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“Everyone could see you weren’t in love with her. How do you feel about this other woman?” Carlo asked.
“I’m falling for her, but it’s new. I don’t know where we’ll end up.”
Matteo smirked. “I’m happy for you. You in a relationship has the added benefit of getting the parents off my back.”
“Is that all you care about?” I asked him.
“The pressure can be a little intense. I don’t envy your position as the eldest,” Matteo said.
There was a lot of pressure for me to represent the family and restaurant in a certain way. My brothers had been given a little more freedom in that area, but my parents had higher expectations for me.
“Who is it? Is it someone I know?” Matteo asked.
“Yes.” I wasn’t sure I was ready to tell them everything yet.
“It’s not…Harper, is it?” Carlo asked, and I wondered if I hadn’t done a good job of hiding my interest the last few weeks.
I let out the breath I’d been holding. “What if it was?”
“I’d say it’s a bad idea. Harper’s Gia’s best friend. You know she’ll be pissed when she finds out. Not only that, but Harper is part of the family,” Carlo said, ever the practical one.
“She’s not really part of the family.” That was the only explanation that made any of this okay.
Matteo exchanged a look with Carlo. “We’re the only family she’s got.”
My shoulders lowered.
Carlo stretched his neck. “What if Mamma and Papà don’t approve? You know how they can be. They might cut her off.”
“She’s looking for her own place anyway.” Although I wasn’t sure if she could afford anything.
“It’s more than just a place to live and work. You’d be taking away her family if it doesn’t work out,” Carlo insisted.
“Nothing has to change,” I said, but the words felt weak to me.
“Isn’t she worried?” Carlo asked.
I pursed my lips. “She is.”
“And what about Evie? She deserves to have someone permanent in her life,” Matteo asked. He wasn’t always the most responsible, but he adored Evie.
“I think that’s where this could be headed.” As long as there was no outside interference, but we couldn’t predict what would happen. I couldn’t imagine a world where Harper and Evie weren’t in it. Where she wasn’t at Sunday family dinners or holidays.
“Mamma watches Evie for her too,” Matteo said.
“She could hire someone—”
Matteo shook his head. “It’s not the same and you know it.”
“I don’t think they’d cut off Evie, do you?” I asked, my stomach tightening.
“They are rigid when they want to be. If things don’t work out, they will be on your side. Even if you’re the oldest.”
I thought about our dates over the weekend and how they seemed to fit into my life. “I like her. I can see a future with her.”
“How long have you been together?” Carlo asked, studying me.
“We’ve spent more time together recently.”
