“I’ll help you,” Stephen told Vinnie, eyeing Brenden, who snapped his head looking at him.
“You will do no such thing,” Brenden said to him. “Stay away from him, amante. He’s trouble.”
Stephen smirked. “I don’t believe you. Why? Are you scared?”
“No,” Brenden answered, but the bobbing of his Adam’s apple said differently. “But I can tell you’re already planning something in that pretty little head of yours.” Stephen smiled brighter knowing he was ramping up Brenden’s worry.
“Aw, love, not to worry. I promise you it won’t be that bad,” he told Brenden caressing the side of his face. “I’ll leave you intact, I still need you to change diapers once the baby is born.” He visibly relaxed at Stephen’s touch, and for a second they forgot where they were.
“Is that all I’m good for?” Brenden smiled.
“No, I need you for other things.” Stephen quirked an eyebrow.
Brenden leaned down and brushed his lips against his. “Then I say do your worst.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
Stephen had no clue which one of Brenden’s many family members said it. The spell was broken between him and Brenden as they turned and looked at the other occupants at the table watching them.
“What?” Brenden asked.
“Nothing,” pretty much everyone at the table said to him.
Stephen scanned the table, and all eyes were on them, and he had a feeling that Brenden did something he didn’t normally do. He looked back at Brenden, who was speaking to his father, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the future between him and Brenden would look exactly like this. A large, loud family with kids and grandkids. He could definitely get used to that. And from the look of it, so could Nicholas.
Stephen was on his way back from the bathroom when Francesca, he believed it was, stepped in front of him. Stephen noticed from the second he met her, she would stare at him as if he stole her favorite toy off the playground. It did not go unnoticed that he was never left alone with her. “Hey,” Stephen said politely.
“I finally get the chance to talk to you alone,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “They are a friendly bunch, but can be a bit intrusive.” Francesca smiled, and it made Stephen uncomfortable. “Are you having fun?” she asked him.
She was up to something; Stephen could feel it. He decided to play along just to see where she was taking the conversation. “I am, to tell you the truth, I was nervous, but you guys have been very kind to Nicholas and me.”
“It won’t last, you know,” she said to him.
“What won’t last?” Stephen asked her.
“You and Brenden. So, don’t get too comfortable, Kathie will be back before you know it. They really loved each other. She’s just waiting for Brenden to forgive her.”
“I’m not sure who's more delusional, you or Kathie,” Stephen asked her not really looking for an answer. “Why are you telling me this?” She went to answer and Stephen stopped her. “Do me a favor, if you see Kathie, tell her to keep holding her breath. If you haven’t noticed, I’m here to stay, and I’m not going anywhere.”
He didn’t wait for her to respond, he stepped around her and walked down the short hallway turning the corner and stopped when he saw Brenden’s mother standing there. Apparently, she heard their conversation. He was ready for the chastisement of a long-time family member. But he was surprised when she pulled him into a one-armed hug.
“Did you get a lot to eat, Stephano?” she asked him calling him by the Italian version of his name.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Bene, and none of that ma’am stuff. Call me Nonna or Mamma, capisci.” She smiled, nodded, and felt completely at ease with her. “I’m very happy my Brenden has finally brought you to meet me. I don’t want you to be a stranger. I can see how much you care about my Brenden. And Nicholas is a sweet child.” She stopped and stood in front of him, resting her hands on his shoulders. “I never liked that Kathie,” she said with a bit of venom, which was something he noticed the female members of the family did when they spoke her name. “When he was with that woman he did not smile as much, they barely touched each other. I can count the times on one hand he touched or kissed her lovingly in my presence.” Her voice cracked just a bit.
Stephen thought back to the day, and every time he was near his lover, Brenden’s hands were touching a part of his body. Whether it was caressing his neck, or resting a gentle hand on his hip.
“You make him happy, and that is all that matters to me. And thank you for blessing me with two grandbabies.” She hugged him and kissed him on both cheeks, then rested a free hand on his bump. “So precious.” Stephen smiled and rested his hands on hers.
“Thank you, for welcoming me into your family.”
** ** ** ** **
They were only home no more than a few minutes and had put Nicholas to bed before Brenden was pulling him to the bedroom. After closing the door, it took Brenden less than thirty seconds to get Stephen’s shirt off and had the other man pinned against the wall kissing the daylights out of him. He loved being around his family, but he couldn’t wait to get his lover home and naked.
Brenden was happy that Stephen got along with his family and wanted to show his lover just how proud he was to introduce him as his partner. Nails dug into his shoulders, sending shivers through his body. He kissed his lover’s chest and nibbled on the sensitive nipples before licking his way down toward his prize.
