All I Believe (Firsts and Forever, #10)(92)

I ran my fingertip along the curve of his full lower lip. “You’re a true romantic, Luciano.”

He smiled at me and said, “Only when properly inspired.”



*****



We’d just started to drift off when a loud crash from downstairs startled us awake. The dog was standing at my closed bedroom door, and when I opened it, he dashed out. Luca and I followed, tense and alert. But when we got halfway down the stairs, disco music started playing and we both relaxed.

Nana had brought half the bar home with her, and a party was going on in her formal living room. Two go-go boys dressed in colorful jock straps and tennis shoes were dancing on a table, and Jessie and a couple guys from the wet brief contest were tossing pieces from a broken ceiling fixture into a trash can. “Hi Luca and Nico,” Jessie called over the music. “Sorry we woke you. Turns out you really shouldn’t swing from chandeliers.”

“My bad,” said a red-haired bodybuilder in a skimpy outfit. “I should’ve known better, but man, I’m so stoned.” He flashed a woozy smile. “Those brownies were way too good, I ate a ton.”

I turned to Jessie and asked, “Someone had pot brownies at the club?”

“My friend Dev. He and his bandmates had been baking. And now, well, most of the crowd is baked. Not me, obviously. I was the designated driver. Plus, I don’t really do that. But a lot of our little party indulged.”


“Does that include…ah, never mind.” My question was answered when my grandmother wove over to me and grabbed me in a hug. She wore a pair of tighty whities over her jumpsuit, along with a red satin superhero cape, a mask made by cutting two holes in a long sock, and a police officer’s hat. I could only wonder where she’d gotten the latter.

“Nicky! My sweet grandson. I love you, Nicky. I love Luca, too. He’s so pretty! You two enjoy the party, okay? I need to go make some more brownies, on account of the fact that we ate ‘em all. They were good! Jessie’s friend Dev, that cute little rock and roll star, is going to show me the recipe. He says he brought along the secret ingredient.” She pressed a finger to her lips and said, “Shhhh. It’s a secret! Jessie, let’s film it for my cooking show, but we’ll have to tell our viewers to keep it a secret, too.”

She smiled at me, then climbed up on the couch and kissed my cheek. Luca got a kiss on the cheek, too, but then Nana jumped on him and yelled, “Piggy back ride!” He took off at an exaggerated trot. I was laughing as I followed them into the kitchen.





Chapter Eighteen





Six Weeks Later



In typical Nana style, Luca’s birthday had turned into a lavish celebration. We didn’t quite know how or why she’d hit upon the idea of a circus theme. But, as with most things Nana, we just went with it. “This is astonishing,” Luca said, taking in all the activity as we stepped out into her big backyard.

It was a fairly brisk night in November, but no one seemed to mind the cold. A less than full-size but still quite large red and yellow circus tent provided warmth and a whimsical setting. Kids and dogs ran around, circus performers entertained the crowd, and Jessie’s musician friends played alternative rock as our friends and family danced.

Among the acts were contortionists, acrobats, jugglers, a fire breather, and a sword swallower. There were also clowns. Lots of them. Some waded through the crowd on stilts, and when we ran into my friend Chance and his husband, Finn said, “I’m scarred for life. Giant stilt clowns? Really? That’s the stuff of nightmares.” Chance’s younger brother Colt and his boyfriend Elijah talked some of the clowns into following Finn around, and thought the big, tough cop’s double-takes were completely hilarious.

Nana was dressed like the ringmaster, which seemed appropriate. She wore a top hat, ruffled shirt, red velvet coat, riding pants and tall black boots. Tom Selleck, her big, brown mutt, was at her side, festooned with a huge faux-fur lion’s mane. He seemed to like it and held his head up proudly. Right beside him was Diego Rivera the Chihuahua, wearing a red velvet vest and tiny fez. The dogs had quite the bromance going and had been inseparable from the moment they met.

“Happy birthday, honey bunch,” Nana said, pulling Luca down so she could kiss both his cheeks. “Are you having fun?”

“Of course! This is incredible. Thank you for going to all this trouble,” he said.

She waved her hand at that. “This was no trouble at all!”

“Where’s Ollie?” I asked her.

“My sweetie’s around here somewhere,” Nana said. “He’s been practicing some sort of act with the circus performers, said he wanted to surprise me. He’s a firecracker, I tell you what. That’s true in the bedroom, too. You wouldn’t know it to look at him, but that man is a tiger between the sheets! Rawr!”

“Oh lord,” I whispered.

“I never would have met him without you, Luca, so that’s one of two big thank yous I owe you. The other is for making this one so happy!” She smiled at me affectionately as she patted my cheek.

“I’m glad you’re happy, too, Nana,” I told her.

“Always! It’s the only way to be! Now I gotta go check on the caterers. Have fun boys, and Luca? Have the best birthday ever.”