good idea?” I asked, eyebrow cocked as I looked at Dom, then turned my head to look at Brady. I’d met Brady a few times when the sisters got together, and I’d driven Bianca to or from Allie’s place. I liked him, he was a good guy. A guy who didn’t know lick about cars—seriously, not shit—but a good guy.

And apparently an amused guy, because he was cracking up. “Yeah, I heard about that. Dude, do you hate this one or what?” he asked Dom. “Angelo sounds intense.”

Dom shook his head. “Come on, Angelo’s not that bad. You just have to figure out how to crack his hard shell. Inside he’s just an old softie.”

I harrumphed. “Easy for you to say. You’re like the son he never had.”

“Yeah, what’s that about?” Brady asked from the back.

My eyes found his and I made mine go wide. “It’s too soon to ask, man, trust me. I’ve been with Bianca for months and I still don’t know.”

“Oh, shut up,” Dom returned. “I just get along with Angelo and I’m good friends with Maria, that’s all.”

“Bullshit,” I coughed into my fist and looked out the window.

“ Vaffanculo ,” Dom countered, which told me everything I needed to know. For now.

I’d have to push Bianca to spill the beans one of these days. But let’s be honest, I really didn’t care much for gossip and I certainly didn’t care what anyone else was doing with their lives. But it would be nice to be in the loop with her family.

Brady inhaled a sharp breath. “I think he just cursed at you in Italian.”

“Yeah, about that, I think I need a dictionary,” I admitted. Especially with the entire family being together for this trip.

“You and me both,” Brady said.

* * *

Bianca

I opened my window and stuck my arm out as I screamed “Wooo!” as loud as possible. “We’re going to the Hamptons!”

Allie opened her window, too, and propped her feet up in the back, leaning them against Maria’s seat. “Done,” she hollered, noting that she had finished polishing her toenails.

“Oooh, let me see,” I said, tossing my head over my shoulder before just throwing my whole body across the car to get a look at them in the back.

She stretched one of her feet to me and wiggled her toes. “Hot pink. You likey?”

“I lovey!” I exclaimed, swatting Maria for the umpteenth time since we’d gotten in the car. “Maria, you have to see it. Hot pink is definitely Allie’s color.”

Maria looked over at me for a second, tilted her head down, and peered at me through the top of her larger-than-life tortoiseshell sunglasses. “I’m driving and if you don’t stop hitting me, I’m going to hit you.”

I stuck my tongue out at her but she was already facing the front again, her eyes fixed on the road. “You’re lame.”

Allie blew outward, humming something. “Ugh, when are we going to get there?”

“You sound like Isabella,” Maria replied.

I looked back at Allie and rolled my eyes at Maria’s present state of tight-assed-ness. Allie chuckled, and I whipped my head back as Maria asked, “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing,” I lied. “Just wondering if you can fit a coin between your cheeks or if they’re too tight for that.”

“Ha-ha!” she feigned laughter.

I leaned my head back, smiling as I stared out at the road ahead. “I feel different,” I blurted out of nowhere. They weren’t in my head, of course, but I was referring to the way I felt now that I was with Knox.

“Like carsick?” Allie leaned forward and placed a hand on my arm. “I don’t have any mints, but I read an article once that music helps.”

I shook my head, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. “No, not carsick, but thank you. I mean, I feel different having Knox in my life,” I clarified. “I feel lighter, like he just gets me, and I don’t have to worry about anything because he’s there, you know?” I looked from Maria to Allie.

Maria nodded. “He’ll never let you fall.”

“Exactly. He’ll always catch me, and it’s a great feeling.”

Allie frowned. “I’m happy for you, just sad that I haven’t been as lucky as you guys to meet someone like that.”

While Maria technically wasn’t with Dom and they weren’t an item, she knew she always had Dom, and he’d never let anything happen to her. If she jumped, he’d jump just to be with her. They were the epitome of you jump, I jump, Jack .

I’d never had that, though, until Knox. I sniffled and waved a hand in front of my face, trying to urge the tears to go back in.

Maria clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. “Oh, sweetie.”

I chuckled through the tears. “I don’t even know why I’m crying. You know me, I’m not a crier. I don’t cry over silly things like being happy. But it’s like lately I’m this new woman. I feel so loved and cherished. I feel. . . whole.”

Allie smoothed my hair against my back. “You did it, sis.”

I looked back and quirked a brow.

“You met your man,” Allie explained.

Maria smiled, her eyes fleeting between the road and me. “You can no longer say you’re the no-strings-attached-meaningless-sex girl.”

”You’re bad,” I told her, swatting her as I did so.

She gave me a stern look at my swat. “Okay, what did I say? Hands to yourself.”

I laughed and Allie joined in, too. “I say we speed up a little and cut in front of the boys,” Allie said, changing the subject.

I snickered. “Maria is way too square for that.”

Maria gasped. “Am not.” Then she looked in the rearview mirror and put her blinker on. “In fact,” she said, as she studied the traffic (there was hardly any). “I’m going to do it.”

“Wooo!” Allie and I shouted simultaneously.

“Go, Maria!” I added as she hit the gas and maneuvered around the guys, leaving them in her dust.

* * *

Knox

“Dude, what are you doing?” Brady raised his voice since the wind was loud with all our windows open. “You just let the girls cut us off.”

Dom straightened his back and didn’t look away from the road. “Sorry, that’s Maria. She can cut me off anytime she wants.”

I smirked. “Yeah, I’m sure she can do more than that to you.”

“Hey,” Dom admonished. “That’s Maria you’re talking about.”

I cocked a brow and cleared my throat. “That’s exactly why it’s true.” And all I needed to hear to know that there was definitely more to Dom and Maria than what met the eye. There was a story there, I was telling you. Because that reaction he’d had, about talking about Maria, was the same I had whenever anyone talked about my girl.

I decided to switch topics. A little anyway. “So Bianca told me Isabella is coming with Angelo later.” Still Maria adjacent, but it couldn’t be helped.

Dom nodded. “She is. Isabella loves coming here, walking barefoot on the sand. She gets such a kick out of finding seashells on the beach.”

“How old is she?” Brady questioned.

“Five,” Dom answered, the corners of his lips curling upward.

“Allie has a picture of her on the fridge. She’s cute,” Brady said. Then he leaned forward and patted my shoulder. “What about you, man? You and Bianca are an item now, so have you two talked about kids?”

I swallowed, and pulled on the back of my neck, grinning like a schmuck. We’d never set out to talk about it. All I knew was that she always imagined herself having a boy, and I wanted lots of kids, like a whole damn football team. I was an only child, and it was fine, but not great. I wanted my kid to have what Bianca had—a big family. It was better that way.

Answering Brady’s question, I said, “I know we both want them, but how many”—I shrugged—“we haven’t talked about all of that yet.”

“Just make sure you put a ring on it first,” Dom said, holding up one of his hands and wagging his ring finger in the air. “Because if you don’t, I hate to see the storm Angelo brings upon you then.”

A roar of laughter came from Brady. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it funny. I mean, I wanted to find it funny, but I also knew there was truth to what Dom was saying.

I swallowed. Hard this time. It was the damn lump in my throat—thank you, Dom. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on knocking Bianca up before we’re married.”

“I’ve never met Angelo myself, but something tells me you’re making the right call with that one, man,” Brady said.

* * *

Bianca

We arrived at the Hamptons before the boys. By mere seconds, since they were parking behind us, but still.

Maria honked the horn once, twice, and then Perla ran out, wearing white crochet shorts and a light pink baby doll shirt. “Ahhh!” she yelled, waving her hands in the air, and moving her hips from side to side. “You’re here!”

I got out first and ran up to her, my flip-flops clacking with each step. Our bodies collided as I wrapped my arms around her in a hug. “Miss me, sis?” she asked, laughter in her voice. Perla rocked us from side to side as I held on to her in a vise.

“You have no idea.” I exhaled, taking a step back now and fixing my hair. “Maria has the worst taste in music.”

“So does Allie,” she replied.

Allie shouted, “I heard that!” Then she walked up to us and went in for a hug from Perla.

I turned on my heel and was immediately hit by the familiar smell that meant Knox was here. And he was.

Knox was walking toward me, wearing tan khaki shorts and a white shirt.

“Mmm,” I moaned and darted my tongue out, wetting my lips as my eyes grew wide. “My man looks absolutely yummy.”

Knox tangled one hand in my hair while cupping my cheek with the other. “I’ve missed the taste of you,” he said, not waiting another second to claim my lips. He tasted like mint and aftershave, and I didn’t ever want the kiss to end, but—

The clearing of someone’s throat interrupted us and we pulled apart. Frankie. “Hate to break up your love fest, but the guys and I are going to the store to get some liquor for tonight. We don’t have any. I’m driving if you’re coming.”

Knox nodded. “Sure, man, I’ll go with you guys.”

I pouted. “But I had other plans for us.”

Knox grinned, shaking his head. “My naughty girl. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“All right,” I replied. “I guess I’ll unpack.”

Neither Knox nor I moved, though. We just stayed there, staring into one another’s eyes.

Allie came up behind me and put her arms on my shoulders, trying to steer me away. “Come on. You can only unpack if you’re in the house.”

Knox gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

I nodded and waved as he walked to the car with the guys. “Come on!” Frankie yelled from the driver’s seat. With an arm out the window and his hand resting on the outside of the car, he smacked the door. “She’ll be here when we get back.”

“Does Perla let you boss her around like this?” Knox questioned, getting into the backseat.

“No!” Perla answered from the door and blew a kiss to her husband.

Meanwhile, Allie steered me inside the house. “I didn’t know you two were at that stage.”

I turned to look at her and blinked. “What stage?”

“The googly-eyes stage.”

“Is that a thing?”

“Sure is, and you’re there, sis.”