Rooted (Pagano Family #3)(65)

Unable to find Carmen, he was starting to feel an irrational panic that she’d left him trapped in a web of Paganos.

As he went through the kitchen on his third pass through the rooms of the main floor, he met Carlo, who was getting a beer out of the fridge. Theo caught himself staring at the bottle, watching condensation bead up in a delicious fog on the glass.

“I think she’s upstairs with Sabina. Helping Trey do his tree.”

Theo forced his eyes up to Carlo’s. “Hmm?”

“Carmen. You look lost. I think she’s in Trey’s room. Go on up.” He lifted his bottle. “And help yourself.”

“Thanks. I’ll just go up and see if I can find her.”

Carlo gave him a look, then nodded and headed back to the dining room.

Theo went up the stairs. He heard Carmen’s voice as he topped the landing and went to the open door in the middle of the hallway. There he saw her with Sabina and Trey. They were adding red and blue ornaments to a four-foot-high, white artificial tree. Red and blue miniature lights already glowed against the sparkling white branches, and a small baseball cap topped the tree. A Boston Red Sox tree. Theo smiled.

“Hey. Thought I lost you.”

Trey, dangling a little red glass sock from his finger, turned and grinned happily up at Theo. “Mr. Theo! Look I have my own tree. For the Boston Red Sox the best baseball team in the world!”

Sabina smiled up at him, too. “This year’s obsession. His father hopes this one lasts.”

“That’s a great tree, kiddo. I’m a Rockies fan, myself, but I like your spirit.”

“Daddy says that when you pick a baseball team you pick it for life.”

The Colorado Rockies hadn’t existed when Theo was a kid. But otherwise, he agreed. “I’d say that’s pretty true, yeah.”

Trey got somber. “Yeah. I’m sorry that you picked the wrong team. Now you can’t change to the Boston Red Sox even though they’re the best team in the world.”

The kid was already learning how to talk smack. Theo laughed. “Yep. Good spirit, kid.”

Carmen was sitting on the floor. When she started to rise, she faltered a little, and Theo jumped in and helped her up.

“God,” she grumbled. “I can’t be turning into a Weeble already.”

He kissed her cheek and moved his lips to her ear to whisper, “You’re beautiful. I can’t wait to see your belly get big and round and full of our baby.”

She turned and looked into his eyes. “Come with me.” Then she led him out of the room and down the hall, opening a door at the end and pulling him into a dark room. She closed the door and turned on the light.

They were in a boys’ shared room—blue, crème, and brown, two twin beds, two dressers, two desks, two bulletin boards. It clearly did not get regular use any longer.

“Whose room is this?”

“It was John and Joey’s, but they never stay here anymore. Joey has been in what was the guest room for a while, but he’s looking for his own place now. I think Carlo and Sabina are going to move Trey in here and make Trey’s room into a nursery.”

“That’s right—they have a baby coming. Soon, right?”

“Yeah. They need to get moving, but Sabina…” She stopped, evidently deciding what she’d been about to say wasn’t his business.

“Why are we—oof.” She’d pushed him against the wall next to the door. When she grabbed his belt, he had an answer to the question she hadn’t let him finish.

“You look stressed out and tired. I want you to stay with me, at my house.” She opened his fly.

He’d been hoping, but he hadn’t asked yet. “Yes.” He groaned as her hand sank behind his open zipper and took gentle hold of his balls.

“Good. First, though, I want to f*ck in this house. Do you know I’ve never ever f*cked in this house? I’ve had to hear Carlo f*cking, and Luca, and John. I know Joey’s f*cked here. Hell, we both know Eli and Rosa are f*cking here.”

“We know, but we don’t have to talk about it, please.” Some things, a parent would rather not consider. Especially in this moment.

“But I have never once f*cked under this roof.” She pulled him free of his jeans, grinning as she wrapped her hands around his hard length. Thank God whatever problem he was having with booze hadn’t caused a problem there. “So f*ck me, cowboy.” She toed off her boots and dropped her jeans and panties, stepping out of the pile they made on the floor.

Feeling more clear and energized than he had in several hours, Theo pushed away from the wall. He led her to one of the desks and pulled out a chair, then sat and pulled her down to straddle him. When she sank down onto him, she sighed. He groaned and brought her close to claim her mouth.

And he gave her her first f*ck in her childhood home.





17



The days after Thanksgiving were their usual flurry of family activity. John took Rosa and Sabina shopping on that Friday. Luca and Manny went to Providence to spend the day with Manny’s parents. The rest of the family finished decorating both houses on Caravel Road. They stacked the tree decorations to await deployment and stowed the rest of the now-empty storage boxes back in attic and cellar spaces. Then the men rearranged the living-room furniture, making way for the tree that John, Rosa, and Sabina would be bringing back with them. Theo and Eli were both in the thick of it all, until they went out together, sent off with Adele’s grocery list.