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This was going to be a home for my wife and my brother and me. This place, this house, was important. Just as important as the modern home that was already under construction in the hills above the city, with all the brilliant changes my wife had made to the original plans.
Just as important as the home we had grown up in and all the memories we had of my mother. My mother had lived here and taken us here every year for the summer. They were my happiest memories.
And not only because my father never came along for the trip.
“Va bene,” I said as I looked over the plaster work on the covered veranda overlooking the hills beyond. “It looks perfect.”
Evie was staring around the gardens in wonder. The fountains had been repaired since my last visit. I wandered down the steps and ran my hand under the sparkling fresh water that fed the gardens. Things were coming along nicely. My wife was more than impressed.
And we hadn’t even been inside yet.
“He can’t come here,” I murmured. “I won’t let him.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“My mother loved it here. She planted some of the roses as a girl. Those over there. And the tulips. She loved pink.”
Evie took my hand and squeezed it.
“You honor her by taking such good care of this place.”
I nodded, feeling suddenly emotional. I did my best to honor my mother. I had a dark thought, one I kept hidden from myself. But it had always been there.
I wished my mother had never met my father. Married him. In a crazy way, I wished I had never been born.
She might still be here. Still be alive. Tending to her garden.
That’s really fucking nihilistic, Little Brother. Does that mean you wish I hadn’t been born, either?
I laughed bitterly at the imaginary conversation taking place in my head. Then I shook it off. I was here and so was my bride.
“I need to snap some pictures of the stuff that’s not done yet. Make it look decrepit.”
“Maybe you should send them right to his girlfriend,” my wife said with a mischievous smile. I stared at her in wonder. “Make sure she sees the worst of them. And mention something about hoping the indoor plumbing will be done in a few months.”
“You’re a genius,” I said in awe. “A wicked, evil little genius.”
She laughed and slapped my arm. Just then, Giovanni came out of the house with a tray. He set it down on the long table under the veranda and held up a bottle.
“Would you like some vino?”
I smiled, feeling the tension leave my shoulders.
“Always.”
He poured us each a glass and we sipped it. I told him to get another glass for himself and he disappeared inside. Giovanni and everyone who worked on the estate were like family. They had worked here for generations. We didn’t stand on ceremony here.
“It’s delicious. I’ve never tasted anything so fresh!”
“That’s because there are no sulfates added, no chemicals used. The oak casks are a hundred years old.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s bottled here, on the estate. From our own vineyards.”
Her beautiful face showed her appreciation in that way that only Evie could.
“Do you sell it?”
“Not yet,” I said, pulling her close. “But that’s the plan. We’re still revitalizing the older parts of the estate. That includes the rest of the vineyards and orchards. Parts of them have gone wild, but the plants are still there. They just need some TLC,” I added, thinking of all the TLC I planned to show her.
“More and more legitimate businesses,” she said softly. “You really meant it.”
“I mean everything I say to you, Evie.”
“I know. You’re an honorable man, Antonio.”
I took a deep breath.
“I don’t do it because I’m honorable. I would lie if I had to. But not to you. I don’t lie to you because I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered. I squeezed her tighter as a feeling of indescribable contentment flowed through me. Everything was right in the world. In fact, things had never felt more right.
She fucking loves me.
“Come on, let me show you the house.”
Chapter 46
Evangeline
“This is actual heaven,” I said, spinning to take in the interior of the house. “Can we stay here forever?”
Antonio nodded.
“Sure. But we could also go back and forth.”
“That sounds good, too,” I agreed. “It’s incredible.”
My husband pulled me close, giving me a quick kiss before leading me on a tour of the first floor.
“We share the common areas, but Vince and I each have our own wing.”
“Wing?”
“Yes. Multiple bedrooms with their own staircases, etcetera. You know, for when we have families.”
He gave me such a heated look that I almost melted in a puddle. Or maybe it was the delicious red wine that magically appeared in my glass whenever I came close to finishing it.
“Are you trying to get me drunk?” I teased my husband as Giovanni appeared in the hallway, pulling the cork from another bottle.
