So he is coming.
Yes. He’s nervous about seeing us after such a long time.
Same.
Can I call you?
I glanced over at Tony. “Are you okay with Becky calling me? I’m guessing she wants to ask me something that’s too long to text.”
He smiled. “That’s fine. She’s your sister.”
Sure.
A moment later, my phone vibrated with a call. “Hey, Becky. What’s up?”
There was a hesitant silence before she said, “I was wondering if we could have dinner together somewhere near your hotel.”
“That sounds good to me,” I replied. “Did you have a place in mind?”
“You’re at the Marriott, right?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a restaurant a couple of blocks away that has good food, and it’s not too expensive.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Text me the address.”
“Will do.” After a long pause, she added, “And afterward, maybe we could all go back to your hotel so we can talk. I think it’s going to take longer than the restaurant will let us stay.”
I huffed a laugh. “Of that I have no doubt.” I met Tony’s gaze when I spoke next. “Tony and I have a suite, so we can just go back to our room and use the semi-comfortable sofa and chairs.” My wonderful boyfriend smiled and nodded in agreement.
“Oh, that’s great. Thank you, Greg. I’m really looking forward to seeing you again.”
“Me too. What time do you want to meet for dinner?”
“How does six sound?” she asked.
“That works for me. See you then.”
I ended the call and blew out a breath. “It’s really happening.”
Tony reached across the table and took my hand. “It is. It’s going to be okay.”
I squeezed his hand. “What if it isn’t?”
He raised my hand to his lips. “If it isn’t, I’ll be there to help you get through it.”
Once again, the words were there but wouldn’t come. I hoped I would be able to get them out one day. Instead, I asked, “How’s Pete doing?”
Pete had been injured in the personnel extraction mission Tony and Marco had to put together the night their dad was in the hospital for heart surgery. Tony said the mission itself was a success. Pete had gotten hurt when he’d been pushed into a set of metal shelves and something heavy and sharp hit him on the head. He’d ended up with ten stitches and a bad concussion.
“He’s good,” Tony replied. “Liam said the concussion resolved with no issues, and the wound is healing well.”
“That’s a relief. Is Alessandro still mad at Michael?” It turned out Gio really liked being part of the extraction team and wanted to do it again. Alessandro lost it and blamed Michael for suggesting that Gio do it in the first place.
Tony rolled his eyes. “Probably. Sal said not to worry about it. Alessandro is just being overprotective. I just don’t want the asshole going after Michael because that would not end well for anybody. Marco would kill him, and then Sal and I would be at war.”
“Oh shit,” I whispered. “Is that likely to happen?”
