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I tilt my head at my wife. “Are you going to tell me you’re wearing a wire next? What the fuck, Maddie? Record it? Really?” I’m not sure whether I should laugh or test her sanity.
“It was worth a shot. I just want to see you in your moment,” she says with that smile that somehow lights up a room. And I find myself melting instantly.
“It’s really nothing all that special, bambolina. It’s just a promotion.”
“A promotion from crown prince to crownking. That’s a big deal, Theo.”
“If I’m king, that makes you the queen,mia regina,” I say.
“I’m anything you want me to be.” She peers up at me through her fluttering lashes.
“Anything, huh?” I ask, pulling back to look her up and down.
“Anything,” she repeats.
“Well, now, that’s something I can have fun with.” I wrap an arm around her back and tug her up against me. Just as my mouth lands on hers, the bedroom door bursts open. I shove Maddie behind me, ready to draw my nine from my back, when Matteo and Romeo walk in.
“We need to talk,” Matteo says, then looks to my wife. “Sorry, Maddie.”
“Right, well, I guess the whole gang’s here. I’m going to go see Savvy and Livvy.” Maddie steps around me.
I wait for her to leave the room before I look at my brothers. “Really? If this whole month is going to be nothing but a cock-block fest, I’m going home and taking my wife with me. You guys can keep the kids, though.”
“What the fuck is going on with the offspring lately? It’s like they’ve all lost their damn minds.” Romeo shakes his head. Clearly, my brother feels my pain.
“Liliana is dating a fucking NHL player,” I tell them. I mean, that’s explanation enough.A fucking NHL player.Might as well get my shovel ready. Those professional athletes are all a bunch of fuck boys. Just ask my brother, Luca. He used to be one.
“Oh, yeah, Travis. She introduced me to him at one of the games I attended with her,” Matteo says. “He’s actually pretty good on the ice.”
“He’s a fucking asshole is what he is,” I grumble.
“He’s actually not,” Matteo fires back, though I’m not sure why he’s defending the fucker.
“Is there a reason you’re busting in here?” I ask, changing the subject becausefuck him.
“Yes, something is wrong with Ma,” Matteo says, getting my attention.
“What do you mean?”
“Lorenzo overheard her and Pops on the plane. They were discussing something about her not being able to remember things,” Matteo tells me.
“Do you think she has Alzheimer’s like Nan had?” Romeo asks.
“No.” I quickly shut down that idea. “Lorenzo might have misheard them. Ma is fine. She hasn’t been acting like Nan did. I would have noticed.”
“What if it’s just the start? We saw Nan towards the end. We didn’t see her much when it first started,” Romeo reminds me.
“Fuck. Really? You think that’s what this whole trip is about? Why Pops is suddenly retiring? Fuck.” I run my hands through my hair.
I cannot lose my mother. I’m not ready. I know I will eventually. I know how life works. I’m not naïve to it. But not yet. I walk over to the bar and pour a glass of Cinque De Bellis. It’s the best fucking whiskey money can buy, and I just happen to know the owners—they’re business associates. I made sure to have a shit-ton delivered to the estate before I arrived.
“She said she wanted the memories,” Romeo says, his eyes flicking to the ground before he looks back up at me. “Fuck. We can’t lose her like Nan. That was fucked up. She didn’t even know who we were.”
“I know.”
The door opens and Luca walks in. “Why do you all look like someone just died?” he asks.
I can’t help the rage that overcomes me. “Fuck!” I scream out, throwing the empty crystal glass against the wall and watching it shatter to the ground.
