Page 55 of Audiophile

“It’s what my sister would’ve done if my brother and I bet on her. Fair’s fair, right, Petra?” He turns his head to kiss my cheek without waiting for an answer.

“See?” Tommy shrugs, though he makes a face as though he swallowed a frog. “Easy answer to the question we’ve all been dancing around.”

It’s true. Reed and I go from hardly touching to quietly reaching for each other. I help set the table, and when I walk past the kitchen island, Reed brushes against me. My hand, my thigh, my back, my arm. Every touch turns me into a puddle.

Papa comes back with Antonio and Lilly—who are suspiciously sticky with more candy than a single lollipop—and he watchesReed and I with an expression I can’t place. As the others set the table, he tugs me away to choose a bottle of wine.

“Stellina. I’m not Mama. I want to know. Do you want something serious? Are you ready for it?”

He’s never been this blunt before. “It’s not serious, Papa. Reed is just…It sounds ridiculous because I’ve known him for all of five minutes, but he’s a great person. He only knows who I am now, at this point in my life, instead of who I was.”

“Who you were before was just as wonderful.” Papa frowns, and his words needle my chest until I want to cry. I pull him in for a hug, and his strong arms crush me.

“Thank you,” I choke out.

“He makes you smile—the way you used to. It’s beautiful on you.” Papa kisses my cheek with watery eyes. “I guess I’ll play nice. For now. He hurts you and I’ll kill him.”

Papa couldn’t hurt a mouse, but I nod solemnly anyway. He plucks a bottle from the wine fridge and proceeds to drag us all into a conversation about soccer. Reed knows nothing about the sport, favoring American football. He sits with them at the table, but watches me instead. His eyes are a warm weight on my skin.

“Seriously,” Livi mutters as she passes me a stack of plates for the table. “That ass is a work of art.”

“Stop objectifying him!” I hiss, swatting her arm. I sneak a glance at his thick thighs. “He played rugby.”

I whisper it, but our kitchen acoustics are the worst. Reed must hear me, because he chuckles. His hand grazes the back of my thigh as I set the table, and molten heat spreads everywhere from his touch.

By the time we’re all seated and dishing up at the table with Reed on my left, Tommy decides to open his big mouth on my other side. “Reed’s an easy step up from Nate, that’s for sure.”

I don’t bother yelling before I slap the back of Tommy’s head. “Stop talking.”

“What, this discussion is inevitable. Want us to have it in front of you or behind you?” Tommy asks. He’s not wrong, and part of me appreciates his consideration.

Reed leans forward to lock eyes with Tommy. “Nate was a piece of work who didn’t respect your sister or her wishes. It’s a disappointingly low bar to clear.”

Tommy’s eyebrows creep up his forehead, but that’s nothing compared to the shock registering across all the faces at the table. “Troni told you?”

“Troni?” Reed’s amusement is palpable. “I love that, Petronia. You have the best nicknames.”

My face flames. He’s about to call me Pet in front of my entire family, and it will turn me on anyway. I groan and drop my fork as I bury my face in my hands.

Reed tucks me into his chest with a laugh, because he’s perfect. Well, not really. He’s got issues and a stalker, and he loves to drive me insane. But he’s perfectly imperfect. I need to pull myself together and remember that he’s not a long-term investment.

“I’m proud of you,” Tommy says as I straighten up in my chair. His sincerity is a silent bond between us. Heart-to-hearts with Tommy, Livi giving me a makeover. Who’d have believed we were so disconnected a week ago?

“You solidified your place here,” Tommy tells Reed. But then he wrecks the moment. “It’s good to have someone else see it. I mean, Jesus, I thought the guy was mostly fine. He blindsided us all when he forced Petra to—”

I blanch.

“Tommaso!” Papa barks out. My stalwart defender. There’s a vague horror creeping across my face.

“Shut up,” Livi hisses to Tommy. “Ready to discuss your love life? Becca said she saw you kissing Annamaria last week. And Jasmin Chen the day after.”

“Tomasso!” Mama yells, and gestures for me to hit the back of Tommy’s head on her behalf. I’m more than happy to do it.Hard.“Ach, we taught you better than that!” she shrieks.

I sink into myself as they all lay into Tommy. Reed smooths a gentle hand over my thigh, brows furrowed in concern. “Want to clue me in?”

I force a smile. “Later. Enjoying the chaos of the Diamante family? At least the food is good.”

The concern is written across his face, but he squeezes my thigh in reassurance. “It’s delicious. You okay?”

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