Me: What for this time?
Travis: That you still haven’t reached out to Ella since you banged her.
Luca: LEO DID WHAT NOW???
Dom: Holy shit.
Alex: You fucked Ella? Really?
Me: Travis, please tell my sister that YOU are now dead to me.
Travis: Totally worth it, honestly.
Dom: Leo, we need answers. Are you guys back together?
Me: No.
Alex: Was it a one-time thing, or will you be hitting it again?
Me: I don’t know. Probably a one-time thing.
Luca: Why?
Me: It happened weeks ago, and I haven’t reached out since, and she’s obviously pissed if Gianna is now pissed, so I can’t see her willingly giving me another chance.
Stone: How long ago?
Me: Like six or seven weeks ago. Maybe eight.
Alex: I know it’s not the same thing, but Natalie gave me multiple chances when I kept fucking it up. Don’t count yourself out just yet.
Dom: Dude, she was pregnant with your baby. Not the same.
Luca: Leo and Ella have decades of history though. It may not be a bun in the oven, but it has to count for something. We need to coach him on how to court Ella. He’s bound to be a dipshit if we don’t.
Dom: With all due respect, Luca, the only one here who didn’t truly fuck things up with their wife at least once was Sebastian. Mostly. Although you did forget to tell her you owned her building until you’d moved her into your house.
Sebastian: Are we pointing out dumbass ways? Alright. You didn’t ask your wife to marry you, Dom. You fucking TOLD HER TO.
Alex: Did you really expect anything less from Mr. Control Freak?
Dom: I don’t think you want me taking a trip down memory lane with all of your transgressions, Alessio.
Me: If it helps, Stone, I saw Luca on your street three days ago carrying a grocery bag.
Luca: YOU MOTHERFUCKER
Stone: Payback is a bitch, Luca.
Luca: You had it coming after you switched my protein powder with all-purpose flour. You try dry-scooping a mouthful of flour and see how fast you retaliate.
Travis: How do I unsubscribe from this chat?
Alex: You married into it. Most of us are forced by blood.
Knowing Gianna is pissed at me makes me nervous. Usually I can tell when she’s upset, and we’ll talk it out. But right now I don’t feel a connection to her. After texting Travis to find out what times G will be at home, I take a page out of her playbook, and show up out of the blue one evening bearing one of her favorites: mint chocolate chip ice cream.
When she answers the door with a narrow glare, I hold up the bag of ice cream pints. “I come with a gift. An offering.”
