Hook

by Chelle Bliss

  Angelo rocks gently, trying to calm me as I start to hyperventilate. “He heard you. There’s no doubt in my mind he heard every word you spoke to him that day. He just couldn’t talk back. He left you a letter as his final words, trying to tell you that he knew what you had was special.”

  “It was the greatest love,” I whisper. “He was my everything. My protector, my best friend, my love, my world.”

  “I know, baby. I know.” There’s nothing sexual in his tone. He’s comforting me in a moment and a way no one else has been able to since Mitchell was alive. “Marissa was like the brightest star in the night’s sky. She was everything I ever wanted. Even though I loved her and did everything in my power to protect her, I failed.”

  I turn in his arms, peering up at his tear-filled eyes, and hold his cheeks in my hands. “You loved her fiercely, Angelo. You did everything you could to protect and save her. This I know. But sometimes, the world has other plans, and no matter how hard we try to change things, there’s no changing what’s meant to be.”

  He rests his forehead against mine, hiding his eyes and his tears. “Marissa begged me to move on after she died. She couldn’t leave until she made me promise not to be alone for the rest of my life. In her final moments, she thought of me and the kids more than herself.”

  “How were we so lucky to have them in our lives?”

  He flattens his palms against the small of my back, and I crave his warmth. “I don’t know, Tilly. I ask myself that question every day.”

  “You know why I haven’t dated?”

  Angelo tilts his head up just enough to see my eyes. “Why?”

  “Because I didn’t want to have to stop talking about Mitchell. He’s not an ex-anything, you know? I don’t want another man to feel he’s competing with him.”

  “I understand completely.”

  “But with you—” I wrap my arms around his waist, holding him tight “—I feel like I can say anything about Mitchell, and you won’t judge or feel jealous.”

  “We were blessed with great love and cursed with even greater loss. If we can’t share those feelings with someone, it’ll never work. We’ll never be able to move forward and continue living.”

  “Mitchell would’ve liked you, Angelo.” I stare up into his crystal-blue eyes. “He’d like your quiet strength, your kind heart, and your ability to love completely.”

  “Marissa would’ve adored you too, Tilly. Your spirit is infectious, and you’re sweeter than any cupcake you could ever bake.”

  I laugh softly, loving how he found a way to throw my cupcakes into the conversation. “Do you believe in fate?”

  “I never did. I couldn’t believe fate gave me Marissa and then snatched her away.”

  “It’s hard to believe in anything when you lose someone so important.”

  “But if there’s such a thing, I feel like you and I were destined to meet. We were meant to be here, in this time, helping each other heal.”

  I could easily fall for this man. His heart has an infinite capacity for love.

  “Are we too broken to be together?” I whisper with my eyes locked with his.

  He shakes his head and brushes his lips against my forehead. “I think we’re too broken for other people, but together, we’re whole.”

  I close my eyes and tighten my arms around his waist. “I haven’t felt a moment’s peace before being with you.”

  “I feel the same, Tilly.”

  We stand like that, embracing and just being for so long, I lose track of time. I’m lulled into a sense of peacefulness listening to the steady beat of his heart thumping in his chest underneath my ear.

  “Do you still want to go out tonight?” he asks when the tears have finally stopped falling.

  “I do,” I say without opening my eyes or looking up. I’m so comfortable, I don’t want to leave the serenity of his arms.

  “Hello!” Betty calls from the front of the shop. “Anyone here?”

  “Christ,” Angelo mutters against my hair.

  I laugh, loving the way his family is all up in each other’s shit. It’s something I never had but always wished I did.

  “Back here.” I release my hold on him and put some distance between us.

  Betty comes stalking through the swinging door, dressed to the nines like she’s about to head out for a swanky lunch date. “There you two are.” She eyes us both like she knows something’s going on.

  She looks luminous in her bright green sweater and skinny jeans. For an older woman, she has a smoking hot body, looking at least ten years younger than her actual age.

  “Hey, Ma.” Angelo rubs the back of his neck.

  “Hi, Betty.”

  “Hey, doll.” She grabs my arms and pulls me toward her to kiss my cheek. “I know you two are busy, but I wanted to let you know we’re having a family dinner tonight.”

  “But it’s not Sunday, Ma.”

  Her red-painted lips flatten. “I know, but Vinnie’s home for another day, and I want to do something special for him before he leaves.”

  “We have plans,” he tells her.

  She smiles. “You do. Dinner at my place at seven.”

  “But what about the bar?”

  “I got it covered. That includes you, Tilly. I’m sure you could use a good home-cooked meal.”

  Angelo leans over, placing his mouth next to my ear. “Don’t let her fool you. Her cooking is horrible,” he whispers.

  I stare at Betty with wide eyes as she glares at him. “I heard that, smartass. Daphne and Delilah are cooking.”

  “It’ll be halfway edible, then.” He laughs.

  “It doesn’t matter how good the food is. The most important thing is that we’re together as a family,” his mother tells us.

  “I know, Ma.”

  “Maybe we should just reschedule,” I say.

  Betty shakes her head. “No, dear. You’re a part of us now.”

  “I am?” My mouth hangs open.

  Betty grabs my shoulders. “You are, and Tate insisted I come over here and invite you.”

  “Oh,” I whisper, caught off guard. “Can I bring anything?”

  “Just yourself.”

  Angelo’s behind me and silent.

  “Seven o’clock. Got it?” she reminds us like we’d actually forget.

  “We’ll be there, Ma,” he tells her.

  She stares at us for a moment. “You two would make beautiful children,” she says out of left field.

  I practically choke on my own spit and start to cough uncontrollably.

  Angelo places his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “Ma, bring it down a notch.”

  “I’m just stating the obvious.” She shrugs. “Do with it as you will. Now, I’m off. I’m meeting Mrs. Onorato for lunch at Piatto.”

  “‘Dish’?” I ask, wondering who the hell would name their restaurant “Dish.”

  “Yes, dear. You know Italian?”

  “I spent a year in Italy with Mitchell. He was stationed there. I picked up a thing or two.”

  “Oh. I like her.” His mother winks.

  “Aren’t you late?”

  “Seven,” she says again as she pushes the swinging door and disappears into the front of the shop. Neither of us speaks until the sound of her high heels fades.

  “She’s intense.” I can’t stop myself from laughing as I turn around to face him.

  “The entire family is crazy as fuck.”

  “I’ve met them.”

  “You haven’t seen them all in action.” He pulls me back into an embrace.

  “I always wanted a big family. I’m excited to have dinner with them.”

  “You sure? I can cancel, and we can go out alone.”

  I shake my head, wanting nothing more than to spend a quiet evening with his family. “I’m sure, Angelo. They’re a part of you.”

  “The crazy part.” He pulls me closer, holding me so tightly, I never want him to let me go.

  “Being normal is never fun.�
��

  “Be careful what you ask for. I worry they may be a little too much to handle all at once. At least so soon.”

  “It’s always better to rip the Band-Aid off quickly.”

  At least, that’s what I tell myself. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a little nervous about tonight. I’ve met them all, and from what I can tell, they’re everything a family should be.

  16

  Angelo

  I slide my hands up and down Tilly’s arms as we stand outside the bar. “This is your last chance to escape.”

  Tilly turns and stares through the windows. “I think it’ll be okay.”

  She has no idea what she’s walking into. My family as individuals are good. At least, for the most part. Put them all together in one room, especially with a newcomer, and shit can tend to get a little crazy.

  “Just remember. If it becomes too much or you feel overwhelmed, let me know, and we’ll leave.”

  “Too much for you or for me?” She laughs.

  I lean forward and grab her chin with my fingertips. “I like your sass.”

  She bites her bottom lip and smirks. “I like your ass,” she replies, and I can only shake my head.

  “You’ll fit right in with this bunch.”

  “Thank you,” she says, staring at me with those green eyes that render me speechless.

  I search her gaze. “For what?”

  I should be the one thanking her for being here with me tonight even though she doesn’t have to be.

  “For making me feel wanted.”

  “Tilly.” I bring my lips closer to hers. “I can’t explain all the things you make me feel.”

  There’s nothing more to say. This woman has made me feel more alive than I have in the last three years. I want to lose myself in her.

  I bend forward, placing my lips on hers ever so lightly. The kiss is sweet, pure, and everything I’m feeling. She kisses me back, gripping my arms tightly. Our hot breath mingles with the cold night air as I back away and try to catch my breath.

  “Don’t do that.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Don’t kiss you?”

  “Not like that. Not when we have to spend the evening with your family.”

  I laugh and kiss her forehead. “I promise I won’t kiss you again until we’re alone.”

  She snuggles into me, wrapping her fingers around my collar. “I could stay like this all night.”

  I’m just about to ditch my family when there’s a knock at the window. My ma’s face is pressed against the glass, and she’s gawking at us. “Get in here,” she says, but her voice is muffled by the street noise and the music from inside the bar.

  Tilly snorts. “Guess we’re taking too long.”

  “My ma is so nosy.”

  “It’s nice.” She looks up at me with a sweet, innocent smile.

  “I’ll remind you of that in a few hours.” I open the front door to a very impatient Betty.

  “Everyone’s waiting for you two, while you play kissy-face on the street.” Ma’s tapping her foot with her arms crossed.

  “Kissy-face?” I repeat, unable to stop laughing as we follow her through the busy bar.

  “Come on. The food’s almost ready.” She motions for us to follow her up the stairs as she moves faster than she usually does. “You know your brother. He’s always starving.”

  “They’re all overdramatic,” I tell Tilly as I have her walk in front of me and behind my mother.

  “They’re here,” Ma announces as we step foot on the landing to her apartment. “I found them making out on the street.”

  “Way to go, bro.” Vinnie winks.

  Tilly blushes at my brother’s dumbass comment and my mother’s overstatement of what she saw downstairs. Maybe in my mother’s time, making out meant a brief kiss on the lips, but not in this century.

  Ma grabs Tilly by the arm, pulling her toward the living room and away from me. “Come, let me introduce you.”

  She’s getting the Gallo baptism by fire without any tiptoeing into the horde.

  I collapse into the kitchen chair next to Vinnie and shrug off my jacket, but I keep my eyes trained on Tilly.

  He leans into my personal space. “You’re a goner.”

  “Maybe.” I don’t even look at him and I don’t pause, but I’m only being partially truthful.

  “There’s no maybe about that shit. You can’t take your eyes off her.”

  I grunt.

  “You going to make her yours or pussy out?”

  I give him a side-eye. “You still bed-hoppin’?”

  “Well, duh. I’m a senior. I’m all about the pussy.”

  I shake my head. “You got to grow up sometime.”

  “Next year when I’m playing pro ball,” he says like, somehow, that makes any sense. “But again, are you going to date that chick or what? She’s a primo piece of ass.”

  I give him an icy stare. “Do not ever, under any circumstances, refer to her as a primo piece of ass.”

  He jerks his head back before he gives me a shitty smirk. “Yep. I knew it.”

  “What are you two arguing about?” Lucio sits down across from us, almost blocking my view of Tilly.

  “Her.” Vinnie ticks his chin toward the living room.

  Lucio rubs his chin as he stares at me. “Did you make her yours yet?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?” Lucio shrugs.

  “It’s complicated.”

  “Brother—” Lucio starts to say, but I cut him off.

  “I know. I know. But there’s more than just my past we’re working through. We’re taking things slow.”

  “You can take it as slow as you want, but you better lock that shit down.”

  He’s repeating the words I said to him about Delilah. I knew that crap would come back to haunt me someday.

  “I will,” I grumble.

  “I mean it, Angelo. Lock it down before you lose it,” he tells me again, pointing at me like I’m not hearing his words.

  “I said we’re going slow.”

  “I’m not saying you need to sleep with her, but you need to make sure she isn’t sleeping with anyone else.”

  I level him with my gaze. “She’s not like that.”

  Lucio lifts his hands in the air. “I wasn’t saying she was, but you both need the security and certainty.”

  What he’s saying isn’t wrong. With our pasts, we needed everything clear-cut so there’s no chance either of us would feel a sense of insecurity or worry. The last thing I want is for Tilly to even think another woman had a shot at me.

  Every day at work, I get at least a half-dozen phone numbers. Each and every one of them ends up in the trash because there’s no way I’m dating a customer. While I’m a man with needs, I’m also a father and have to think of my children before my dick.

  Tilly’s chatting with Delilah and Daphne on the couch and paying no attention to me. I’m fine with it. I want her to feel comfortable around my family. If she doesn’t, there wouldn’t be a future for us.

  “You better take her on a date,” Ma says as she walks back into the kitchen.

  “I was taking her on one tonight before you invited us here.”

  “Well.” Ma shakes her head. “Tomorrow, then.”

  “Sure, because I have nothing else to do. Who needs to spend time with the kids?”

  She puts her hands on her hips and narrows her eyes. “Don’t sass me, mister.”

  Fuck. It doesn’t matter how old I am, Ma still treats me like a little kid. She’ll turn on a dime, reminding me that she’s the boss of all of us…forever.

  “Tilly’s trying to open a business, and I have two little ones. It’s not easy to find free nights to go on dates. That’s all I’m saying.”

  She grabs the oven mitts, turning her back to us. “Why don’t you invite her over for dinner?”

  “I don’t want to confuse the kids.”

  “Sweetheart,” she says in a sugary voice like she always does when s
he doesn’t agree. “Tate already found her sleeping on your couch, and she was fine. It’s just a meal. People have to eat.”

  “Delilah and I can watch the kids,” Lucio offers, finally understanding the joys of fatherhood when trying to get laid or you know…do anything. “They can even spend the night.”

  “Can you handle that?” I ask, knowing that’s a mighty big ask.

  “What’s two more? It’s already mass chaos at our place. The only thing I can promise is that they’ll come back alive, but everything else is a crapshoot.”

  Ma touches my shoulder. “Do it, baby. You deserve some happiness and a night off.”

  Lucio watches me, waiting. I can never thank my brother enough for what he did for me after Marissa died. He took the kids off my hands more times than I can count, sheltering them from the spiral I couldn’t escape and the depths of my depression.

  “I’ll take you up on the offer, brother, but only if I can return the favor.”

  “Fuck yeah.” He groans. “I’m so exhausted, I just want to sleep an entire night through.”

  “This is why I don’t settle down with just one honey.” Vinnie picks at the label on his beer bottle. “You two make adulthood seem like the shittiest thing ever.”

  “You keep sticking that thing into whatever has tits, and you’re going to end up with a kid of your own real quick.”

  He downs his beer and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “Please. I always wear a rubber.”

  “Well, at least you’re smart enough for that,” Lucio mumbles under his breath.

  “Angelo.” Daphne clears her throat as she walks into the kitchen with her arm linked with Tilly’s. “This one’s a keeper.”

  Tilly snorts. “You’re too nice, Daphne.”

  I laugh. “Most people wouldn’t use that word to describe her.”

  “Well, you’re an asshole too,” Daphne says and sticks out her tongue like we’re twelve.

  “I’m passionate.” I wink at Tilly.

  Tilly sucks her lips into her mouth, biting back the laughter.

  “Anyway.” Daphne ignores my comment like she usually does. “We girls are going shopping this weekend. Ma, you too.”

  Ma perks up, turning around with the roaster in her hands. “I’m invited?” She seems shocked, but she’s always included in everything “the girls” do.