29. Keep It In The Family
Chapter 29
Keep It In The Family
Antonella
“Ciao, Giordano, Antonella, sit! Everyone’s already here,” Lucia pulls me in tightly for a hug.
“Grazie,” I hug her back, but am quick to pull away.
“Ciao, Momma.” He hugs his mother briefly, then leads me down a main hall into the grand dining room.
It’s filled with almost thirty people already sitting at the table. There’s a few younger kids running around, playing with each other. Lucia’s in her element. Her overall expression’s more relaxed and full of happiness.
“Everyone, this is Antonella, Giordano’s girlfriend.” She nudges me with her elbow.
Right.
Girlfriend .
To them, I’m his girlfriend.
“Momma, I’m thirty-seven ,” he whispers.
“Don’t age me.” She scoffs.
I give her a soft smile, then shift my gaze over to the family and slightly wave. Is this the right thing to do?
They all say their greetings in unison, and most go back to their respective conversations. Good . I hate being the center of attention. Oddio. I’m not good in social settings like this. This is exactly why I don’t go on the air—I prefer to work behind the scenes.
“This is Xander.” Giordano points to a tall, black-haired man. He slightly nods. I give one in return with a flat-lipped smile. He points to the golden-blonde haired woman sitting next to Xander. “This is my sister, Giulietta.”
She looks nothing like him. Opposite features, even. Though, they are both gorgeous. Genetic fucking jackpot.
“Hi.” I grin with another slight wave. Someone tape my hands down to my sides, please .
This is awful.
“I have been dying to meet you, girl.” She pulls me into a hug and kisses both of my cheeks.
“There’s my cousin, Alara and her husband, Francesco.” He points to another man and a woman sitting next to each other—engaged in other conversations, distant from each other.
Oh, shit. I know them. What are they doing here? “Oh, hey!” I wave at them as nausea washes over me. Seriously, Giordano, grab my hand already. I need to stop waving at people. Now.
Both of their jaws drop and faces pale as they peer over at me—not expecting to find me here.
Same .
“Hey, small world.” Francesco nods with a flat-lipped smile.
“Long time no see.” Alara waves, a little more enthused than Francesco. Giordano glares between the three of us, confused.
“I’ll explain later,” I whisper.
“I’ll be waiting, and spare you more introductions.” Giordano chuckles.
Thank God .
“Take a seat, amore.” He pulls a chair out for me.
Sliding into the chair, I glare up at the ceiling. Thank God I have something to keep my hands busy now. I’m socially exhausted already, and have barely said a few words. This is enough for me. And he does this… every Sunday ?
How?
“Allora, it’s about time you two finally made it official.” Xander winks at me.
Him too? I thought this was just for his mother’s sake. I’m beginning to believe I’ve been trapped.
“Last night.” Giordano reaches over and grabs my hand, placing a gentle, yet claiming kiss on the back of it.
The heat rises up and a slight blush spreads across my face. Keep this up, and even I’ll believe the lie.
“Giordano wouldn’t shut up about you.” Xander snorts. “ Eh, why doesn’t she love me, Xander? I love her so much, Xander. I want to marry and have a baby with her, Xander, ” he copies Giordano’s mannerisms and voice. Comparatively well, too.
A snort bursts from my nose as my hand flies up to cover my face.
“Basta!” Giordano laughs, smacking Xander’s shoulder.
Awe, is he embarrassed? I’m going to need a lot of wine to get through the rest of tonight. One-hundred percent.
Giulietta chimes in, “I’ve always wanted a sister! When are you getting married? Like Xander said before, he won’t shut the hell up about you, never talked so much about a girl before. Like ever. Let alone bring her to Sunday family dinner.”
My eyes are practically the size of the moon as Giordano chokes on his food. I giggle out of complete nervousness, and then gulp down the remainder of red wine in my glass. I’m not even a red girly—shows exactly how nervous I am.
This is too much. Why did I agree to this, again?
She’s the complete opposite of her brother, with the long, golden blonde hair and ice blue eyes. Although, she has the same olive skin tone—and she talks… a lot.
Sober Giulietta is drunk Giordano. Maybe they have more in common than Giordano says they do .
Maybe he’s the one in denial.
“ Giulietta .” Lucia swats the back of her head.
“Aye, Momma . Mi dispiace.” She rubs where Lucia hit her.
Giordano snorts. Lucia shoots him a glare, raising the wooden spoon. “Want to be next ?”
“No thanks.” He chuckles, picking up his glass and chugging the entirety of it.
“Ah, the sibling dynamic.” I laugh, shaking my head.
“Do you have any, Antonella?” Lucia asks.
“No, I’m an only child.” And happy for it.
“Lucky,” Giulietta mutters.
Lucia smacks her head, again. “You are lucky to have your brother. Capisce ?”
“Sure.” She grimaces while giving a fake smile to appease Lucia.
“Do they always bicker like this?” I ask.
“ She bickers,” Giordano whispers into my ear—however, not quiet enough.
“I heard that,” Giulietta interjects.
“Good.” He sips his wine, acting like a smug stronzo.
Only my right eye narrows as my top lip curls up. I’m uncomfortable, sitting in a chair, stuck between the two of them—bickering like children.
“You two are the reason my hair is grey!” Lucia smacks both of their hands with the wooden spoon. “Mi dispiace, Antonella.”
They both grumble, turning opposite directions from each other. Giulietta rolls her eyes while checking to make sure her manicure remains intact. As if it’s going to get messed up during a verbal altercation. Come on, now.
“You keep rolling your eyes, Giulietta… they’re going to fall out of your head.” Xander retorts in a hushed tone.
If they didn’t think anyone overheard their conversation, they’d be wrong—I certainly did. Curiosa . I’m becoming magnificent at eavesdropping.
I take in the intricate detailing of the fine china on my plate, and pretend as if I’m only eating my spaghetti. Which is delicious, and hits my soul in the best way possible. He’s insane—out of his mind—for telling me my sauce is better than this one.
No way.
We’re going to have to exchange recipes to mess with his head and see if he can tell which one belongs to who.
Giordano’s busy talking with his mother, and someone who he may have mentioned is named Giacomo; something work-related.
What’s going on there?
“I’ll roll my eyes if I want to,” she whispers.
“Not if I have anything to say about it, chiacchierona. I promise you,” he whispers back, “You know better than anyone else… exactly how I keep my promises.”
My gaze snaps up to the glowing candelabra centerpiece. I gulp down a noodle, trying not to choke. I definitely am not supposed to be listening to any part of this conversation. Now, I’m uncomfortable for an entirely different reason—third-wheeling. And surely, Giordano has no idea his sister’s involved with anyone—let alone with his best friend. He said the other night, Xander doesn’t know the real deal.
This is real.
I can’t be a gossiper, but it’s fun to have a little secret. One for one.
I give a little smile over at him while taking a large sip of wine—dry . “ Eugh,” I wince, trying to keep my facial expressions to a minimum, to not offend my boyfr— friend with benefits’ mother in her own home.
Damn him. Even I’m believing the lie.
I squint at the candelabra. I suppose if he’s keeping something from me—I’ll keep something like this from him. It’s not my secret to tell, anyway. Girl code, right? I need to talk to her about it as soon as I can—without prying eyes.
Spicy .
Lucia pats my shoulder and says loudly, “Remind me to share my cookie recipe with you. I’ll teach you how to make it.”
I jump back in my chair, but give her a wide grin. Giordano drops his fork and begins to cough. My eyes dart over to him. I ask, “Are you okay?”
“He’s fine.” She nods while patting the top of his head.
“Did you enjoy yourself this evening, amore? It can be… loud.” He laughs, shutting the car door behind me.
Boy, did I ever …
A flush creeps across my cheeks as I take his arm in mine, walking up to the front door of the villa. “Of course.”
“Thank you for coming tonight and pretending to be my girlfriend. The family adores you.” He kisses my forehead.
The heat rises to my cheeks, again. He’s always making me blush. I don’t think I ever blushed so much in my life. Before I met him, of course.
He presses the back of his hand against my cheek and frowns. “Let’s get you inside. You’re getting cold.”
“Sì.” I nod, standing in my place, and wait for him to open the door for me. I suppose I'm getting used to all of his princess treatment. It’s nice not having to care about certain things.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out fast, I answer it on the first ring. “Hey, Audie.” I quietly giggle as he kisses up my arm.
She’s sobbing hysterically. My laughter immediately stops. She tries speaking, but her voice is too shaky to fully comprehend.
“Audie, what’s going on?” I hold my hand up for him to stop. Immediately he does, his entire face morphing into confusion, concern .
“It’s—” She inhales deeply, trying to gain some composure. Unfortunately, another sob burst through the speaker.
“Audie,” my voice lowers into a more serious tone. I can’t tell her to calm down —it’ll make everything worse. “Breathe with me, okay?” I inhale deeply through my nose, hearing her do the same on the other end. I exhale through my mouth, satisfied with the fact she’s capable of following my instruction. “ Good ,” I praise her.
“It’s Mateo,” her voice crackles with another sob.
Mateo. Gianna’s father. The emergency . “What about him?”
“He’s—” She sniffles. “He passed away, Antonella.”
My heart drops into my stomach for them. “Oh, fuck. Audrina, I’m so sorry. What happened?”
“Car accident. It’s why I left so late the other night. He—he was hit. They got him to the hospital. Charlotte, she—she called me crying.”
“Were they in the car with him?”
She sniffles and clears her throat. “N-no. It’s only him. Charlotte and Gianna were at their home when they got the call.”
“ Oh, my God ,” I whisper. I peek over at Giordano, tears in my eyes, heartbroken for my best friend.
He holds my hand in his, caressing gentle circles on the back of it with his thumb.
I nod along as Audie sobs. She may have been divorced from him, but they’re still good friends. And their poor daughter—my goddaughter . “Oh, poor Gianna must be aching ,” I say.
“She’s taking it rough,” Audie whispers. “She lost her father. Her Babbo. Her…” Another sniffle before she clears her throat. “Um, we’re doing the best we can. Charlotte and I, for Gianna.”
“She needs you two now more than ever. Is there anything I can do?”
“No, thanks. I’m in shock… It happened so fast, you know?”
No, I don’t know. I never experienced grief in this way. I opt to keep silent, listening to her.
“And fuck—a funeral , too?” She sobs. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. There’s no will, no designated anything, no money set aside for this, for Gianna.”
“Don’t think about anything yet. You three go get some rest.” I inhale a large breath and wipe a tear from the corner of my eye.
Hearing my best friend in such pain breaks my own heart. The divorce was tough at first—now she lost him a second time.
“Right, you’re right.” She sighs.
“Tell Gianna, Zia loves her so much.”
She says a quiet, “Will do.”
I hang up the phone reluctantly, and slide it back into my pocket.
“We’ll cover the cost of the funeral,” Giordano whispers against my ear as he pulls me into his chest.
“We?”
“My money is your money, amore.”
“W-what? I can’t ask you?—”
“She doesn’t need to worry about any funeral expenses. Let her grieve without the burden of any money trouble.” He kisses the top of my head. “Everything will be taken care of.”
“Oh.” My heart tugs in my chest. “Thank you so much.” Tears fill my eyes to the brim once again, because of his generosity for my best friend.
“Anything for you, amore.”