Page 46 of Meet You Half Way
“Caro,” Giulia replied, wrapping Mateo in a surprisingly firm stronghold. “And Jamie, you will always be welcome in our house,” she added, pulling me into a matching hug as Mateo grinned at me from her side. “Both of you, my heroes.” She clutched onto both our arms and led the way into the house.
“Mateo was the hero,” I replied, sharing a smile with him over Giulia’s head. “I was just doing my job.”
“Nonsense,” she replied firmly. “Our Dante would not be here without both of you so in our eyes you are both heroes.”
Mateo just grinned and shrugged at me and I tried to hold back my smile whilst simultaneously ignoring the massiveswoop in my gut that always accompanied his real smile. I’d been seeing a lot more of it recently but it never failed to extract the same reaction from me whenever it did come out.
We arrived in the large open plan living area and had the same effusive greeting from Dante as he stepped out of the kitchen.
“Jamie,” he said, holding both my arms and looking at me with so much fondness I was almost blown over. “We are very honoured you could be here with us tonight. You and Mateo both.”
“I am also honoured by your invitation,” I replied. I handed him the bottle of wine and he looked down at it with a smile on his face.
“Chianti. My wife’s favourite.”
“Pure good luck,” I laughed.
“Not luck. Fortune and fate,” he returned. He squeezed my arm once more and then returned to the kitchen to pour glasses of wine for us all. I took the moment to search out Mateo’s eyes, finding him watching me with a soft expression on his face.
Dante handed a glass of wine to each of us and then stood between us to make a toast. “To the family we make,” he said, smiling affectionately at Mateo, “and to new friends becoming old friends,” he added, holding his glass in my direction.
“I’ll drink to that,” I agreed, clinking glasses and taking a sip. I held Mateo’s eye over my glass, noting how relaxed he was here amongst his chosen family. I wished I could provide a safe world for him to be always like this, to be able to live without that fear and anxiety of discovery. To be able to be himself and know he was still loved and valued by those whose opinions truly mattered.
Dante returned to the kitchen while Giulia showed me around her lovely architectural home which had been designed by Dante himself, the three of us ending up on the deck outsidewhich overlooked a deep, green valley. The sky was already dark and the stars were out in full force and I brushed the back of Mateo’s hand as he stood beside me, looking up at the night sky. He hooked his pinky finger around mine and my breath left my lungs.
“Dinner’s ready,” Dante called and the three of us returned to the house.
“Ooh the fancy dining room too,zietta?” Mateo asked, delight on his face as we were led to what I assumed was the fancy dining room. It held a long, mahogany table set for four and decked out with candles and plates of incredible smelling food.
“Only the best for our darling boy and his very special friend,” Giulia simpered back causing Mateo’s cheeks to flush.
Mateo sat on the chair beside me and I reached under the table to clutch his thigh, squeezing him twice until he looked at me and smiled.
“Osso Buco,” Dante announced, pulling the covers off the food as my mouth watered. “Risotto Milanese and creamy polenta with vegetables.”
“Oh wow,” I enthused. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen food this good.”
“Guests first,” Giulia added, handing me the utensils. I was not one to stand on politeness, taking the utensils from her and filling up Mateo’s plate first before doing the same for myself. He said nothing but I noted the soft smile on his face while I didn’t miss the pointed looks passing between the other two.
“We were so pleased to hear that you and Mateo have been keeping in touch,” Dante smoothly segued into the conversation.
“Zio,” Mateo whined.
“Yes, we have been keeping in touch. He’s quite hard to forget,” I replied, hiding my grin as Mateo’s cheeks flushed again.
“He is very precious to us is our Mateo,” Giulia said, eyes full of affection.
“I can see that.”
“And I just think … well, I think the two of you make a perfect couple. Just gorgeous,” she added so effusively I almost laughed.
“Zietta,you promised,” Mateo groaned.
“I know but how can I not,” she returned, bottom lip out in a pout. “All we want is for someone who can take care of you and love you the way you deserve.”
Mateo looked half a second away from hyperventilating so I decided to step in and save him. “Mateo tells me you come from the same village in Italy as his family?”
I couldn’t have picked on a better subject as Dante and Giulia both spoke over each other, eager to tell me all about their life in the old country. I felt Mateo relax beside me and I shared a quick grin with him while Dante and Giulia fell into a deep dispute over some minor fact about their province’s history. It was enough to keep the topic of conversation safely off Mateo for the time being and I knew he was grateful for that. Hopefully he’d show me exactly how grateful he was later tonight.
