Page 38 of The Almost One

Newspaper in hand and hiding my whole face, I can practically hear the gears turning in my wife’s beautiful head as my mother asks her that question. River has no idea about anything Italian; our traditions, our cuisine, and don’t get me started on our language. Which, truth be told, is a travesty.

But here’s the thing about River Fox-Mancini… she’s a quick study. Once she’s decided to put her mind into something, she finds a way to integrate it into her knowledge base.

Today’s lesson is about breakfast and the meal that saves last-minute food from going bad.

“A fri-what-what?” I grin behind the safety of my newspaper as my mother chuckles. It’s the happiest I’ve heard her since my father passed, and that’s not saying much. I keep telling her to be herself, that she doesn’t have to put on a brave face, but sliding on her don’s wife mask is now second nature to her. She and River have a lot in common in that regard.

“A frittata. Come over here, let’s do this together.”

Eagerly, River slides off her stool where we are propped at the center bar, gently placing Bruce on the floor from where he was perched on her lap. As she walks around to join my mother, she stops next to me and kisses my cheek.

Oh Hell no.

Quick as a viper, my arm shoots out and wraps around her waist just before she runs off out of reach, and I pull her back into my side where she belongs.

“What the Hell was that?” I’m scowling, but from River’s smirk, I must not be very convincing.

“Am I not allowed to give my husband a kiss before I learn how to cook fri-something-something?”

“It’s frittata. Two t’s, one t. Fri-tta-ta.” I say it slowly so she can repeat it, but of course she surprises me with her own brand of nutty.

“Oh! Like… Free the tatas. Okay, I can remember that.” She’s beaming up at me like a kid on Christmas morning, and I don’t have the heart to tell her she’s not freeing the tatas until she’s alone in our bedroom and I can suck on her nipples until she’s too weak for her stubbornness.

“Sure,Tesoro.Just like that. Now give me a kiss worth remembering.”

Planting both of her hands on either side of my face, River looks me straight in the eyes and whispers just for us, “Everything about you is worth remembering.”

It’s not quite the words I long to hear from her, but holy fuck, it’s close enough.

I’m not worried though. She may not know she loves me, but I do. I love her and I know she feels the same way. As soon as she realizes it, she won’t go down easy. I’ll have to fuck the confession right out of her and, to be honest, I really don’t mind the trouble.

Her mouth traps my bottom lip just as her teeth graze my flesh, pulling hard enough to make me pinch her waist.

“Ow!”

“I think that’s my line, Tesoro.”

“You’re mean.” She fake pouts before stepping out of reach and making her way to my patiently waiting mother.

“Says the cannibal.” My quip is just that… lighthearted and fun. When the fuck did I become that guy? Enzo’s right, her mere presence has given me a partial lobotomy.

“Be nice.”

Wow, I thought mothers were supposed to always stick up for their sons.

“Who’s not being nice?”

Great, now it’s three against one. Maybe it’s time for me to change rooms, except that would take me away from River.

“Your brother is calling me names.”

“You seemed to like it last night.”

“Madelina!”

“Lina!” My mother and River cry out at the same time, and I just raise my newspaper back up and grin like the Cheshire Cat… again, putting my fist out for Lina to bump as she passes me by.

“What? Are we ignoring the fact that these walls are surprisingly thin?”

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