by Chelle Bliss
“You tell us when, and we’ll be there, kid,” Mike says with a quick chin lift.
The girls rush to Bianca’s side, hugging her and telling her how excited they are.
I pull my brother to the side. “You finally going to come clean?”
He shoves his hand into his pocket. “Tomorrow at dinner after we’re married. You know Ma and Pop have to be there for me to announce it. Ma would straight up kill me.”
“I’m pretty sure everyone here already knows,” I tell him.
He raises his eyebrows. “How?”
I slap him on the back and laugh. “After you spend nine months with a pregnant woman, you’ll be able to spot one from a mile away, little brother. It doesn’t help that Bianca’s suddenly stopped drinking and keeps resting her hand against her stomach like she’s literally holding a secret.”
His gaze drifts to Bianca, who is, in fact, holding her stomach as she chats with the girls. “Well, just one more day and it won’t matter. We’ll be married, and her parents can’t ship her off to a convent somewhere.”
“I don’t think shit works like that anymore.” I laugh. “But you have a better chance of her father not punching you in the face when he hears the news.”
“I plan to be as far away from him as possible when we make the announcement. I won’t take any chances. It’s not like I can fight the man. It’s her father, after all.”
“Well, you never did anything the easy way,” I say with a smile before pulling him into a hug. “Fatherhood will be good for you.”
He doesn’t look convinced. He looks like a nervous wreck, which was exactly how I felt when Tate was on the way. I thought I wasn’t ready, but then again, I’m not sure anyone really is. There’s no way to prepare for the sleepless nights, the endless diapers, and constant feedings. Your time is no longer your own, and the realization of the commitment you’ve made by creating the tiny human doesn’t hit you square in the face until it’s too late.
“I’m scared, man.”
I pull back and grab his shoulders. “We all were. It’s normal, and you have all of us to help you through the hard shit.”
“Will you come to city hall tomorrow as my witness and best man?” he asks.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, brother. It would be my honor to be your best man.”
I hug him again, being way more touchy-feely with Vinnie than I probably have ever been in my life. But he’s growing up and we’re getting older, and the age difference doesn’t seem to be as big anymore. We’re going to both be fathers, and this is a time to celebrate.
I spot Tilly across the room, staring at the table of food, and I walk toward her, needing to know what’s wrong and unable to wait any longer.
I grab her hips and turn her to face me. “Baby, what’s wrong? Tell me. It’s killing me.”
She places her hand on my chest and smiles up at me. “Nothing, sweetheart. I’m just overwhelmed. I promise there’s nothing wrong. I’m just tired from this long, but very exciting week.”
I press my lips to her forehead, smelling the sweetness of her skin. “I understand. Only a few more days and things will be quieter.”
She wraps her arms around my middle. “I love having them here. It’s been nice getting to know everyone, baby.”
“Yes, but it’s also nice to get back to our life,” I tell her against her hair as I close my eyes. “I love the little world we’ve created.”
“Me too,” she says softly, curling her fingers into the back of my T-shirt.
“I ordered champagne,” Daphne announces. “My brother’s getting married!”
“You’re really lucky, Angelo,” Tilly says softly into my shirt. “You have all these people in your life.”
I stare down at her, placing my finger under her chin and forcing her eyes to mine. “They’re in your life too, Tilly. They’re every bit as much your family now as they are mine.”
She smiles, but there’s still sadness in her eyes. “I know. I wish I’d had cousins and siblings when I was young. Someone I could’ve bonded with and had inside jokes with and to tell stories about when we were young. I don’t have that. I never will.”
“Baby,” I whisper and touch my lips to her mouth as I keep my gaze fixed on hers. “We’ll make new memories and inside jokes. Before too long, we’ll be old and have stories of when we were young.”
“Oh God. I’m not ready to get old.”
“We have a lot of years before we get there, sweetheart. But you’re not alone anymore. You have three sisters, four brothers, and a bunch of cousins.”
Her smile brightens. “I do—and the most wonderful, loving husband in the world.”
“That too,” I say with a smirk. “You did get pretty lucky.”
“Hey, what happened about the thing?”
“The thing?” I ask.
She nods. “The man Morgan was going after?”
“We decided not to do it. It was too dangerous, and none of us wanted to put our lives at risk. We’re too old for that shit, and I have a wife and kids to take care of.”
The tension that had filled her seems to evaporate as she sags against me. “Thank God. I was so worried.”
“Tilly, don’t hold back your feelings about anything. I always want you to be happy, and I never want you to worry that something bad will happen.”
She rests her cheek against my chest, holding me tighter than before. “I can’t lose you. Losing you would kill me, Angelo. Not only would I lose you, but I’d lose this family too.”
“You’d never lose this family. Once you’re in, you’re stuck for life. They wouldn’t let you go without a fight. But I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, Til. I promise not to be an idiot and to always think of you first.”
I wonder if Tilly will ever let her guard down about something happening to me. I get it, though. After losing Marissa, I worry about what may come, but I know shit’s out of my hands. Only time will tell what the future holds, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t control what happens next.
19
Tilly
Everyone’s inside, but I needed a moment alone, preferring to sit on the front porch and listen to the distant noise of the city. My ears are practically ringing from the multiple conversations happening at once inside the house.
“Mind if I come out?” Suzy asks from the front door, holding two glasses of wine. “You can totally say no.”
“Come out.” I pat the space next to me on the swing. “Sit, please.”
She walks slowly, letting the screen door close softly behind her. Not like anyone inside would hear it. I’m pretty sure they can’t actually hear what anyone is saying with the volume at which they’re all speaking and the fact that they’re all doing it at once.
She hands me a glass before sitting down next to me. “Needed a break from everyone?” she asks, turning toward me and tucking her leg under her body.
“Not really. I just needed a moment to wrap my head around the ways my life has changed.”
“Well.” She takes a quick sip before resting the wineglass against her knee. “I remember how overwhelmed I was when I met Joe and then his entire family. No one was married yet, so the group was smaller, but still a lot to take in.”
“I had Mitchell and Roger for so long, and it was just the three of us—and then the two of us. I’ve never been around a large family. Even when my parents were alive, we didn’t have anyone but the three of us.”
Suzy grabs my hand. “It was the same for me. I mean, my parents are alive, but we aren’t close. And I have a sister, but she’s a bitch. So even though I had them, I didn’t have them. When I met the Gallos, it was shocking how loving and close they all were. It took me a while to feel like I belonged and was one of them.”
“It did?” I ask, happy to know I’m not a complete weirdo.
“They’re all so close. It’s hard not to feel like an outsider, but it’s even harder to stay one. They suck you up, and, girl, they never
let go.” She pats my hand softly before placing her arm across the back of the swing. “The Gallos are the best kind of people.”
“They really are. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”
Suzy smiles. “On paper, Joe and I didn’t fit. God, at first, I really didn’t want to date the guy, but he was persistent.”
“You didn’t?”
Hell, I remember the first time I saw Angelo. I wanted him, but I figured he was married and off-limits. I wasn’t sure I could even open my heart again, but the big guy had a way of working himself into my soul.
Suzy shakes her head and laughs. “We did sleep together the night we met, but I figured we’d never see each other again.”
“Why?”
“Why did I sleep with him, or why did I think we’d never see together?”
“I can see why you slept with him.” I laugh softly. “But why did you think you’d never see him again?”
“I was a little naïve and way too innocent for the badass biker that was City.”
“City?” I ask.
“That’s what his biker buddies call him because he grew up in the big city. The night I met him, my car had broken down on a dark country road, and he pulled over to help me. When he couldn’t get the car to start, he offered me a ride to the bar to call for a tow.”
“And that turned into you two…”
“Yeah,” she says, looking into the distance with a sinful smirk on her face. “I didn’t plan on sleeping with him. Hell, he even scared me a bit.” She takes another sip of wine as I study her, trying to picture her younger and naïve. “I didn’t drink, didn’t swear… I was like a nun without the getup. But there I was in this badass biker bar, surrounded by dirty-talkin’ rough men, and then I was on the back of his bike. I kind of let myself live a little that night. I’d never had a one-night stand before him, and I assumed we’d sleep together and be done.”
“Why?”
“I figured he was a player and the night meant nothing to him. I mean, you’ve seen him. He’s handsome as hell, and the ladies are always eyeing him. I see the way they look at my husband. Even the young ones and I want to punch them in their pretty little faces or their perky, perfect tits.”
I let out a howl of laughter. “Somehow, I can’t picture that. So, was he a player?”
“He’d only had one long-term relationship before me. He was engaged, but she died tragically before they were married.”
My heart aches for him. I know the deep sadness that comes from losing someone you love so completely.
“I could see why he didn’t want to settle down for a while after that. When I lost Mitchell, I never thought I’d love again. I figured I’d be an old lady, surrounded by cats, and watching reality television for the rest of my life.”
Suzy giggles. “I think City liked the chase. I may have been easy the first night. Don’t ever repeat that.” She points her finger at me. “But afterward, I tried to put distance between us when other women were throwing themselves at his feet.”
“Angelo and I started hanging out as friends, but we flirted a lot. I think we were both still dwelling on our grief so much that we couldn’t move forward. But that was what brought us together. Unless you’ve loved and lost, it’s hard to comprehend exactly how the other person feels.”
“I can’t imagine losing Joe,” she says quietly and looks down at her wineglass. “My world would end.”
“It feels like that for a long time, but somehow we keep breathing.”
“The man may be a total badass and cocky as hell, but he’s treated me like a queen since the day I met him. He didn’t care that I didn’t like to party and I wasn’t his usual type. For some reason, we clicked. God, he even saved my life. How can a girl walk away from a man after he saves her life?”
I gasp. “He did?”
She nods. “Some asshole attacked me in the parking lot of the biker bar. I thought Joe was going to kill him. After that, I knew he’d always protect me. No one had ever done anything even remotely close to that for me. I always only had myself. Not even my parents seemed to give a shit what happened to me.”
“The Gallos are very protective,” I say, knowing that much about Angelo. The man would take a bullet for me without even blinking.
“They are. Now here I am with three girls, an amazing husband, and a large family that’s like a small mob, none of which I planned. It’s funny how life works out sometimes.”
I don’t say anything as I sit next to her, sipping my wine, letting her words seep into my heart.
“What you’re feeling is normal,” she says like she’s reading my mind. “I just wanted to tell you that.”
“Thank you for sharing all that with me. I loved hearing about how you and Joe met and fell in love.”
“Izzy’s story is better.” She smirks, and her gaze goes to the window and Izzy. “James was Thomas’s best friend.”
My eyes widen. “Thomas was okay with that?”
Suzy shakes her head and twists her lips into a salacious smile. “Not at all. It all started at my wedding.”
“Wait, I think we need more wine,” I tell her and quickly stand. “Don’t move.”
Everyone’s so busy, no one seems to notice me as I run into the dining room, grab a bottle, and head back outside.
Suzy’s sitting on the swing, running her fingers through her long blond hair. She holds her glass up and says, “So Thomas sent James to our wedding because he was working so deep undercover, he couldn’t make it.”
“Okay,” I tell her as I fill her glass. “And?”
“I saw the spark as soon as they met. Izzy was Izzy and totally playing it off like she didn’t even like the guy. She can be rough sometimes, even on someone as tough as James.”
I pour the wine into my glass after I sit down and turn toward Suzy, ready to get the dirt. “Keep going.”
“She got totally shit-faced and ended up in his hotel room doing the nasty all night, and then she left without even saying goodbye. Just dropped the guy like a hot potato.”
“How did they get together again?”
“Izzy went to Bike Week and got in over her head. Thomas was there, still undercover, but somehow, he got a message to James and had Izzy arrested for drug possession.”
My mouth’s hanging open, but she continues.
“After she was arrested, James went to the station and decided to bring her home.”
“That’s all it took?”
Suzy laughs loudly, slapping her leg. “No way. James wasn’t going to play nice with her, so he handcuffed her to the bed all night and most of the way home.”
“He did not.” My eyes widen.
“Izzy was not amused.”
I suck my lips into my mouth, trying not to laugh because more than one person has turned their attention to the window, and I like our little Suzy and Tilly bubble. “So, what happened?”
Suzy shrugs. “It seems James likes the chase as much as Joe. And for some reason, that man can bring Izzy to her knees, and I’m not talking figuratively either.” Suzy waggles her eyebrows. “He’s straight up hot as fuck when he’s being all Dom and bossy. I’ve never seen anyone tame Izzy the way he does, still to this day.”
“I want to know all the stories. Tell me about Mike and Mia, Anthony and Max, and Thomas and Angel.”
“Girl, Angel and Thomas are a whole other story. It’s a wild one too.”
“I feel like I need to know everything.”
Suzy raises her glass, touching it lightly to mine. “I’ll tell you everything.”
An hour later, the bottle of wine is gone, and we’re both giggling like college girls who’ve never drunk before. The stories Suzy told me had me laughing my ass off, and the wine didn’t help me keep my shit under control.
“You ladies okay out here?” Angelo asks as he pops his head out the front door. “You’ve been out here awhile.”
“We’re perfect,” Suzy tells him. “Just girl talk and sharing a bit of fam
ily history.”
Angelo’s eyes linger on my face, and when he sees my tears are from laughter, a smile spreads across his lips. “Okay. Don’t get too drunk. You two want anything?”
“Privacy,” Suzy says easily. “We have some things that aren’t meant for a man’s ears.”
“Enough said.” Angelo puts up a hand and disappears.
“I know he thought we were talking about periods or something. It’s where a man’s mind automatically goes and scares the bejesus out of them. Doesn’t take much more than the mere thought, and they vanish quickly.”
I giggle louder. “Thank you for tonight, Suzy. I really needed some laughter, and your telling me all your stories helped me feel like I’m part of something bigger.”
She places her hand on mine. “Sweetheart, you’re a Gallo now. You are part of something special.”
I feel it deep in my bones. There’s something magical about being part of a family, having a tribe to call your own. I no longer feel like an outsider after being clued in on everyone and every crazy, sexy detail. I am now, and forever shall be, a Gallo.
20
Angelo
“That was ridiculously fast.” Vinnie wraps his arm around his new wife’s middle and pulls her close to his side. “It took us longer to drive there than for the entire ceremony.”
“The next one will be longer,” Bianca tells him as she rests her head on his arm and walks toward the pizza place. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m officially Mrs. Vincent Gallo.” She holds up her hand and stares at the ring as its light splinters in the setting sun.
“You made me the happiest man in the world today,” he tells her.
Tilly looks up at me, our hands linked, and smiles. She’s been like an entirely different person since her talk with Suzy last night. I’m not sure what they said, but whatever it was, it changed her.
“You ready for this?” Tilly calls out before Bianca and Vinnie make it to the front door.
Bianca stops and turns, taking a deep breath. “Let’s just hope my dad doesn’t lose his shit. The last thing we need is someone getting arrested.”
