Chapter 6
SIX
amadeo
As expected, the front door to my family home is unlocked, so after twisting the knob, I step inside, gesturing for Balt to follow me.
I pull my phone from my pocket and text my mother, telling her to come to the front door for a package. I hear her long before I see her, yelling at my dad that “Deo sent me something.” When she turns the corner and sees me, she stops in her tracks.
“Hi, Mom.”
Her face crumples into tears as she opens her arms and walks toward me. I step into her embrace, inhaling her signature magnolia scent. “My baby.”
She squeezes me so tight I can barely breathe. “Mom.”
She steps back, resting her hands on my shoulders. “What a surprise. What are you doing here? How long are you visiting?”
This is it. “I was thinking about staying. I’m home for good.”
Her jaw drops. “What? Home?”
“If that’s okay.”
“Larry!” she yells, glancing over her shoulder. “Larry, get in here!”
My dad comes jogging around the corner in a panic, screeching to a stop when he sees me. “Deo.”
“Hi, Pop.”
“Son.” He walks over and offers me a brief hug. “What a surprise.”
“He’s home, Larry,” my mom says. “For good.”
My dad’s face goes blank for a second, and I brace myself for the interrogation I totally deserve, but as his brow creases and he glances past me at Balt, that’s not what happens. “You’re home?”
“To help with the business, if you still want me to.”
The hug is bigger now as he pulls me close, rubbing my back. “Welcome back, kiddo. Who’s this?”
I’m so relieved—at least until the shock wears off. I turn, smiling, and hold my hand out to Balt. He takes it, smiling in a way that makes my knees a little weak.
“This is my boyfriend. Balt Cassiano.”
“Pleasure to meet you both,” Balt says, offering his hand.
My dad nods, shaking Balt’s hand. “Italian?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Larry Benedetti. My wife, Janice.”
“Welcome to our home,” my mom says, giving me an approving wink. “Are you staying with us too?”
“For a while,” I say. “If that’s okay.”
“Of course it is,” Mom says. “The more, the merrier.”
“Thanks, Mom. Is the guest suite available?”
She scrunches her nose, glancing at my dad.
“No,” Dad says. “We stopped using it for that about a year ago. It’s just storage now.”
“Oh. Um, where can we stay then?”
“I can get a hotel room if that’s easier,” Balt offers.
“Not necessary,” Dad says. “We still have the space. You can stay in your house.”
My chest tightens. “You…you still have it?”
“Of course we do,” Mom says. “It’s gonna need a bit of cleaning, but my boys will always have a home here. Brogan is here too. Moved in officially after finishing their degree in May.”
“That’s awesome.”
“We have the golf cart,” Dad says. “We can drive you over there. You must be tired from traveling.”
“We had a rough time. Our flight was canceled last night, but we got on an early one today.”
“I saw the weather,” Mom says. “Glad you made it out.”
“Me too.” I turn to look at Balt, who smiles sweetly at me. “I had great company though.”
Mom squeezes my shoulder. “You’ll have to tell us everything at dinner.”
I nod, aware that they’ll want to know every detail about my relationship, especially considering I’ve never brought anyone to meet them before.
“Where’s Nonna?”
“Out shopping with Brogan,” Mom says. “She’s got her weekly hair appointment today and she decided to go find some new shoes too. She should be back around two. Go get settled in. We can go grocery shopping tomorrow to stock up.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I lean in and kiss her cheek. “I’m glad to be here.”
“I am too.”
My dad looks at our luggage, then at Balt. “It’ll be too tight for the cart. I’ll pull the truck around.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
He nods, heading to the back door through the kitchen. I’m so curious about what Balt might be thinking right now, but we’ll be alone soon enough.
My mom’s eyes are trained on the handsome man, her face barely hiding the numerous questions no doubt floating around her head. I get my inquisitive streak from her. My dad won’t ask anything since he knows Mom will cover it all.
“Are you hungry?” Mom asks.
“Not yet. We had a pretty good breakfast on the plane.”
“Breakfast?”
“We were put in first class,” Balt says. “The only seats available.”
“Ooh, how fancy. Well, let me pack a few snacks for you in case you need them before we shop tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
She gently pinches my cheek. “My boy is home.” Then she’s off to the kitchen.
I turn to Balt, smiling. “That wasn’t so bad. Not yet.”
“It didn’t look bad. They seem truly happy to see you.”
“I think they are.” I drag my hands down the front of his coat. “But the questioning isn’t over yet, and you haven’t met my nonna. She’ll have plenty to say.”
“I can handle it.”
My dad honks the horn of the truck just as my mom hurries over to me with a bag of goodies.
“I’ll see you soon, Mom.”
“I’ll let you know when Nonna’s home.”
“Perfect.”
Balt and I walk outside, bracing for the frigid wind again. My dad pops the tail of the truck bed and Balt lifts our luggage in, then the three of us cram ourselves into the cab of the old work truck. I have no idea how he keeps this thing running, but I think it’s been around as long as I have.
My dad glances at me more than once as he drives down the stone path leading to the house I haven’t seen the inside of in years. It always felt a little wrong for me to claim it when I had no intention of living there. Funny how things change.
Dad stops in front of the small building.
It’s more like a cottage than a house, and I’m hit with a wave of guilt that I wasn’t more grateful for it.
I wanted a posh urban apartment in the city, far away from the open fields and small-town existence I grew up with.
How many people my age would kill to be gifted a house?
Balt glances out the windshield at the small house. I hope he’s not disappointed he came here. He probably has a very nice place, based on how he carries himself.
My dad hops out of the truck, but I notice him limping slightly on his left leg as he walks to the back.
“You okay, Dad?”
“Yep.”
“You’re limping.”
“Oh, that. Nothing big.”
“Okay.”
I’ll have to ask my mom about the real situation.
Dad sets our things down with Balt’s help, then walks over and opens the front door. As expected, it’s dusty, but the furniture is covered in sheets, which will help.
“Call us if you need anything, but there should be towels and basics.”
“Thanks, Dad. See you at dinner?”
“You will.” He claps my shoulder. “I’m glad you’re back.”
I nod, fighting back my emotions. “Me too.”
He leaves us and Balt pulls a sheet off the couch, waving his hand as dust flies up.
“Sorry. We’ll have to clean a little.”
“It’s totally fine. I’m grateful. In fact, this is perfect.”
“Perfect?”
“Peaceful, tucked away. This will do just fine.”
“Cool. I’m glad you like it.” I glance around the quiet room. “We could unpack a little.”
“Sounds good.”
I start to walk down the hallway, then pause. “Um, there’s only one bedroom.”
“I expected as much. Besides, what kind of couple would we be if we slept in separate rooms?”
“Right. Good point. I can’t promise you a ton of privacy from my family, but the outside world won’t get to us. You have to seek it out if you want it.”
“Perfect. I can handle a friendly family.”
I nod, tugging my suitcase along with me. Now that I’m home, it feels right, like I made the right decision. I hope bringing a man I just met to pretend he’s my boyfriend falls into the right decision category too, but only time will tell.