Page 36 of Light It Up Red
“Lil has a boyfriend,” his wife, my Zia Livvy, tells him.
“Does she now?” He takes Travis in from head to toe, likely envisioning all the ways he and the rest of my uncles could dismember the guy.
The whole time, I haven’t taken my eyes off my father. I walk over and wrap my arms around his waist. “Dad, please, for once, just be nice. For me,” I whisper.
“I’m always nice to you, Liliana,” he says.
“To Travis. Be nice to Travis,” I huff.
“He’s not good enough for you,” Dad grunts.
“No one is. But we can pretend your standards aren’t ridiculous for one night,” I try again. “Because I happen to really like him.”I drop my arms and give my dad my best puppy-dog eyes before moving over to greet my uncle, right as his twin strolls into the room.
“Who died?” My Zio Luca asks, his hands in his pockets as he rocks on his heels.
“No one. Yet,” Dad tells him.
“Theo, a word,” Mom says in that no-nonsense tone she has when she wants to make a point. I know she’s going to read him the riot act and warn him to be on his best behavior.
“Lil brought a guy home, Luc,” Zio Romeo says.
“Shit. Really? Fuck, Lil. Why are you doing this to us? When did you even start dating? And who the fuck let that happen on their watch?” Zio Luca rambles while raking an exasperated hand through his hair.
“Funny. You do know I’m an adult, right? Travis is not my first boyfriend,” I tell him.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” my uncle says to me as he walks up to Travis with an outstretched hand. “I’m Luca. I’ll be the one holding you down while my brother skins you alive—ya know, if you make the dumbass mistake of hurting my niece.”
“Travis, and that won’t happen, sir. I might not be Lili’s first boyfriend, but I will be her last.”
Chapter Sixteen
If you’ve ever wanted to be on an episode of The Sopranos, having dinner at Lili’s house will satisfy any curiosity you ever had about the inner workings of a mafia family.
Lili was on edge all night, and I hated it. I don’t like seeing her so stressed out or anxious. Her childhood home should be the place where she’s most relaxed. It was clear she wasn’t worried about herself, though; she was worried about me. For me.
“I think you should come home with me. You’re wound tight, babe, and I happen to know the best way to help you relax,” I tell Lili.
She walked me out to my car and then decided to tell me she was staying behind tonight. “I’m sure you could. I’ll come by later, but I need to talk to my mom first. I’ll drive over in a bit,” she says.
“You sure? I don’t mind waiting for you.” I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her against me.
Lily leans up on her tiptoes. Her lips brush against mine. “I’m sure. See you soon. Maybe drink one of those pre-workout shakes you have. You’ll need all the energy you can muster up, hotshot.”
“I’ll never run out of energy for you, babe. Don’t make me wait too long or I might have to start without you,” I tell her with a grin.
“I’m about to go talk to my mother, and now I have the image of you jerking off in my head. Thanks for that.” Lily shoves at my chest before turning and walking back towards the house.
It’s been two hours. What could possibly be taking her so damn long?
I pick up my phone for the tenth time. Lili hasn’t responded to my last four messages. I press the call button next to her name. It rings out and her voicemail picks up.
“You’ve reached Liliana Valentino. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you at my earliest convenience.”
“Lili, call me back… or text me. Let me know you’re okay.” I sigh into the phone, then add, “Please,” before hanging up. My phone lands on the sofa at the same time the door to my apartment opens. “Lili?” I call out while making my way to the foyer.
“Well, you better not be expecting anyone else for a booty call, Travis. I never did learn to share well,” she says, appearing in front of me.
“You okay?” I ask as I inspect every inch of her face. Her eyes are red and puffy. She’s been crying.
