Page 142 of A Dangerous Kind of Love

“This is my family,” he says.

He shuts off the engine, and the quiet inside the car settles in for a second. It feels temporary. I don’t move right away.

“You okay?” he asks.

I let out a breath, my eyes still on the house. “Ask me again in five minutes.”

He reaches for my hand, pulling it into his.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Easy for you to say. They already like you.”

His thumb moves over my knuckles. “They’re going to like you more.”

I glance at him, narrowing my eyes. “Your confidence is concerning.”

“It shouldn’t be.”

I shake my head.

“Alright,” I say, taking a breath. “Let’s go meet your entire family at once.”

He opens his door, then comes around to mine before I reach for the handle. I step out, and the noise is instant—voices, laughter, and music somewhere in the background. His hand settles at my lower back, guiding me forward.

“Mikey!” someone calls the second we walk in.

A man who looks a lot like Michael comes right over and pulls him into a hug before shifting his attention to me.

“And you must be Katie,” he says, and before I can respond, I’m being hugged too.

“Oh,” I say, blinking.

“Bruno,” Michael says. “Let her breathe.”

“Scusa, scusa,” he says, stepping back.

“My cousin, Bruno,” Michael adds.

Bruno smiles and reaches out his hand. I take it, still catching up.

“Is that my nephew Michael I hear out there?”

I turn, and a strikingly beautiful woman, probably in her fifties, is coming toward us. Her dark hair is full and styled away from her face, framing it perfectly. Her skin is smooth and carefully maintained. She has high cheekbones, and a smile that feels both warm and assessing at the same time. Her eyes land on me for half a second, and I swear she takes in everything.

“Ah, and Katie,” she says, taking my hands in hers as soon as she reaches me.

“Hi,” I say, smiling.

“Sei bellissima.”

I smile awkwardly and shake my head. “I don’t know what that means.”

“You are very beautiful,” she says.

“Thank you. That’s very kind of you to say.”

“Tsk. Of course,” she says, brushing it off.