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He eyed my inked forearms. “Got a lot of tattoos, Jude?”
“I do, sir. Do you have any?”
He waved me off. “Nah. Not for me. I’ve worked in an office all my life. Tattoos don’t really fly in that environment. Guess you’re not planning on working in an office any time soon?”
“No, that’s not in the cards for me.”
He grunted. “Rock ‘n’ roll, huh?”
“That’s the dream,” I said.
“Natalia says you’re the real deal. You played in the city last night?”
“I did. My band got signed to go on a festival tour this summer. We’re hoping it’s going to lead to our big break.”
He got quiet for a minute, carefully filling each pasta circle. “And if it doesn’t? If this isn’t your break? What’s your plan then?”
I cleared my throat, but it didn’t clear away the gut-clenching panic that came over me every time I thought ofback-up plansandfailure.
“I’ll have to cross that bridge when I come to it, sir. I’m not ready to throw in the towel. Don’t know if I ever will be.”
He nodded, meeting my eyes. “That’s a good attitude. Maybe the kind of attitude you have to have to live your dreams.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I never dreamed bigger than having a family, and I got that in spades. But I always admired people who weren’t afraid to really go hard for their dreams, you know? It takes guts. I don’t know if it’s the kind of life you can share with someone else, but that’s a choice you might have to make one day.”
Tali met my eyes then, smiling happily. She’d heard what her dad had said but hadn’theardhim. He was basically patting me on the back while shoving me away from his daughter.
Her brothers showed up a while later, all tall and boisterous. All three of them treated me with suspicion, but I got it. I was fiercely protective of Tali too, so damn did I get it.
Her family was exactly how I’d pictured, but at the same time, completely foreign. My family had been complete shit, and Ben’s was decent, but this one, the DiPietros, shared the kind of open affection and deep bond I’d truly never known existed outside of greeting card movies. The fact that the siblings gave each other loads of shit made them just real enough to be believable.
Over lunch, I received the inquisition from every direction.
“Who are your main influences?” Gio asked.
“How do you plan to support a family?” That came from Mike, the oldest brother.
Arturo narrowed his eyes on me. “Are you high right now? And if not, what’s the hardest drug you’ve ever done?”
His girlfriend elbowed him in the ribs and told me not to answer, because if I did, then Arturo would also have to answer. He flinched and looked at his parents with wide eyes.
“You guys are idiots,” Tali declared. “If I treated the girls you brought home like you’re treating Jude right now, none of you would have ever gotten laid. I’m not this family’s property just because I have a vagina. I am also supremely capable of choosing a suitable boyfriend. So lay off, or you won’t get one of the cannolis I picked up from Vincenzo’s.”
Elise clinked her glass. “I think you once asked what my intentions were with Arturo.”
Tali snorted. “And you replied, ‘to make him less of an asshole.’”
Arturo kissed his girl on the cheek. “That’s true love right there.”
Tali squeezed my knee under the table. “Hey, guess what? Jude’s not even an asshole, so he’s already ahead of you in the game.”
Arturo reached across the table to shake my hand, which I gladly accepted. “Sorry for giving you a hard time. Seemed like the thing we’re supposed to do.”
Mike wiped his mouth with his napkin and gave me a tight smile. “Tals never brought home any little weasels for us to scare off back in high school. Guess we all had this pent of need to beat our chests a little.”
I laughed. “No hard feelings.”
Gio shrugged. “I really just wanted to know what kind of music you made.”
Teresa slammed her glass on the table. “Are we done with the over-the-top chauvinism? And while we’re at it, are we done cursing at the dinner table? I clearly didn’t wash your mouths out enough when you were growing up.”
