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A man was carrying out a few lanterns to prepare for twilight, and she pointed at him. He was tall and still had black hair, but his wrinkles next to his eyes and mouth put him in his fifties or sixties.
“That’s Gio’s father, Georgio,” she said.
“I’ll introduce them to him, Ma. I’m sure you want to get back to the food.”
Lydia made a dismissive noise and patted her son’s cheek. “All your aunts are here to help, so there are plenty of hands.”
Gio gave a roll of his eyes and looked at Lucien. “Ma has four sisters and two brothers. My father has three sisters and a brother.” He squeezed Lucien’s hand. “Like I said, big family. Come on, let’s meet everyone.”
The next half hour was a blur of introductions and shaking hands. Lucien couldn’t hope to remember all their names. Lydia’s sisters all resembled her except for the youngest, who still had her black hair, and Georgio’s family all had different looks, so Lucien gave up trying to figure out who was who.
But they were all friendly—nobody seemed to blink that Gio was in a throuple. Of course, this wasn’t Gio’s first, and his last one had stretched for four years. Dave and Lee had probably shown up at lots of family gatherings like this. Regardless, Lucien felt very welcome and Calder’s broad grin never wavered.
Soon, the food was ready and Gio dragged them inside to fill their plates. There were the usual Italian dishes of lasagna and pasta, but there were also roasted and grilled meats and heaps of vegetable salads and side dishes. Lucien’s belly was rumbling as he covered his plate in food, and he followed Gio to one of the long tables they had set up in the living room. All the furniture had been pushed back to make room and folding chairs were surrounding the tables. Someone had even added candles in a line down the centers of the tables. Bottles of wine without labels sat between each candle.
“This is really nice,” Calder said as he settled in the chair next to Lucien with Gio on his other side. “I can’t wait to eat all this. Looks fantastic.”
“My family is full of excellent cooks, and the gatherings are always like this. My parents keep these folding tables in the garage and haul them out every time. They put in hardwood floors because we used to have carpet that was stained from all the family meals.”
Gio’s mother stopped behind Lucien and placed her small hand on his shoulder. “Good! You got plenty. Eat up and enjoy.” She walked off as Lucien dug into his food.
He groaned when he tasted the ham. It was perfectly cooked and moist. He moved on to some potatoes, smiling to see Calder shoveling food into his mouth, too.
Noise filled the room with so many people. Lucien was guessing there were about forty, including all the children. Wiley and Baer were at the other end of the table. Laughter rang out repeatedly, and there was a genuine feeling of happiness and acceptance in the air.
This is what they were fighting to save. People like this. As he glanced around the room, he let that sense of well-being seep into him. He and the other Weavers simply had to succeed in stopping the rift. Even if they died doing it like the others had. As he looked at Calder and Gio, he couldn’t help but hope for a different outcome this time. What he wouldn’t give to have a life with them.
He loved them.
The knowledge swept through him like a wave, the feelings intense. Both men were laughing as they ate. Gio softly touched Calder’s hand. He was just so open in his affection and Calder soaked it up. Lucien did love them. And instead of the panic he’d expected to feel, all he felt was a determination to succeed in beating the pestilents.
Calder glanced at him. Those beautiful blue eyes had a question in them, and Lucien smiled at him, reaching under the table to squeeze his thigh.
“You okay?” Calder leaned over to whisper.
“More than.”
“Worried about tomorrow?”
“Of course, but I’m letting myself enjoy the evening with Gio’s wonderful family.”
The worry melted from Calder’s expression, and he smiled. “They are pretty amazing. Not one person seems to have an issue with Gio being with both of us. Frankly, I’m shocked. I’d expected something different.”
“Well, I didn’t expect this many people, that’s for sure, but yes, I do feel welcome.”
“Because you are,” Gio said softly as he leaned into Calder’s space. “My family loves and accepts me as I am. They trust my judgment despite how much I screwed up before.”
“You weren’t the one who screwed up.” Calder turned to Gio. “Those guys were idiots to let you go.”
“I like to think so.” Gio grinned and speared a piece of broccoli. He popped it into his mouth and chewed, his eyes sparkling.
