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“No,” I said. “Brace yourself for a category five testosterone tornado inside the palace.”
The door banged open, and the Tuscany Twins entered with the energy of a thousand espressos, clad in vibrant azure and marigold plaid suits that seemed to defy the laws of color coordination. Fashionably tieless, the top buttons of their shirts hung open, highlighting their olive skin and sculpted collarbones underneath. Their hair, an explosion of dark waves, had grown out since the last time I had seen them, framing their expressive faces with mahogany locks. Despite the assault on the senses of their attire, they somehow pulled it off with confidence and panache. Especially for a couple of men in their late twenties.
Henri came running in behind them, out of breath, looking frantic. “I apologize for the intrusion, Your Majesty!”
“Queen Annabelle!” Enzo said, always the charmer, swooping in and addressing Mother with enthusiasm. “You look more radiant than ever! Bellisima!” He planted a kiss on her hand, while Renzo mirrored the gesture.
Mother’s discomfort was palpable, her face growing paler as she endured the unexpected and unwanted attention from the two people she considered loose ornery cannons. In fact, she had never wanted to see them again, let alone invite them to my wedding. But here they were, embracing her, then moving on to greet Adriana and Theo with kisses and hugs.
I was next.
“Prince Oliver!” Enzo exclaimed, enveloping me in a bear hug that left me gasping for air, following it up with a kiss on both my cheeks. “You look fantastic. You have been working out in the gym, no?” He reached for one of my biceps and gave it a squeeze. “Grande!”
Renzo echoed his brother’s sentiment with a squeeze of my bicep. “Enzo is right! Big muscles! Good to see you, my cousin!” He laughed and kissed me on both cheeks.
They saved Grace for last and stopped in their tracks, both of their mouths dropping open.
“And who is this stunning vision?” Enzo marveled, his eyes widening as he admired her from head to toe.
“This is Grace, our wedding planner,” I answered.
“Yes! The wedding planner!” he gushed, grabbing her hands, then kissing her on both cheeks. “Thank you for the invitation.” He shook his head in amazement, then patted his chest with his hand. “I do not know if my heart can withstand your beauty for a long period.”
“Then please take a break, my brother!” Renzo said, moving Enzo out of the way with his arm and stepping closer to kiss Grace on both cheeks. “I want to freeze this moment and enjoy it longer.” His eyes were filled with admiration as he gave her the once-over.
Or maybe that was lust.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Grace said, appearing to enjoy the attention, and the break from Mother’s grilling.
“Believe me—the pleasure is all mine,” Renzo said, winking at her playfully, then giving her an extra set of kisses on her cheeks that were completely unnecessary.
I cast a quick glance at Mother, who could not hide her ire at two more unwelcome guests. I got the last laugh, though. I thought they were both absolutely delightful and upbeat.
“I hope you do not mind that we arrived early.” Enzo flashed a grin at Mother. “We couldn’t resist the allure of a family reunion.”
Renzo chimed in with his infectious enthusiasm. “We were craving some quality time with you, that is all. We have not seen you since the funeral last year. Family is important, you know. Now, more than ever.”
“We also saw a video on TikTok of your grande amusement park here in Verdana that just opened,” Enzo interjected.
“Bigger than Disneyland!” Renzo chimed in.
“What is the name?” Enzo snapped his fingers, struggling to think of it.
“Atomic Adventures,” I replied with a proud grin. “Yes, we’re very proud of it. We have twenty-two rollercoasters, the most in the entire world.”
“Yes!” Enzo said. “We must enjoy Atomic Adventures in all its glory for ourselves and ride all twenty-two roller coasters.”
I chuckled. “That is a very ambitious goal. It will take more than one day to accomplish, I think.”
Just then, Aunt Honey sauntered into the room. “There y’all are! I wondered where everyone was hiding!”
Mother’s blood pressure was surely about to be tested.
Right on cue, she massaged her forehead. “I feel a migraine coming on.”
Aunt Honey’s eyes sparkled with delight as she eyed Enzo and Renzo like they were candy. “My goodness, who do we have here?”
Aunt Honey was at least thirty years older than the Tuscany Twins, maybe more, but neither of the three seemed to mind the age difference.
