“Exactly! Thank God someone else gets it! I swear, he tries to tell me what to doall the time. Then again, so does my twin, and my cousins. It sucks being one of only three girls in the family. It’s me and two cousins and all the guys try to boss us around. It’s so annoying.”
“Men can be very frustrating sometimes.”
“What do you do when Gio gets all bossy with you?”
I flashed her a grin. “I push back. My mama didn’t raise a pushover. I grew up in the Lower 9thWard, so I have that edge going for me. I just don’t let him walk all over me.”
“Oh. I like you. You’re going to keep my big brother on his toes.”
We both laughed at that. “I try.”
“Attention everyone! It’s time to enjoy this massive feast that was prepared to celebrate Mama and Pop. So, let’s eat!”
“That’s my twin, Amadeo. We all call him Deo. I swear he thinks with his stomach. I really hope we can get together sometime, Carly. I’d love it if we could be friends.”
“I’d like that too, Rosa.” I watched her walk off toward her twin then turned my attention to where the kids were all coming back from the pool. The grin on Eli’s face made my heart ache. This was the happiest I’d seen him in a long time.
“Are you having fun,Amato?”
“Yes! We’re gonna play tag after we eat. Can I play too, Mama?”
“Of course you can. Come on, let’s get some food in you so you’ll have plenty of energy.”
Gio moved to my side and when his arm wrapped around me it felt...right. I was in so much trouble. I wanted to guard my heart, but it seemed the more time I spent with him, the harder it was to do that.
