Page 35 of Whatever You Need

“Blue?” Matteo’s eyebrows went up.

“Yes, blue,” I repeated. Didn’t every guy like blue? It felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants here. We should have prepared better for these kinds of questions.

“You decided to paint the kitchen cabinets blue?”

Oh, hell!

“Yeah,” Marco answered, lifting his beer to his lips, trying to suppress a laugh. “You’ll have to stop by next week when it’s finished.”

I felt terrible, especially when the questions started coming at us like machine gun fire. Some were random, some were simple, and a few caught me off guard. I tackled the simple ones, and Marco would sweep in and save me from answering the tough ones. One thing I learned about Italian men was there was no bullshitting them. I could see why mob bosses were so intimidating. They knew how to throw you off with their charming smiles and innocent questions right before going in for the kill. Luckily, Marco was good at playing along.

When they were done, and seemed satisfied with our answers, Marco leaned over and closed the deal with a sweet, appropriate kiss. It was small and innocent, but it was enough for me to feel the cracks in the strong wall around my heart.

The house started to fill up with so many people that I lost track of who I met and who was new.

The doorbell rang and every head in the room turned to see who it was. Instead of the usual shouts of ciao or hello, the chatter in the room turned to complete silence.

I recognized Antonio and his wife even before I knew it was them. They made their way through the crowd, and I felt Marco stiffen next to me as they headed our way. Their two small children ran over to greet a few cousins they recognized, oblivious to the tension growing in the room.

I didn’t know what I was supposed to do in this situation, so I acted on instinct when Marco stood up. I went to his side and slid my hand across his back. He needed comfort and I wanted to be the one to give it to him.

This was the first time he would come face-to-face with his past. The woman who cheated on him and the cousin who betrayed him.

I got a really good look at Antonio. He had the same dark hair as Marco and the same chiseled features, but he seemed like a cheap imitation copy of the original. Don’t get me wrong, he was good looking, but he didn’t have the same effect on me as the man standing at my side.

“Antonio.” Marco nodded and drew in a breath as his eyes landed on his ex. “Sienna.”

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Sienna was beautiful. She was tall and slim with long, dark silky hair, and high bronzed cheekbones that looked almost sculpted. She wore a tight green dress that highlighted every curve she had to offer. It struck me how jealous I was.

“Can we talk in private,cugino?” Antonio asked. I guess he wanted to get this out of the way. Then again, it’s been ten years, so how much longer could this be put off.

Together, the four of us walked into a small sitting room at the back of the house, easing past the crowd of people who were doing their best not to stare. There were so many relatives and Marco was right, there was no way I would remember all their names. There were a few people sitting at a folding table but they quickly stood up, grabbed their paper plates, and scurried out of the room as soon as they saw us.

Marco wrapped an arm along my waist, pulling me tight against him.

“First,” his cousin cleared his throat, “thank you for meeting with us. I know that it’s because of you that our family is able to share the holiday season together. It really means a lot.”

Marco curled his free hand into a fist. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for my mother.”

Antonio didn’t seem surprised by Marco’s reaction. “I understand. I still appreciate you giving us this chance.” Antonio coughed into his hand and shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “I am deeply sorry for what I did to you. I’m not going to give you any bullshit excuses because there is no excuse for what I did. I was wrong and I hope that you can forgive me someday.”

I remember Marco told me they used to be close. How they were practically inseparable growing up. Well, until his cousin screwed his girlfriend.

“How have you been, Marco?” Sienna asked in a soft voice. His face was stoic, showing no sign of emotion. I squeezed his hand in a silent show of support.

“Does it really matter how I’ve been?”

“Of course, it does.” There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. “I had hoped that you were going to be okay with us being here. It bothers me that you still seem so upset.”

“Upset?” He let out a condescending laugh. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m doing just fine.”

“Marco.” Antonio sighed. “There have been many times where I’ve wanted to reach out to you. To apologize for what happened. To explain…”

He cut him off by raising his hand in the air. “There is nothing to explain.” He alternated his stare between the two. “It’s pretty fucking clear what happened.”

Antonio shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor. “I still want to apologize to you. I didn’t expect for things to happen between us, but they did. It’s important for you to know that I regret hurting you. I acted selfishly, I was careless, I let you down and disappointed our family. But I don’t regret falling in love with Sienna, I’m just sorry how it happened.”

“You mean you’re sorry that you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants?”

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