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I nearly drive off the road as panic laced with rage quickens my heartrate. “No. You don’t handle Jessica. She’s not a weakness I want you to crush. She’s my weakness that I need. A weakness that makes me strong.” I pull over and park on the side of the freeway, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’m not explaining this right.”
Domani pauses and then mouths a silent “Ah.” He nods once. “You love her.”
“Yes.” I’m grateful my twin is beginning to understand me. “I love her.”
I have to spell it out for Domani more so than anyone else. If I don’t, he might accidentally murder her, thinking he’s doing me a favor in silencing my distraction.
“Like how our father loved Mom?” Dom questions, and I can tell he is working this puzzle out for himself at his own pace. “And you want her to live with us?”
I nod, grateful that I pulled over so I can study my twin’s nuances. We’re identical, but our personalities are so different that people don’t often confuse us. I can see his hesitance in accepting this new development, and his inability to predict the changes this will mean for our entire family.
Domani points to the road. “So why are we driving away from her? This will take us clear out of town.”
I exhale, relieved that he seems to be understanding the basics of what I want for my future. “Jessica is married. She filed for divorce, but her ex won’t sign the papers. He’s dragging this out because he wants to control her. He’s taken everything from her, but it’s not enough. You should see the shithole apartment she’s living in. How she flinches at sudden movements. He hurt her, so he’s going to pay before the sun rises.”
Domani’s nostrils flair. “My sister is living in a shithole apartment?”
Warmth spreads through my chest. “Yes. Your new sister Jessica is afraid of this man, so we’re going to handle him.”
Domani nods once.
I can’t believe my good luck that his black and white mind will allow a woman to live in the mansion with us.
Dom takes out his phone, even though he knows full well both our brothers are asleep. “Giovanni? Get Antonio and set up a room for Brunello’s girlfriend. She’s our new sister.”
I cringe at the tactless command, but Giovanni knows Dom well enough to ask him to hand me the phone.
Gio’s voice is weighted with sleep. “What the fuck, Bruno? You screw that librarian in the basement and now you want to move her into the mansion?”
I take a deep breath, hating that the youngest of us is making me sound like an idiot. “That’s about the size of it.”
“Do you remember what Rule Number Three happens to be?”
I press my lips together, taming my ego that threatens to lash out at the prospect of a dressing down from my baby brother, of all people. “I guess I’m officially breaking the rule.”
The silence stills my heartbeat until Giovanni’s voice returns to me with a strength only the Moretti men have in their blood. “Well, it’s about damn time. Tell me what I need to do. I’ve got Antonio here with me. Give us jobs so we can make this happen for you. Clearing out space for her in your room? What else?”
Pressure builds behind my eyes, and when my reply comes, it’s dry and raspy. “Really?”
“Don’t act surprised. You and Domani are the only two who actually cared about enforcing that ‘no girlfriends’ rule. If you’re driving over the cliff, you know we’re behind you all the way.”
Despite Gio’s support, I hear the clear warning in his metaphor that this will not end well for any of us.
But Jessica is worth that risk.
I briefly explain why Dom and I are driving out of state, and what I intend to do once I get there.
“Wait,” I hear Antonio say in the background. “Can you stop by a print shop on your way?”
My nose crinkles while Domani types on his GPS the distance to a print shop near our destination. “What would we need a print shop for? I thought the objective was clear.”
I can hear the smile in Antonio’s tone. “I want to get my new sister a present. I’ll have a document sent that you two need to print off before you get there.”
“You need us to print off a gift for Jessica before we murder her loser husband?”
“That’s right,” Antonio replies. “Thank goodness. I was starting to worry that you couldn’t follow the family rulesandcouldn’t understand simple instructions. Give me a minute or two, then check your email. Print out what I send you. If you don’t know what to do with it, then you don’t deserve her.”
I grumble a response but take the win.
