He rounded on me, hands balled into fists at his sides. An exhausted woman near us quickly stubbed out her own cigarette and backed away. Even though smoking was a disgusting habit, I felt bad for disrupting what was most likely a much-needed break from whatever had brought her to the hospital.
"Do you have any clue what it's like to lose faith in two people you thought you knew in a matter of seconds?" he continued. I opened my mouth to interrupt, but he silenced me with a quick shake of his head. "I get that we were never besties or anything, but I really thought you'd be good for Tony. And you are. Were. Whatever. He's calmer and more content than he's ever been, and I'm pretty sure it's because you've shown him what it's like to have someone he can count on. Do you even realize the carnage that you'll leave behind once you get sick of fucking both of them? It'll destroytheirrelationship. Tony'll never trust Enzo again."
I tried to interrupt again but Frankie silenced me with a single icy glare. I huffed out a breath, figuring my best course of action was to let him get it all out of his system then address each of his issues, hopefully convincing him no one was out to fuck anyone over.
"Is this some game to you? I don't give a fuck if you're one of those guys who figures double the dicks means double the fun, butthey're brothers.It takes a special sort of fucked up to get in between a set of twins. You haven't been around their whole lives, so I can't possibly expect you to understand how close they are. This sort of betrayal..."
I couldn't take it any longer. His accusation that I didn't understand the bond between Tony and Enzo cut deep. I swallowed hard, praying the guys would forgive me for any secrets I spilled. I closed the distance between us, squaring my shoulders and looking Frankie in the eye. "That's where you're wrong. You're right, I haven't been there since the day they were born, but don't assume for a minute I'm so dense I don't know them. I see them every fucking day. I'm there with them. And I'm the luckiest son of a bitch in the world because both of themwantto be with me. When we're at home, I get to see the real them, shit they don't show anyone else, not even their brothers. You can hate me if that makes you feel better, but before you do, you might want to askthemhow they feel about me being with both of them."
"They know?" He blinked rapidly, struck dumb as he tried to wrap his head around the fact I wasn't the cheating bastard he'd pegged me for. It seemed Frankie never considered this might be an open, honest relationship. "How does something like that even happen? You just went up to them one day and suggested you be allowed to fuck around with both of them and they were cool with it?"
"See, that's the funniest part of this entire situation." I chuckled, knowing I was about to blow Frankie's narrow mind. "It wasn't my idea. It was Tony who suggested Enzo and I get to know one another better."
"Maybe he just meant it'd be easier if the two of you were friends. Knowing one another doesn't always mean in a carnal sense," Frankie argued. "Of course he'd want the two of you to get along if he was starting to have feelings for you. All of us have worried about how our partners would mesh with the family."
I snorted, thinking back to that first night. There was no mistaking Tony's intentions, but I didn't want to scar Frankie with the details of what we'd done. What I was piling on him was already going to be tough for him to accept, and even if he believed this wasn't my idea, I wouldn't have him thinking less of Tony and Enzo because they'd finally admitted desires they'd kept hidden for so long.
"Frankie, we could sit out here all day arguing about what I'm doing with your brothers, and it won't make a damn bit of difference. Right now, you need to focus on what really matters, and that's Mama."
"You think I don't fucking know that?" Frankie spat out, narrowing his eyes on me. "Believe me, finding out you're fuckingtwoof my brothers wasn't exactly on my list of things to do today, yet here we are. I think it's for the best if you head home. As you so kindly pointed out, we don't know yet what's going on with Mama, and you're a distraction."
My hands curled into tight fists as I fantasized about knocking Frankie to the ground to help him get his head out of his ass. He hadn't listened to a single word I'd said. I took a few steadying breaths, reminding myself I wouldn't earn any brownie points with any of the Marino boys if the two of us went to blows while they were inside waiting on news about their mother. "Fuck you right to hell and back. If Tony and Enzo tell metheywant me to go home, I will. Until then, I'm going to make a quick detour to the cafeteria for food and coffee because it's going to be a long night and none of you will think about taking care of yourselves. After that, I'm going to sit my happy ass down between the two men I'm in love with to make sure they're okay. If you have a problem with that, that's on you."
"Man, I never thought of you as a self-centered prick." Frankie shook his head and let out a huff of annoyance. We both stepped back from the curb as a city bus slowed, and the bus sped up again after the driver realized we weren't waiting for him. "This isn't the time for you to rush in there as some sort of knight in shining armor. If you have any decency at all, please give our family this time."
The hardest part of this conversation, other than worrying Tony and Enzo would be pissed at me for revealing as much about our relationship as I had, was that I knew Frankie and I would never truly recover from the bomb I'd dropped on his world. My shoulders slumped forward as I turned away from him, thinking for a moment he could be right. I didn't want the brothers waging a silent war in the waiting room while they should be focused on Mama. Regardless of what Frankie thought about me, I wasn't going anywhere, so maybe it was best for everyone if I walked away for the time being. Tony and Enzo would be fine; if there was one thing I knew without a shadow of a doubt, it was the Marino family took care of one another. They didn'tneedme here.
Frankie called out after me as I walked away. A quick wave was the only acknowledgment that I'd heard him. I didn't turn back. I couldn't face him and risk him seeing the seeds of doubt he'd planted flourishing in my mind. Curiosity finally got the better of me and I glanced over my shoulder at the top of the hill to see if Frankie was still watching me in silent judgment. I wasn't sure if the empty sidewalk relieved or annoyed me.
I had no clue how long I'd walked around the perimeter of the hospital trying to figure out what I'd say to Frankie if I rejoined the group and he reiterated his demand I give them time as a family. When the blue sky began to take on the hues of pink and purple seen at dusk, I ducked in the main entrance and navigated the maze of corridors and elevators until I found the cafeteria. I should get back to the emergency room to show Frankie I wasn't going to be scared away by his little big brother outburst, but I couldn't disagree that my presence was a distraction. Since he knew about us, or at least more than any of us had intended to share at this point, the tension in the room would be palpable. I fired off a quick text to Tony letting him know I was grabbing food for everyone then shuffled my way toward the deli case.
"You lost?" I ignored the question because the random stranger behind me didn't need to know about my relationship drama or the sudden case of doubt plaguing me. When a hand landed on my shoulder, I spun around, ready to remind the man attached to the voice that personal space was a real, valuable thing, only to realize it was Levi, the youngest Marino's partner. He backed away quickly, holding up his hands in surrender. "Everything okay? Haven't seen you since you followed Frankie outside, I figured you bailed after he finished delivering his ‘you hurt my brother and I'll kill you’ speech."
"Nah man, it wasn't like that." I waved a hand in the air as if my chat with Frankie hadn't sent me in a downward spiral. The last thing I needed was to blurt out our secret to yet another person without first talking to the guys which was bound to happen if Levi figured out I was hiding something.
"Come on," he scoffed, directing me away from the cold sandwiches to the hot foods line. "I've been where you're at, but it was even worse for me because I dared defile the baby of the family."
"If you say so," I muttered under my breath. If we were going to compare whose perversion was worse, I'd win hands down. Not only was I fucking two of the brothers, but I could almost bust a nut just watching the two of them together.
"Look, it's not a pissing contest," he scolded me as he pulled two trays off the stand and handed one to me. "What I'm trying to say is I get what it's like to get past the defensive wall known as the Marino brothers. They're crazy protective of one another, but once they see you're here for the long haul, they'll respect you for it. So, the question is, are you going to hide out down here?"
"I wasn't hiding," I argued, focus solely on the hunks of meat floating in some type of gravy rather than risk Levi seeing something in my expression that'd confirm I was lying to him. Seriously, you'd think a hospital would serve food that could actually be identified by sight rather than mass-produced mystery meals.
"Is that why Tony and Enzo have been huddled in the corner for over an hour arguing about whether to give you space or call to find out where in the hell you are when they need you?"They.Shit. Did everyone know now? Levi's long fingers curled around my biceps, urging me forward in the line. "Relax man, the last thing anyone needs is you passing out while they're all busy upstairs."
"Does everyone know?" I asked because I couldn'tnotknow what I'd eventually walk into. I loved Enzo for wanting to give me some time alone because I'd bet my life Tony was the one resisting the urge to blow up my phone and tell me to get my ass back up there, but I didn't want him thinking I'd buckle under pressure. If we were going to make a real go of our relationship, and we were because the alternative made my chest hurt, I had to prove they could trust me to be there when they needed me. Like now.
"I don't think so," he reassured me. "I didn't know you were seeing both of them until today, and I only found out because Matteo fell asleep on my shoulder and I had nothing better to do than observe. People watching is a hazard of the job, I suppose. I'm constantly framing shots in my mind, trying to see what most wouldn't. Do you want to know what I saw today?"
Would it be rude to tell him I wasn't sure I did want to know? Probably. Did I want to hear his observations? No. Yes. Probably not, but it'd drive me batshit if he didn't tell me. "Sure."
"I saw two men desperately in need of the man they love. They're scared and confused right now, and you're their foundation. What they have can't survive without you." Was he saying what I thought he was? Shit. At the rate we were going, the secrets we'd so carefully guarded would be out in the open by the end of the day and Mama would wake up to find her family in turmoil. Levi didn't say anything else for a while, watching me as he allowed me to absorb his words. Ineededhim to clarify his statement because the longer the silence dragged on between us the harder it was to draw in a breath. My heart raced, pumping fear and anxiety through my body. Levi's expression softened as he placed his hand on my forearm.
Someone cleared their throat. A very impatient cashier with pursed lips glared at us, hand out waiting for my money.
"I've got both of our meals," Levi told her.
"You don't have to do that," I argued.
