“Sorry, Mom,” Luca said.
She sighed. “Well, be careful when you’re living on your own. I don’t want one of your brothers to have to respond to a fire in your apartment building.”
“Jeez, Mom. I’m not ten. You don’t have to worry about me setting my apartment on fire.”
“You’re getting your own apartment?” Dante asked.
“Yeah. After graduation from the police academy.” Then with an embarrassed grin, he added, “Or when Mom and Dad kick me out, whichever comes first.”
Gabriella almost teared up. This was her youngest son, her baby, about to graduate from college with a degree in criminal justice. How could all of her sons be so grown-up now? Soon, her husband would be bugging her to move to a warmer climate again.
She wanted to wait untilallher sons were happily married before moving so far away, and Antonio had been patient. Well, as patient as an impatient man could be. But now she didn’t want to move at all. They had a grandson, and hopefully more would come along. What if anyone needed her to babysit? She couldn’t do it from the Caribbean.
She suddenly noticed her kitchen was full of faces she loved: Antonio, Jayce, Miguel, Sandra, Misty, Gabe, holding six-month-old Tony, and twenty-one-year-old Luca, even if she was a little miffed with him at the moment.
The only two she couldn’t see were Mallory and Dante. Unless she missed her guess, they were probably still in the living room, stealing kisses. The chemistry between them was obvious. She’d bet money another wedding would take place before long.What beautiful babies those two could make!
When the oven had stopped smoking, she placed the huge casserole dish of lasagna in it. She could tell by smell when something was done, but just to be on the safe side, she set the kitchen timer for sixty minutes.
“Gabriella, why don’t you go sit down and get to know Dante’s new friend,” Sandra said. “Misty and I can finish up here.”
Misty had the salad halfway prepared. The French bread was on the counter.
“I guess there’s no reason not to. Thank you, darling. Maybe I will. If you could slice the bread and get it ready to warm in tin foil… You just mix together garlic butter and a little salt—”
Sandra chuckled. “I’ve seen you do it a hundred times. I can handle it.”
Maybe Gabriella wasn’t as essential to this family as she had previously thought. “All right.” She removed her apron and joined the others who had traipsed back into the dining room. “Let’s all sit and have a glass of wine while we wait for dinner,” Gabriella said.
Nobody argued, and she didn’t expect they would. She brought a bottle of Chianti and a corkscrew to the table and then retrieved glasses from the hutch. Antonio opened the wine bottle and set it aside to breathe.
“Hey, Dad, when did you knock down the wall between the living and dining room? And why didn’t you go all the way to the kitchen?” Dante asked. “I think they call that ‘open concept,’ and it seems everyone wants that now.”
“I did it about a month ago. Your mother didn’t want open concept, where everyone could look at a mountain of dirty dishes, and you know how she is about people in her kitchen when she’s trying to cook. Besides, we had to leave the structural wall alone. Otherwise, the ceiling would be on your head now. You haven’t been here for a whole month?”
“Nope. Didn’t you miss me?” Dante said with a smirk.
The patriarch smirked right back at him. “I can’t keep my sons straight. You all look alike to me.”
Everyone around the table laughed, except Gabriella. His teasing was meant in fun, but any of her sons could take it as an insult. Oh well. As long as it wasAntoniotalking, they’d know it was just a joke.
The man was rarely serious now that he’d retired from the fire department. All job stress suddenly removed was good for some firefighters, not so much for others. Thank heavens Antonio was enjoying his retirement fully. There were some alarming statistics about retired firefighters passing away after only five years away from the job.
Each of her boys was very different from the rest. Her firstborn, Ryan, was…well… He was supposed to be dead and couldn’t visit often just in case anyone caught sight of him, but he’d be popping in later to congratulate Luca on his graduation. He’d been reincarnated and was living in Ireland with his dragon queen, in a castle.
Jayce, now the eldest, was lighthearted and social. The others respected him, knowing he’d be leading this family someday. But just to be on the safe side, Antonio co-appointed Miguel to take over.
Miguel, next in line, was serious and a rule follower.
Gabe was all quiet strength. Loyal beyond question.
Dante, well—he was a little bit of everything. More like Jayce than anyone else though. A little flirty with the girls, but definitely a man’s man.
Noah was curious and smart. She might worry about his gentleness, except that unlike her other quiet sons, he had no problem speaking his mind when he wanted to.
And Luca… Ah, Luca. Her youngest. They called him the baby—and nowthe blue sheep; however, he was anything but. He’d been asserting himself ever since deciding to buck the family tradition and become a cop, maybe to overcompensate and prove himself an adult. She hoped not. He could get into a lot of trouble trying to out-macho all the men around the table and prove he wasn’t “the baby” anymore.
As she gazed around the table, she realized someone was missing. “Where’s Noah?” Antonio wasn’t the only one who messed up occasionally and missed a son, although it rarely happened to her. Noah hadn’t called to say he wouldn’t be coming, so maybe he was just delayed.
