“Really? Try again.” Pulling away, Gina rolled her eyes. “Daddy’s fourteen years older than you.”
“Times were different when I married your father.”
Oh, the hypocrisy!
Of course, she’d expected Rosemary to bring up the age difference, which was silly in her opinion.
Love is ageless, and Gina was prepared to defend it.
“Yeah, okay.” She scoffed, staring down her brother. “Tony’s got eight years on Lina. Why, she was barely legal when—”
He stood, his hand coming down on the table so hard her mother’s glass tipped over, burgundy liquid spreading on the pristine white tablecloth.
“You better shut your mouth, little girl.”
Fuck you.
“Why should I?” She tossed him a napkin. “It’s the truth, and everyone here knows it.”
Lina blanched.
Rosemary sent the kids into the kitchen for a cookie while urging her precious son to sit back down. Then, patting Gina on the hand, her voice took on this dulcet tone. “The thing is, sweetheart, Matt McCready isn’t the right man for you.”
No, Mom, you’re wrong. He’s the perfect man for me.
“You belong with a nice Italian boy like Vinny.”
“Vinnyis a pretentious asshole,” she said with a snicker, stabbing at the meatball on her plate. “I’d rather take vows.”
“Good idea,” Tony muttered under his breath as he cleaned up the mess he’d made. Then, pausing, he lifted his chin at her. “You’d be safe in a convent, at least.”
“Safe from what?”
“Predators.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“You’re being ridiculous.” She burst out laughing.
He tossed back his head, shaking it, and huffed out a breath. “You don’t know him like I do, Gina.”
“C’mon, Tony, I’ve known Matt as long as you have.” Sighing heavily, Nick pushed his plate away. “He’s a good guy.”
“Oh, yeah?” Tony shifted in his seat, his head half cocked as if their brother had spoken blasphemy by disagreeing with him. “Would a good guy prey on your baby sister? That motherfucker betrayed us.”
“Little ears, Tony.” Lina drew three-year-old Mallory up onto her lap, holding the child’s cookie-smeared face to her chest.
Teo snickered, his scorn obvious, at least to her.
Tony glanced over at him. “You think this is a joke?”
“Nah.” Teo wet his lips, swallowed the wine in his glass, and smirked. “It’s just real funny hearing it come out of your mouth.”
“What?” It sounded like a challenge.
Exchanging glances with Nick and Luca, Gina chewed on her lip.
“Who the fuck are you to talk about betrayal? Tell me, Tony, would agoodguy knock up his brother’s girlfriend?” Teo got up from the table, shaking his fist and pointing at the person he’d once loved and trusted the most, the same person who’d hurt him like no other. “You’rethe motherfucker.”
