“You need me?” Leo asks.
“Nah. This won’t take long.”
The others wander toward the kitchen while Ben and I go into the study and close the door. I quickly fill him in, and he places a call to his team immediately, requesting another look at Lavinia as well as a copy of the report on file. In less than ten minutes, my cell pings with the document. “Thanks for this.”
“Let me know if we missed something. I’ll fire whoever fucked up.”
“I could be wrong. She might just be a harmless flirt.”
He perches on the edge of the desk. “Trusting your instincts will rarely steer you wrong. If you have a sixth sense about her, I’m betting you’re right.”
Chapter Twelve
Joshua
Iplay Spider-Man on PlayStation with Leif before I help Rosa make the finishing touches to her hand-drawn card for her beloved papa. The rest of the family arrives at six: Alesso, Serena, and their four kids come, and Sierra shows up with Rowan and his girlfriend and his two younger siblings. I’m not surprised to see that Frankie, Rico, and their family scored an invite too. Gia would ordinarily be here with her family, and I’m betting she’d love to be around the table with us. I’m kind of wishing she was here too, which I’m not in the mood to examine.
It's a boisterous affair with so many people around the table. There are a lot of young kids and plenty of laughter. Mom has excelled, and we help her to carry a mountain of different dishes to the table. It’s all traditional Italian fare with most being Leo’s favorites. There’s apple cake for Caleb and cannoli for me for dessert because Mom never forgets. We’re no longer the three-year-olds she inherited when she married our dad, but she still indulges us.
There has never been a time when I haven’t felt her love. It always shines bright, and she means the world to me. She may not have had a happy marriage to our father, but Caleb and I lucked out when she became our mom. All we know of Juliet—our bio mom—is gleaned from photos and stories the others have told us. Caleb and I don’t remember her because we were too young when she died. On occasion, it makes me sad, but it never lingers. I have never felt like I’ve missed out because Nat is my mom, and she’s incredible.
After we finish eating, our stepdad opens his gifts while the adults drink champagne and toast the birthday boy. We all sing happy birthday to him as he blows out the candles on his cake aided by Leif and Rosa. It’s these moments that mean the most to me.
Coming home always helps to ground me, and I didn’t realize how much I needed it today. Caleb needed it too.
We grab Rowan, Romeo, Antonio, Cosimo, and Marco and make them help us with the cleanup so Mom can chat with her friends. The older men retreat to the study for bourbon and cigars. The younger kids are all in the playroom, getting up to mischief, no doubt. Elisa found her way into the kitchen too. That’s no surprise. She always gravitates toward Caleb. I watch them chatting as they rinse and stack plates in the dishwasher, noting how good they look together. I’m drying the good silverware and putting it back in the wooden box Mom keeps it in as I survey my twin and the younger woman.
Elisa laughs at something Caleb says, tossing long strands of thick, dark, glossy hair over her shoulder. She shares the same reddish tint as her mom, and they have matching hazel eyes too. Elisa has really blossomed during her time at NYU, and she’s a striking woman. But I’ve never been able to see her as more than a friend or a quasi-sister. Caleb says it’s the same for him, but seeing them together today makes me wonder if it’s the truth. There is an ease, a familiarity, between them that is wholly natural.
Caleb relaxes around her, and he genuinely worships the ground she walks on. He won’t ever hear anyone saying anythingbad about her. And God fucking help any guy she decides to date as my twin will put him through his paces to determine if he’s worthy of his little Lili.
“They look good together, don’t they?” Frankie says, sneaking up on me while I’ve been lost in thought.
“I’m not touching that,” I say, drying the last fork and slipping it in the box. I push down the locks and pop the box into the sideboard where Mom stores it.
Frankie pins me with a soft smile. “You’re a good man, Joshua. A good son. No wonder Nat is always singing your praises. Caleb too.”
I shrug because I don’t see it as a big deal. I might be a CEO of a multibillion-dollar empire and a skilled made man, but back home, I’m just a son who would do anything for his mother. “Today’s about Leo, and Mom has already cooked up a storm. She deserves to put her feet up.”
Frankie loops her arm through mine. “Walk with me?”
I stifle a groan. “I know what you want, and I can’t tell you anything about Gia’s assignment. I’m sorry, but it’s confidential, and the less you know, the better.”
Her face drops and I feel like a piece of shit. I’m sure she’s really worried about her daughter, but I can’t ignore protocol.
“I hate this,” she says in a low voice. “I wish she had picked any profession but this one.”
“If it’s any consolation, Gia is capable and resourceful, and I have every faith in her. We all do, or we wouldn’t have hired her to the team. Also, I’m personally overseeing her assignment and ensuring she’s got every protection available.”
She clutches my arm tight. “Don’t let anything happen to her. Please, Joshua. She’s my only daughter, and I would die if anything happened to her.”
“I’ll keep her safe,” I say, hoping I haven’t just lied.
We’re all nursing hangovers the following morning when we meet to discuss the situation on the streets. The adults stayed up late, drinking far too much, and I indulged more than I usually do. It was a good night and great to catch up with everyone. Unfortunately, Leo and Alesso don’t have any suggestions we haven’t already tried, but they make me promise to call them if there is anything they can personally do to help.
We hang around for another couple of hours to take our siblings out on their bikes, and we spend a half hour with Leo at the shooting range Ben had built on the grounds. Then we have lunch with Mom before making our way back to New York. Mom also asked me to keep Gia safe, and I promised her I would.
The weight of that promise is bearing down on me as I drive us back to the city.
