Page 69 of Ciao, Amore

“They should be able to have the same privileges and choices we’ve had, knowing they’re going to be financially secure no matter what. I want them to be able to come to this house in twenty, thirty years with their families and say, ‘Yeah. This is still ours.’”

“Alright, I understand,” Angelo said slowly, with resignation. “I’m just havin’ a hard time picturing what’s it gonna be like without you around. What am I gonna do without my partner in crime?”

Nico’s eyes watered, but he shrugged off the heaviness in his heart with a grin. “Shit, you’re not getting rid of me that easy. I’m gonna be on all your asses long distance. You can count on that. And we’ll come every Christmas to see everybody. Right, Dani?”

He looked at Dani, who nodded with a soft smile. He saw her eyes were wet too as she’d listened to them. Only now did he comprehend how hard it must have been to tell her family she was leaving. It hurt to see the disappointment on Angelo’s face. It really fucking hurt.

“If you say so. But how the fuck am I gonna manage Tommy and Santino without you?” Angelo groaned, and they laughed.

“Yo, that is one job I will gladly pass on to you,” Nico said with feeling.

“Gee, thanks,” Angelo dead panned. Then he paused, looking intent as if he had more to say but wasn’t sure how to say it. “Dani, do you mind if I borrow your boy for a minute?” He inclined his head toward the garden doors.

Nico’s heart thumped a few extra beats, knowing yet another sensitive topic was rearing its head. He could guess what that was.

“Be my guest,” Dani said. “I’ve got my friend to keep me company.”

Little Angelo was asleep, curled up on her lap with his soft lips parted. Nico drank in that sight, momentarily caught up in a vision of her holding a child of their own that same way. Imagining that, his entire body heated. He couldn’t wait for it to happen. Didn’t want to wait for any of that future to begin.

Out in the garden, it had grown slightly cooler. Angelo didn’t seem to mind it as he looked over the terrace wall to the dark waters beyond. He tilted his head back and took a deep lungful of air, then stretched his large frame as if embracing the world. Then he folded his massive arms and contemplated the view.

“About last week… I’m sorry I got a little tight with you. I know it kinda looked like it was all of us against you, and that was ugly. Wish it hadn’t gone down like that. But…”

“There’s always a ‘but’,” Nico said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Ma can be wrong about a lot of things.”

“A shit ton of things.”

“Afuckton of things.”

The brothers chuckled.

Angelo sobered. “But—still gotta say she wasn’t wrong about one thing. It did feel like you played us when we found out about the fake thing. I don’t understand why you felt like you had to lie to everybody. Even me? Come on.”

Okay, so they were going there.

Nico took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I wanted to tell you. A couple times I almost did, but I was embarrassed. Everybody gives me a hard time about my dating life. ‘Oh, there goes Nico again. Fucked up another relationship.’ It’s like you’re watching football, like it’s another game to you guys. Even you have made comments or jokes in the past. I didn’t want you to know that I only met her because of some fucking prank by Tino. And then when she started to become important to me, it was hard to explain what was happening.”

Angelo absorbed that. “Alright, that’s fair. We do give you a hard time and maybe the jokes get kinda rough. I apologize for that, for myself anyway. Still wish you would’ve told me how you felt about it at the time. I would’ve cut that shit out.”

“Thank you for that.”

“Alright. So, what’s next for you guys? Are you gonna be together?”

Nico nodded, a slow smile pulling at his lips. “Yeah. We’re together.” He paused, then confessed, “I love her.”

The smile on Angelo’s face warmed him to his core. “Aww, man. That’s awesome. I’m happy for you. For real. When can I start teasing you about the tall babies?”

“Soon, I hope,” Nico said with a slight shrug.

“What?” Angelo laughed with a touch of disbelief. “Bro. I was just kidding about that.”

Slowly, Nico said, “I’m not kidding. I want to marry her, and I want those tall kids, like, yesterday.”

His brother gazed at him, mouth slightly parted. “You really think it’s time to talk about that? I mean, I know we do things kinda fast in this family, but for real?”

“One hundred percent for real. You always said it. When you know, you know. She’s the one.” Nico stood firm.

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