Chapter 8 Betty Will Track You Down
BETTY WILL TRACK YOU DOWN
LUCIO
“Maybe I should just go back home,” she says as we walk through the front door of Hook & Hustle.
“No, no. My mother wants you here.” I wrap an arm around her back and curl my hand over her hip, stopping her from leaving as she tries to take a step backward. “I want you here,” I admit, shocking her as much as myself.
“Oh.” Delilah blushes and smiles, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear.
“Besides, if you leave now, Betty will track you down.”
“She will?” she whispers as her eyes grow wider.
“She’s been known to do crazier shit.”
She lets out a nervous laugh before glancing around the empty bar. “Where is everyone?”
“We’re closed on Sunday afternoons. It’s Gallo time until eight when we reopen again.”
“It looks so different in the daylight.”
“Not as scary?” I try to make light of the situation. I know the other night she was practically shaking in her shoes when she walked through the front door of Hook & Hustle.
“Definitely not as scary.” She rests her head on my chest like she’s done it a million times before. I have to remind myself she isn’t mine—well, not yet, at least.
Last night, we flirted. I knew she wanted to kiss me more than once, but I was trying to play it cool with her. And that had never been my thing. I’d forced myself to give her space, but it was almost like torture.
I had the worst night’s sleep in my entire life. Every time I heard Delilah walking across the floor or Lulu crying, I wanted to run upstairs to see if they were okay. Somehow, I stopped myself from doing just that because the last thing I wanted to do was scare her away.
Especially after the things she told me about her family. It was awful. They are awful. There hasn’t been one person in her life she could depend on. I didn’t want to be added to the ever-growing list of assholes who’d fucked up her life.
“Lucio,” she says as she turns her face upward, piercing my heart with her baby blue eyes. “I…”
I know shit is about to get heavy, and whatever she is going to say is something I’m not sure I am ready to hear. “We better get upstairs. We’re already late.”
She nods and drops whatever she was about to say. I reluctantly release her from my grip, letting her walk ahead of me up the stairs. I can’t help but stare at her perfectly round ass and the way her hips sway as she slowly walks in front of me.
Delilah’s foot doesn’t even land on the top step when the door flies open. My ma looks down at us with the biggest smile. “Finally,” Ma says, holding out her arms and motioning for the baby. “Let me see that angel.”
Without hesitation, Delilah hands Lulu over to my mother. “Jesus,” Delilah whispers when she gets her first full look at everyone busy setting the table and preparing the food. “This is a small army.”
Sometimes, I forget not everyone has a big family like mine. “You saw almost everyone yesterday, but I never formally introduced you.”
“It was kind of hectic,” she snorts and somehow makes the noise sound adorable.
“That’s Vinnie. He’s the baby.” I tick my head toward my little brother who is standing in the kitchen and the only one not helping with dinner.
“Yo,” he calls out, barely looking up from his cell phone.
“Hey.” Delilah gives him a small wave, but Vinnie is too busy to even notice or wave back.
“He’s an asshole and thinks he’s God’s gift to women,” I tell her because there’s no better way to describe my little brother.
“Must be genetic,” she mumbles and starts to giggle, getting in her small little dig about me.
“I’m God’s gift to everyone,” Vinnie corrects without making eye contact.
Daphne rounds the kitchen counter, walking toward us. I know Delilah was most nervous about seeing her because, let’s face it, my sister can be a complete bitch. “Hey. I’m so sorry about the other night.”
“It’s not a problem,” Delilah says and shakes her head.
Daphne grabs Delilah, pulling her into a giant hug.
“You got to understand. We get a bunch of assholes who wander into the bar all the time asking for shit. You’ll see.
It was nothing against you.” Delilah doesn’t hug her back immediately, but Daphne isn’t letting her go.
My sister is relentless in everything, including her hugs.
“I was in a shit mood, and I wasn’t feeling overly friendly. Please forgive me.”
“It’s okay, Daphne. I do understand,” Delilah says, finally putting her arm around Daphne. Maybe Delilah knows she isn’t getting out of my sister’s grasp without accepting the apology and hugging her back.
“I swear I’ll make it up to you. We’ll have a girls’ night.”
Delilah glances back at me, looking for a rescue, but I have nothing to give. My sister is a pit bull, and I’m not about to get into an argument over a girls’ night out. “We’ll see. I don’t go out anymore. Lulu takes all my time.”
Daphne waves her hand in my direction as she finally releases Delilah. “Lucio can babysit,” she offers without even asking me first.
“I couldn’t ask him to do that.”
“We’re not asking,” Daphne laughs. “He’d be happy to do it.”
“I’ll watch the tiny squirt any time. Everyone needs to blow off a little steam every now and then,” I tell Delilah without even thinking about it because I like seeing her happy.
Plus, she could use a friend, especially someone like my sister.
I haven’t heard Delilah mention one girlfriend she could count on, and there is no one quite like Daphne.
She’d happily kick any guy in the balls without a second thought.
My brothers and I probably did too good of a job preparing her for the onslaught of men we knew would go after her as she grew up.
Delilah turns to face me, holding her chest. “You’d do that?” she stammers.
“Of course.” I’d rather stay in and entertain her, but I keep that shit to myself.
Delilah lunges forward, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Thank you, Lucio,” she whispers, standing on her tiptoes with her mouth so close I could’ve kissed her.
I hug her back, enjoying the way she feels in my arms. Even with her mouth almost touching mine, I don’t kiss her. Daphne is too busy staring at the two of us, and I don’t want our first kiss to be in front of my entire family, especially Daphne.
“Come on.” Daphne grabs Delilah’s hand, pulling her toward the kitchen. “Let me introduce you to everyone.”
“Go,” I tell her when Delilah hesitates, looking to me for permission.
“You’re whipped already, huh?” Angelo, my oldest brother, says as soon as the girls are across the room and out of earshot.
“I think so,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck, unable to take my eyes off Delilah. “I know I don’t want anyone else touching her.”
“Then claim her,” he tells me, like it is the most natural thing in the world.
“Dude, she’s not a prize.”
“The way you’re looking at her, I’d say she is.”
His words render me speechless. I’ve never really looked at someone the way I look at Delilah.
That much is true, but I’ve never really had a girlfriend either.
I am more a play-the-field type of guy. Not because I am a playboy or an asshole, but I saw my father struggle to stay faithful for so long, I was scared I had some of him in me.
“She’s got a kid, man.”
“What’s your point? I’m sure you’ve slept with other mothers.”
I don’t want to tell him I don’t even really know because I’ve never bothered to get to know them well enough to find out. “Yeah, probably.”
Angelo places his hand on my shoulder, doing the big brother crap. “Well, I think your whoring days are numbered, little brother.”
I blow out a long breath, knowing what he said is probably true. “Fuck, this could be bad.”
Angelo laughs, squeezing my shoulder rougher this time. “Might be the best damn thing ever to happen to you.”
“Says the unattached guy,” I mumble.
“I think Pop fucked you up in a way. We’re all scared of commitment because of the way he was when we were kids, but he’s not that man anymore, and neither are we.”
“It’s hard to be a cheater from behind bars,” I remind Angelo.
“He stopped a long time ago. I think he was scared Ma was going to kill him in his sleep if he kept up with his bullshit.”
“He finally wised up, and I have no doubt Betty could’ve offed him.”
“Johnny probably would’ve done it for her,” Angelo says.
“The man has never gotten over her picking Dad instead of him,” I agree as I glance at my mother, who is still holding Lulu.
Angelo steps in front of me, blocking my view to make sure he has my undivided attention. “If you like this chick, make her yours.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
Is it really that simple? Life is already going to be complicated.
With Delilah living above me, working at my bar, nothing is going to be easy.
Our lives are about to become so intertwined I’m not sure if a relationship is the smartest route, but then again, I’ve never been known for making the best decisions.
The one thing I know for sure is I want Delilah. In the short amount of time she’s been in my life, I haven’t thought about anyone or anything else. Nothing seems to matter except for her and Lulu.
I want them safe.
I want them happy.
I want them with me.
“I see the war going on inside that head of yours.” Angelo nudges me as I space out. “Stop thinking and just do it already. If you don’t, I will.”
“You’re a bastard,” I hiss, knowing he’s pushing my buttons and it’s working.
He laughs and slaps my back. “I’m a motivator.”
“A fucker, maybe.”
“Careful or I’ll be a mother fucker.”
I hate him.