Page 1 of Family Matters

CHAPTER 1

Leon, Mister Parker, Elias and all the other members of the handymen’s club will be happy, Brian smiled inwardly, as he arranged the blueprints and manuals in the do-it-yourself section. The man took a walk down the memory lane as he finished the task, remembering the day, or better said the night, when the course of his life changed forever.

He, who had a strong repulsion for all the alcoholic beverages, was determined to drink himself to death that night. Brian shuddered at the thought, but, back then, desperate as he was, the man saw that as the only way out of his miserable existence. Overwhelmed by all the bad things that happened in his life three years earlier, he didn’t think about who and what was left behind; all Brian wanted was to end everything, once and for all.

Climbing down the ladder, the librarian went behind the counter and started to add the new books, grouping them in categories and giving each of them a registration number. After about an hour, he decided to take a break and relaxed into the chair with a small sigh, hands stretched above his head.

The position of the counter offered Brian an excellent view to the largest of the three reading halls, a smile forming on his lips as he looked around it. Nicola, Gabriele, Martino, Elyan,and Baldassare sat at the desks, reading and taking notes for the essays and other written assignments they got at school.

Ican’t believe they are all in college,Brian slowly shook his head as the smile on his lips became more radiant than before, eyes shining with paternal pride. True to his heritage, Elyan joined the crime-fighting ranks by choosing to study forensic sciences, his soon-to-be husband Baldassare enrolled in law school, and Martino worked hard to become the genius financier his father always believed he would become.

Nicola took the first steps to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming an architect, and Gabriele, who had a special relationship with his uncle Edward, wanted to follow in his footsteps and work for Social Services. The hell he endured before Brian and Bart adopted him determined the path of the descendant of the Ubaldi family to help kids who experienced a similar nightmare overcome their traumatic past, looking to the future with confidence.

Martino shifted in the chair to get in a more comfortable position, a soft sigh escaping from his luscious lips. Brian scanned the young man, his gaze resting on the baby bump. And they call me stubborn, the librarian thought, smiling inwardly; the young man was less than two months away from giving birth, but nothing and no one could convince him to switch to online classes.

Sometimes, when he looked at Martino, it was hard for Brian to believe that almost three years passed since he showed up at the library, a starving, thirsty, tired, scared teen, withsomething feral in his eyes. He changed so much, in so many ways, the librarian thought, his heart filled with pride and affection for the red-haired young man.

Scratch that, Brian said to himself, imperceptibly shaking his head, what you feel for Martino right now it’s not affection, it’s love. Indeed, although it started off as brotherly affection, the feelings evolved into something deeper, more meaningful, becoming the same with what he had for the two other men in his life.

Bart and Luca.My husband of almost eleven years and my sub, Brian said to himself, his heart melting and eyes shining at the thought. The Sicilian mafioso couldn’t wait to hold his child in his arms, and put a lot of time and love into furnishing and decorating the nursery, with Martino, who moved in slow motion, offering him assistance and acting as cheerleader.

The sound of the library’s door opening brought Brian back from his thoughts and made him turn. A young guy of about the same age as the youths sitting at the desks let himself in and headed to the counter. Droplets of water fell from his longish, black hair, forming mini-pools on the floor, and his t-shirt was soaking wet.

“I'm Liam and here's the story.” The young man started after clearing his throat. Last night, I bought a glass of whiskey and was minding my own business, getting wasted in a biker bar, because no one will hire me as a sales representative; as you see, I'm fucking ugly and I terrify the clients, everybody told me that.”

“Don’t listen to them, buddy, there’s nothing wrong with the way you look.” Gabriele grinned. “On the contrary, you are one hot guy, if you ask me.” He turned to Nicola, who lightly slapped him over the head. “Ouch, what was that for?”

The guy, Liam, shrugged Gabriele’s words off and continued his story. “Anyway, there comes this tall, long-haired, tattooed guy and asks me what I'm doing, to which I answer. He asks me how old I am, I tell him almost nineteen. The next thing I know, the guy takes the bottle from my hand, pours an ice-cold glass of water over my head and tells me to go to the town's library and ask for Brian. The long-haired guy said Brian will give me a job. I told him I'm fucking ugly, but he gave me a hard stare, so here I am.”

“Shit, man, you had the misfortune to meet Leon while you were getting wasted.” Nicola gave the newcomer a sympathetic look.

Elyan shook his head “This is not good.” His face had a serious, philosophical expression. “No, man, being on Leon’s bad side is not good at all.”

“Ma che cazzo...” Baldassare exclaimed in his native language, staring at Liam, who didn’t know how to react. “What the hell…”

“Merda, look at this guy!” Martino also exclaimed, pointing in the newcomer’s direction. “His eyes, hair, and—”

“Boy, am I glad Leon wasn't the one to find me.” Brian slowly shook his head, an amused expression on his face. He wanted to continue, but the door opened again.

“By San Gennaro's blood, librarian, this is your younger version.” Luca said in Sicilian, gasping in shock as he walked into the library. “How...Who…”

“I'm Liam, it's nice to meet you.” The young man extended his hand, winking in the mafioso’s direction, which made Martino growl possessively.

“Hey, buddy, that one is taken.” The usually flat voice Elyan used when talking to strangers was tinged with warning. “And this one.” The blond continued, pointing to Baldassare. “And generally everyone else.”

Liam shrugged once again.“Calm down, kid, I know I have no chance. I mean, with these mismatched eyes...” He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. The young man turned to the librarian. “Listen, mister, all I want is a job and a bed, so I can finally leave that house.”

It was only then when Brian, a little confused by the agitation created around the newly-arrived young man, that he took a better look at him. “What’s your mother's first name?” He asked, trying to push down the lump in his throat. “Can you tell me, please, if she was a cheerleader in her high school days?”

“Margaret Sanders. Well, that’s her maiden name, if you knew her in high school.” Liam thought for a few moments. “I don’t know about the cheerleader part, we’re not exactly close, to say the least. She has her two perfect, handsome sons she shows off and brags about. Now that I think about it, she is the ex-cheerleader type.” The young man frowned “Why are you asking?”

Brian didn’t answer; he buried his face in both hands and stayed like that for a good while. Luca, Martino, Gabriele, andthe others began to worry, when the librarian raised his head and, looking straight into Liam’s eyes, so much like his own, started to ask him questions in a soft voice, the same voice he used when talking to his children.

The young man’s answers were like pieces of a puzzle that perfectly fit together, Brian completing from time to time with bits and pieces of information the youth’s mother either intentionally hid from him, or never cared enough to share. The result was a picture of heartbreak, loneliness, and regret that told the story of a boy who paid for the selfishness of those around him.

His mother, Margaret, was the captain of the cheerleading squad at Brian’s school, and she toured all the important members of sports teams. The high school’s star track runner was on her list of conquests, and the sly girl, well-versed in the art of seduction, wasted no time and used every trick in the manual to bring the boy into her bed.

Back then, Brian was still confused about his sexuality, and he considered himself the luckiest guy in the world when he became the center of Margaret’s attention. But, after two months of an intense and passionate relationship, the girl vanished into thin air, leaving him brokenhearted. It was a turning point for Brian, who saw the failure of his relationship as a sign, the answer to the questions he was asking himself for the past three years.

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