18. Angelo
ANGELO
“This is the shit, man,” Mike says to Leo as he fills his plate with food. “Dad used to take us to the Cubs games when we were young, and the seats were great, but nothing like this.”
The Diamond Suites are indeed the shit. I’m not sure I could ever sit in the cheap seats again after experiencing something like as over the top as this.
There are flat-screen televisions, comfy chairs, air conditioning, and an unlimited supply of food and drinks.
What more can a guy ask for to enjoy a baseball game?
“The parents are missing out on a great night,” Thomas says as he stands next to Mike, eyeing the food.
“You know Dad. He has to see the Cubs, and between him and Uncle Santino, they’re going to make our kids Cubs fans too.”
“Or at least die trying.” Thomas laughs.
The Gallo family obsession with the Cubs runs deep. They cheered the team since their childhood and even without a World Series win, they kept the faith.
“They’re in a suite there too,” Leo announces. “The hotel chain has suites at both stadiums for our high-class clientele and business partners.”
“Holy fuck. That has to cost a fortune,” I say as I walk up behind Tilly and wrap my arms around her waist, placing my hands on her stomach. “Are you okay, baby?”
She tips her head to the side, resting her forehead against my cheek. “I’m fine.”
I know she’s not. She’s quiet, and Tilly’s rarely quiet. She’s usually so full of life and so talkative, sometimes my ears start to ring, but I’m not complaining. I like my woman chatty, and I love her happy more than anything.
I hold her tighter, resting my face in the crook of her neck. “Something’s eating you.”
She exhales. “No, I’m good.”
The exhale gave it away. Something’s on her mind, but she isn’t in the sharing mood. Whatever it is, I want to set it right and make my girl happy, but now isn’t the place. And until she’s ready to tell me what’s wrong, I can’t force her to speak.
“Tilly, want a glass of wine?” Daphne asks as she pulls the cork out of a bottle of white.
“I’d love one,” Tilly says, giving my hands a quick pat, which is like giving me the brush-off.
I let her go but watch her closely. Tilly’s face brightens as she grabs the wine and speaks quietly with my sister.
“What’s wrong?” Joe asks as I stand in the middle of the room, staring at my wife.
I shrug. “I don’t know. She’s off today.”
Joe places his arm on my shoulder. “She’s probably overwhelmed, man. We’re a lot to digest at once.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
Maybe it’s just the number of people who have been here this week and all the family events that are wearing her down.
Maybe she’s thinking of the family she missed out on since her parents passed away.
There’re so many variables that could be setting her off this week that I didn’t even consider when my mother planned a family reunion centered around our wedding.
Joe grabs a beer from the fridge and hands it to me. “Don’t let your mind wander places it shouldn’t. Suzy has so many mood swings, half the time I don’t know if she’s pissed or happy. It’s just how shit is sometimes. We’ll be gone in a few days, and things will be back to normal.”
“Hey, asshats, come down here and sit with us!” Anthony yells from the outside seats, facing the field. “Let the ladies be. They could use a break from you two, hovering over them.”
“Your brother’s annoying,” I tell Joe as I take a sip of the beer.
“Man, they’re all a pain in my ass.” Joe smiles.
I can’t disagree, but I know we both love our siblings and couldn’t imagine life without them. I’m sure there’s a part of Tilly that has to wonder how her life would’ve been different if she weren’t an only child.
We’re halfway down the stairs to the seats when Vinnie says, “Bianca and I have an announcement.”
I stop and turn around, shocked and happy he’s finally going to tell the family he and Bianca are expecting their first child.
He grabs Bianca and pulls her close, throwing his arm around her shoulders. “We’ve decided to get married at city hall tomorrow afternoon, and it would mean a lot to us if you’d celebrate with us. But none of the parents can know. We want it to be a total surprise for them.”
“City hall?” Lucio asks, rubbing the back of his neck and gawking at my brother in confusion.
“We’ll do the big church wedding later, but we don’t want to wait another minute to become husband and wife.” Vinnie stares down at Bianca and smiles.
I wait, expecting the other surprise to pop from his lips, but instead, he says, “Pizza and beer at Vito & Nick’s afterward. Remember, don’t tell the parents anything.”
My brother always does stuff the hard way or, should I say, differently. I shouldn’t be surprised he didn’t drop the pregnancy news just yet, especially without my mother here. She’d pull his hair for doing it when she wasn’t around.
“You tell us when, and we’ll be there, kid,” Mike says with a quick chin lift.
The girls rush to Bianca’s side, hugging her and telling her how excited they are.
I pull my brother to the side. “You finally going to come clean?”
He shoves his hand into his pocket. “Tomorrow at dinner after we’re married. You know Ma and Pop have to be there for me to announce it. Ma would straight up kill me.”
“I’m pretty sure everyone here already knows,” I tell him.
He raises his eyebrows. “How?”
I slap him on the back and laugh. “After you spend nine months with a pregnant woman, you’ll be able to spot one from a mile away, little brother. It doesn’t help that Bianca’s suddenly stopped drinking and keeps resting her hand against her stomach like she’s literally holding a secret.”
His gaze drifts to Bianca, who is, in fact, holding her stomach as she chats with the girls. “Well, just one more day and it won’t matter. We’ll be married, and her parents can’t ship her off to a convent somewhere.”
“I don’t think shit works like that anymore.” I laugh. “But you have a better chance of her father not punching you in the face when he hears the news.”
“I plan to be as far away from him as possible when we make the announcement. I won’t take any chances. It’s not like I can fight the man. It’s her father, after all.”
“Well, you never did anything the easy way,” I say with a smile before pulling him into a hug. “Fatherhood will be good for you.”
He doesn’t look convinced. He looks like a nervous wreck, which was exactly how I felt when Tate was on the way.
I thought I wasn’t ready, but then again, I’m not sure anyone really is.
There’s no way to prepare for the sleepless nights, the endless diapers, and constant feedings.
Your time is no longer your own, and the realization of the commitment you’ve made by creating the tiny human doesn’t hit you square in the face until it’s too late.
“I’m scared, man.”
I pull back and grab his shoulders. “We all were. It’s normal, and you have all of us to help you through the hard shit.”
“Will you come to city hall tomorrow as my witness and best man?” he asks.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, brother. It would be my honor to be your best man.”
I hug him again, being way more touchy-feely with Vinnie than I probably have ever been in my life. But he’s growing up and we’re getting older, and the age difference doesn’t seem to be as big anymore. We’re going to both be fathers, and this is a time to celebrate.
I spot Tilly across the room, staring at the table of food, and I walk toward her, needing to know what’s wrong and unable to wait any longer.
I grab her hips and turn her to face me. “Baby, what’s wrong? Tell me. It’s killing me.”
She places her hand on my chest and smiles up at me. “Nothing, sweetheart. I’m just overwhelmed. I promise there’s nothing wrong. I’m just tired from this long, but very exciting week.”
I press my lips to her forehead, smelling the sweetness of her skin. “I understand. Only a few more days and things will be quieter.”
She wraps her arms around my middle. “I love having them here. It’s been nice getting to know everyone, baby.”
“Yes, but it’s also nice to get back to our life,” I tell her against her hair as I close my eyes. “I love the little world we’ve created.”
“Me too,” she says softly, curling her fingers into the back of my T-shirt.
“I ordered champagne,” Daphne announces. “My brother’s getting married!”
“You’re really lucky, Angelo,” Tilly says softly into my shirt. “You have all these people in your life.”
I stare down at her, placing my finger under her chin and forcing her eyes to mine. “They’re in your life too, Tilly. They’re every bit as much your family now as they are mine.”
She smiles, but there’s still sadness in her eyes. “I know. I wish I’d had cousins and siblings when I was young. Someone I could’ve bonded with and had inside jokes with and to tell stories about when we were young. I don’t have that. I never will.”
“Baby,” I whisper and touch my lips to her mouth as I keep my gaze fixed on hers. “We’ll make new memories and inside jokes. Before too long, we’ll be old and have stories of when we were young.”
“Oh God. I’m not ready to get old.”
“We have a lot of years before we get there, sweetheart. But you’re not alone anymore. You have three sisters, four brothers, and a bunch of cousins.”
Her smile brightens. “I do—and the most wonderful, loving husband in the world.”
“That too,” I say with a smirk. “You did get pretty lucky.”
“Hey, what happened about the thing?”
“The thing?” I ask.
She nods. “The man Morgan was going after?”
“We decided not to do it. It was too dangerous, and none of us wanted to put our lives at risk. We’re too old for that shit, and I have a wife and kids to take care of.”
The tension that had filled her seems to evaporate as she sags against me. “Thank God. I was so worried.”
“Tilly, don’t hold back your feelings about anything. I always want you to be happy, and I never want you to worry that something bad will happen.”
She rests her cheek against my chest, holding me tighter than before. “I can’t lose you. Losing you would kill me, Angelo. Not only would I lose you, but I’d lose this family too.”
“You’d never lose this family. Once you’re in, you’re stuck for life. They wouldn’t let you go without a fight. But I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, Til. I promise not to be an idiot and to always think of you first.”
I wonder if Tilly will ever let her guard down about something happening to me. I get it, though. After losing Marissa, I worry about what may come, but I know shit’s out of my hands. Only time will tell what the future holds, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t control what happens next.