Page 14 of Tinsel in Telluride

“If the kid is mine, I fully intend on marrying that woman.”

Enzo manages to avoid spitting out his own tequila, swallowing hard. “Seriously?”

I nod, savoring the delicious flavor with a dash of heat the tequila leaves at the back of my throat.

“You know this isn’t the nineteen fifties? You can absolutely have a child and not have to marry someone.”

I give a dismissive shrug and sink back onto the couch beside him. “Maybe you could, but not me.”

“Where the hell is this coming from?” My brother looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “I know you’ve got some mommy issues, but I never took you for a traditionalist. Not after everything our family put us through.”

“Mom and Dad are a cautionary tale, to be sure. Because of them, we were little high society carbon copies of themselves—lie and cheat by whatever means to stay on top. It was toxic, and they stepped out on their marriage repeatedly, but they instilled a sense of family in us.”

Enzo snorts into his tequila and takes a sip. “And yet neither of us speaks to them.”

I look away to hide my wince, unwilling to let him know about the fifteen missed calls I have from our mother. There’s a reason I’ve been ignoring them.

“True. They may not be the family I choose to surround myself with now, but I appreciate that value. You are my family.” I nod to the door that leads to the kitchen, where our best friends are yelling at the football game on the television. “They are my family. I want that for my son. But more than that, I want him to see what I never did—a team when he looks at his parents.”

I want that for myself.

Which is why I’m torn when it comes to those missed calls. I can’t stop the hope that maybe one day our real family will want the same.

Enzo chews on my words. Literally. I can see his jaw working as he tries to make sense of everything I’ve just said.

Family isn’t something we talk about. Not outside what we have going with Holt and Bash. This is all we need. Or rather, it’s all Enzo needs. But me? Lately I feel like I’ve been searching for something more. Maybe this is it.

Minutes pass until Enzo finally asks, “And you have to be married for that?”

I shrug. “That’s just how I always pictured it.”

“Damn it, Luca.” Enzo drains the last bit of tequila in his glass and lets out a low, frustrated chuckle. “I guess we’re doing this. Should I put out an ad in the Los Angeles Times and break hearts everywhere by letting them know Luca Donati is off the market?”

“Get fucked,” I joke, finishing off my drink and setting the glass on the coffee table. “Thanks for being in my corner.”

“Always.” And despite the arrogant smile on his face, I know he means it. “Now you’ve just got to go out there and tell Bash and Holt your little plan.”

I wince as I consider the other two members of our unorthodox family.

Bash is going to love rubbing this in my face. Especially after all the shit I’ve given him about bringing women back on previous trips. Holt, on the other hand, is going to be a tough sell. Of the four of us, he was the closest to Jack. The most protective of our time together and the sanctity of this trip.

“I was thinking we could just wait until I know if the kid is mine.”

Enzo’s eyes widen. “You’re just going to hide Leigh and the kid in the guest house like a dirty little secret?”

“Okay, so I haven’t completely thought this through,” I admit.

“Well, it sounds like you have twenty-four hours to figure it out.”

Twenty-four hours.

More like torture.

My phone buzzes and I look down to see a nine-oh-six area code.

I don’t need a name to know it’s my mother.

Hitting the red decline button, I hide the guilt from my face and grin.“Do you get a bachelor party for becoming a dad? Like a last night of freedom.”

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