Page 9 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

“Seems prison has its benefits, hmm?”

John let the comment roll off his shoulders, knowing his father hadn’t meant it as an insult. “I think it did for me.”

“How was the drive?”

“Long,” John answered.

Lucian chuckled. “With Gio, any drive is long.”

“He talks a lot.”

“That he does.” Lucian jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “As I said, Cella is here and sneaking food. We’re letting it go what with the pregnancy and all. She has to feed the baby.”

John cleared his throat. “I didn’t know she was pregnant.”

“Phones work, John, even in prison.”

Ouch.

That comment didn’t roll off like the first one did.

“Lucian,” Jordyn said, coming to stand beside her son. “Don’t.”

Lucian’s jaw tightened before he frowned. “Mi scusi, I’m sorry. That was out of line, son. I’m happy you’re home. We all are.”

John wished he could say the same, but for a split second he was back to feeling like the outsider in his family again. No one in particular made him feel that way directly, but the disconnect he experienced with his own father made everyone else seem distant, too.

“John!”

The shout of his name drew John’s attention away from Lucian.

John stiffened when his cousin, Andino, moved past his uncle with a wide grin. Andino stood toe-to-toe with John. Before the incident that landed John in prison and nearly took Andino’s life, the two cousins had been inseparable.

Ride or die, their family said. Because the two cousins always found trouble together. They had always been close, best friends even, and one mistake ruined it all.

At twenty-eight, Andino was the closest cousin in relation to his own age that John had.

“Jordyn,” Lucian said with a pointed look in his wife’s direction, “… why don’t we go let everyone know that the man of the hour has arrived.”

“Sure,” Jordyn replied.

With a squeeze of her hand on John’s arm, his parents disappeared.

“It’s good to see you, man,” Andino said.

John smirked. “And you, cugino.”

Andino grinned at the Italian word for cousin. “I would have made the trip up to see you, but I wasn’t sure if that was good for you.”

“I wouldn’t have turned you away, Andi.”

Andino held out a hand.

John passed it a wary glance.

“John?” Andino asked.

“Yeah?”