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I’d concluded long ago that I’d never get married, and I thought I was okay with that. None of the men my mother dated loved her enough for that. And my mom was so busy chasing the next guy, she never saw me. That’s why I latched on to Gia’s family at a young age. I wanted what she had, and maybe that was part of this crush I had on Leo. I wanted to be part of the Giovanni family so badly that I imagined this attraction to him.
I was attached to Gia and her family, not the other way around. They didn’t need me as I did them. Mr. G. gave me my first job when I was fourteen, and Mrs. G. watched Evie so I could work. They protected me. But I was starting to think it was time for me to separate from them.
We stood as the couple made their way back down the aisle, this time to cheers. I was happy for them, even if I didn’t know them.
“Are we staying for the reception?” Leo asked Gia.
Gia nodded, her expression calculating. “Of course. I want to see how everything is run.”
“So youarespying on Silas,” Leo said seriously.
Gia rolled her eyes. “Any good business owner is aware of the competition.”
Leo’s forehead wrinkled. “Don’t forget, Silas is my friend.”
Gia scoffed. “And my biggest competitor.”
“I hate that you two don’t get along,” Leo said softly.
I wondered if Leo felt stuck in the middle of that situation. There was animosity coming from Gia, and I’m sure Silas didn’t have good things to say about her.
Gia’s eyes narrowed. “Does it matter? We’re competitors. We were never going to be friends.”
I could see Gia and Silas interacting as enemies and maybe even lovers, but anything else was too preposterous to consider. Both of their personalities were so big they’d clash. Not that I was an expert on relationships.
“What about you? You need to get back?” Leo asked me, and I was touched that he cared.
“Your mom said she didn’t mind keeping Evie. You know she loves her as if she were her own grandchild. But I don’t want to leave her all night.” Mrs. G. loved to say I was the only one of her kids who bothered to give her grandkids. I loved that she’d referred to me as her child, but a part of me knew she was just being nice. I wasn’t part of the Giovanni family. Not really.
As we moved into the aisle, Leo let Gia walk ahead of us, and he wrapped his arm around me for a second time, drawing me into his side. His heat enveloped me. “I want to thank you for that. As the eldest, I get the most pressure in that department.”
“To get married and have kids?” I was aware of the dynamics of the Giovanni family, but it never failed to surprise me how much they cared for each other.
Leo nodded as we followed the line of guests to the cocktail area.
“You don’t want that?” It wasn’t something I’d ever had an opportunity to ask before. We were usually surrounded by their family. It was loud and boisterous, and private conversations weren’t possible.
Leo sighed. “I do. Just not on my mom’s schedule.”
He’d dated Bianca for three years, and everyone thought they would get engaged. Her family owned a fancy Italian restaurant in town. For me, her existence meant that Leo would remain a silly crush, not a real possibility. When they broke up, everyone was surprised, but I never heard why it didn’t work out.
Leo was a good son. He’d eventually give in to his mother’s demands and get married to a nice Italian girl who didn’t already have kids with a deadbeat dad. He’d be with someone worthy of him. I had no delusions that I was it for him.
When a waiter walked by with a tray, we each grabbed a champagne glass. Leo held his up and said, “To Happily Ever Afters.”
“To Happily Ever Afters,” I repeated, and Gia smiled.
“I can get behind that.”
We clinked glasses, and I drank deeply from mine. It was dry going down, and I immediately started coughing.
Leo’s large palm rested on my back as I leaned over, hoping the ground would swallow me. “Are you okay?”
“It went down the wrong pipe,” I said, slightly embarrassed yet enjoying his concern.
Leo grabbed a glass of water from a nearby waiter and handed it to me.
I drank slowly, hoping it wouldn’t set off another coughing fit.
