Page 54 of Secret Babies For My Brother's Best Friend

“That’s why I shouldn’t come to them,” I replied without missing a beat. “I told her, but she wouldn’t listen.”

Gabby slapped me upside the head, managing quite fine, even though it was a reach for her, heels and all. “Miss your baby sister’s engagement party? What’s gotten into you, Luca?”

“Ow, Gabby, what the fuck?” I rubbed the back of my head, glancing around to see if anyone noticed. As the only son, I was well aware of my standing in the family. I couldn’t have my little sister beating me up in public.

“Keep that shit up, and I’ll do it again,” she warned, pointing a stern finger at me.

I held up my hands in surrender. “You’re just like her, you know that?”

Gabby started cursing and lunged for me again, but this time I was on to her and sidestepped the attack in time. Soon she was circling me around the table, both of us laughing like little kids instead of the elders we were supposed to be.

“Can I play?” Leo asked, immediately starting up a chase with his aunt.

Gabby shrieked with laughter, and I took the moment of their distraction to slip away. I hadn’t had a moment to myself all night, which meant I hadn’t checked in with Scarlett since the party began.

I moved off into the shadows of one of the poplar trees and scanned the sea of faces. I only recognized my siblings; everyone else was a stranger to me. Strangers drinking and eating my money, I thought with more than a little disdain. Not that I begrudged Sofia that. My family was the reason I strived to be as successful as I was.

My gaze picked out my mother in her sequined gown, chatting up a small group of Sofia’s friends. She played the part perfectly, doting mother and lady of the manor all at once. A part of me wanted to go over there and tell them exactly the kind of person they were dealing with.

Hoarse laughter floated over the band’s lilting dinner music, and I turned, seeing my grandmother’s face in my mind before actually spotting her. I was about to go over when my feet froze. To my surprise, Scarlett was seated beside her at the table and seemed to have my beloved grandmother in stitches.

I took a moment to gather myself, including the breath that was knocked clean out of my lungs. God, she was a vision. Her hair was pulled up with wispy tendrils framing her face, and her eyes were more green in the dim fairy lights than I’d ever seen them before. Red lips and a breathtaking smile finished off her look, so that the green dress I’d gotten her for the gala barely needed mentioning.

“Careful… the doctor told us she only has four more laughs left. If you’re too funny, you’ll kill her,” I said, coming up to them.

Scarlett straightened in her chair, startled by my sudden appearance. My grandmother, however, held out both her arms to me.

“You get more and more handsome every time,” she said, pulling me into a bear hug that nearly threw me off balance.

I held on to the back of her chair to keep from falling, stealing a glance in Scarlett’s direction. She seemed to find the whole thing funny, but her smile faltered the moment our eyes met.

“Nonna, I can’t breathe,” I choked out, fighting to unfurl from her grasp. She had some grip for an old lady, that was for sure.

She finally let me go, and I stood upright, rubbing my neck.

“I miss you too much, Luca,” she said then. “You shouldn’t make me miss you so much.”

“I don’t make you, Nonna,” I said with a laugh.

She gave me a knowing look and wagged her finger at me. “You stay away too long.”

I couldn’t argue that fact. With things being so strained with my mother, she was lucky if she saw me once a year. It was just unfortunate that they lived together, my mother being her primary caregiver. But I couldn’t exactly tell her that.

“I’ll visit, Nonna. I promise,” I said, taking her hand in mine. But I kept enough of a distance to ensure I didn’t get pulled into another hug.

A slow dance started up, and my grandmother tugged my hand. At first, I thought she was asking for a dance, but then I realized what was actually happening. She had taken hold of Scarlett’s hand too and was determinedly pulling us toward each other.

I saw the discomfort on Scarlett’s face, noticing the slight resistance she was giving. But it was too late. My grandmother placed her hand in mine and then patted the union with some satisfaction.

“You take a beautiful woman to dance. It’s manners,” she said, staring me down with a look I didn’t dare challenge.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to be rude,” I said, leaving it up to Scarlett to break my grandmother’s heart.

It was underhanded of me, I knew it. But I’d been trying to get close to Scarlett for days, and if it took my sneaky grandmother to do the trick, I wasn’t going to stand in her way.

Scarlett dipped her head in a shy nod and followed me graciously onto the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the backyard. Several couples were swaying to the music, creating just the right amount of distortion for us to blend in and have a private moment.

I placed her arms around my neck before lowering mine to rest on her hips. She was noticeably uncomfortable with the level of closeness and tried her best not to look at me. Yet she allowed me to lead her in a slow step that resembled some kind of intention.

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