Page 139 of Love Me Stalk Me
I shake my head. "If this is about Evan?—"
"It is," he says, cutting me off gently. I hand him the plate.
I press my lips together, bracing myself.
"Izzy," he continues, voice calm, level-headed, Matteo to the core. "I know everyone gives you crap about him. The teasing, the jokes—Luca and Nico especially."
I huff out a dry laugh. "Understatement of the year."
Matteo smiles faintly, stacking the plate in the cabinet. The ceramic clinks as he sets it down. "They give you shit, yeah. But the truth is, we're just worried about you."
I trace the floral patterns of the dish in my hand with my thumb.
"I mean, we're your brothers," he says, nudging me lightly with his elbow. "It's our job, right?"
I smile, small but real.
Because yeah.
That's what they do.
That's what they've always done.
"Besides," Matteo continues, glancing toward the dining room, "it's not just us. Mama doesn't acknowledge him, and Nonna...well."
"She'd probably rather set me up with a stranger from church than let me marry Evan," I mutter.
Matteo grins. "See? You get it."
I shake my head, laughing softly, but the conversation lingers. And maybe it's the wine, maybe it's the fact that I actually need to talk about this, but before I can stop myself, I ask?—
"How did you know?"
Matteo glances at me. "Know what?"
"That Sophia was the right one."
His eyes immediately soften as he looks over at Sophia, who is still at the table, bouncing their baby on her knee. She's laughing, her head tilted back, easy and unguarded, her dark curls bobbing with each movement.
Matteo smiles at the sight.
And that's when I realize—it's the kind of smile that's just for her.
The kind of smile you can't fake.
The kind of smilethat means home.
"I dated other girls before Sophia,” Matteo finally says, leaning against the counter. "Some lasted a couple months. Some lasted years."
I stay quiet, listening. The clink of glasses from the dining room punctuates the silence.
"And every time," he continues, rubbing the back of his neck, "there was something wrong. Sometimes it was obvious—we fought all the time. Everything was a battle, a disagreement."
He shakes his head, exhaling.
"And other times? It took me a while to realize it."
I bite my lip. "How?"
