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“Civil?” Christopher snarled and shoved me so hard I stumbled back a step or two. “What do you call fooling around with my sister, man? Because I sure as hell won’t call it civil.”
Scarlett jumped to her feet too, forcing herself between Christopher and me, one hand on each of our chests. “Please just sit down, both of you. This dinner hasn’t even started yet, and—”
“This dinner is about to end.” Christopher came at me, arms flailing wildly as he tried to sidestep Scarlett to grab hold of me.
“Sir, is everything okay?”
All three of us turned to look at the waiter. Her gaze darted between us, an awkward smile on her face. No doubt she’d been sent over by her manager and was terrified of what might happen.
I glanced over at Christopher. “I don’t know, Brother, is everything okay?”
Christopher glared at the waiter, her smile becoming more desperate the longer he took to answer. Scarlett nudged him hard in the ribs, and he finally spoke.
“Everything’s fine,” he said through gritted teeth parading like some semblance of a smile.
I felt Scarlett relax next to me, the tension leaving her body as she stepped over to the waiter. “I’m so sorry for the trouble,” she said. “Mr. Moretti will be sure to tip you well.”
Christopher scoffed. “Oh, God, it’s true. You’re already acting like one of them.”
Scarlett blinked, and in that time I studied her face for a reaction I could mimic. With her shock and my distraction, Christopher had the split second window he’d been waiting for. He lunged at me, his left fist colliding perfectly with my jaw. There was a dull thud followed by a snap, and I went stumbling into the tables behind me in a chaotic rain of cutlery and crystalware.
“Luca!” Scarlett rushed toward me, but I quickly held out both my hands. Christopher was already on his way to finish the job.
“Scarlett, no! The baby!”
The gasp that echoed around us came from everyone, all at once. But the one good thing was that my warning had stopped Christopher in his tracks. The enraged grimace on his face stuttered and shifted to one of bitter confusion.
“The baby?” He repeated my earlier cry as a question, looking Scarlett dead in the eye.
“The baby…”
We all turned to see Julia leaning over our table, breath coming in quick, heavy pants. She looked up at Christopher and groaned, “The baby’s coming.”
Chapter 26
Scarlett
I’dneverfeltmorehelpless as in that hospital corridor, watching my brother pace frantically up and down.
“The baby can’t be coming,” he repeated over and over, punctuated in some places with, “I haven’t even set up the crib yet,” or, “What time does the baby store close? I still have to get so much…”
“Mr. James?” the delivery room nurse said, pausing everyone’s panic in those two words.
Chris responded to his name and went over to her, while Luca and I followed for moral support. We were acting like a single unit instead of the sparring misfits from back in the restaurant, and that fact wasn’t lost on me. It gave me hope that there was a chance I could salvage things with my brother.
“Is she okay?” Chris blurted out, raking agitated fingers through his hair. “Is Julia going to be okay? What about our baby?”
The delivery nurse took his hand and gripped it firmly. “Your wife is doing well, Mr. James. I just came out to let you know that she’s comfortable. We’re monitoring her contractions, and it looks like a few more hours before things really get going.”
Chris heaved a huge sigh of relief, his shoulders sagging almost all the way to his knees. “Thank you,” he replied, out of breath. “Can I see her?”
The delivery nurse nodded. “Of course. She’s resting now, but I’m sure she’d be happy to have you there.”
“Thank you, nurse,” I said, rubbing Chris’ shoulder. “Hey, Chris, why don’t I go to your place and get Julia’s hospital bag? She’s going to need all her things.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Luca flinch. I didn’t blame him for expecting the worst, considering what had just happened at dinner. But I didn’t share the sentiment. As close as he was to my brother, I believed I still knew him best.
Chris turned to me, searching my eyes for what felt like eternity. I didn’t move, barely blinked, and finally, he placed his hand over mine on his shoulder.
