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"I feel like I walked into an argument," Nonna drawls.
Ryder sniffs the air. "Forget pancakes. I wantcornetti."
Mattie rubs my forearm. "This is our clue to leave."
I smirk as I peck his cheek.Damn, he’s right.
After snagging a fewcornetti—which causes my brothers to yell as they shoo me away—I lead Mattie to the backyard.
I inhale deeply before guiding him to the patio chairs. The air is fresh, verdant, and crisp. Sunlight dances over the tops of the olive trees, turning them to jade. Mourning doves coo by the birdfeeder as squirrels search for scraps. Pistachios that Nonno must’ve tossed onto his toolshed lie hidden in the blades of grass, waiting for an eager crow to stumble across them.
Further back, an owl hoots in a cypress tree. The sound takes me back to when I was a boy—when I used to roam these grounds with my brothers, skipping down the trails, exploring nature. Closing my eyes, I feel the mud squelching between my toes, hear the birds and whistling wind, smell the forest and grass, and even taste the fruit we’d steal before commencing our adventures.
"Hey." Mattie waves his hand in my face. "I’m losing you."
I tug him onto my lap, then pat his right hip. "I’m recalling my adventures with my brothers growing up."
"I guess I’ll allow that."
Mattie snickers. "I wish I had a big family like yours. Everyone has so much fun—the bonfire last night was something out of a movie."
A horror movie.
"If we hadn’t left, you would’ve seen me get very annoyed," I joke.So aggravated I would’ve pulled out an ax like Jack Nicholson inThe Shining.
He rests the back of his head on my chest. "That comes with the territory. You have fun together, you fight, you make up. You’re family."
What’s he going to say next? We laugh? We love?
"Yes," I add sagely, planting a kiss on his neck. "Our relationship can best be summed up by those wooden plaques in suburban homes with cheesy cursive sayings."
"My mom had one of those growing up." Mattie glares at me. "It saidHome is where the heart is."
"Was that where your home was?"
Mattie brings his fingers to his chin. "No. My home was… elsewhere."
Reaching up, I turn his head around to face me. "It’s here, baby boy. With me. Nonna. Nonno. You’re safe. Welcome. Part of the clan."
Mattie’s eyes water. "I appreciate that."
I dust his left cheek with a kiss. "Live, laugh, love.Never feel like you don't belong. I don't know exactly what your home life was like as a boy—but this will be better. My family will show you nothing but acceptance and understanding. Do we tease each other? Of course. That’s why Giosuè doesn’t want me to tell anyone that he was trying on fem clothes in Little Store. At the end of the day, we put our differences aside and come together as one."
Mattie rubs his eyes. "I feel like I have a new family."
"Afoundfamily." My voice is stern. "You don't need to stick with the family you were born into. Like I said, I don't know everything that happened in your home growing up—but I don’t need to. I can tell by the way you shine around my siblings, cousins, and other relatives that this is something you’ve desired for a long, long time—but never had."
"You’re right."
"Family is a choice. Who you’re loyal to. Who you fight for. My family will choose to invite you in—if you’ll let them."
Mattie rubs his cheek against my palm. "This made me feel better."
"I’m honored to hear that."
He blushes as he ticks his eyes up. "I can’t stop thinking about the way Nonno teased me when I sat on your lap last night."
I push out a groan. "Ignore him. He was only looking out for his lawn chairs."
