When It Falls Apart (The D'Angelos, #1)(80)

Luca lifted his hands in the air. “We own a restaurant.”

“I like cooking with Papa. Brooke and I made pasta for the first time.” Franny sighed. “It looked like Play-Doh, but it tasted great.”

Brooke lifted another forkful of lobster ravioli to her mouth. “Next time we add orange dye. It will really look like Play-Doh.”

Franny laughed.

Antonia looked at the two of them. “Cute.”

Luca patted Brooke’s thigh. “I should get back.”

“Go. We’re good.”

He glanced at Antonia. “I’ll send someone out with your salad.”

She nodded with a smile.

Just the three of them again, Franny ate with abandon and Brooke slowed down, aware that Antonia watched her every move.

“How is the wine?”

Antonia lifted her glass. “Sergio was always so good to me. I remember when he met his wife.” She sipped her wine, and her eyes landed on Brooke’s neck.

Slowly they drifted to Franny’s. “That’s a lovely necklace, Francesca. Where did you get it?”

“Papa gave it to me.”

She paused, sat back.

Brooke locked eyes with her.

Antonia looked away. “You know, I’m really not feeling very well. I think perhaps I should go lie down.”

Franny looked up from her plate. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine. It’s been a long day.” She edged closer to the end of the booth.

“You don’t have to go,” Brooke said.

Antonia lifted a hand to her temple. “Truly, I have a terrible headache.”

“When will I see you?” Franny asked.

“I’ll speak with your father and arrange a time. Enjoy your dinner.”

Before Brooke could placate her with a “Nice to meet you” or “Let’s do it again soon,” she was gone.

Antonia stopped by the bar on her way out, laughed at something Sergio said, and was out the door.

Brooke blew out a breath, rolled her head from one side to the other.

As round one went, she didn’t think she did too bad.

“Are you going to eat all of yours?”

Franny was finished.

Brooke scooped half of her dish onto Franny’s plate. “Go for it, kid.”

“No one calls me kid.”

“I’m not Italian. I’m going to call you kid.”

Franny nudged her shoulder.

Brooke nudged her back.

The weight of someone’s stare caught her attention.

Brooke looked toward the kitchen, saw Luca watching them. His smile said all she needed to hear.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN


Luca rolled over, pulled Brooke tight against his frame. “Don’t leave.”

“Franny will wake up and see us.”

“She knows you’re my girlfriend.”

Brooke glanced over her shoulder, and her satisfied eyes looked at his. “That doesn’t mean she thinks we’re sleeping in the same bed.”

He brushed her hair aside. “Technically, we’re not sleeping.”

“Luca.”

“No. Please, cara. I want you here. All night. By my side. Tomorrow I will let you sleep alone in your bed.”

Brooke curled into the pillow. The only thing she wore was a smile and the necklace he’d given her.

“You’re hard to say no to.”

He hummed and brought her closer. “I’ll remember that and use it to my advantage.”

Brooke pulled his arm around her and held it tight. “Franny was a real trouper today.”

“So were you.”

“I’m an adult. I can handle it. We need to be on the lookout for behavior changes. Problems in school . . . stuff like that.”

The fact Brooke said we and not you wasn’t lost on him. “And what do we do about it if there are changes?”

“We get her into counseling. It might be a good idea anyway. Having a parent abandon you is one thing, having them come back is another. It’s a lot to process.”

“Do you have any idea how comforting it is to have someone here with me during this?”

“You have your family.”

“I do. But it isn’t the same. There’s a weight that has lifted knowing you care and that you’re here.”

“That’s what relationships are supposed to be, right?”

He kissed the side of her head. “That doesn’t mean it’s ever happened in my life.”

Brooke rolled onto her back, looked up at him with a soft smile. “Me either.”

Luca traced the necklace on her chest and wondered if she knew she was stealing his heart one day at a time. He looked up to find her eyes had drifted closed.

“Goodnight, amore,” he whispered.

She hummed but didn’t respond as sleep took over.



“Escrow is closed.” Brooke waved a copy of the final closing statement with the amount of money that was being deposited into her account within the hour.

She stopped by the office of the restaurant to share her news with Luca and found him there with Mari.

“That’s wonderful, Brooke. We should celebrate,” Mari said.