Chapter 10
TEN
amadeo
“Is that what you’re wearing?”
Balt looks down at his tailored trousers and cashmere sweater. He looks like a fashion model.
“It’s all I have until we shop. Is it okay?”
“Well, yeah, you look amazing. Just dressed up. My family is casual.”
He nods, frowning. “My travel clothes are dirty. These will have to do for now.”
“Alright then. I’ll step up my game. I can do better than a graphic t-shirt.”
“Wear what makes you feel comfortable. I’m used to dressing like this.”
I nod, my gaze roaming up and down his body as I think about what we might get up to later after dinner. Balt runs his hand down his charcoal gray sweater.
“I hope you’re not nervous. They’ll give me shit, not you.”
Balt smiles. “I’m not nervous.”
“Good.”
“Are you?”
I shrug. “A little, I guess. Mostly because the last time I saw my brothers it didn’t go so well. They were so high and mighty. It upset my mom a lot to see us not getting along.”
“Hopefully it will go better now that you’re home.”
“I hope so. I’m really not in the mood for drama.” I walk to the dresser and pull out one of my nicer shirts. It’s not a cashmere sweater, but it’ll do. “I’m gonna finish my hair real quick.”
“I’ll be in the living room.”
Balt leaves and I blow out a breath, mentally preparing to face my brothers. We were so close as kids, but as adults it’s been nothing but head-butting. No matter what they say, I have to be prepared to stand up for myself.
When I’m satisfied with my hair, I add a bit of lip gloss then march out to the living room where Balt sits on the couch, staring down at his phone. There’s a deep crease in his forehead and a frown on his lips.
I watch him, unnoticed, as he taps on the phone, then seems to erase it all and huffs before putting the phone between his legs. He glances in my direction, adjusting his posture and offering a slight smile.
“You look great.”
“Thanks.” I walk over to him. “Is everything okay?”
Balt nods and pointedly turns the phone off. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Okay.” I look down at my watch. “We should probably get going. Takes about ten minutes to get to the main house on foot.”
Balt stands, smiling as he approaches me.
Damn, he’s so handsome. We seem to get along too, but we both know this is temporary, and I need to remember that.
This isn’t something that’s gonna stick around, just like all of my relationships, but at least I know it this time. I can keep my heart out of it.
“If you don’t like walking, I can ask to borrow one of the golf carts on the way back.”
“I don’t mind the walk,” Balt says. He hands me my coat from the rack by the door. “I could always use more exercise.”
Chuckling, I nod. “Me too.”
He slides his arms into his wool coat, then offers me his hand. I take it, smiling as we exit the cottage and begin our walk. It’s noticeably colder than when we got here, and the crisp scent of impending snow is in the air.
Balt grips my hand, tilting his head back to gaze up at the cloud covered sky. “Do you think it will snow tonight?”
“I do, yeah. You can smell it.”
“It’s so different here than in the city. You can hear yourself think. No sirens or cars honking. No one yelling, no hustle and bustle. It’s nice.”
“Can you believe I hated it when I was younger?”
“I can believe it. Youth is a different perspective, but once you’re out in the world, that can often change.”
“Amazing the clarity that comes with not achieving anything you planned to.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Deo. Even the best laid plans can go awry. I certainly didn’t expect to be—”
Balt stops speaking abruptly, clearing his throat. I turn my head, watching his emotions flit across his features until he settles on a humble smile. “Let’s just say my choices didn’t go as planned either.”
There’s a little niggle in the back of my brain that desperately wants more information, but it doesn’t really matter. Balt isn’t a permanent feature in my life, so the less I get to know him, the better. Probably.
We continue down the paved walkway to the main house in silence, but Balt never lets my hand go. Very sweet gesture. At least the chemistry between us is real.
The closer we get, the tighter the tension in my stomach grows. “Ugh,” I groan. “I can do this.”
“Of course you can,” Balt says. “Your family is happy you’re here.”
I nod. “Right. They’re happy.” I blow out a loud breath. “I’ve got this.”
“Rely on me if you need to.”
“Thanks.”
Balt nods, winking at me.
Following the circular path, we round the corner, and I see two more cars on the driveway that weren’t here earlier. The brothers have arrived.
“Here we go,” I mumble, twisting the doorknob to open it. The house is warm and fragrant, immediately taking me back to happier times. My mom and nonna can cook like no one’s business, so at least we’re eating good tonight.
“Ah.” Balt closes his eyes as he inhales. “Smells like home.”
“Wait until you taste the sauce. It’s to die for.”
“Looking forward to it,” he says, opening his eyes and gazing at me with warmth.
We remove our coats and hang them on the rack by the door, then kick off our shoes before proceeding through the house to the dining and kitchen area.
My mom and Nonna are behind the island, fussing over platters of food while Brogan sits perched on the edge of it, chewing on a piece of carrot.
My brothers, Brogan’s parents, and my dad are setting the table and pouring water into glasses.
We watch the scene for a moment before I announce our arrival. “Hi, everyone.”
My family stops what they’re doing, then my mom’s face lights up. “You both look so nice.”
“Forgive me,” Balt says. “I don’t have a lot of casual clothing.”
“You never have to be sorry for looking nice,” my nonna says.
“Can we help with anything?” I ask.
“No,” my mom says, still smiling. “Just find a place to sit.”
Nonna picks up a platter of meatballs, but Balt immediately steps forward to take it from her. “Please, allow me.”
Nonna lets him take the platter, one eyebrow raised as she turns to me. “Finally. A gentleman.”
I laugh softly. “Yes, he is.”
My mom is already pushing past me with a huge bowl of spaghetti while Brogan hops off the counter and grabs the basket of bread. Even though Mom said she didn’t need help, I grab the platter with the caprese on it anyway and bring it to the table.
My brothers glance up, and I brace myself for a snarky comment, but instead Nantes grins, holding his arms out as he walks over to me. I set the plate down just before he pulls me into his arms and gives me a huge bear hug.
“Hey, little brother.”
“Hey, Nantes.”
“Welcome home,” Guiliano says, patting my back. “Good to see you.”
I’m sure I look confused, but okay, I can work with civility. “This is Balt. Balt, my brothers, Nantes and Guiliano.”
Balt shakes both their hands. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“You too, man,” Nantes says. “We’ve never met anyone Deo was dating. Is this serious?”
I open my mouth to object, but Balt beats me to it. “We can always hope it is.” He smiles at me and gives me another wink that makes my knees a little weak.
We take our seats next to each other. Brogan sits across from me while Nantes and Giuliano sit next to them. My aunt and uncle sit on the other side of Brogan, followed by my nonna next to Balt and my mom and dad on either end of the table.
I’m preparing for the inevitable discussion about me, but for now I focus on loading my plate up. Balt picks up the caprese but holds it for me to add some to my plate before passing it to my nonna. He has manners for days. At least there’s nothing to criticize about Balt’s behavior.
After we eat for a few minutes, my mom starts in. “So how did you two meet?”
“Bookstore,” Balt says before I have a chance to answer. “The sci-fi section.”
“Figures,” Brogan says teasingly. “You’re such a book nerd, Deo.”
“So you agree I am a nerd?” Balt says, his tone light and amused.
Brogan cackles. “Nice. I guess you are.”
“Did we miss something?” Nantes asks.
“I met Balt earlier,” Brogan explains. “I always figured Deo would end up with a nerdy guy, and I guess he did. A nerdy guy who looks like a supermodel. Well played, cuz.”
Balt chuckles, twirling his fork in his pasta.
“How long have you been dating?” Guiliano asks.
“Four months,” I say. “We hit it off quickly.”
Balt turns his gaze to me. “I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him, so I had to talk to him.”
I smile, even as I feel my cheeks heating. “I know it seems fast, but it works for us.”
Nonna waves her hand dismissively. “I met your grandfather and married him six weeks later. Almost sixty years together, rest his soul.”
“Things were different a thousand years ago, Nonna,” Nantes says lightly. “There was nothing else to do but get married.”
Nonna chuckles. “Well, that’s true, but still, we were happy. We just knew.”
“Sometimes it works out that way,” my aunt Sofie says. “We only dated a few months before we were engaged, right, Salvo?”
My uncle nods, scooping up sauce with a piece of bread. “Yeah. Seven months, I think.”
“All that matters is that you think it’s right,” my mom says, smiling. “It’s obvious you two are compatible.”
I glance at Balt and he smiles.
“The sauce is amazing, by the way,” Balt says. “It’s been ages since I’ve had proper sauce.”
“Your mom doesn’t cook?” Nonna asks.
“My mom is deceased,” Balt says. “My father too. It was a house fire.”
“Oh my dear,” Nonna says, squeezing his hand. “You poor thing. Were you home when it happened?”
Balt shakes his head. “It wasn’t recent. Seven years ago.”
Everyone is silent for a moment until my dad speaks up. “We’re sorry for your losses.”
“Thank you,” Balt says. “I’d rather not discuss it further, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it is.” Nonna pats his hand again. “I’m happy you like the sauce. It’s my mother’s recipe and her mother’s before that. Every generation we add a little something to make it our own.”
Balt nods, chewing thoughtfully on a meatball. “Is there balsamic in here?”
Nonna’s face lights up. “A cultivated palate. There is. That’s my addition. I think it adds a nice depth.”
“It’s delicious.”
I smile as I dive back into my pasta. Balt is smooth.
“You’re staying around, huh?” Nantes asks me.
“I am. I’m home for good.”
Here we go. Time for all the critical comments.
“That’s cool,” Nantes says. “I know you’ve been missed around here.”
His comment confuses me, so I just keep eating after mumbling, “thanks.”
“Bet Dad and Zio are happy,” Guiliano adds. “Now they can relax about what to do.”
Uncle Salvo nods, leaning his elbows on the table. “It’s good timing, Deo.” I notice how he glances at Brogan and my aunt. “I’ve got a little health problem going on, so I need to back off from working so much.”
“What kind of health problem?” I ask.
“Cancer.”
My chest tightens. “Zio, no.”
He nods and I glance at Brogan, who wipes their eyes.
“It’s okay. We caught it early so my prognosis is good.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“We didn’t want you to worry,” Sofie says. “Besides, we’ve only known a couple of weeks.”
“We wanted you to come back because you wanted to,” my dad says, “not because you felt guilty or pressured to do it. It’s a lot of work. You have to want to do it.”
I nod, exhaling slowly. “You’re sure you’re okay, Zio?”
He smiles. “So far so good. We started treatment right away and I’m responding well, but I need to rest a lot more.”
When Brogan meets my gaze, they smile even though it’s tinged with sadness. I’m really surprised they didn’t tell me, but I’m guessing that directive came from the family.
“I’m glad to be here now.” The words are true. “It took me a long time, but I had to figure things out on my own. I came back because I was ready to.”
“We can get started in a few days,” Dad says. “There’s lots to learn.”
“How long are you staying with us, Balt?” Sofie asks.
“I’m not sure yet, but a while. I took a sabbatical.”
“What do you do for work?” Dad asks.
“I’m an accountant.”
“Ooh, you are a nerd.” Brogan grins.
Balt chuckles. “I’m good with numbers.”
“That’s an asset,” Zio says.
“Work too hectic?” Guiliano asks.
Balt nods. “I have a difficult long-term client and I needed a break. When Deo said he was coming home, I asked if I could come along for a change of pace. I’m happy to help any way I can too.”
I notice the shared glances between my dad and uncle, my mom, Sofie, and Nonna.
“Maybe we’ll take you up on that,” Dad says. “We could use some financial advice.”
I’m pretty sure I’m beaming now. Not only is Balt fitting in and convincing my family our thing is real, but they must be getting a good vibe if they’re even considering letting him look at the books.
“Enough work talk,” Nonna says. “Mangia. We have tiramisu for dessert.”
“My favorite,” Balt says.
“Wait till you taste my mom’s,” Nantes says. “It’s phenomenal.”
Mom smiles. “I make it with chocolate milk instead of coffee.”
“Sounds delightful.” Balt glances at me, smiling. “Thank you again for having me.”
I nod as my mind fills with all the dirty things I want to do with this man later.
“I’m glad you came.”
Balt puts his hand over mine, gently squeezing. “So am I.”