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“After Uncle Renzo,” Liza continued, “came Uncle Frank.”
“Tony’s dad.”
“Yep. Uncle Frank and Aunt Moira had five kids. You know all of them.”
Jess knew Tony’s branch on the tree the best, having spent quite a bit of time with him and his brothers. Meeting Layla today had put the last brick in place in terms of Frank’s kids.
“After Frank came Aunt Rose. She married Uncle Tommy, and they have Holly and David, whose little hellions are currently tearing up the house, and Erin, who couldn’t make it today. She lives in Baltimore like Layla. In fact, Erin is dating Finn’s cousin.”
“Sounds like the Moretti women have a thing for the Irish.”
Liza snorted, the sound completely out of place, coming from such a stunningly beautiful woman. Tony confided that Liza, the youngest and only daughter in her family, kept her brothers on their toes. “If you’d ever seen the Collins men, you’d know why.”
“So who’s left?” Jess asked, grateful for Liza’s concise list. She’d been totally confused about who was related to whom after she’d first arrived and been introduced to a constant stream of aunts, uncles, and cousins.
“Last but not least is my dad, Cesare, who married my mom, who is right over there.” Liza pointed to an attractive woman, refilling her wineglass.
“I met her, but I can’t remember…”
“Margaret,” Liza said, before adding, “and Mom and Dad had Bruno, Aldo, Elio, and me.”
“Wow. That’s quite a list. I was an only child and I never knew my dad.”
“Well, that’s all the more reason you should stick with us,” Liza said genially. “Because we have dads to spare in this room. Pick one,” she joked.
“Liza,” Nonna called out. “Come help me with the salad.”
“Duty calls.”
Jess took a sip of wine as Liza went to the kitchen to help her grandmother, who pinched her cheeks upon her arrival. Then she watched as Nonno, a gruff man, bent down to pick up the smallest of his great-grandchildren, a three-year-old girl who giggled when he tickled her. Her gaze shifted to Layla, who was talking to her partners. Finn had his arm wrapped around her waist, as Miguel nuzzled her cheek. Aldo caught them and jokingly told them to “get a room.”
The Morettis were very open about their relationships, affectionate, and completely unapologetic about who they loved, be it one person or two. It was…magnificent.
She glanced around the room and found Tony, still standing with his brothers, all of them talking very animatedly. Rhys had been shanghaied by Aunt Berta to help carry appetizers from the kitchen to a dining room table that was covered with large platters and food and looked like it was already at its maximum weight capacity.
The house actually had two kitchens, something Jess didn’t know was even a thing, though Layla said it wasn’t uncommon among large Italian families. According to Layla, the Morettis took their parties very seriously, remarking that Nonna had begun cooking for this one four days ago.
Jess couldn’t wait to relate that fact to Penny, who would no doubt be horrified by the prospect of standing for four days straight.
Everyone had been incredibly nice and welcoming…and yet, Jess still couldn’t help feeling like she didn’t really belong here. She’d let herself go with the flow the past week, allowing herself to pretend that she could potentially build something real, something long-lasting with Tony and Rhys. Seeing Layla with her partners proved just how badly she wanted that.
But it wasn’t going to happen. Tony and Rhys had both admitted they didn’t date with an eye toward forever. They were focused on their careers, not seeking a relationship or starting a family, and that truth had been confirmed by both of their sisters.
Secondly, even if they were looking for relationships, Jess was pretty damn sure she wasn’t the woman. She was a decade younger than Tony, thirteen years younger than Rhys, and they had very little in common, professionally and personally. Her baggage had baggage.
And then…there was Jasper. Neither man wanted to be a father, and she could never stay with any man who wouldn’t love her son as much as her.
They’d admitted they’d never shared before, which told her what the three of them were doing wasn’t the norm. It was the exception. And most likely not something they would continue for the long run.
Neither Tony nor Rhys had mentioned what happened next. What if that was because…nothingcame next? They were simply indulging in some pretty amazing, hardcore, kinky fantasies and when that was done…it was all done.
Nothing lasted forever. Jess had had that lesson knocked into her head at least a thousand times in the past, so she was acting like a fool. Letting herself dream of something that couldn’t be.
Unfortunately, that didn’t help her figure out her next move. Mainly because while living the fantasy was great, reality still sucked. She’d been saving as much as she could, but she didn’t have enough money for a security deposit on an apartment, at least not one that wasn’t in a sketchy part of town. The old Jess might have said to hell with it, picked one she could afford for now, and moved in. That was certainly what she and Danielle had done when they’d first arrived in Philadelphia. She shuddered to think what Tony and Rhys would say if they’d seen the apartment she’d been evicted from.
However, being homeless had chiseled away at her courage slowly, the attack at the motel the knock-out punch. Since moving in with the guys, she’d been able to sleep soundly, knowing that Jasper was safe, protected.
And that wasn’t because of her.
