Page 22 of His to Honor

“You think I chose to become a widow at twenty-five, that I chose for my best friend to mock me when I was at my lowest ebb, that I chose to be sent here?”

“What do you mean, sent here?” Livvy asks. “I thought you came to be with Matteo.”

I shake my head. “No, your big brother told me to get my ass over here and persuade Matteo to come home or he’d set fire to the life I’ve built for myself.”

“Antonio sent you here?”

“Yes. He wants Matteo back in New York. He’s told me to make it happen.”

“Shit, I’m sorry, Giulia. My brother’s an asshole.”

I empty my glass of whisky in one gulp and then pour myself another before correcting her. “Your brothers are assholes.”

“Why, what did Matteo…?”

Her voice trails off as she stares at me, probably taking in my messy hair and crumpled clothing for the first time. Heat rises to my cheeks as she looks at me and if my disheveled state didn’t give the game away, my blushes certainly will.

“You two…?”

“Yes,” I reply quickly so she doesn’t have to find words for what she suspects her brother and I did.

“Wow!” Livvy’s brow furrows as she considers the situation. “Isn’t that a good thing? I mean, I always thought you and Matteo were right for each other.”

“Really? Is that why you hated me so much?”

Livvy shakes her head. “I’ve never hated you, Giulia. It was more of an intense dislike.”

She grins and I laugh, though I’m not entirely sure she was joking.

“Seriously, though,” she continues, “I already told you I was a little jealous. You and Matteo were so close.”

“You’re close with Matteo too.”

“Yeah, but he’d never go against Antonio for me. For you, he would.”

Is she right about that? Would Matteo go against Antonio for me? I doubt it. He didn’t intervene when his oldest brother agreed to me marrying Johnny. Of course, he might not have seen that as a life and death situation. If Antonio ordered him to kill me, would Matteo do it? His loyalty to his oldest brother is unassailable. Perhaps he’d have some qualms about ending my life, but I suspect he’d put his family first.

That depressing thought makes me slump against the back of the sofa. I empty my glass again and put it on the arm of the chair. Then I take the bottle Livvy’s holding onto. This time, I unscrew the cap and drink straight from the bottle. I shudder as the alcohol goes down.

“You know what we need to do?” Livvy’s tone is conspiratorial. “Get blind drunk.”

Get drunk?I’m halfway there. I don’t consume much alcohol, apart from the occasional glass of wine. My head feels fuzzy and my lips are tingly. Although I suspect I’m going to regret it, I take another large gulp of Scotch and pass the bottle to Livvy.

The door opens and Matteo comes into the room. “Time to go, sis.”

“I don’t want to go.” Livvy sounds a lot more sober than I feel.

“Tough shit. Damiano’s waiting.”

“Let her stay.” Oh, shit. My words are slurring.

Matteo strolls over to stand in front of me. He tilts his head to the side and grins. “Had a couple of drinks, sweetheart?”

He knows I’m a lightweight. After I’d had a couple of beers, he used to have to drag my ass home from parties so I could sleep it off.

“Just a couple.”

“Mmm-hmm.” He turns his attention to his sister and removes the almost empty bottle from her grasp. “How about you, Olivia? How much have you drunk?”

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