Chapter 17 #3
“It’s going to be hard. I knew that when we made this thing between us real.
I’m going to have to juggle my business and you.
I hope that in a few months, I can come with you to jobs.
And I hope you’ll take more, when you can, around this area.
I want this so badly to work, because I .
. .” You can do this, Will. It’s just three words.
Admittedly, three words you’ve never said to anyone else before, but this is Enzo.
“I love you. If I loved you less . . .maybe I’d be willing to play around more.
To keep up this insane charade. But I don’t think I am.
This matters too much to me. You matter too much to me. ”
Enzo’s face softened, his dark eyes glowing. He leaned in, and his forehead touched Will’s. “And here,” he said in a wondrous voice, “I was worried you wouldn’t be able to convince anyone.”
“It’s easy because it’s not an act,” Will said.
“I know,” Enzo said and kissed him. Sweet and firm, like they had all the time in the world. And maybe, now, they did. After a moment, he pulled back. “I love you, too. Of course. I wouldn’t do any of this for anything less.”
Will had suspected it, but it was even more amazing than he’d imagined to hear Enzo say it. Wrapping his arms around his waist, he pulled Enzo in close, resting his cheek against his bare skin. Feeling the beat of his heart. The heart that belonged to him now. That he’d fight any battle to keep.
Including coming clean with both his parents and Enzo’s mom.
And no two ways around it, it was going to be a battle, but he’d do it, he’d face them, because he had Enzo by his side.
“So we’re decided then?” Will asked softly.
“Yes,” Enzo murmured. “Telling the truth is almost crazier than continuing the lie, but yes. You’re right.
I don’t want to get married only because I told your parents we were engaged, same as I didn’t want to date you just because you’d told my mom that we were.
I want to do it for real. I want to do everything for real. ”
“You keep saying stuff like that and I’m gonna . . .” Will trailed off, eyeing Enzo again. All those tanned slender limbs. The hint of muscle that turned him merely attractive to a work of freaking art.
“You just came,” Enzo squawked in outrage. “I know, I was there. But you know, it’s a good sign that even at twenty-nine, you’ve got a decent recovery window. Maybe that means in fifteen years you’re still gonna—”
Before Enzo could finish that sentence, it was Will’s turn to smack him in the chest. Enzo laughed. “Okay, fine, fine. I guess we need to talk about how we’re going to be honest.”
“We should do it together. My parents. Your mother. Oliver. Luca. Rocco, even, if he’s not running around like a chicken with its head chopped off.”
Enzo shot him a doubtful look. “Are you serious? You want to tell everyone, together? You know what that means.”
Will knew. But he was also counting on the fact they were together and actually pretty goddamn happy about it to smooth over any hurt feelings or disappointment that they wouldn’t be heading down the aisle any time soon.
And if his parents met Giana, well . . .that was inevitable, anyway. Maybe it was better to do it on their terms.
“Your mom is gonna freak out.”
Enzo stood and started pacing again.
“And your parents won’t?” he questioned. “We just told them yesterday that we were engaged. We’re going to have to tell them why.”
Will winced. Yes, he was. And no, he was not looking forward to that conversation. Sure, the fact they were together now might placate all three of them, but the fact they’d felt the need to lie in the first place? Both times? That was going to be a much tougher part of the conversation.
“Yeah,” Will agreed. “We both will.”
Enzo flopped down on the bed, groaning. And not in the fun kind of way. “I know it’s the right thing to do, but it’s gonna suck.”
“Yeah, but in the end?” Will reached out and smoothed a curl back from his forehead. “I can’t be angry at myself that we’re in this spot, because we wouldn’t have gotten here, if we hadn’t been very stupid in the first place.”
“And desperate,” Enzo added hopefully. “We were stupid and desperate.”
Will laughed. “I’m not sure how that helps.”
“It doesn’t. Thought it might, but no.” Enzo sat up. “We need to formulate a plan. And to do that, I need pizza. After I call Leonardo’s, I’m gonna text Luca and tell him again that he needs to open a late night pizza place.”
“You want your cousin to start another business?”
“Well, he didn’t get to open his gelateria,” Enzo joked. “Because someone else opened up an ice cream parlor.”
“Too bad for him,” Will said, with mock seriousness.
“But not for me. Turns out that guy’s hot and sweet and I’m absolutely wild about him,” Enzo said. Pressed a kiss to the corner of Will’s mouth and slid off the bed.
He approached his phone like it was a poisonous snake about to strike.
“Well?” Will asked after a moment. “Did she text you?”
Enzo glanced over at him, making a face.
“She called twice and sent several text messages. Most of which consist of I can’t believe you didn’t tell me and Please let me plan the wedding and I bet Will’s parents are so sweet, just like him.
And a lot of exclamation points. A lot of exclamation points. ”
“She does love her exclamation points.”
“Don’t say because she’s a Moretti,” Enzo said grumpily. “I’ll admit we can be overdramatic but I know how to practice restrained punctuation usage.”
Will laughed; couldn’t keep the sound in. “Actually, I was gonna say it’s just a Giana thing. Can you imagine Luca using too many exclamation points?”
“No,” Enzo said morosely. “Never. Not even in relation to Oliver.”
“There you go. When it comes to punctuation, you’re the best of the Morettis,” Will teased.
Enzo shot him a look that promised retribution for that remark later—the fun kind of retribution, too. But instead of replying, he dialed Leonardo’s and put in an order for two large pizzas. One a pepperoni and pineapple. The other a supreme with everything on it.
“Don’t tell me you, a good Italian boy, like pineapple on your pizza,” Will said after he hung up, Enzo still bent over his phone as he no doubt did as he’d promised and texted Luca about opening a pizza place of his own.
Enzo glanced up. “Guilty as charged. But actually it’s a Moretti thing. Most of us like it, actually. We just won’t publicly admit to it.”
“See?” Will stood and wrapped his arms around Enzo, pressing a kiss against his cheek. “You are a good Moretti.”
“Pineapple and all,” Enzo said, but he was smiling, no trace of that shadow lingering in his eyes. “Pizza will be here in thirty.” He waggled his eyebrows, gaze falling on the towel still wrapped around Will’s waist. “What should we do until then?”
“I’m gonna get dressed,” Will said, with mock sternness. “And you should too.”
“Ugh, no fun.”
“You love me,” Will said. Then flushed, because Enzo did.
“Yeah.” Enzo leaned over and kissed him once, firmly. “I sure do.”
Thirty minutes later, they were both clothed and on the couch, munching on Leonardo’s mediocre pizza. “Maybe Luca could just buy him out,” Enzo said.
They had done a lot of chatting since hitting the couch, but almost none of it had been about what they were going to do tomorrow. Will knew they needed to, but it felt so good to just sit here like this, talking about nothing important at all.
He could imagine them doing this in six months and in six years, and he wanted it so strongly his heart ached with the desire.
“And what? Change everything?” Will snagged another piece and took a big bite. “It’s not bad. It’s just not good, either.”
Enzo leaned over, head drooping down onto Will’s shoulder, snuggling him into him in what felt like a perfect fit. “I have it on good authority,” he said in a hushed whisper, “that they use frozen pizza dough.”
“I’m surprised Luca hasn’t marched in there already and demanded changes, ownership or no,” Will joked.
“Oh, he’s thought about it. You know exactly what’s stopped him.”
“Probably who,” Will said. “Oliver.”
Enzo nodded. “His better half.”
Will thought about this as he finished his pizza. “You ever think we’ll end up like them? Like Luca and Oliver?”
“Married and still wildly in love, running three businesses like they never want to do anything else?” Enzo’s voice was drowsy. “Yeah, I hope so. Which is why . . .I hate to say it, but I think you were right. There’s nothing else to do but come clean. With my mom. With your parents.”
“I thought we already decided that?”
Enzo nodded and glanced up at Will. His dark eyes were as serious as Will had ever seen them. “Not just that. Not just a partial truth but the whole truth.”
It was what Will had been rolling around in his head, too, and he’d come to the same conclusion as Enzo.
“It’s going to really suck,” Will said. “But I think you’re right.”
“And, I do think it should be just my mom and your parents. Not Luca, not Oliver, definitely not Rocco.”
“What did Rocco ever do to you?” Will asked, giving him a playful nudge.
“Was very snotty when I asked him to not tell everyone yesterday,” Enzo complained. “He basically knows, anyway. And Luca and Oliver must, too, but I think we should still tell them. Just not with our parents.”
“Agreed.”
Enzo pulled his phone out of his pocket. “No time like the present,” he said and dialed, setting it on his knee as he hit speaker phone.
Luca answered in a clipped voice. “I’m busy,” he said in lieu of a greeting.
“We got something to tell you,” Enzo said.
“I meant it. I’m on the line, at the restaurant, and I’ve got half a dozen tickets. What is it?”
Will realized that Luca was that busy and yet had still answered Enzo’s phone call. He hoped Enzo realized how meaningful that was.
“Will and I are dating,” Enzo said.
“Yes, and?” Luca still sounded impatient.
“Remember how you told me something seemed off?”
“How could I forget?” Luca asked wryly.
“You weren’t wrong. It was a scheme. Sort of. Kinda. But it’s not now. It’s hundred percent not fake. We’re together. We’re in love.”
“I know,” Luca said.
“But I—”
“I know what you said,” Luca interrupted. “But that doesn’t mean I actually believed you. You went on a few dates, pretending to get Giana to quit matchmaking. And I guess it worked—or it didn’t?”
“It worked,” Enzo said, chuckling. “A little too well. You’ll tell Oliver? And that we’re sorry we lied to both of you?”
“Enzo. The only person you were really lying to was yourself,” Luca’s voice went from impatient to empathetic in a second.
Will watched as Enzo heard it, the look on his face as he absorbed the change.
He realized then that maybe Enzo hadn’t completely comprehended how much Luca cared about him before, but he was beginning to realize now.
“I was lying to myself, too,” Will added in. “A lot.”
Luca chuckled under his breath. “Yeah. I know. But it’s alright. You got there in the end. So you’re coming clean, then? Both of you? ’Cause I have to say I heard an even crazier rumor that you two were already getting married.”
“We’re not. Well, not now. Not yet.” Enzo paused. “And yes, we’re telling the truth. Tomorrow morning. If you see a crater in the middle of Main Street, you’ll know why.”
“Nah,” Luca said. “Giana’s gonna be upset, sure, especially when you tell her why, but I think she’ll ultimately understand. And be happy, of course, because she gets to say I told you so.”
“Thanks for that,” Enzo retorted.
“Hey, I’m just the messenger. Now I gotta get back to cooking. But you don’t have to worry about us. Let’s have dinner next week, all four of us, alright? We’ll go to Charleston. Make a real evening of it. Celebrate your sort-of-new relationship.”
“Sounds good,” Enzo said and then in a quieter voice added, “Thanks, Luca.”
“Anytime,” Luca said, and Will could tell he meant it.
Enzo hung up and Will could tell he knew Luca meant it, too.
Will didn’t say anything. Let Enzo think for a minute.
“I . . .I hated him when he came here, you know?” Enzo sounded like he’d never regretted anything in his life more.
“I bet you did.”
“Really? Saint Luca?” Enzo’s tone was wry.
“He isn’t a saint, and I bet he wasn’t a saint back then, either.
But yeah, I can imagine how it felt when he showed up here, and even though your mom had asked him to come and help you guys, I bet it sucked when he told you everything you had to change.
Everything you were doing wrong. And you didn’t even want to be here. ”
“I didn’t,” Enzo said. “And you know how he paid back all my bullshit? He intervened. He stood up for what I wanted, with my mom. He saw my dreams, when I’d given up on them.
I wouldn’t have anything I have now, if it wasn’t for him.
” Enzo was quiet for another moment. “I don’t know if he even understands that. ”
“He does,” Will said firmly. He pressed a kiss to Enzo’s shoulder. “I promise you, he does.”
Enzo sighed. “I shouldn’t have lied to him.”
“You heard him. You lied to yourself, not him.” Will nudged him. “After all, you couldn’t have known you couldn’t ultimately resist this stud muffin.”
Enzo laughed, and Will knew he wanted to make Enzo sound exactly like that for the rest of his life. Was it still too early to say so? Absolutely—which was why they were gonna have to come clean tomorrow morning.
“I have one piece of good news for you,” Enzo said.
“What’s that?”
“Tomorrow night,” Enzo said, leaning in and brushing a kiss across his lips, “it’ll be over and they’ll know everything and we’ll still have each other.”