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“Why are the two of you just standing there?” she asks the D’Angelo brothers with a smile.
Carlo immediately wraps his arm around her. “This is my wife Astoria.”
Astoria’s about to say something when a phone starts to ring. She pulls it out of her jeans and offers us an apologetic smile before moving to answer it. The call only takes a minute or two.
“Babe, I have to go,” she says to her husband once she’s done. “A kid was just brought in and she’s in a critical state.”
“Sure,mi amore. Do you need me to drive you?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’ll be fine.”
He kisses her on the lips, despite the three other pairs of eyes fixed on them. It’s a little bizarre to watch. But it’s pretty clear that the man is in love. Carlo’s changed since the last time I saw him.
“I’m sorry, guys,” Astoria says to us once they break apart. “It was nice to meet you. But I really have to go.”
“It’s alright,” I tell her.
She leaves and then it’s just us men. Carlo explains that she’s a doctor—information that I was already privy to, but I nod in understanding all the same.
Christian sighs. “Sorry if all of this is a little overwhelming..”
“Nah, man, it’s fine,” I murmur. “I’ve got a large family as well.”
He smiles. “Come on, let’s introduce you to the kids. My youngest brother and his wife aren’t in the country right now.”
And thank God for that. Like he said, they’re a little overwhelming, and I don’t do well around new people. Tony, though, seems right at home. After we’re introduced to the kids, he starts talking to Carlo about the gym he opened a year ago. I’ve been meaning to check it out but things have been crazy busy.
“Business is going well,” Carlo tells us. “I’ve got clients from all over New York. There are training facilities for MMA fighters and a couple of wrestlers.”
It sounds pretty cool. As surprising as it is that a man like Carlo decided to leave the underworld behind, he seems genuinely happy. And in love, which is something I didn’t think was possible. The Carlo I met those years ago was icy cold. He barely spoke and he didn’t care about anything other than his family. It’s amazing the transformation he has undergone.
We talk for a couple more minutes before Daniella reappears to inform us that dinner’s ready. Her son Daniel immediately gets to his feet at the prospect of food, making me chuckle. Cute kid, and friendly, according to his father—that is, when he’s not distracted by cartoons. He barely even looked at us when his dad made the introductions. Christian moves to lift his little girl onto his shoulders, an adorable three-year-old with blue eyes like her mom. She looks like her, too.
Tony and I fall back as we follow the family to the dining room.
“Pretty weird, huh?” my friend asks.
I look at him in question.
“Seeing them happy and in love,” he corrects. “We didn’t get to see a lot of that growing up.”
My throat closes. “No, we didn’t.”
I guess my parents loved each other, but their marriage sometimes seemed a little clinical. Like it was duty or something like that. Which makes sense when I consider that fact that it was an arranged marriage between their families.
“You think we’ll ever be in such a position?” Tony asks, sounding a lot unlike himself.
I arch an eyebrow. “Going soft on me, man?”
He chuckles. “Nah. Just wondering if I could get a woman as pretty as Daniella.”
I reach up and smack his head. “Are you trying to start a war?”
He shrugs. “What? She’s hot.”
“She’s married to Christian D’Angelo,” I grit out.
“Still hot.”
