41. Chapter 41 - Emiliano
A lessandro fought against the crimson pact as much as he could, but in the end, Nikolay won. They exchanged cuts on the palm of their hands and mixed their blood together. It was all very old-school, just for Nikolay to smirk when it was all done and over with. I have a sneaking suspicion that it was all a big joke, that he’s somehow making fun of Alex, but I can’t help but think it’s hilarious. I should be defending my brother, but this is the man he’s marrying. He should probably get ready. It feels like there’s going to be a war between them, and I don’t know who’s going to come out the winner.
My brother is clearly a jealous man. He hasn’t outright said it, but he hasn’t had to. I think Nikolay will be using that against him, especially because Alex doesn’t know any self-control. He flips out and shows all his cards, and Nikolay seems to be very calculating and methodical. He’s a plotter, I can tell, and right now, he’s plotting how to make Alessandro’s life miserable. It makes me want to welcome him into the family even more. Someone needs to get my brother to loosen up before he pulls a muscle. He doesn’t understand the concept.
We’re sitting at Giovanni’s for a private dinner after hours. The windows and walls are finally fixed from that shootout, and everything is back as it should be. Business is back to usual, thankfully. We didn’t lose any customers even after the news was everywhere. And it was—annoyingly so. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, we were too busy with Cole being kidnapped to give a damn.
There is a long table in the back of the restaurant for large parties, which we are now occupying. It’s me, Cole, my brothers, and Nikolay. Though we’re also waiting for Matteo, who hasn’t been around since Cole came home six weeks ago. I don’t find it odd though, all things considered.
My brothers keep the conversation going, everyone except Alessandro, who is sulking. Nikolay has the biggest smile on his face, as if my brother’s unhappiness brings him joy. I chuckle, raising an eyebrow at Nikolay, and he smirks knowingly. Yeah, he’s definitely a plotter.
His hand goes under the table, and Alessandro jumps, clearly startled. “Keep your hands to yourself, devil, before I cut them off,” Alex practically growls.
“Oh, husband.” Nikolay grins. “Then who’s going to touch your cock?”
I choke on my water and Cole laughs out loud. Nikolay is nothing if not entertaining. That’s for fucking sure. The rest of my brothers turn to watch the show as well, the table falling silent.
“I have a hand—actually, I have two of them.”
“Not as good as mine.” Nikolay grins. “Though if you insist, at least I’ll make some content for you. So you can perform.” Giovanni howls at this, and I snicker. “And you can perform, right?”
“I perform just fine,” Alessandro says through gritted teeth.
“Oh, goodie,” Nikolay says, a dreamy expression on his face. “We’ll have to see about that.”
“I guess we will,” Alex snaps. “Enough talk about our sex life, please.”
“ Impending sex life,” Giovanni says with a smirk. “Let us know all about it, Nikolay.”
“Oh, trust that I will be filing formal complaints,” he replies, and all of us laugh.
“Shoot me now,” Alex begs me. “Please, Emiliano. I’ll do anything.”
“No way.” I grin. “I want to see what happens next.”
“Do we need popcorn?” Gio asks, then shakes his head. “Never mind—we definitely need popcorn.”
“So, do you plan on quitting your Only Fans after you get married?” Cole asks, purposely stoking the fire.
Giovanni looks at Nikolay expectantly, and Alessandro scowls, looking at him too.
“Absolutely not.” Nikolay grins. “I love what I do.”
“You won’t need the money, Nikolay.” Alessandro frowns. “You can quit.”
“Oh, you sweet summer child.” Nikolay cups Alessandro’s face, looking up at him with fake adoration, and Alex’s eyes widen for just a split second before he schools his features. “I’ve never needed the money. I just like doing it.”
“You will stop,” Alessandro growls, and Nikolay shakes his head. “You will. I won’t allow this to continue. You’re my husband.”
“So possessive.” Nikolay laughs, diverting his gaze away from my brother and looking at the rest of us. “Is he the only one, or does it run in the family?”
“It’s in our blood,” I say, grinning.
“I love it.” Nikolay sighs. “But sorry, Daddy. I’m not easily convinced.”
“Don’t call me daddy,” Alessandro snaps.
“Why not?” Nikolay pouts. “You’re ten years older than me.”
“Not old enough to be your daddy.” Alex sighs. “Let’s drop this conversation, please, for the love of God.”
“God has nothing to do with this, Daddy .” Nikolay grins, and Alex scowls. I’m convinced it will be his permanent facial expression for the foreseeable future. “I don’t believe in him.”
“What do you believe in?” Cole asks, clearly curious.
Nikolay winks. “Love.”
Giovanni coughs and laughs. “Oh, fuck. This is too good.”
“My sweet, sweet husband will fall in love with me.” Nikolay sighs, cupping Alex’s face with both hands. And Alex lets him. Oh, shit. “I’ll be manifesting it.”
“Like witchcraft?” Alessandro asks, clearly worried.
“Just like that, husband.” Nikolay grins, pulling Alessandro down and kissing him soundly. Alex stiffens, ripping Nikolay away from him. Sweet Nik isn’t deterred in the slightest, not even missing a beat. He just grins again. “I’ll be casting spells on you. I’ll have you know I have an altar.”
“Of course you do.” Alex frowns, prying Nikolay’s hands from his face finger by finger. “Fucking hippie.”
“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.” Nikolay pats Alessandro’s face condescendingly.
“And I don’t want to.” Alex rolls his eyes. “I think I’ll just let you live in the condo by yourself. I’ll live in a hotel for all I care.”
Nikolay pouts, clearly put out. “No way. I need dick every single day, and we’ll be monogamous.”
Alex sighs, looking heavenward. “Please, God. I’ve never asked for anything before. But now I’m begging for mercy.”
“You’ll be begging me too.” Nikolay winks.
We all laugh again, and Cole squeezes my thigh under the table. When I look at him, he seems… happy . His eyes are sparkling, and he has a wide smile on his face. It’s the first time in a long time since I’ve seen him this way. He has been sad ever since we brought him back from that basement, and I’ve hated every second of it. He has nightmares now, too. Not every night, but often enough that I’m worried about him. I’ve recommended my therapist to him, but he’s refused. I need him to get better, though. I’ll definitely be pestering him until he gives in.
It’s then that the little bell by the front door chimes, signaling Matteo’s arrival. Cole tenses beside me, looking away. But not before I see the pain on his face. Nikolay seems to notice it too, because he frowns for the first time. The seat across from us has an empty space for Matteo, and I fear Cole won’t be able to handle seeing him. He schools his features though, but everyone looks at him, anyway.
All the air seems to be sucked out of the room as soon as Matteo comes into view… with a man beside him. A man who looks older than my son by at least five years, and I narrow my eyes. Matteo looks at me and smiles, though, a genuine smile, and I’m forced to relax. Mostly because he hasn’t smiled at me in months.
“Hi, everyone. I need to make space for one more.” Matteo smiles, not daring to look at Cole. I can tell it’s on purpose. Doesn’t even acknowledge him. I look down to see Cole’s hands fisted in his lap.
My brothers all shift their seats and silverware, making space for one more. Matteo just grabs a chair from another table, placing it next to his chair, and they sit down. The man has dirty blond hair and green eyes, and I can’t deny he’s attractive. He has this sophisticated look about him. He’s wearing a black turtleneck shirt with black dress pants and a tan wool coat that reaches past his knees. He looks at Matteo with star-struck eyes. As he should. My son is a catch.
Matteo turns his face and whispers something in the guy’s ear, and the man blushes a crimson shade. Everyone has fallen silent, waiting expectantly for introductions, and I clear my throat. At this, my son looks back at me and grins.
“Everyone, this is Hudson.” He looks at Hudson once more, and the man looks at me. “My husband.”
I choke on my spit, then raise an eyebrow at him. But he just smiles. “Husband?”
Cole clears his throat and asks, “Since when?”
“Since almost two months ago.” He smiles softly at Cole, but there’s a flash of something in his eyes. I can’t tell what it is. But it feels a lot like he’s being vengeful. As if he married this poor fucking man to spite Cole. “Sorry, I didn’t tell you all. It was a quick thing.”
“I can tell,” I say slowly. “Where did you get married?”
“Vegas.” He shrugs, as if that’s the most normal thing to say. Was he fucking drunk when he got married? “Don’t worry, Dad. I had my wits about me.”
“Just how quick was this?” I ask with a frown. “Matteo?”
“We met when I moved out. Got married right before Cole—” He stops himself. “Had that…accident.”
“Before the Christmas party?” Cole asks tightly, and Matteo nods slowly. “Hmmm.” Cole hums, but this time he doesn’t look broken up about it.
“So tell me, Hudson.” I smile. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-two.” Hudson smiles back, placing his hand palm up on the table. Matteo holds it, his wedding band glinting in the low lighting.
I freeze. My son just turned twenty-one about a week ago, not that he spent it with us. Fuck. He didn’t even bring up Hudson in therapy. I should feel offended, and maybe I do, to a certain degree, but I also understand.
“And what do you do?” I ask him. “Do you have a career?”
I mean, of course he does. He’s dressed nicely. He clearly has money, but he just smiles politely, as if he’s been expecting this interrogation.
“I’m a surgeon,” he says, and Matteo looks at him with a soft smile, squeezing his hand. As if he’s encouraging him to speak. “And I teach at NYU.”
“Fancy,” Giovanni supplies, and I nod. “He’s a catch.”
“And tell us, Hudson.” I smile back. “Do you know about the family business ?”
Matteo looks at me, his eyes flashing with defiance. He’s trying to convey something, and I’m catching on quickly that Hudson has no idea about the Cosa Nostra. His eyes beg me to shut the fuck up.
At this, Hudson nods. “I know about the real estate company. It’s hard not to know about it.”
I nod and smile. “Yeah, the biggest one in the city. Matteo should probably come back to work soon.”
At this, Hudson frowns. “I don’t mind taking care of him until he’s ready.”
That tells me he knows something about what happened between us. Though I shouldn’t be surprised, they are married. I just wonder if he knows about Cole. He doesn’t seem to, considering he didn’t even bat an eye when my man got up and left. He seemed completely unperturbed. Clearly ignorant. Oh, yeah. Matteo hasn’t told him about his love life. That much is clear.
“Fair enough.” I sigh. “I just need my assistant back soon.” I wink, and Matteo stiffens. Hudson seems to sense it because he turns his face and presses a kiss to Matteo’s lips. My son relaxes instantly.
“I’ll be back soon, Dad,” Matteo says, looking at me once more. “After my honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon, huh?” I grin. “When is it?”
“Soon,” he replies with a smile. “It will be after your wedding, though.”
“You’re coming?” I frown.
“Of course I’m coming,” he says softly. “I’m Cole’s best man.”
Everyone turns to look at him, and I stiffen. What the fuck? He told Cole he couldn’t do it, and now he wants to?
Cole looks up at Matteo, his eyes wide, but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he reaches over and grabs my hand, squeezing tightly. We make eye contact, and he shakes his head slightly, and I know it means this is the first time he’s heard of it as well.
“You’re best friends, right?” Hudson asks, and Matteo nods. “Since childhood?”
Cole smiles at Hudson, and it seems like a genuine smile. “Yes, since Matty was five years old.”
“You’ll have to tell me all of his embarrassing stories,” Hudson tells Cole, whose smile broadens even more.
“I’d love to,” Cole says, then proceeds to tell Hudson all about him and Matteo growing up together.
And right now, all I can think about is how lucky I am to have all my family here.
Together.
Hopefully forever.