“I’m fine. Everything’s great.” I look over at him, finding him standing the same way I had been, with his face upward, soaking in the sun.
He opens one eye, turning his head slightly to look at me. “You sure?”
“Yeah, Roc.”
“And things with Arlo?”
I kick at the few random stones near my boots, smiling. “Better than I could’ve imagined.”
He punches my arm. “You don’t know how fucking happy I am to hear that. I know you’re probably scared shitless right now, but you need to let yourself be happy and find peace in joy.”
I scrunch my nose, staring at him. “Have you been watching those inspirational videos online again?”
He shakes his head and laughs. “Nah, man. Just got the love of a good woman and realized everything I missed all those years. You’re in that weird in-between place right now. Just lean into it.”
“If I lean any further, I’ll fall over.”
He swings his arm around my shoulder. “The joys of love.”
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” I pull away, letting his arm drop. “I’m not in love. It’s been a week, bro. I’m not running, but I’m sure as hell not rushing things either.”
“I know what love looks like, and it’s written all over your face. I’ll give you time to come to the realization of how you really feel, but just remember, Arlo may not have the patience to wait forever for you to say the words.”
I run my fingers through my hair and exhale. “A week, man. A week. No one falls in love in a week.”
“Right now, you’re infatuated. Things are new. Shit’s exciting. But when the dust settles and you have a choice of life with her or without, that’s when you’ll know how you really feel.”
“How did you know you loved Rebel?” I ask him.
“If I’m being totally honest with myself, I think I’ve loved her since the first time I met her. Leaving her at the hospital after the accident, man…that shit killed me.”
“But you never even talked to her after that. If you loved her, why would you not at least reach out to her once in those ten long years?”
He shrugs. “Figured she was better off without me.”
“You were wrong.”
“I know that now, but I regret nothing.”
“You don’t?”
“Nope. If I’d chased her, she wouldn’t have Adaline, and maybe whatever spark we had would’ve fizzled out and died a long time ago. Neither of us was ready to move on and accept the happiness we both deserved.”
“Makes sense in your own fucked-up way.”
“Never claimed to make sense or be that smart, but I know how to love, and so do you. Mom and Dad taught us everything we need to know, but if you fuck up, know Mom’s going to beat your ass first, and then I will.”
“It’s a common theme among everyone when it comes to Arlo and me.”
Rocco laughs again. “Well, you’re a jackass, but I know you’ll do the right thing instead of running away like a pansy.”
“Have I ever run from anything?”
“Relationships,” he teases, but he’s telling the truth. “And intimacy.”
That shit was my kryptonite, and I had run as fast as I could in the opposite direction. I honestly never even let a person outside my family get close enough to me to have to worry about intimacy or relationships becoming a problem.
Rocco places his hand on my shoulder. “I can tell you’re different when it comes to Arlo. It’s nice to see.”
“How am I different?”
He smiles, rubbing his chin. “Carmello, there’s no one else in the world I know better than you, and vice versa. You light up when you talk about her, and you’re a little fucked in the head too. You get all macho crazy, which isn’t something you’ve ever really done, not even for the best piece of ass.”
“I’m fucked, aren’t I?”
He nods. “Totally, but it’s okay. Like I said…lean in.”
“Guys,” Rebel says, poking her head out of the back door, looking between Rocco and me. “Your appointments are here.”
“We’re coming, babe,” Rocco tells her, giving me a wink, still madly in love with his wife.
She nods and goes back inside, leaving us alone.
“I’m happy things worked out with the two of you.”
“I didn’t realize how unhappy I was until Rebel walked back into my life, along with Adaline.”
“You have a good woman. She has to be to put up with your ass.”
He stares at me, not looking amused at all. “You’re not easy either. If Arlo can deal with your insane bullshit and bad