Page 82 of Married with Mayhem

“Look, we’re all suffering from wedding whiplash and I know that you and Anni aren’t thrilled. I also know that girl deserves better than me but she’ll be safe, Luca.”

“For how long?”

“As long as it takes.”

He leans forward and gives me a rather lengthy and severe appraisal.

I get it and I’m not offended.

This is a challenging position for him. Sure, I’m his best friend, but he thinks of Sabrina as his little sister. And he knows I don’t have the best track record when it comes to relationships. In the end, anyone who has Sabrina’s best interests at heart won’t hear a word of complaint from me.

“Do you mean that?” he says in his shrewd lawyer’s voice.

I don’t flinch under his intense gaze. “Yes, I do.”

He’s convinced enough to relax a little and lean back in his chair. “What does your dad think of all this? And Nico?”

“They’ve only been told the short version for now. And Sabrina doesn’t know about Vittorio’s threat. She believes she’s protecting me from a mafia bullet and that the worst fate her uncle could saddle her with is being ordered to return to Sicily.”

“Why not just tell her?”

“Because I’d hate for her to feel obligated to me. That’s why.”

This explanation seems to satisfy him for now. We finish our beers and the sky turns completely dark. Luca starts to nod off in his rocking chair until Anni comes outside.

“Come on, sleepyhead.” She holds her hand out. “Janie wants to say good night to her Daddy and then I think I need to put you to bed.”

Luca allows himself to be pulled up and then wraps his arms around his wife. “Where am I sleeping tonight?”

She hooks her arms over his shoulders and stretches up to kiss him. “Where you belong. I’ll even give you a nice back rub to make up for last night’s sofa exile.”

He grins down at her and they share such a very long, passionate kiss that I’m pretty sure they’ve forgotten I’m sitting here eight feet away.

Funny, if I wasn’t there to witness how these two used to be at each other’s throats then I wouldn’t believe it was possible.

Finally, they disconnect and Luca yawns. “See ya, Monte,” he says and starts to lead Anni back into the house with his arm around her waist. “Lock the door after you’re in for the night.”

Anni turns her head. The glance she sends my way is a little suspicious but she says nothing and disappears indoors with her husband.

It’s too quiet here. Not the deep, impenetrable silence of a Wyoming ranch or a cabin in the Catskills, but still too quiet for my tastes. City chaos is my preferred soundtrack.

Soon, it’s so dark that my car becomes nothing but a hulking shadow at the curb. After watching all the stars wink to life in the sky, I take my empty beer bottle and return to the house, locking the front door behind me.

Nobody is in the living room or the kitchen and all is quiet except for some faint lullaby music coming from the nursery. When it’s time to walk past that room, I sneak by on tiptoe. Maybe this is overkill but at least I won’t be the one responsible for waking the baby.

Down the hall, the door to the guest room is halfway open and the light is on. I push the door all the way open and Sabrina looks up from her laptop. She’s sitting in bed, her legs neatly tucked under the covers as she types away with the computer balanced on her knees. The pink shirt she’s wearing has imagesof Nintendo game characters and it’s baggy enough to hang off one shoulder. Her hair is loose and her face is free of makeup.

There’s so much natural beauty to admire in this girl that for a few seconds I’m too staggered by the sight of her to do anything except stare. Then I shut the door behind me and press the lock.

Sabrina clears her throat. “Do you want the same side of the bed as last night?” she says. “If not, I can move.”

She watches while I kick off my shoes. I’m holding back a smile because I don’t want her to think I’m laughing at her. I’m not. She’s just so cute, sitting there trying to sound all casual in order to hide the fact that she’s nervous as hell.

I take a seat on the edge of the bed. “Are you going to sleep soon?”

She hugs her laptop to her chest. “Probably. I mean, I was just doing a little bit of work but I can stop. I’m sure you’re tired.”

Definitely not fucking tired. “Sounds good. I’ll just go change and then we can turn out the light.”

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