Excitement hits me so fast that I feel a wave of dizziness. In my disorientation, I pray that I haven’t misheard him.
California, as in Anya’s California.
As in the place that I’ve been considering going to visit for almost a month now. The concept that led Anya to call me for assurances that I wouldn’t mind her disappearing on me in the middle of a conversation if a wave of panic hit her.
A conversation that I took in stride, if I do say so myself.
It felt good to remind her that before our first call, I told her she was free to hang up on me for any given reason. This wouldn’t be any different for me. If needing to know that she can flee made her feel more comfortable, hell, I’d encourage her to actually do it.
Leave me at the drop of a hat, I’ll wait for you to want to come back.
Oddly poetic of me.
“You do?” I ask, blinking rapidly to pull myself out of my head. “Okay.”
Dad chuckles, deep and hearty. “No questions asked? Just okay?”
Damn, Dad, call me out, why don’t you?
“I mean, knowing why I’m going would probably be helpful,” I admit, smirking. “But I will do as my Capo commands, of course.”
“I’m not acting as your Capo right now, and I’m not commanding you,” he clarifies, shaking his head. “I’m asking you as a father, Matteo. It’s not a difficult task, but you do not have to say yes.”
“Dude, I’m already on board,” I tell him with a chuckle. “Not sure why you’re trying to talk me out of this. You said you need me in California. I’m already mentally packing my bags. What do you need?”
He eyes me, looking like he wants to laugh at my eagerness. “I need a house. And don’t call medude. You know I hate that.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “You have several houses.” Including the giant mansion that we all reside in. “And shit, sorry, it slipped out.”
“A house in California,” he explains further, though that should have been obvious. “Jade is going to live with Dmitri out there sooner than later, and I want a place for our family to stay if and when they go to visit her. Something large, and something close to Anton’s home.”
“That makes sense,” I admit. It’s actually a really great idea. But… “You want me to go house hunting for you? You’ve got a horde of kids to choose from and employees you could send instead. Why me?”
He tilts his head, surprised by the question. “Matteo, we both know that you know this family better than anyone. You’ll find something that fits all our needs, and you’ll do it because you love Jade and want her to be happy. The more we visit, the happier she’ll be.”
All solid points.
“I don’t have Armani’s eye for style, though. I’m surprised you didn’t ask him instead. He knows everyone really well, too.”
Dad almost snorts. “Armani would pick what Armani likes. He can decorate the interior as he likes when the time comes. But can you say that he’ll remember there are babies to be considered when picking a house? He’d probably find something with glass stairs and an indoor water feature that would be a hazard for the youngest members of our family.”
I chuckle, imagining it. Armani wouldn’t mean to—he loves the kids as much as any of us do. But once he gets in his style-focused mind, he can’t be pulled out of it.
I made the mistake of letting him revamp my closet for his birthday present one year, and he almost brought in a construction crew to make it bigger before realizing that it would cut into another bedroom. He’s feral for all things pretty, and I can’t fault him for it.
“And Anton knows about this?” I ask, tilting my head in contemplation. “Because I’m pretty sure we need his go-ahead to buy property in his territory, especially close to his own home.”
“Anton knows,” he confirms. “But Jade doesn’t. I want this to be a surprise for her. I’d prefer if you don’t tell her you’re going to the West Coast at all, actually. She might want to tag along, and though I wouldn’t object to her visiting Anton with the kids, this weekend isn’t ideal. You wouldn’t be able to go house hunting with her on your case.”
I purse my lips, thinking about it. “Where should she think I’m going? She’ll notice if I just disappear for several days.”
“I thought about having you tell her you were going to visit Leon, but she would want pictures of the kids. So, for the sake of speaking to anyone about this trip, you’re going hunting with Nico.”
My eyes widen. “Jade is supposed to think I’m going people hunting with Nico? Have I fallen, hit my head, and woken up bloodthirsty?”
“She’ll think you’re going when you assure her that I’ve asked you to look out for him. He’s been wound up and snippy this week. He’s agreed to be your alibi and this way, Jade won’t be expecting check-in phone calls from you.”
“Yeah, all right,” I finally agree, nodding hesitantly. “I don’t love lying to her, but it’s for a surprise so it seems acceptable.”
