Carmine frowned.
“What’s going on here?”
Stefano threw a piece down. “Your mother is trying to get me to relax.”
Maria got up and hugged Carmine. He drank in her scent. It reminded him of so many times gone by.
“It’s not working,” she said.
“If I want a picture of a bloody horse, I’ll buy a picture of a bloody horse,” Stefano grumbled.
Carmine stifled a smile. He allowed his mother to force him into a chair before she busied herself making drinks and plating up treats she’d been hard at work creating.
I can’t do it. I can’t risk it.
“What is the matter?” Stefano asked. He’d been watching Carmine intently.
“Nothing. Working hard. Which reminds me, I’ve brought my laptop. Do you want to see the plans?”
Stefano shook his head. “Raoul should get first look. This will be more his baby than mine.”
Maria laughed. “As if you’ll leave the poor boy alone for five minutes.”
The wry smile on his father’s face suggested she’d hit bull’s-eye.
“You’ll have to find something more entertaining to keep me at home than a jigsaw.”
“Is that right?”
They still flirted like teenagers. Even if it turned Carmine’s stomach, he was glad they were so much in love.
“I came all the way to show you them,” he complained.
Stefano shrugged. “Then we’ll get your brother over. Where did I leave my phone?”
“I saw it on the drawers in our bedroom,” Maria replied over her shoulder.
His father got up.
“No sneak peaks,” he said, pointing to Carmine. “I mean it. Raoul has worked hard. He deserves his moment.”
“Listen, before he comes. Well, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Stefano frowned. “That sounds ominous. Maria, stop fussing with that. The boy wants to tell us something.”
Maria walked over. She wrapped her arm around Stefano’s waist and snuggled into his side.
“What is it,tesoro?”
Carmine’s heart raced. He’d reached the edge of the diving board. The time to jump had arrived.
“It’s about me and it’s going to change the way you see me.”
“Never,” Stefano replied.
“Let him speak,” Maria chided, gently tapping his belly. “Go on.”
“It’s just…well…I’ve never really seen the need to tell you. With me living in California and you here.”
