Kit was right, though. I was completely, utterly, madly in love with Armando. I’d been falling in love from the day I met him—gradually, and then all at once. It was like dipping my toes in the ocean, and then suddenly getting smacked in the face by a wave that came out of nowhere.
And I wanted to tell him, but it didn’t seem like something that should just be blurted out—not the first time I said it. Iwanted to wait for the right time and place, and that definitely wasn’t a crowded airport.
“I’m glad you and Kit had a chance to chat,” he said, as we picked up our bags and headed for the exit. “He’s pretty protective of me, so I hope he didn’t try to give you the third degree or anything.”
“He’s very sweet, just like his father.”
This quick meeting really couldn’t have gone better. And by the time we saw them again in a few weeks, I wouldn’t have to worry about what was said, because Arie would know all my secrets.
I felt a lot less pressure now that meeting his family was behind me, but I still had every intention of telling Armando the whole truth this afternoon, once we were alone in our hotel room. First though, we had to get through brunch with my very colorful relatives.
12
Salvatore
I was slightly disappointed when our taxi pulled up in front of my great aunt’s house. The last time, it had been a chaotic spectacle, and I thought Arie would enjoy that. Today, there were no go-go boys or people in giant dick costumes. But it was still a rainbow-colored mansion with a huge Pride flag flying in the front yard, and that was pretty great.
We climbed out of the cab and slung our bags over our shoulders. Then I took Arie’s hand and tried to head for the front door, but he remained rooted to the sidewalk. When I turned to him, his eyes were full of worry, and he asked, “What if they don’t like me?”
“They’re going to love you, Arie. Why wouldn’t they? You’re fantastic.”
“Look at the size of this house. They must be incredibly wealthy to be able to afford something like that, especially in San Francisco. I’m not exactly the country club type, so what am I going to talk about with them? I never know what to say or do around rich people.”
“They’re not like that. I mean, yes, they have money. But my great aunt and her ex-husband bought this house decadesago, before real estate in this city spiraled wildly out of control, and she grew up in a working class family. She’s a nice person. She’s caring, and nosy in a good way, and eccentric, and she’s a passionate ally of the LGBT community, as you can tell.”
Arie nodded, but the worry hadn’t left his eyes. He asked, maybe to stall for time, “What’s your cousin like?”
“He’s kind. Dante would probably try to brush it off if he heard me say that, but it’s true. He comes across as a tough guy, but he has a heart of gold. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for his family.”
He murmured, “That’s nice.”
Since he still wasn’t moving, I tried to encourage him by saying, “I promise there’s nothing to worry about.”
“But what if they think I’m not good enough for you?”
I tilted his chin up with my fingertips, and when he met my gaze I said, “They’d have to be out of their minds. You’re way too good for me, Arie. Anyone can see that.”
I brushed my lips to his, and he pulled me closer and deepened the kiss. We got lost in each other for a minute or two, and then he hugged me tightly.
“Sorry I’m acting like this,” he said softly.
“There’s no reason to apologize. And if you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to. You can go to the hotel instead, and I’ll meet you there in a couple of hours.”
“No, I want to. I’m just nervous.” After another moment or two, he let go of me and said, “Okay. Let’s do this.”
I picked up our bags and took his hand, and as we walked to the front door, he asked, “Who else am I going to meet today?”
“Dante’s husband Charlie and Nana’s husband Ollie will probably be here. Beyond that, I’m really not sure.”
To my surprise, Bunny answered the door. He smiled at me and exclaimed, “Hey, Sal! Good to see you, dude.” He turned toArmando and checked him out as he said, “You’re a cutie. I get why Sal shot me down when I came to see him in L.A.”
Arie looked confused, so I explained, “He brought me a delivery from my cousin a few weeks ago. We met for all of thirty seconds in the lobby of my building.”
“You made a big impression, though,” Bunny said with a grin, as he held the door for us and we stepped over the threshold.
I stuck our bags off to the side and tried to make some introductions. “This is my boyfriend, Armando. Arie, this is Bunny.” I turned to our unexpected host and said, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember your real name.”
“It’s Bowen, but I prefer Bunny.”
