Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
NICOLO
It’s a little funny that Nicolo Ritland is married to Sebastian Ritland—his not brother. Nicolo Ritland doesn’t have a brother, even if Sebastian is my actual brother.
I don’t have any family, according to the paperwork I quickly flipped through while Sebastian packed. My mother died in childbirth. My father is unknown. I grew up as a ward of the state—because no other family stepped forward to care for me—before aging out of the system when I turned eighteen a little over six months ago.
Simon, after what feels like hours of driving, pulls into the driveway of a nondescript single-story home, tucked between two houses built in the same style. It’s dark; I can’t make out more than a few details as we get out of the SUV and grab our bags.
At the door, Simon hands Sebastian a plain white envelope and tips a set of keys into his palm. I dig in my pocket, pulling out my own plain white envelope.
I hold the letter out to Simon. “Can you give this to Mom?”
This is my last chance because hopefully, if nothing goes wrong, we’ll never see Simon or Burke again. Of course, we’ll have to update them from time to time—when we move, or get a new job, or do anything that alters our social or economic standing. If we do none of that, we’ll still have to call them once a year just to check in, let them know that everything is fine, but otherwise we won’t know what they’re doing and they won’t know what we’re doing.
Probably for the best considering everything Sebastian and I have been doing.
“I’ll make sure,” Simon says as he tucks the letter into his jacket pocket.
I’m not sure if replies are allowed but I don’t think Mom will write back either way. She said everything she needed to say before I left because it was probably her biggest hope to never see me again. Not because she doesn’t love me and miss me and wish she could have a relationship with me, but because seeing me would mean I came back to the Family of my own free will.
“Thank you.” I turn to Sebastian as he opens the door to our new home. “Do you want to carry me across the threshold, husband?”
He snorts, snatches me off my feet, and tosses me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I yelp and slap at his back—this is not what I meant—as he carries me into the house. Just off the entrance way, he opens a door, drops me to my feet and shoves me backwards. I stumble into a dark, empty closet.
“Welcome home, honey.” Sebastian swings the door shut with a laugh.
“I’ll behave!” I slap the wood. “Let me out.”
“Married less than twenty-four hours and already a domestic abuse incident,” Burke says as he opens the closet door. I glare at him and Sebastian. I can tell they’re trying not to laugh.
Simon hits the light switch beside the door. “What do you think?”
I glance around. It’s a nice place, with an open floorplan. From my spot by the front door, I can see straight into the kitchen. It’s also bigger than Sebastian’s former home. Right now, it’s empty too, and will be until Sebastian’s furniture arrives—hopefully tomorrow.
“Not bad,” Sebastian says, rocking back on his heels. “Not sure how I feel about all the windows.”
Burke rolls his eyes and claps Sebastian on the shoulder. “Beggars can’t be choosers.”
I like the windows. The natural light will be good in the summer. Maybe I can grow a tomato plant or something. Throw a couple potted herbs on the windowsill. Sebastian might be able to feed himself, but I wouldn’t call him a good cook by any stretch.
“We figured one night on the floor won’t hurt you. Better than trying to rearrange furniture when yours arrives,” Simon tells us as he walks deeper into the house. We follow behind him.
It’s not as big as the home I grew up in, but that’s to be expected. We’re not the children of Anthony Rastelli anymore, bankrolled by ill-gotten goods. Just two normal dudes, leading normal, crime-free lives.
“How many bedrooms?” I ask.
“Two bedrooms, one and a half baths.” He sounds like he’s reading a real estate listing.
I bite my bottom lip and glance at Sebastian. “Can . . . Is it okay if we still share a room?”
We’re going to be alone now, putting the pieces of our new lives together. Is Sebastian going to try to act like my brother in private and my husband in public instead of just accepting me as his, in every way—inside and outside of our bedroom?
“Most married couples do,” Burke remarks.
Sebastian turns a sharp glare on the older man. “Will anyone miss you if you disappear?”
“Simon.”
“Unlikely,” Simon deadpans. I chuckle as Burke looks at Simon in disbelief. Maybe we’re not the only newly married couple trying to figure shit out around here. From what I gathered just listening to the two of them talk, this is the first time they’ve worked together. “Get settled in. I’ll call you in a few weeks to see how everything’s going.”
“Thanks, Simon. Burke.” He offers his hand to each of them in turn and they shake. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope I never see either of you ever again.”
“The feeling is mutual. Take care of yourself. And take care of him.” Simon tips his chin at me before Sebastian leads them to the door.
Like him, I hope I never see them again, but it was nice getting to know them.
“Lock the door,” Burke says.
Sebastian shuts the door in his face, but turns the lock.
I laugh under my breath. That’s one way to send them off, I suppose.
“Well . . .” Sebastian leans back against the door.
I bite my bottom lip.
This is it. The start of our new life together.
I can honestly say I didn’t expect us to start it out married but . . . I’m not mad.
“Do you think they made up a meet cute? Or are we supposed to figure it out ourselves?”
Did I take his last name or did he take mine? How long have we been married? What day did they pick for our wedding anniversary? Do we need to buy actual wedding rings, or do we get matching tattoos around our ring fingers?
“Our backstories will be pretty bare bones. From the looks of my birth certificate, I’m an orphan—unknown mother and father—so I probably grew up in a state home, shuffled from one place to another. I assume yours is pretty similar?”
I nod. “Mother died in childbirth. Unknown father. No known family.”
He pushes away from the door. “From here on out, you stick as close to the truth as much as you can without blowing our cover, and outright lie when you can’t. Keep it simple. Keep it easy to remember. Most of all, keep it normal.”
“There’s nothing normal about this.” I’m married to my brother, and not just on paper like Simon and Burke think.
“Life has never been normal for us, but no one has ever suspected that, Nicolo. This is just more of that without the fear of dying or being the reason someone died.”
I blow out a breath. “Should we look through our paperwork? See what the framework of this life we’re supposed to be building together looks like?”