All I Believe (Firsts and Forever, #10)(62)
“Sounds like it.”
Chance jumped off the counter as his new husband descended the stairs. Their faces lit up, and they gravitated right into each other’s arms. “Hi hubby,” my friend said with a huge smile. He stretched up and kissed Finn, who looked at him adoringly as he said good morning. The two had come from wildly different backgrounds, but somehow they made the most perfect sense together.
Jessie wandered into the kitchen, his blond hair spiky as a hedgehog, and said, “Aw, you’re so cute together! Why don’t you newlyweds have a seat and let the rest of us cook you breakfast?”
“That’s a peach of an idea,” Nana said, coming into the kitchen. At some point the night before, she’d donned a huge Marie Antoinette wig with a little pirate ship hat. It had been given to her by one of the drag queens who’d shown up with her friend and hairdresser and helped throw together the last-minute ceremony. She was still wearing it, but it was the worse for wear, jutting precariously from the right side of her head, the ship partially sunk in a sea of frothy white curls. I had to wonder how the wig held on at all.
“Come on boys,” she said to Jessie and me, “let’s get cooking.” I was more than happy to get caught up in my grandmother’s whirlwind and forget about my troubles, at least temporarily.
Chapter Thirteen
I was going to flunk out of law school. I decided that on my fourth day of the new semester. What little concentration I’d ever had was totally shot to hell. I’d sit in class and really try to pay attention, but in a matter of minutes, my thoughts would be consumed with Luca. I’d daydream about his green eyes, and the way they sparkled like sea glass when he was happy. I’d remember his touch, the taste of his lips, the warmth of his body when it was pressed to mine, and suddenly I was miles away from the classroom, curled up on a couch in Malta, reliving the best days of my life.
I was still hurt and angry, but as time wore on, those emotions were overshadowed by the fact that I missed him desperately. I still hadn’t responded to his ten-times-a-day text messages, but my resolve was wearing down. The only thing preventing me from answering at that point was that I had no idea what to say to him. I wasn’t ready to forgive and forget, and until I could do so, I didn’t know where that left us.
On an overcast Thursday afternoon, I sat in the commons area in one of the main buildings on the Hastings campus, staring at my phone. Luca’s messages had become more frequent. I’d been hearing from him at least once an hour. They were still the same, asking me to contact him, saying he was sorry.
A new message popped up, and I ran my thumb across the screen to read it. The text said: I can’t stand this. I can’t stand the fact that you’re mad at me and won’t let me apologize. I need to see you. I need to make you understand what you mean to me. That’s why I’m coming to San Francisco. I’m in New York right now waiting for my connecting flight, so I’ll be there in a few hours. Have dinner with me. Hear me out. Please, Nico.
I drew in my breath and sat up, quickly fumbling with my phone. I dialed Luca’s number and he answered on the first ring with, “Nico!”
“You can’t come here,” I blurted.
“I have to. I know you’re still mad, but we need to sit down face to face and talk about this. I can’t live without you, Nico. I just can’t.”
“Luca—”
“I was an * for not telling you the truth from the outset, but don’t you see? I’ve always been so ashamed of my family legacy. How could I tell you I was the son of a monster? I would have eventually, but I wanted you to have a chance to know me first. Me, not Sal Natori’s son, not your enemy. I barely knew my father. I saw him maybe ten times over the course of my life. But I knew what he’d done to your family, and like I said, I was ashamed to be associated with him. That’s what kept me from telling you right away.”
My voice rose as I said, “Luca, you’re not listening. You can’t come here. Your brother will go ballistic. He tracks your financial transactions. Did you know that? He started tracking mine, too, that’s how he found us in Malta.”
“That son of a bitch! I asked him how he found me, but he wouldn’t answer. I thought maybe he’d hacked the GPS on my phone.”
“He made it clear that he and the rest of your family won’t stand for you seeing a Dombruso.”
Luca’s voice got low and dead serious as he asked, “Did he threaten you?”
“It wasn’t so much a threat as a statement of fact. He told me some members of your family would put a bullet in my brain out of spite, just because I’m a Dombruso. I think he’s the biggest threat of all, though. He’s absolutely single-minded in his quest to keep you safe, and he considers my family and me a danger to you.”
“I’m an adult. I’m almost thirty, for God’s sake! He doesn’t get to make these decisions for me!”
“If you used a credit card to buy that plane ticket, then he already knows you’re coming to me and I’m sure he’s going to follow you here.”
“I’m so stupid. I put you and your family in danger. I should have known he was watching my accounts, but I guess I always wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“Can you call your brother and try to reason with him?”