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“And that you’re hers. I won’t watch you cheat on my daughter.”
“I have been hers for a while.” He lifted his shirt, revealing a tattoo I had trouble figuring out in the dim light but then I realized what I was seeing. The aurora borealis right over Nevio’s heart.
“Grand gestures are fair enough, especially to impress a woman, but they don’t mean anything if your actions don’t match.”
He lowered his shirt with an acknowledging nod. “I know and my actions will show the truth behind the gesture and the words.”
“Has Aurora seen the tattoo yet?”
“No. There wasn’t the right moment yet.”
I’d known Nevio all his life and found many of his antics amusing. He’d reminded me of Remo when I first met him, and even the recklessness of my younger self. Remo and I had grown up. I wanted to give Nevio the benefit of the doubt, that he too had grown up enough to make up for his past fuckups.
Nevio stepped close, his expression serious, no sign of the trademark smirk. “I’m serious about Aurora. I’ll stop at nothing to prove to her that I’m ready to commit, that I want her and no one else.”
“You better succeed. If you mess up again, I can’t promise you I won’t try to kill you, even if it means we’ll both die.”
“If I fuck up again, my parents will be the first to kill me. They love Aurora.”
“Do you?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if Nevio was capable of love, but I’d thought the same about Nino and Remo, and both had proven me wrong.
His expression was hard. “I think I’ve said enough. The rest is only for Aurora’s ears. I respect you Fabiano, but that doesn’t mean I’ll pour my heart out to you.”
“I’m still not convinced you have one,” I said but most of my anger was gone.
“For a long time, I wasn’t either.”
My mouth parted in surprise upon seeing Dad’s face when I entered the kitchen. He sat at the kitchen table and was sipping his coffee with a swollen lower lip. A bruise bloomed on his temple and his stiff movements suggested he had more injuries.
Mom’s annoyed expression told me she wasn’t impressed.
“Do you need me to check your injuries?” I asked, ready to hand Battista over to Mom.
“I’m fine,” Dad said.
“Sure.” I grabbed a pot of coffee for me and sank down beside Mom. “Let me guess, you met Nevio. Is he alright?”
Dad shook his head with a scowl. “Glad you’re concerned about his health.”
“I’m concerned about yours too, but I can see you’re not seriously injured.”
Dad’s mood lifted obviously. “So you think I kicked his ass?”
I doubted Dad could beat Nevio in a fight, but I kept my thoughts to myself.
Mom huffed and set down her cup with force. “Alessio and Massimo had to separate them.”
“You don’t need to punish Nevio on my behalf, Dad. I can handle him, okay?”
I took a few pancakes from the stack in the middle and put one on Battista’s plate with some fresh berries and yogurt.
“Can I kick his ass too?” Davide asked from the doorway where I hadn’t noticed him before. He had begun styling his blond hair with gel, which always made him late for everything.
“He’ll wipe the floor with you,” I muttered.
“She’s right. You still need to improve your fighting skills if you want to be a match for Nevio,” Dad said.
Mom sighed. “Can we not talk about violence at the breakfast table?”
