Page 71 of Skin Deep

A guy waved at me from the driver’s seat. I waved back.

“Lach,” Harrison said, coming to stand behind me. “You’ll meet him later. Declan, too.”

If they were anything like Owen, I looked forward to getting to know them. The house had a fun vibe to it. It felt comfortable. It reminded me of growing up in Modica on Nonno’s property. I didn’t have any brothers or sisters, just cousins, but it always felt like more. Like we were sisters and brothers. That was why I hoped Harrison and Amadeo, who he called Mac, could get along one day.

I opened my mouth to make a comment about him, to see how Harrison would react, but he told me he’d be right back with the food. We’d forgotten it in the car. The puppy plopped onto the cool floor, his tongue hanging out. He had another shoe. We’d have to buy him more toys and bones. Then I thought I was hearing things when something whistled over my head.

“Bow chick a wow wow,” the creepy voice said from above. Then it dived at me. I kept very still as it landed on my shoulder. “Beautiful,” the bird said, taking a strand of my hair in its beak.

“Ciao,” I said, laughing a little. “You are such a pretty bird.”

“I see you’ve met the resident asshole,” Harrison said, setting my bag down and the food on the kitchen table. “Newman.”

“Fuck you,” the bird squawked out and then started cleaning me again.

“Handsome Newman,” I said, making sure I pronounced his name correctly. “Handsome birdie.”

“Get off my woman,” Harrison said, coming close to me, waving him away.

The bird flew off but came back, makingpew pew pewsounds as he pecked at Harrison’s head. Harrison was hitting over his head, calling him names. Then he stopped and looked at me. I was laughing so hard that I could barely breathe.

“You think this is funny?”

I waved a hand in front of my face. I couldn’t even talk. He could be so grumpy sometimes, which made it funnier. Maybe because I was laughing so hard, he started to laugh. We were both laughing until it seemed like we were gasping for air.

“My stomach hurts,” I said, trying to relax the muscles. But the bird was hilarious, and paired with Harrison? I had to stop thinking about it or—

Harrison smiled and looked away, still laughing. Every time we would meet each other’s eyes, we would start up again.

“I love this,” I said, not meaning to. “I love this house. I love the animals.”

“What about me? You love me? I’m an animal, too. I don’t steal shoes, but I don’t pick them up either. I leave a mess of papers on the table when I’m working late. But I do keep the toilet seat down. And I’ve only had to be pulled out of one after I drank too much.”

His eyes were so guileless. And he made me feel breathless. My heart started to pound in my chest. I leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

“Ti amo,Harrison.”

He kissed me this time, a little longer. Then he grabbed me around the waist and turned me to face the puppy.

“You decide on a name for Gator?”

I laughed again. “How about Romeo?”

His face pinched. “Like Romeo Fausti?”

“He would love that!” I said, shaking my head. “But no. LikeRomeo and Juliet.”

“Give him something with a happy ending.”

Our eyes met and we started laughing again.

“Casanova?”

“You want the other dogs to bully him at the park?”

“It’sromantico,” I said wistfully. “How about Lupo, then? It means wolfin Italian.”

Harrison called him by the name, but he ignored him.

---