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His Italian side came out as he dropped his fork and started to talk much more passionately, his hands moving with each word. “Are you kidding me? He flung her into the water and held her under. It was only when she lost consciousness that he took her out. It was your body chain she wore that alerted us she was in distress and your cameras that let us zoom in, only to see him trying to kill her!”
“Dona hit him.”
“So, what?” he snapped. “He can’t handle being hit—”
“Donatella is abusive!” I snapped at him and he paused like he wasn’t expecting me to respond and I went on because I wasn’t in the mood to hear him yell at me. “She is physically and verbally abusive…to everyone! It’s not her fault. In fact, everyone in this family is abusive to some degree. But Dona… She’s harsh and she became that way in order to protect herself from all the people constantly trying to worm their way into this family. If she wasn’t harsh, people would walk all over her. It’s how she protects herself. How we all protect ourselves. A man who is cold-hearted is seen as sexy and mysterious, but as a female you’re just seen as bitch. Imagine what would have happened if Dona had warmed up and been forgiving to Tobias? He’d have become even more bold. Men want us to be soft and kind and gentle. But she’s a Callahan; anything soft, kind or gentle in her was buried long ago!”
“What does any of that have to do with the man that almost killed her!” he yelled at me.
Urgh, he was so dumb!
“He’s the first person that fought back!” I hollered back at him. “For once, someone who wasn’t family stood up to her. He’s the first one who said I can take the abuse and I will dish it back. And why? Because he’s not afraid of her or you or Ethan. He acted without giving a damn about who she is, other than female. He wasn’t trying to kill her. He was showing her that she couldn’t bully him like she does everyone else…at least not without getting herself hurt. Tobias betrayed the family because he wanted to be on the same level as Dona. He wanted her respect… and years later, he still couldn’t get it. Gabriel earned it in a day. There is something different about him. He’s not like the others. He can actually stand toe to toe with her. Ethan sees it, I see it, and so does Dona. Dona, for the first time ever, is excited, Wyatt. She doesn’t know she’s excited yet but if you saw her tonight, you’d know she was. Finally, someone is in front of her, ready for anything she might dish out. Everyone needs a rival or balance. A positive to her negative. I’m excited for her… I’m excited to see what’s under those ten layers of rock and ice around her heart; why aren’t you?”
He hung his head, giving up. He kept eating, completely silent as he leaned against the kitchen island. He didn’t say anything, and neither did I as I reached for the orange juice on the counter, quietly waiting for him to process what I had said.
“We know nothing about him. Why didn’t anything come up on Ethan?
?s background check?”
I shrugged. “I’m guessing grandmother had my father or someone else to wipe his records…”
“I know you. You could put it together, if you wanted.” His eyes looked like he was begging…and I almost caved.
“I could.” I nodded slowly. “But I don’t want to.”
“Helen…”
“Wyatt… In normal relationships, you don’t know everything about the other person before you start dating them.”
“Which is why normal people end up hurt.”
“And know-it-alls end up alone,” I countered.
“Better to be alone than hurt.”
“Says who?”
He shrugged. “Me.”
“You’re wrong.” He hadn’t been hurt in that way, so he had no right to talk. “When you’re hurt, it means you had reason to smile and laugh before. Being alone is like sitting in darkness; there is nothing to look back on or hope for.”
He flinched and made a face at me. “Stop talking like you speak from experience.”
I did.
“Stop being worrying about Dona. She’ll handle whatever comes her way; just let her be a woman. Let her explore this. Let her, for once, not worry about mafia this or that, and just care about looking pretty and watching a cheesy movie with a man she might be developing feelings for.”
“You have this all set up in your head; maybe you’re the one who hid all his information.” He eyed me carefully until I leaned over and smacked him. “Ouch! Just kidding.”
“Promise me you’ll stay out of it.”
“Nope.” He grinned, getting up and moving to the big fridge.
“Man, I’m glad you aren’t my brother. You’d think Dona was your daughter; not your sister with the way you’re trying to hold on to her.”
“What are you talking about?” He laughed as he pulled out some chocolate ice-cream. “Any guy you bring home will have it just as bad; you’re basically my second sister.”
There was that stab to my chest again.
