Andrew hands me a mimosa and I toss it back in one swallow. The room is too small and there’s no way I’m going to be able to bow out gracefully, so I might as well get a buzz on. “Yeah, well maybe you should talk to your new brother about that,” I retort. “Pretty sure you’ll find him in the broom closet at the end of the hall.”
My friend picks up on the subtle hint I’m forced to drop because I would never be the one to out Tony to his family. Andrew motions for me to follow and we lean against the end of the bar. Cara moves toward us, but stops abruptly when Andrew shakes his head. “This doesn’t sound good. Want to tell me how you managed to go from getting your rocks off to ready to stone him in less than thirty minutes?”
I glance around the room, making sure no one is in earshot because I can’t guarantee I won’t raise my voice. “Seems Cara’s brother is so far in the closet they’ll need a map to reach him and he felt the need to warn me that he plans on ignoring me ‘because he likes me too much to hide his feelings’,” I relay, making air quotes around the most ridiculous part of the statement.
The bartender stops off with two bloody marys and quickly leaves us on our own in the corner of the room. “Shit, that’s messed up.” Andrew nods to Cara when she motions that it’s time for them to do whatever they’re supposed to be doing today. “Look, you have no clue what that family is like. Even with as much as I love Cara, there are times I wish I could have her and leave most of them behind.” He holds up his hand when I start to interrupt.
“I’m not saying you’re not right to be pissed off. Hell, the Dom I used to know would have knocked him on his ass for being so stupid. But Tony’s had it rough. His dad wouldn’t speak to him for over a year after he announced that he was going back to school to be a firefighter. In Mr. DeLuca’s eyes, Tony’s wasting his potential by not using the degree his parents thought he should work toward.” Andrew stops abruptly, tapping his fingers against the bar. I follow his narrowed gaze and see Tony sulking toward us.
“Dammit,” I mumble, turning my attention back to my friend. “Look, you and I both know that I do understand what he’s going through. But I don’t care how many skeletons there are in that closet with him, I gave up that life a long time ago, consequences be damned. There’s no way I’m going back in for a fling that’ll be over in a few days.”
When a strong hand lands on my shoulder, I feel my stomach clench. Rather than acknowledge Tony’s presence, I continue as if it’s just Andrew and me. “And I’m sure as hell not going to be someone’s dirty little secret that he thinks he can mess around with when it’s convenient for him and ignore the rest of the time. I’m too old to play games like that.”
Andrew runs his fingers under the collar of his shirt, obviously uncomfortable with the tension in this part of the room. “Look, I love you both and you know that. All I’m saying is everything you went through with your dad is nothing compared to what Tony deals with. His father makes yours look like Ward Cleaver. There’s no time to finish this right now, but can the two of you promise me you won’t go to blows at the table? Cara just needs to get through this one last meal and then we can be done with the wedding and get on with being married.”
Tony and I both mutter our assurances that we’ll be on our best behavior. As soon as it won’t be seen as rude, I’ll be bolting through the nearest exit because this room is too small for the two of us right now. Hell, all five boroughs don’t afford the distance I need from Tony this morning.
Chapter Eight
Tony
“Is Kennedy still under the weather?”My mother eyes the empty chair at the table. I nod, not trusting myself to open my mouth right now. So far this morning, I’ve pissed off Dominic and Andrew, which means Caroline is probably going to be upset once she hears what a colossal fuck-up I am. There’s no sense trying to come up with another lie to stack on top of the pile in an effort to stop Mom’s interrogation. “Hopefully she’s feeling better by Christmas. It won’t be the same if she can’t make it.”
Dominic snorts, quickly picking up his napkin to fake a coughing fit. It’s the most I’ve heard out of him since we sat down to eat. He’s spent most of the past hour actively avoiding any situation that would put us in any closer proximity than necessary, thanks to my mother’s need to have assigned seating again this morning. Perhaps I should count my blessings since, if Caroline had her way, Dominic probably would have been sitting next to me instead of three seats away.
“Dom, do you have anything planned this afternoon?” Caroline leans forward, effectively blocking my view of the man I’ve been pining after like a school girl. “Andrew and I would love it if you’d come over to our place for a while, just hang out and relax. It’s been too long since we’ve been able to do that.”
“That’s sweet, Cara, but I’m probably going to lie low today. It was a rough night.” He runs one finger over the seam of his lips and my ignorant cock twitches. I want to be the one touching his lips. Somehow, I miss feeling them pressed to my skin already. This time, it’s Andrew stifling his laughter. Caroline elbows her husband in the ribs and shoots daggers at me over her shoulder. “Besides, I’m sure the newlyweds have better things to do than entertain company.”
“Who said we’d treat you like company, asshole?” Andrew laughs. “You lived with me for how long? I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to find your way around if we decide to disappear for a bit. Cara just thought it’d be good for you to get out of the hotel room.”
“Yes, because whatever would I do with myself? New York is such a sleepy little town that they roll the streets up at six in the evening.” Dominic tosses the cloth napkin over his plate and stands. “Besides, I think having some time to myself isexactlywhat I need. I haven’t slept well since I got to town. Last night was the worst so far.”
Now he’s going out of his fucking way to be spiteful. Both of us slept like the dead last night and he told me it was the best night of sleep he’s had in a long time. When I open my mouth to refute him, Dominic stands a bit taller, making it perfectly clear that he’s daring me to say something. Thanks to my little speech in the elevator, he knows there’s no way I can say a word with my mother sitting at the table with us. Luckily for me, she’s deep in conversation with Anna Rossi, who seems to have one ear turned to my mother and the other on what we’re saying. I only hope she doesn’t feel the need to give her opinion on the little exchange taking place on our side of the table.
Dominic moves between Caroline and me, leaning over to kiss her cheek. He’s so close now that I can practically feel the anger rolling off his body in waves. Even worse, he moves slightly so that his tight ass brushes against my arm. The fucker’s straight up playing dirty. That could be a good thing, I suppose, because if he didn’t care, he’d simply go about his day as if nothing happened on the ride down here.
“I really do appreciate the offer, Cara, but I’ll be fine. Not the first time I’ve dealt with this type of situation.” When Dominic turns to me, he almost looks like a different person. His pouty lips are pulled into a thin line and those inviting brown eyes are cold and dark. The moment passes quickly and he rounds the table to say goodbye to the mothers before excusing himself.
“Tony, could you be a dear and help me with something?” Andrew’s mother asks, drawing my attention back to the table rather than on Dominic’s retreating form. It’s quickly becoming the view of him I get most often, and not in a good way.
“Of course,” I say quickly. My parents narrow their eyes, realizing there’s something going on and they’re out of the loop. For once. No matter how much my mother pries, I have faith that Caroline and Andrew won’t tell her that I fucked up because I was so worried about them thinking even less of me than they already do, and wound up running off the first man I’ve met who’s actually worth putting up with their criticism of my ‘choices’.
Mrs. Rossi leads me to the main lobby, where she settles on one of the uncomfortable as hell leather chairs near the fireplace. “I didn’t figure you’d want me having this conversation with you in front of your family, which is why I asked you to come out here. I’m not sure what was going on at that table or what happened between last night and this morning, but I don’t like it one bit,” she admonishes. I cower in my own chair, mentally adding her name to the list of people who are pissed at me. Soon, it’ll be easier to keep track of who Ihaven’tupset. “Dominic may not be my flesh and blood, but he’s just as much my son as the children I birthed. When someone upsets any of them, I will do whatever is necessary to protect them.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I respond. She’s so much different than my own mother. The Rossi family is about love and understanding, not judgment and keeping up appearances. Dominic and Caroline are the lucky ones to be accepted into their family with open arms.
“I told this to Caroline, and I think I need to tell you as well; if you hurt him, it’s me that you’ll have to deal with. Now, I’m not blind or deaf, so I know it’s too late for that. If you’re as smart as Andrew and Cara have told me you are, you’ll go up to his hotel room and grovel before it’s too late. I’ll tell your mother I needed an errand run to buy you some time.” She stands, leaning over to cup my cheeks in her hands. “Dominic’s a good man. The fact that he’s as upset as he is this morning tells me you are as well. After everything that boy’s been through, he deserves a bit of happiness for once.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Rossi.”
“We’re family now. Call me Mama,” she insists. I wrap my arms around Mama Rossi, thanking her again for giving me a kind-hearted kick in the ass. Now, I just have to hope she’s right when she says there’s a way to get through to Dominic.
Mama Rossi heads back down the hall to the banquet room, pushing me toward the bank of elevators. While I wait for one of the six cars to reach the ground floor, I wonder what it’d be like to not make this trip thinking about how I’m going to get myself out of hot water for once. My heart starts racing when the doors open and I see Dominic with his suitcase in tow.
“Dom, what’s going on?” I refuse to believe what I’ve done is so horrendous that he’s going to leave without saying goodbye to everyone else. When he doesn’t acknowledge me, I reach for him and get a reaction, although not the one I want. Dominic turns to face me and there’s a moment of sadness quickly followed by anger.
Dominic pokes me in the chest as I back up toward the wall. “You don’t call me Dom. That’s reserved for friends and you proved to me this morning that we’re nowhere close to that point.” A slap in the face would have hurt less than those words.
