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“You’re welcome.” I like her immediately. She’s got a very warm, very gentle manner about her. She’s not loud like the other Rossi boys, but she still radiates a firm strength, which I’m guessing comes in handy when she’s dealing with Renzo.
We head out onto the porch. Carlo, Renzo, and Saul are already there. I greet the guys, kiss cheeks, make the rounds, and a glass of wine gets shoved into my hand. “We’re eating out here. I hope you don’t mind.” Maddie leans up against Renzo. They’re so easy and comfortable with each other, it’s actually kind of amazing. I didn’t know a Don could look that relaxed.
“No, it’s lovely. The garden is amazing.”
Maddie seems really proud as she looks out at the profusion of bushes and flowers. “Stella and I have been working on it. Well, mostly me, but she helps as much as she can. Gardening’s good for her.”
It takes me a beat to understand that Stella is the Rossi mother. “That’s really great.”
“She’s the only one that can draw out Mom,” Gian says, one hand on the small of my back. I like the way he’s staying by my side.
“No pressure or anything,” Carlo says, smirking as he raises a glass. “But the bar is set very high.”
“She doesn’t have to prove shit to you, dickhead,” Gian snaps at him.
Carlo rolls his eyes. “I’m just kidding, bro.”
“If she were my wife, I’d never take an insult like that,” Saul says, drawling a bit, a cheeky smile on his face.
“Don’t start,” Gian answers, and the boys fall into good-natured bickering as I chat with Maddie over wine. She tells me about living in the Rossi house (“Weird, but good.”), about dealing with mafia (“Also weird, much less good.”), and we bond over some lighthearted banter at the expense of the boys.
“Despite the war, it’s been so quiet around here.” Maddie leans back in her chair and looks flushed and happy as Renzo absently strokes his fingers down her back. I’m not even sure he realizes he’s doing it. I’m both sickened by how sappy it is but also crazy jealous. I want Gian to touch me like that.
Which sends a jolt of surprise into my core.
Really? I want Gian like that?
“That’s good, right?” I try to cover my discomfort over that little revelation. “Better than the alternative.”
“I almost want loud,” Carlo says, cutting into the conversation. “Kill a few Russians, hang a few Irishmen, get this shit over with.”
“He’s got a point,” Saul agrees. “A fast but bloody end would be preferable to this long, drawn-out stalemate.”
“That’s what my father’s supposed to help with, right?” I look around at the table and get only skeptical frowns.
“So far, your father has been less than forthcoming,” Renzo admits. “Our family is at the heart of the war, and he hasn’t exactly been excited about diving in.”
I glance at Gian. “But you’re building an alliance, right?”
“We’re working on it.” Renzo doesn’t sound like that’s really happening.
I shift in my chair and sit up straight. “If my father’s not upholding his end of the bargain?—”
“It’s okay,” Renzo says, eyebrows raised at my distress. “He has good reason to hold back. I’m letting it happen while he gets over the very unorthodox manner in which our two families found themselves united. Though I’ll admit, a baby would go a long way toward helping.”
“Uh, baby, I don’t know?—”
“Oh, wow, look at her cheeks,” Carlo says. “She’s turning pink.”
“Seriously, is her head about to explode?” Saul laughs, leaning forward. “You okay, Allegra?”
Gian’s grinning at me. “Why do you look so embarrassed, babe?”
“No reason.” I glare at them. “Can we not talk about having children? We just got married.”
Maddie laughs and pats her husband’s cheek. “That’s the mafia in them. You’re a woman which means you better start reproducing. Could you guys stop being old-school pigs for once?”
“I wish,” Renzo grumbles. “But no.”
