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Valerio shook his head with a smile. “No, it wasn’t.”
My eyebrows furrowed. I didn’t understand. He didn’t have any other piercings. I would have noticed.
Unfortunately, just when I was about to ask more, Mia called everyone to the table because the dinner was ready. I was so annoyed and still so curious. I wanted to know more about that piercing story, and I wanted to know what was really going on between Valerio and Bianca. I knew I could ask Valerio when we were back home, but I didn’t want him to see my jealousy behind all those questions.
I was in an impasse.
I tried to drown my frustration by immediately taking a big gulp of my wine as soon as I sat down. Thank god no one noticed. Most of them were still trying to get the kids to sit down, and after that was done, they were just happy to be together here at this table. This was the first family dinner I attended that was not drowning in toxicity. These people wanted to be here.
All of this only made me pity my past more, so I drank more. I didn’t want to be drunk and embarrass Valerio’s family, but he told me to be myself around them, and showing my sorrow was worse than getting a little drunk.
It was a fun dinner, even though I was distracted by what went down with Valerio and Bianca. I didn’t know most of the things they were talking about, but I did my best to join. They did try to include me by asking questions, but I didn’t have long answers to those. I was not very chatty.
I liked being here, though. They were all cheery. Mia and Sal actually looked funny trying to feed their daughter, Angie. She was a troublemaker. I was not a fan of loud children, but they were all mostly well-behaved. Isabella and Alessio’s twin boys were making a bit of a fuss, but they were handling it like champs. Their older daughter Clara was slowly eating her dinner, looking like a princess. Antonio and Priscilla’s daughter, Rosetta’s eyes, were whirling around the big table, trying to follow who was speaking. Everybody was signing while talking as best as they could too. Her father was interpreting for her the missing parts, but I was still so impressed. She had people who could help her communicate, but the whole family was putting effort into making her feel included in their communication.
I didn’t know if they were great people or if this was expected, and I was just too fucked in the head by my own abusive family. It didn’t change the fact that, at the end of the day, this was a nice family. This was a nice place to be in, and I felt the most confident about my choice to marry Valerio.
Now only one thing remained.
While I was busy eating and listening to the conversations silently, Priscilla’s eyes came to me. “Hey, Luce, I forgot to ask you. My sister-in-law Kira said you met her a few years ago.”
My forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Kira?”
“Kira Falzone,” she said. “She is married to my brother Gabriele Falzone.”
Oh yeah. I forgot Priscilla was from New York. Two years ago, I visited New York with my family. I met Gabriele Falzone, and I did meet his wife. It was actually such an impactful meeting that I got ashamed for not remembering her. “She was amazing,” I said without even thinking. Maybe I did drink a little too much.
Priscilla didn’t give me a weird look, though. Instead, she laughed. “Oh, that she is. She told me about you before we even came to L.A.”
“She remembers me?” I knew it was memorable for me, but I didn’t think it was for her too. It felt oddly nice.
I secretly admired Kira Falzone even before I met her. She was a Russian woman and had some kind of relationship with the previous Pakhan. Yet she ended up marrying a Capo. It was totally badass. My dad hated her and said she was a witch. I wished I was as bold as her.
When I actually met her, my suspicions were confirmed. She was indeed a badass. I even got to talk to her about it. Kira told me about how her husband gave her power and how he showed her how strong she was.
She told me those things at a very low moment in my life. She told me the value of love when I promised myself never to love again, and she did put a bit of hope inside me.
She told me that the right person was going to come and I believed her. She told me to keep my heart locked until someone deserving came along.
I couldn’t help but look at Valerio and wonder if he was the person Kira was talking about. Did he deserve my heart? But more than that, I wondered if I was brave enough to stop guarding my heart for him.
Chapter 20
Valerio
“Watch your side, baby,” I said as I directed Luce into our apartment. She was still wobbly on her feet and refused to remove her shoes. She also refused when I wanted to carry her. Honestly, this was harder than carrying her.
“Baby?” she giggled while magically managing to walk inside perfectly. “Not Kitty.”
I smiled. I actually enjoyed drunk Luce. “You secretly like that nickname. Admit it.”
“In your dreams.” She let herself fall to the sofa. She had no balance, and she spoke a little too loudly, but her eyes were clear. She even managed to keep a straight posture until we left the mansion. She really didn’t want to embarrass me in front of my family. They wouldn’t care about her getting drunk, but it was still cute.
I absently brushed her hair away from her face. “Do you want some water?”
“Yes!” she hissed like I offered her a treasure.
I chuckled and made my way into the kitchen while still keeping an eye on her. She looked well enough. Maybe she was just a bit freer, less anxious. It was good. She needed to relax from time to time. I guessed she probably couldn’t do that back at her family’s house. She could do it here. I was ready to let her be free, and I was also ready to take care of her hangover.
