As I took a sip of wine, my doorbell rang, and my brother scowled. “Who the hell is that?”
“Language, Luca.”
“Sorry, Mama,” he said, sliding off his stool.
“I got it,” I said.
“Bree—”
“It’s my door, I got it,” I insisted, and walked out of the kitchen. Checking the peephole, I dropped my head to the wood and sighed before pulling it open. “What are you doing here?”
“Just checkin’ on you,” Stoney said, smiling.
“You could have texted.”
“Wanted to get eyes on you. How’s Felix?”
“Asleep,” I said.
“Is he okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he seems to be. Time will tell. But no physical trauma.”
“Good.” His face relaxed.
I smiled. “Do you want to come in. My family’s here and Mom’s cooking.”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“You’re not,” I said. “Come in.”
He nodded and stepped inside.
“You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me,” Luca snarled from behind us.
I jabbed a finger at him. “You be nice.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” my brother demanded.
“Checkin’ in on Sabrina and Felix,” he said, crossing his arms. “You?”
“Oh my god, you two, I’m serious. I’m not doing this with you.” I pushed Luca in the middle of his chest. “Back to the kitchen.”
My brother scowled, but walked away.
“This conversation’s not over,” Stoney warned, but Luca flipped him off before disappearing into the kitchen.
I faced Stoney and forced a smile. “Come on. Might as well meet everyone.”
I led him into the kitchen where my parents watched him warily.
“This is Stoney,” I said. “He helped find Felix.”
My mom let out a little squeak, then pulled him into her arms. “Oh, my darling boy,grazie.”
Stoney was so taken aback, he didn’t respond right away. But once he did, he patted her back and smiled. “It’s all good.”
My brother continued to glare at Stoney, so I shot him a glare of my own. Luca rolled his eyes and focused back on his pasta.
