Chapter Two
Antonio
Catarina,my oldest sister, stares at me over her glass of wine, trying to make me feel guilty. “Do you need to leave today? Marcus and Pappa will be home tomorrow for a few days. They’ve been gone so long, and I can’t believe you’re going to missthem.”
“I must, Cat. If I wait even a day, the deal could belost.”
She places the glass on the table, turning the stem between her fingertips as she judges me silently. “Are you ever going to stopworking?”
“When you stop, I’ll stop.” I smile softly before taking a sip of the sweetest red wine I’ve ever tasted. It’s a product of the family vineyard that Stefano, my brother, acquired five years ago as part of his olivegrove.
Catarina is just as much of a workaholic as I am. Even with two little girls running around the house, wanting her attention all the time, she still trots off to work each day. “You know I love mywork.”
“As doI.”
“You’ll never understand the pleasure of restoring something that was once beautiful and bringing it back from the edge of obscurity, making it newagain.”
She makes her job as a restoration artist seem like she’s rebuilding the Colosseum instead of cleaning and patching old artwork around Italy that has started to lose its luster due to time and abandonment. “Cozza gives me the samepleasure.”
“I don’t know how engines and rockets could bring pleasure, but I’ll take your word for it, brother.” She twists her lips and glances toward the ceiling. “Someday you need to settledown.”
I almost spit my mouthful of wine back into the glass as I start to choke on her words. The subject of marriage is something Cat gave up lecturing me about years ago. “You know I’m married to my work. I create things instead ofkids.”
“Kids are more fun, though. You love your nieces. Imagine if they were your own.” She smiles softly, peering at her two girls, Guila and Amalia, outside thewindow.
“I love those girls. I’d even kill for them. I can spoil them rotten without the repercussions because, at the end of the day, I return them to you.” I smirk, trying to fight back the smalllaugh.
“You’re an asshole, Antonio.” She lifts the bottle, filling my glass as well as her own, and sighs. “Where are you off tonow?”
“Chicago. Here’s the information for the W Hotel where I’m staying in case of an emergency. I’ll be gone for a week or so, depending on how the takeoverproceeds.”
“Which company are you topplingnow?”
Amalia bursts through the back door and into the kitchen, covered in dirt and hiding something cupped in her tiny little hands. “Zio Ant.” She pauses, trying to catch her breath as she pushes her hands toward my face. “ZioAnt.”
Guila, her older sister, almost slams into Amalia’s back as she tries to stop but slips on the travertine tile, narrowly missing her. “Don’t do it, Zio. Don’t look.” Guila pulls at Amalia’s arm in a tug-of-war.
I glance at Catarina, but she only raises an eyebrow and shrugs. The girls are a mess, but that’s nothing new. They’re covered in mud and grass and all things nature. They love to be outside in the garden or near the lake, exploring their surroundings and typically causing a lot oftrouble.
I pull Amalia into my lap, positioning her so her cupped hands aren’t in my face. “Is it a present for me,Mali?”
God, I love these little girls. I would never admit it to my sister, but spending time with them does give me pause. I love my work and everything I’ve built, but sometimes I feel like I’ve missed out on something so far. Like there is a giant void that I haven’t been able to fill…not yet, atleast.
Maybe after the deal with Interstellar, after all competition has been taken care of, I’ll be able to step back from the business and concentrate on my personal life. Looking at my two nieces, listening to their excitement and feeling their love, makes me want more than what Ihave.
“Si, Zio.” Amalia rests her head against my chest, staring up at me with her giant eyes and a spot of dirt on the tip of hernose.
“It’s a spider, Zio Ant,” Guila says as Amalia lifts her hands closer to my face, killing all of Amalia’sexcitement.
Cat is on her feet, around the table, and pulling Amalia into her arms before I even have a chance to respond. It’s like she has some superhuman speed that I’ve never witnessedbefore.
“Mamma,” Amalia begs as Cat carries her toward the back door, holding her with one arm and keeping Amalia’s hands sealed tight with theother.
“Absolutely not. What have I told you about bringing bugs into thehouse?”
My smile widens as Amalia stares at me over Cat’s shoulder with a look so calculating and innocent that I want to bottle up her goodness and keep her this sizeforever.
Guila steps in front of me and positions herself between my legs before wrapping her arms around my waist. “Will you take us on the lake tomorrow, Zio?” She blinks up at me, playing up her female abilities—something her mother has taught her—to try to get herway.
