Page 91 of Revere: A Legacy Novel

“I know he does, Ma.”

Her mother patted her cheek. “Okay, let’s put on a smile and eat some good food.”

That sounded like a great plan.

Unfortunately, their large family dinners were not as large as they used to be. As the Marcello cousins became older, and had lives of their own, it made it difficult to get everyone to gather at the same time.

Cella—Lucian and Jordyn’s second daughter—had married a lawyer, and being that she was heavily pregnant with her first child, often came depending on her mood and energy. Liliana, the older of the two sisters, married Joe Rossi from Chicago, and only came home a couple of times a year. Their youngest sister, Lucia, newly turned eighteen, had just left for college in another state. Johnathan, the oldest of the four, was the only one actually at the dinner.

Andino, too.

All of Catherine’s aunts and uncles.

Her grandparents.

Gabbie and Michel.

And of course, her parents.

Still, the large table that her grandparents had specially made for their ridiculously large dinners was not nearly filled with a good portion of people missing from the place. Somehow, their dinners still managed to be especially loud, and always fun.

For as long as Catherine could remember, this was how she spent her Sundays. Church in the morning, and family in the afternoon. She hadn’t needed to help in the kitchen, though, so … winning. Cooking under the eagle-eye watch of her grandmother, Cecelia, was fucking unnerving. The woman could tell if someone used even a pinch of too much anything, even from across the damn room.

Catherine had no sooner sat down in the chair she always used—directly across from her parents, and next to her brother and his wife—than her aunts, mother, and grandmother began serving food.

Once the plates were filled, and everyone was seated her grandfather, Antony, said his usual prayer. The moment amen left his lips, utensils scraped plates, and voices came from all directions. Catherine tried to keep up with the conversations between everyone, but it was difficult. Especially when there were at least five different conversations happening between them all.

This was her family, though.

She loved it.

“How is Lucia doing in California?” Antony asked.

Lucian frowned. “Really well.”

“Why are you frowning, then?” Michel asked.

Jordyn—Lucian’s wife—laughed. “Because he misses her terribly.”

“The house is quiet now,” Lucian said.

“I remember that feeling,” her grandmother said from the head of the table. “One day there’s echoes in the hallways and handprints on the windows, and the next, nothing.”

“Empty,” Dante said across from Catherine. “It makes a home feel empty, Ma.”

“But she is doing well?” Catherine’s mother asked.

“A little homesick, maybe,” Jordyn answered, “but I expected that.”

“When is she coming home?” Catherine asked.

“Three weeks for Christmas.”

“That’ll be nice,” her grandfather noted. “At least the little ruckus over the summer with her and that boy has calmed down.”

Catherine cleared her throat, sensing the awkward cloud that floated over the table at her grandfather’s words. Lucia had apparently gotten involved with a boy her parents did not approve of, and some … things happened. Catherine was not the person to judge where boys were concerned. Especially boys that were bad, or a little too wild for their own good.

All she had been told—as Lucia’s parents wanted it kept quiet—was that she headed off to California once they got her home again, and the boy was … well, Catherine didn’t know. Shit, she didn’t even know the guy’s name. She was told not to ask or talk about it.