Rin & Constance (The Tempests Carry On #1)

PROLOGUE

EIGHT MONTHS AGO

CONSTANCE

When the door opened, I didn’t even open my eyes, already used to the nursing staff coming in and out of the room to check on their patients.

At first, they’d been standoffish, probably because they knew I wasn’t supposed to be here since I wasn’t related to either of the men in the room.

However, the rules didn’t apply to me because of my family name and the pull my father commanded - something I rarely took advantage of and didn’t feel any remorse for doing now.

Whoever walked in hadn’t closed the door behind them, and I opened my eyes to find my aunts standing at the foot of Sully’s bed.

Gabby and Angelia hadn’t noticed that I was awake, so they didn’t try to mask their emotions like the men of the family had, not that they would.

Italian women weren’t exactly known for their calm demeanor when they were upset.

I smiled to myself because I’d hate it if someone said that to me, but I knew it was the truth. Just like my aunts, I could put up with a lot of shit, but I could go from sweet and docile to rabidly angry in a heartbeat when someone crossed the line.

That’s exactly what had happened when my father came to visit earlier today and insisted that I come home “where I belong” and “leave these guys to recover in peace,” as if my presence would hinder that.

If anything, they got a measure of care with me in their room constantly that they might not have if they were left alone.

“Stan, sweetie, you’re awake!” Gabby said as she set the bag down that she’d carried in on one of the rolling tables I’d pushed over toward the wall. She walked over to the chair where I’d been napping and asked, “Has there been any change?”

“Since his kidney output had improved and his liver panel was normal, they brought Park out of his induced coma early this morning. He’s been awake off and on, but he’s still really out of it.”

“And Sully?” Angelia asked.

“He’s still in a coma, and his prognosis hasn’t changed. They’ve relieved the pressure and gotten the brain bleed to stop, but they’re still not sure if he’ll wake up.”

“I understand your dad tried to make you go home.”

“I did go home, but I didn’t stay. I just took a shower and packed another bag.”

Gabby looked uncomfortable when she asked, “How long have you been in a relationship with them?”

I smiled before I asked, “Do you mean how long have I been in love with them or how long has it been since they admitted that they love me too?”

As my aunts processed the question I’d posed, I thought back to the first time that I’d let myself believe that something could actually come of my fascination with my guards someday.

Of course, they hadn’t realized how much I loved both of them and had no idea I was aware that they weren’t just in a relationship with each other, but also enjoyed the company of a woman when they found one interested in joining them.

I had figured out which steps didn’t make any noise, so it was easy for me to get down the stairs without alerting my hypervigilant guards.

It irritated them to no end when I got the drop on them and appeared out of nowhere.

But this time, my plan to scare them was put on hold when I overheard their conversation.

“I’m not sure why you’re so fucking upset about Janet calling things off with us, babe. We knew this couldn’t last.”

“Park, you clearly weren’t as into her as I was if you can say that with a straight face. You promised that you’d give her a chance.”

“Janet is not the woman either of us wants, and you know it,” Sully replied.

Park laughed bitterly before he said, “The woman we really want isn’t ever going to give us a chance. If she did, we’d be dead the second her family figured out we were anything other than her trusted bodyguards who were loyal to her father and The Four Families organization.”

“As crazy as it sounds, I just can’t imagine being with anyone but her.”

My heart started to race when it finally sunk in that they were talking about me.

Me!

Constance Romano, the most sheltered college student in New York, possibly even the world. Yes, my father was the head of a mafia crime family, but he was also my dad and wanted me to grow up as normally as possible. Being in a relationship with two men didn’t generally fall into that category.

But I wanted a chance so badly that I couldn’t think of anything else.

When Sully and Park became my guards, it was obvious that my father thought he could trust them around me even though they were very good-looking and close to my age because they were gay.

Of course, he didn’t know that they were actually bisexual, and even though they were in a long-term relationship with each other, they were on the lookout for the woman who would fill the void in their lives.

I wanted to be that woman so badly that I could taste it. Every image I had of my future included Park and Sully, whether it was a dream about next year or a decade from now. I had fallen head over heels for my guards and knew I couldn’t live without either of them.

I just hoped that they might be able to let go and feel the same way about me one day.

But I was a Romano to the bone, which meant that I was stubborn enough to always get what I wanted, no matter how hard I had to work or what I had to do to make it happen. Luckily for Sully and Park, I wanted them.

Now they just needed to admit how much they wanted me back.

“Stan? Are you okay?” Gabby asked.

“Sorry. I zoned out for a second. What did I miss?”

“You must be exhausted, sweetheart. You’ve been here night and day for two weeks now.

Why don’t you let one of us stay here with the guys while you take some time for yourself?

Go home and relax in a warm bath and get a good night’s rest,” Angelia suggested.

“I promise we won’t leave until you come back. ”

“I’ll be fine here, but thank you for the offer.”

“You’re not going to be any good to them if you exhaust yourselves before they even need you.”

“You’re not going to try to talk me into giving up on them or the dream I have of us living happily ever after?”

Gabby squatted down in front of me and took my hand. “Happily ever after doesn’t just fall in your lap, sweetheart. You’ve got to work for it. If that’s what you want to do, you’ll have nothing but support from all of us.”

“All of you, meaning the entire family?” I asked.

Gabby winced before she said, “It may take some a little longer to come around than others, but with us in your corner, how could you go wrong?”

“It’s not exactly a traditional relationship,” I said as I squeezed her hand.

“Honey, you were a rebel when I met you and have only gotten stronger since then. If there’s something you want to accomplish, you work hard to make it happen and when you have a dream, you do whatever you have to do to make it come true.

Neither of us would ever fault you for that, so of course you’ve got our support,” Angelia said as she carried two chairs over from where they were leaning against the wall and then nudged Gabby with the seat of one so she’d take it rather than squat so uncomfortably in front of me.

Once Angelia and Gabby were seated, I smiled and asked, “What’s going on at home? What have I missed?”

“So much!” Gabby said with a grin. “Your father is in love with Bex.”

“I’ve known that for a while now, but I’m surprised he realized it.”

“He’s a stubborn one, but then again, so are all the Romanos!” Angelia said in exasperation. “Sometimes, I just want to choke your Uncle Vino, but so far, I’ve managed to resist.”

“Same, girl. There are times when Relio makes me so mad that I just . . .” Gabby growled briefly and shook her head. “I’d like to blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but I feel that way even when I’m not pregnant.”

“The guys have made me crazy more times than I can count,” I admitted. “They’re just so freakin’ pigheaded!”

“That’s going to come in handy. If they’re willful on their own and they have you fighting for them, they’ll definitely make a full recovery,” Gabby assured me.

“I hope so. I’m going to do my best to make sure of it.”

◆◆◆

SIX MONTHS AGO

“Yes, Mom, I took my meds. No, I’m not in any pain. Yes, I ate my breakfast,” Park said indignantly when I walked into the kitchen.

Ciro, the guard recently assigned to me by Dad, shook his head almost imperceptibly when I glanced his way, and it took everything I had not to sigh in frustration. With Sully barely conscious, and only occasionally at that, Park had become almost unbearable to be around.

He blamed himself for not protecting Sully, blamed my father for putting them in that position in the first place, and blamed me for not letting him die rather than live without the man he loved.

Park’s frustrations were exacerbated when Sully didn’t recognize him when he finally awoke from his coma, and I was his target whenever he felt like he needed to let it all out.

So, having been through this multiple times before, I didn’t reply to his angry comments. Instead, I poured myself a cup of coffee to enjoy while I planned out my day. Once I had it in hand, I walked over and sat down across from Park at the table and opened my laptop to get to work.

When Park saw he wasn’t going to get the reaction he wanted, he leaned forward in his wheelchair and slammed my laptop closed on my hands, causing me to shout in pain.

Murielle, the nurse my father had found to care for Park around the clock, yanked his wheelchair back so that his hands slipped off my laptop.

As soon as the pressure was relieved, I pulled my hands up toward my chest and sighed.

I despised the angry look I saw in Park’s eyes just as much as the look of pity I saw in Murielle’s.

“Let’s go, pal. It’s time for us to meet your therapist in the gym,” Murielle said as she started pushing him toward the door.