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Her mother wiped her mouth and took a sip of water. “Mariella, is this true?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Harrison and I… We… I don’t…”
“You’re in love with each other. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
She was going to murder her sister-in-law. “Your brother is not in love with me!”
“Oh, I beg to differ. By the way, he’s joining us this weekend.”
“What?” What the hell was happening? She gaped at Giovanni. “Why would you invite him?”
“Don’t look at me. This is all Erin.”
She looked at Erin who grinned and took a big bite of lettuce. “I love a good cucumber.”
“Excuse me. I’ve lost my appetite.” Mariella pushed away from the dining room table and escaped to the kitchen.
Still holding a piece of bread, she ripped it in half and swiped it over the butter sitting on the counter and shoved it into her mouth.
Giovanni followed her into the kitchen and she mumbled over a mouthful of dough, “Whad duh hell is wrong wiff yer wife?”
He reached for the bottle of wine on top of the fridge but it wasn’t there. “She has this crazy idea that you’re in love with her brother.”
She swallowed the clump of bread. “You told her?”
“We’re married. We talk about stuff. Where the hell is the jug of Pisano?”
“Mom hid it from dad.” She opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out the bottle. “Don’t let him see it. I don’t feel like listening to them fight.”
He rolled his eyes. “Like Mom’s not dousing her coffee with whiskey.”
“Whatever Erin’s doing, she needs to stop. Harrison’s not in love with me.”
He poured wine into a small jelly jar and took a sip. “How do you know?”
“Because…” She frowned, wondering how he was so calm. Typically, whenever the topic of Harrison came up, her brother had nothing but nasty things to say. “Because I know.”
Giovanni shrugged. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“What the hell are you talking about? And what’s going on? You hate Harrison.”
“Hate’s a strong word. The man’s my brother-in-law.”
“Two weeks ago you were totally opposed to the idea of me even being his friend.”
“No, I got pissed because you act like you’re not good enough for him. I still think you’re out of his league. I probably always will. But you need to stop acting like he doesn’t love you, like the idea’s impossible. Mariella, you’re easy to love.”
His words were sweet and kind but still inaccurate. “Giovanni, he doesn’t love me. What are you telling Erin?”
“Nothing. But her and Harrison talk a lot. They’re in the store together every day, and he eats dinner at our house on most nights.”
“So…” She frowned. “You like him now?”
“He’s okay. I still think he’s got problems.”
“Everyone has problems. And you’re crazy if you think I’m out of his league. Harrison’s done very well for himself.”
Giovanni waved away her praise. “He’s emotionally handicapped.”
“He had a hard life.”
“That’s not an excuse, and stop defending his behavior when he’s a grown ass man perfectly capable of making better choices.”
She swept another piece of bread through the butter. “I’m not defending him. You are! You’re the one saying he might be in love with me.”
“And I stand by that.”
She shoved the bread into her mouth. “He doth not lug me.”
Her brother shrugged, finishing his glass of wine and setting the cup in the sink. “Maybe he loves you the best way he knows how to love someone.”
By leaving? She shook her head. “You guys have to stop.”
“He’s been at the house a lot. He’s honestly not as bad as I first thought—when he’s around, that is. When he pulls that avoidance bullshit, I can’t stand him.”
Because Giovanni was left with her and Erin and all their tears.
Mariella then understood Erin’s motive to get them together. Her sister-in-law believed if Mariella and Harrison fell in love, he wouldn’t leave. But he’d left her twice before. Because he absolutely did not love her.
She couldn’t be the linchpin responsible for keeping their family together.
With trembling hands, she tried to remove an earring, but the damn clasp wouldn’t budge. “I can’t get these off.”
“Leave them.” Her brother pulled her shaking hands away from her face. “They bring out your eyes.”
She had no doubt he could see the tears she was fighting. “He’ll leave again. You can’t let Erin think I have some sort of hold over him, Giovanni. I never did.”
He gave her a sad smile but whatever he was about to say was interrupted when Erin came into the kitchen. “Are you mad at me?”
“Erin, I can’t go this weekend, not if Harrison’s going.”
“What? No! You have to come.”
Mariella shook her head. “It’s too much. I’m sorry.”
“I promise it won’t be that bad. Trust me.”
How could she say that? “I already invited Mauricio. It’ll be totally awkward if you’re brother’s there and—”
“I’m pregnant.”
Mariella’s brain jerked to a stop. “What?”
