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“Actually, they really like you.”
“You don’t have to be nice.”
“No, really. If they didn’t like you, you’d know it. Elisa brought home this total dickwad once. Five minutes into dinner, Papà and Nonno started talking smack about him in Italian. Nonna called him a jackass, which is about the second-worst curse word she uses.”
“What did your sister say when this was happening?”
“I think she was more embarrassed by the guy than by the family. Even she could tell he was being a jackass.” Nico picked up his glass. “You, however, were great.”
“Right.”
“I’m serious. You were respectful, but not too meek. You didn’t try to turn any conversation onto yourself, and you offered to help clear the table. That alone earned you Nonna’s seal of approval.”
“Now I know you’re lying. She almost stabbed me with her fork when I offered.”
Nico snorted. “I saw that. But it’s not what you think. Guests don’t help.”
“Elliott helped.”
“Yeah, but he’s about to marry my sister. If you kept coming home with me, then they’d expect you to help.” Nico bit his lip, frowned, and stared into the yard. “But I promise I won’t foist this craziness on you again.”
The finality of Nico’s promise filled Luke with . . . something. Regret came closest. “It’s all good. Your family’s great.”
“They are great, and I love them to death.”
“But?”
Nico eyed the back door and leaned in to whisper, “Sometimes they’re a bit much.”
Luke laughed. “That’s all families.” He bumped his shoulder against Nico’s. When Nico pushed back, Luke didn’t move.
They sat, pressed together, staring out at the yard.
Fake boyfriends. Fake boyfriends. Fake.
Nico had made it clear he wasn’t ready to date, let alone have a boyfriend.
Besides, Luke wasn’t in the right place to date either. So why did it feel like jolts of electricity kept zapping between them? And why, when the conversation inside had gotten lively, had Luke felt warm and heavy? Like he was with family.
A burst of laughter made them both turn toward the house. “Something’s funny,” Luke said.
Nico finished his wine, arm shifting from Luke’s, and Luke felt the loss.
“Work, children, or neighbors. It has to be one of those topics. If I had to guess, it would be kids. Probably my brother Joey sent a picture of his kids doing something silly.”
“Are you and your brother close?”
“Sorta yes and sorta no.” Nico tucked his right leg under his ass and turned toward Luke. “He’s ten years older than me. I was eight the last time we spent more than a few days together. There weren’t a lot of shared interests during those years.”
Luke snorted. “I can see how that’d happen.”
“Then he went to college in California, met his wife, went to med school, had children, and in general began adulting way before I was ready to join him. Joey always made time for me when he was home, and I love him to death, but we never had the time Elisa and I did.”
“You miss him.”
Nico smiled. “Missed having him when he left.”
“Did you tell him?”
“No,” he said softly. “Joey needed to fly off. He loves us, but what you see inside tends to overwhelm him. I was really mad at him when he left. When I got older, Nonna told me he didn’t want to leave me and Elisa, but he needed to go away to find himself.”
“Having left Iowa to do the same, I understand.”
A sad smile appeared, and Nico seemed far away. “He never wanted to be a baker. Didn’t want to live in this family compound surrounded by generations. He didn’t want his kids to feel the weight of expectations he didn’t want to embrace. Everyone understands, and no one is mad at him for leaving. Well, no one other than his eight-year-old brother.”
“Not his twenty-one-year-old brother?”
“Nope. I’m happy for him.” Nico returned his gaze to Luke. “But I miss him.”
“I get it.”
Nico stirred on the bench and rubbed his jaw. “This might not be the best time to share this, but I got an email from Amazon about the air mattress.”
Luke’s stomach lurched. “And?”
“It was damaged in shipping and they cancelled the order, but I’m free to reorder it.”
A laugh bubbled out of Luke. “Ugh! They did that to me once. Said that because a third party sold it, they didn’t automatically ship a new one.”
“Exactly, which is some bullshit.” Nico took a deep breath and blew it out. “I’ll order a new one tonight, and I’ll pay for the express shipping this time.”
“You don’t need to do that.” Luke clapped his mouth shut. “I mean, why spend the extra money? Sharing a bed hasn’t been an issue. Has it?”
Nico glanced down at their feet and then looked up at Luke, almost shyly. “No, you’ve been a perfect gentleman.”
“So save the money.”
“I won’t order until tomorrow, so if you change your mind, let me know.”
