Brenna's gaze dips, then lifts again with a steadiness I recognize from the times she overrules Finn. "I talked to him."
My stomach knots. "He knows you're here?"
"Of course. And he knows I'm inviting you to dinner."
I blink. "He agreed?"
She scoffs. "He will be on his best behavior."
I stare at her in shock. Then I rub the back of my neck. "You realize what you're asking could put you in the middle of something ugly."
"You think this is the first time I've been in the middle of ugly?"
"Touché."
Her eyes sharpen. "Is Valentina a permanent fixture in your life?"
I study her, thrown by the sudden pivot.
"You married her," Brenna says quietly, like she's stripping away the excuses before I can reach for them. "Is she permanent, or is this something you did and regret?"
The question slides right under my ribs and hooks something tender I didn't know was there. Before I married Valentina, I told myself I was trapped. That this was a chess move, a leash, a play I'd break the moment I got a chance.
Permanent tastes like gunpowder and promise. But the moment I gave her that ring, I was already all in, so I don't lie. "Yes. She's permanent."
Brenna's breath catches. Then her shoulders loosen in a way I didn't expect, relief braided with something like hope. "Great. Dinner's at six. Don't be late."
I nod once, slow. "Okay."
She rises and holds her arms out. "Good. Give me a hug."
I chuckle, then hug her harder than I ever have, happy to see her and know she's still in my life.
She pulls back. "See you at six." She walks toward the door.
"Why are you okay with this?" I blurt out.
She freezes, then spins. She studies me for a moment while my pulse beats between my ears. She tilts her head, sadness fills her expression, and she answers, "Because my parents didn't acceptFinn. They thought he wasn't good enough and hated him. It changed the trajectory of our lives. So Finn and I are going to do better."
A cold chill runs down my spine. It's the first time I've ever heard of this. I know about Finn and Brenna's love story, but I spent a lot of time with her dad before he passed. I look at her in question.
"Some day, I'll tell you about it. Not today," she says.
I don't push. "Okay."
She smiles big. "Bring your wife to dinner. Let's fix things before they get worse."
Hope fills me. "I'd like that."
"Good. It's settled." She hugs me again, pulls back, and her voice turns sharp again. "One more thing?"
"Yeah."
"If she hurts you, Abruzzo or not, I will bury her myself."
I huff a laugh. "Noted. But she won't," I insist before I even realize I already believe it.
"Good." Brenna heads for the door, pauses with her hand on the knob, then looks over her shoulder. "You're not alone. You've not been since you entered our lives. That doesn't change because you do something Finn doesn't approve of."
