“How’s being a dad?” Arnoldo asked.
“It’s stressful, but every time I look at my son and my beautiful wife, I don’t care about the stress,” he said, and that truly warmed my heart.
“See Reyes,” I called out, “look how amazing love is.”
“Wasn’t so amazing when he was sneaking behind Dillon’s back,” Arnoldo brought up.
“Asshole,” we both muttered to him.
“It’s true, but that aside, your son is adorable,” Arnoldo added.
“Wow!” Alex sarcastically exclaimed. “He does have sentiments.”
We continued speaking until Dillon and Azzaria came over and joined us. Dillon Xander, the man of the hour, who, with mere steps, could command a crowd.
“Xander,” I called out, “late to your own gala?”
“I was busy,” he said, fixing his tie as he glanced at Azzaria, who simultaneously fixed her dress.
I erased the image from my mind and instantly forgot I asked the question.
“Where’s your date, Ronan?” Azzaria asked.
“Great question,” Arnoldo chimed in, “Where is your date?”
“I’m here with my ex-girlfriend.” This was a gross exaggeration, but it was necessary with the aim of manifesting and embarrassing Arnoldo.
Silence drifted among the guys, and Dillon looked at me knowingly, but with a hint of confusion.
“Nina?” he asked, his features now hardening.
“Who else would it be?”
“Give her my best and this time, don’t fuck it up,” he said, “neither of you.”
I nodded as the conversation shifted and people scattered. I walked around, catching up with a few, including Mikkel, who asked me for a favor for his girlfriend. It was heartwarming to see my brothers so in love. But even amid all that, my gaze kept returning to her, captivated by every move she made across the room.
“When did you get here,fratello?54”
“Been here for twenty minutes,” he stated, and I found that to be a lie until Mikkel’s girl looked over at me, nodding in confirmation.
“Sorry,” I said. “I was distracted.”
“I could see,” he whispered, “We all can see.”
I chuckled, “She is just…”
“Just?”
“Everything and more.” There were so many words racing through my mind, but those were the only ones that could come out.
“What do you see when you look at her, Ronan?”
“I see…” I trailed, my eyes glimpsing her again. This time, I saw her wide smile as she stood at the Vivienne Westwood booth, which I forgot was a sponsor at this event.
“You see?” he asked again, catching my attention.
“I see forever.”
