“We’re family. Dysfunctional as fuck but a family nonetheless.” Dante shrugged.
“You never mention your actual family,” I said to him, chewing on my bottom lip nervously, and hoping Luc would behave until we were alone.
“You are my actual family,” he told me, words flat and amusement leaving his features. The business side of him appeared, making the hairs on my arms stand up.
“Watch your tone,” Luc warned him without missing a beat. Even Dante was fair game when it came to what Luc saw as disrespecting me.
“If you’re on about blood, Mia, it doesn’t mean much to me. Aside from Mama, I wouldn’t trust a single one of them to piss on me if I was on fire.”
“Not close then?” I crept cautiously.
“Hard to be close to people who left you to rot when your sperm donor left with every penny.”
My eyes widened in surprise. I’d learned quickly that everyone was a little twisted, a bit messed up in some way, but Dante was the person who seemed least afflicted by this life. Unknown to me, buried beneath his carefree persona, he held a deep resentment for his absent father that had finally clawed to the surface.
“He doesn’t deserve your effort,” Luc reminded his brother. “You and your mother did fine without him.”
“Thanks to you and Charlie.”
“You repaid us tenfold.”
I felt like I was imposing on a moment. When I moved into Luc’s home, I was surprised at how much Dante frequented the place and when we got together, I worried about upsetting whatever carefully crafted balance they maintained but I’d been enveloped into their friendship without issue. Well, if you didn’t account for the broken arm that Dante sustained from Luc’s short temper and possessive nature.
There were still moments, parts of their history that I wasn’t aware of, and it didn’t feel right to pry. Things would come in time and hopefully we would have plenty of it.
It was evident that whatever had pulled the men together had left Dante feeling deeply indebted to the Foster family. And even though Luc had said it was repaid, they continued to be entangled in business and friendship and family.
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re a part of our family,” I said. Our family. It still felt surreal that Luc and I had a family of our own and before long I’d cement myself to his side as a Foster. Dante shot me a lazy grin, tension of the previous line of conversation easing away from him. “Luc said you got in touch with your cousin to help us,” I commented.
The distaste on Dante’s face was almost comical. “You owe me big time for that,” he told Luc, pointing at him. “Angelo’s a little different from the rest of them. Not quite as corrupt as our little unit but he’ll get his hands dirty for the right price. He’s here to do a job and leave.”
I nodded. Not willing to push the topic of his family any further, I steered us back to our original conversation and the reason behind his deflation. “I just want to make sure you’re going to be okay.”
“You’re such a mother.” He laughed, rolling his eyes and collapsed back on the floor dramatically, limbs splayed at odd angles. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a few days to lick my wounds.”
“Would you ever consider trying to fix it with her?” Maybe it was a naïve question to ask but if there was any hope of reconciliation, I wondered if Dante would grab it.
“You picked Luc at every turn,” he said to the ceiling. Dante slid his hands behind his head, cushioning him against the floor. “You picked him over Stefan. You picked him over your dad. You picked him when you left because of Xavier. Tori’s never quite been able to give me that. Do you know how many dinners I’ve sat at while Xavier rips me a new one and she barely says a word? How many times she’d let Gabriel tell her I’m not worth shit?” He let out a shuddering breath, chest caving in towards his back with the exhalation. “You did me a favour so don’t worry about it.” But the way he said the words made me believe otherwise.
Luc kissed the back of my neck again and I knew we were thinking the same thing. There was nothing we wouldn’t do for each other and now we added Link to that equation. There was a sense of peace, of light-headedness, in knowing that someone loved you so entirely that you would forever be their first choice.
“Just promise me,” Dante whispered, “that whatever happens, Tori won’t get pulled into it. You won’t hurt her.”
That request was for me. Luc wouldn’t lift a finger to a woman to cause proper damage, but Dante was the only other person who knew the truth about what happened to Amber. He knew what I was capable of if push came to shove. His love for Vittoria made him ask me to keep her off the table when it was her family that we were targeting.
“You don’t—” Luc started to tell me. He didn’t want promises made that might end up shattered. More collateral damage with even bigger consequences.
I shook my head to cut him off. “I promise you, Dante.”
He never asked me for anything, and it was all I could offer him after stealing the small shred of happiness he found with her. Regardless of how hurt he was by her actions, Dante loved Vittoria. That much was easy to see. Some part of him still wanted to protect her, and I was only too happy to oblige. To give him some small token of my appreciation for standing by us.
“Thanks,” he muttered. “That makes it all a lot easier. Don’t suppose you still have my plate in the kitchen?”
“I’ll go heat it up,” I told him, though I was sure he was only eating to put an end to my worries. “Be right back.”
As I left, I heard the distinct thud of a cushion hitting the floor, and Luc saying, “You are the biggest fucking cockblock in my life.”
Chapter Six
