than a second, I considered lifting Gianna and tugging her in, then I just let myself drop down on the covers beside her and zoned out.
Gianna was snuggled against me, breathing evenly, her red mane all over my face when I woke. I drew back and watched her a moment. She still looked exhausted.
I frowned. How long had I slept? The sun was up and casting its bright light into the room.
I untangled myself and sat up. Where was Isabella? Then I remembered last night. Luca and Aria had taken over. I got out of bed and walked out. When I didn’t find anyone on the second floor, I headed downstairs. Aria, Liliana, and Marcella were singing some ridiculous kid song. When I entered the dining room, Aria was holding Isa on her hip and swaying back and forth, while Marcella sat in front of her, making silly gestures with her hands that seemed to match the song. Liliana had Flavio on her lap and was moving his tiny arms in rhythm to the music.
Luca, Amo, and Romero with Sara on his lap, sat at the table, having breakfast, which in Amo’s case was the cold pizza I’d forgotten all about, but Luca and Romero were throwing the occasional glance at the girls. I hadn’t even heard when Romero and Liliana had arrived. It must have been in the morning. I slanted a look at the clock. It was already eleven a.m.
I headed over to them, shaking my head. “Who would have thought that it ends like this? I remember the days when the three of us were notorious players and party-goers. Now we’re only notorious killers.”
Amo perked up from his slouch over the pizza carton. “What kind of players?”
“Nothing interesting,” Luca said to his son before he smirked at me. “You look like shit. The only women you can have right now are the ten-dollar crack whores in Jersey.”
“Luca,” Aria whispered, shocked.
Luca slanted a look at Marcella who had stopped singing, and grimaced.
“Never mind,” he said.
“I was never a player,” Romero muttered.
“I remember you with more than enough women,” I said with a grin.
Lily’s attention shifted to her husband. “How many?”
Romero gave me a murderous look.
“Why don’t we postpone this conversation to tonight?” Aria suggested.
“Romero was fairly tame,” Luca tried to save Romero’s ass.
“In comparison to you?” Aria asked with raised eyebrows.
Luca sighed. “We men can’t win this argument, can we?”
She came over to me and handed Isa to me before she went over to my brother, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. “No, no you can’t.”
I kissed Isa’s soft forehead, then pressed her up to my bare chest before I sank down. “How was the night?”
“Busy,” Aria said.
“She can wake the dead with her screech,” Marcella said.
“Maybe she’s trying to sound like that boy band you love so much. What’s their name again? The Castratos?”
Marcella flushed then glared. “That’s not funny.”
I sank down beside Amo and grabbed a piece of the cold pizza. “Why’s your little poo machine not teething and being intolerable yet?” I asked Liliana.
She pursed her lips. “I think he’s just starting to teethe.”
Soft steps rang out and Gianna appeared in the room, red mane a complete mess but she’d put on her own pajama bottoms. She scanned our small congregation with a frown. “What’s going on here?”
“Family council to vote if we’re going to have a second kid or not.”
Gianna snorted and dragged herself over to Aria. “Good luck with that. If necessary, I’ll glue my vajayjay shut.”
“Dad, what’s—” Amo began but Luca shook his head. “Later.”
Marcella looked mildly disturbed but didn’t say anything. Gianna took Isa and cradled her in her arms, kissing her gently. “This girl will remain the only one to ruin my birth channel.”
“Ew,” Marcella exclaimed.
I winked at Gianna who grinned. She sat down beside me.
“You look better,” I murmured.
“I feel better. Sorry about the cold pizza.”
“I fell asleep before I could eat a single bite.”
Gianna rolled her eyes. “Next thing I know we’ll buy a condo in Florida and drive one of those cabs. We’re getting old.”
“You’re growing up,” Luca muttered.
Romero stifled a laugh.
“Family… you can’t live with them, but you can’t live without them either,” I muttered.
Gianna tickled Isa’s belly, earning a giggle. She exchanged a look with Aria.
No matter how much we all teased each other, we stuck together. I’d never appreciated family more than I did now.
Gianna
The day of Matteo’s surgery finally arrived. I picked him up afterward. He didn’t show any outward sign