Page 56 of A Billionaire's Holiday Love

“Grazie Dio.”

“She said thank God.”

“Il mio bellissimo ragazzo. My beautiful boy.”

“Mom?”

“Fermare. Stop.”

“Sorry to speak in Italian around you. She called me her beautiful boy, and I asked her to stop.”

Hope laughed. “It’s ok. Enjoy your vacation.”

“Thanks Hope,” my parents said in unison.

She darted around the large black counter with our plates.

“I love you, Mom. Talk to you both soon.”

Dad nodded. He knew I wouldn’t express my love for his ass.

“Love you too. Bye.” Mom disconnected the call.

“If only meeting my family were that easy. Dad will want to sit down with you.”

“Merda. Shit.”

“Yeah. He will grill you.” Hope slipped a sliver of lemon grilled chicken into her mouth. “This is good.”

“Happy you like it. After I left the bar, I needed to clear my head. I stumbled upon the healthy restaurant called Delish at the end of town.”

“I didn’t know you weren’t home.”

“After you asked me to leave, I drove into town.” Sitting beside her, I bit into a buttered roll.

“While I was at the bar, a rival beer distributor Lewis Barker tried forcing my hand.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

I explained what happened.

“How did he know you were here?”

“There’s an article about our kiss in the local paper. The newspaper probably fell across Barker’s desk because he’s a fucking stalker when it comes to all things Canyon beer. I’m not giving in to that asshole. If I catch him in the city alone, I’ll take matters into my own hands. He’s a rich bastard with too much time on his hands.”

My brothers and I kept in touch with our cousins Vincent and Vincenzo over the years. They assured me they wouldn’t ask for a piece of our business if we ever needed anything handled. Earlier, I texted Vincenzo. He said he’d arrive tomorrow so we could have a sit down.

If that motherfucker Lewis didn’t watch it, I’d have a little fun before my cousin made him disappear. I really didn’t want to involve my mafia family. But that fucker Barker forced my hand. I couldn’t mention my cousins to Hope. Not now, anyway.

“Maybe he’ll back off.”

“We’ll see.” I shoveled the last bit of broccoli into my mouth.

Hope rose. “I’ll make hot chocolate with marshmallows and candy canes to drink while we decorate the tree.”

I gathered our dirty dishes. “And I’ll load the dishwasher.”

She stood in the center of the large kitchen. “Doesn’t all our hard work make you feel good?”

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