“Smells good in here,” he said as he took a seat and poured himself a glass of wine. “Where’s your ma?”
“She’ll be out in a bit. Hungry?”
“Why do you think I’m here?”
I chuckled as I pulled out the lasagna and made two plates before I brought it back to the table.
We ate together, not saying much at first, but Rocco seemed to pick up on my mood. Motherfucker knew me so well.
“You doing okay?” he finally asked.
I kept my eyes down on my plate, slicing my fork through the pasta, sauce, and cheese. “I told my mom the truth about Edric.”
He stilled when he understood why there were storm clouds in the house. “Why did you decide to tell her that the night before your wedding?”
“I didn’t. She noticed that the grave site had been altered, and she kinda put me on the spot. So I think on some level she always knew, you know?” I ate as much as I could with little to no appetite, so I set my fork down.
“So you told her it was Darius?”
I nodded.
“And you told her he’s dead?”
“Yeah. At least, I hope he is.”
“I checked all the hospitals and called all my contacts. If he’s miraculously alive, he’s not in the country. And he has no support or reinforcements to retaliate.”
“Yeah.” I hoped he was dead, among the bodies in front of the Pantheon, taken by the military and burned in the incinerator.
“And I’m sure she appreciates the fact that your brother’s remains are now where they belong.”
She was too broken to appreciate anything right now. “Thanks for coming.”
“Come on. Like I would miss it.”
“Well, I’ve decided not to sell you the house ... but you’re welcome to live there.”
“Well, in that case.” He started to get up.
I laughed.
And then he laughed before he sat down again. “How’s Aurelia?”
“Fucking beautiful. Her pregnant belly ... the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
He nodded like he understood, but there was no way he could possibly understand. “Where is she now?”
“Home with Medusa and my sister.”
“You think she’ll show up tomorrow?”
I smirked and grabbed my fork. “Careful, or I’ll stab you with this.”
“Come on,” he said with a laugh. “She’s crazy for you, and you know it.”
“Yeah,” I said with a grin. “She is, isn’t she?”
He rolled his eyes and continued to eat. “So, it’s the church first and then the party after?”
