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“You’ll find out later. Just relax.”
“I’m the complete opposite of relaxed right now.”
“Should I fetch you some more alcohol?”
She glares, but that blessedly keeps her quiet as I maneuver us back into the ballroom. It’s still teeming with people, still somehow annoyingly loud. I catch Christian’s eye as soon as I enter, and he raises an eyebrow at my new company. I offer him a subtle shake of the head as Astoria and I head over to her parents. They’ve obviously been waiting for us and are standing to the side, separated from everyone else. Her father casts a disapproving glance at her hand in mine.
“Carlo,” he says, authority ringing in his tone. “What the hell is going on?”
A question I’ve asked myself far too many times this night. Thankfully, Astoria stays quiet as I inform her father that I’ve been secretly dating his daughter for a few weeks. The emotions on his face flicker from surprise, to confusion, to mild hurt, and then anger.
“How and when did this happen?”
“I’m not sure this is the right place to get into the sordid details, sir. We ran into each other at a restaurant and I was immediately intrigued by her. We ran into each other again and I couldn’t help asking her out. Things blossomed from there.”
“But I…” He falters. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Trust me, Salvador. I know.
Her mother, though, seems to have settled in nicely to the idea. She places her hand on her husband’s shoulder and smiles. “Come on, my love, you know how these things work. Feelings and emotions are random. They creep on a person.”
“Yes, but neither of them has ever given any inclination that they were involved. I wasn’t even aware Astoria knew any of the D’Angelos.”
Mygirlfriendthankfully chooses this time to step in. “Of course I know them, Daddy. You’re always talking about them and when I met Carlo I was curious about the kind of person he is. I didn’t tell you because I was worried about how you’d react but then you started talking about me getting engaged to Dante. Carlo and I talked and we agreed it was time to come clean about our relationship.”
She places her hand on my chest, making sure to look up at me lovingly. It’s a charming display; A-plus for the acting. “Besides, our relationship is still in its early stages. He just asked me out recently.”
“They make a wonderful couple, Salvador,” her mother says, beaming.
Thank God she’s somehow accepting this farce of a relationship. Otherwise we’d have encountered much stronger opposition. Salvador doesn’t look nearly as amenable.
“Sure,” he says gruffly. His brown eyes are narrowed in suspicion. “Does your bid to purchase my building have anything to do with this sudden… development?”
Absolutely.
“No. I deliberately didn’t mention my relationship because I didn’t want it to interfere with the negotiations. The building has nothing to do with how I feel,” I say, mustering complete sincerity in my tone.
He still doesn’t look convinced. He turns to his daughter. “A D’Angelo, Astoria. Really?”
“He’s standing right here, Dad,” she says with a smile. “You love them.”
“I loved their father. The lot of them, though, I’m not so sure anymore,” Salvador corrects, eyeing me.
I offer my best attempt at a charming smile. He sighs.
“We need to talk more about this,” he states.
“Not today,” Camelia interjects. “Carlo, you should join us for dinner. When are you free?”
I mentally run through my schedule. “I have matters to attend to for most of this week,” I say apologetically. “Would next Tuesday be alright?”
Astoria lightly jabs her elbow into my side. “Babe,” she says with a nervous laugh, “I have a night shift at the hospital on Tuesdays, remember?”
Of course I don’t fucking remember, seeing as I had no idea she worked at a hospital. I vaguely remember someone mentioning she’s a doctor but it slipped my mind.
I quickly gloss over the slip-up. “Right. How about Wednesday, then?”
Both her parents nod and Astoria doesn’t offer any objections. After one last glance at the both of us, Salvador and Camelia walk away to continue playing darling hosts. Christian catches my eye from across the room and points at his watch—a clear sign that we have to go. I notice he has managed to wrangle Topher to his side and my sister-in-laws as well. They’re all watching curiously.
