She chuckled. “They can be a handful, but they mean well. This little one is mine, by the way.” She looked down fondly at the baby, who had the same dark hair as Nina’s husband, and the same bright eyes as her. “This is Mira.”
Mira cooed happily in response.
“She’s a cutie. How old?”
“Just a few months,” Nina said proudly.
We continued to chat. Nina shared stories about her life and her family. It was clear she adored Max.
He came up behind me, his hand finding my back. “I see you’ve met baby Mira,” he said, reaching his free hand out to the baby’s legs. She looked up at Max with bright eyes and kicked her little feet.
“Max,” Nina said, shifting her focus onto her brother. “Do you have that stuffed elephant you promised her?”
“Yeah, but it’s at the house. I’ll bring it next time.”
Nina laughed. “You’d better. Otherwise, she might start to think Uncle Carlo is her favorite.”
Max’s eyes widened slightly. “Carlo? Over me? Doubtful.”
Eventually, Nina excused herself, saying it was time to put Mira down to nap. She brought me in for a hug and kissed my cheek. “It was great to meet you. We should arrange that night at the gallery.”
“Oh, I’d love that,” I said. “I eventually want to collect a piece for each wall. Might as well start now.”
“I knew I’d like you.” Nina gave Max a glare and a playful shove. “Take care of her.”
“I always do.”
She smiled and then headed off, leaving Max and me alone.
Suddenly, there were raised voices. My heart thumped hard in my chest. I was worried our families would clash and someone would have to pay the consequences. Hesitant, I turned to find Max’s cousin, Vincenzo, yelling at someone I didn’t recognize.
“You think you can disrespect me and my family?” Vincenzo shouted, his voice carrying across the room.
The other man, a tall guy, sneered. “Grow up, Vince. You’ve always been full of hot air.”
Giovanni immediately stepped in. “Not the place,” he demanded. “Not the fucking place. Go somewhere else—both of you.”
Vincenzo pointed an accusing finger at the man. “Piece of shit. He insulted us.”
Giovanni’s hand reached for his temple in frustration. “Jesus Christ.”
The man shrugged. “I just spoke the truth. If Vince can’t handle it, that’s his problem.”
Before things could escalate any further, Max squeezed my hand and whispered, “Stay here,” before he left my side to join Giovanni.
Giovanni’s voice was low. “This isn’t the time nor the place. We’ll settle it later.”
Vincenzo, however, wasn’t backing down. “He disrespected us. Right in front of everyone.”
Max stepped in, placing a firm hand on Vincenzo’s shoulder. “We’ll deal. You’re causing a scene.”
Vincenzo shrugged off Max’s hand, his eyes ablaze with anger. “He’s messing with our shipments, Max. Our business, and you want me to let it go?”
Max’s jaw tightened. “What do you mean, ‘messing with our shipments’?”
The other man, clearly unfazed by the confrontation, crossed his arms as Dimitri stepped into the picture. “Your cousin here thinks he runs everything. But there have been ... discrepancies.”
“Discrepancies?” Max echoed, his voice dangerously calm. “Such as ...?”
