He sighed. “You just admitted the situation is fucked. For both of you. She’s no doubt confused, pissed off, maybe a little scared. It wouldn’t kill you to empathize with her circumstances. At least you came back to your home. Around family, people you know, places you’re used to. She left everything she knew behind. Everything here is new to her, and she has to live with a man she barely knows. That would make anyone uneasy.”
I stabbed my fingers through my hair, ripping strands out of the rubber band. “But she’s so infuriating. Christ, the mouth on her.”
A mouth I’d like to get inside of and take for a ride. A mouth that would surely bring as much pleasure as it does petulance.
“She called me a fucking pretty boy.”
Cris howled with laughter, as expected.
That was only the beginning. My other brothers were bound to shadow box the hell out of me with jabs the next time I saw them. Which would probably be at Sunday lunch at Mom and Dad’s place.
Fucking karma.
I was usually the jokester in the family. The one who ribbed on everyone else.
“She’s already my favorite sister-in-law,” Cris said after catching his breath.
“Gia’s bound to like her,” I muttered. “They have the same hard-headed personalities.”
His smile faded as the atmosphere turned more serious. “All kidding aside, how is she really?”
I knew what he was asking. Will she fit in with our family, even temporarily? What has being the daughter of a Russian mafia boss done to her? Was she an all-out bitch?
I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. “She’s tough.” I’d known that from the second I met her. “She might have grown up in luxury, but it hasn’t softened her. Not completely. When her father’s house was getting shot up, she barely batted an eyelash. Only showed concern for Sergei, not herself.”
Cris puffed again, eyebrows shooting up. “She’s good in intense situations, then.”
“Seems to be.” Which would serve her well if things between us and the five families didn’t improve soon. “She’s smart, too. She tries to play it off, but she’s got a keen eye and a sharp mind. I get the feeling she’s got a lot of street smarts, which doesn’t make sense if she’s been filthy rich her whole life.”
“Maybe Sergei gave her lessons over the years. What’s Ace pulled up on her?”
“Hasn’t gotten back to me yet. Said he’s had to work some overtime for a new client, but he’s supposed to have everything by Sunday.”
“Pending that,” Cris said in a wry tone, “she doesn’t sound all that bad, bro. Pretty sure you could do worse.”
I winced.
I’d told Lexi the same thing just minutes after our marriage had become official.
“I never said she was bad,” I argued. “But she’s an irritant. Having any woman in my house would be. I’ve got too much shit on my plate to worry about entertaining a wife on top of it. The opening of the distillery is coming up, your bachelor party and wedding, and fuck knows the Esposito trial is going to be one of the biggest shit storms New York has ever seen. I don’t have time for a wife.”
He tapped out bits of ash onto the ground. “Well, it sounds to me like she’s not too eager to spend time with you anyway. She’s a grown woman, Nico. I think she’ll manage to find ways to occupy herself, especially if she’s a tough woman with street smarts.”
I shot him a look of bewilderment. “What are you saying? That I should just go on with business as usual?”
“For the most part. But if I can offer a piece of advice?”
I threw my hands up. “No, I just came here to discuss our periods and get my hair braided.”
He gave me the finger. “Have your wife handle that, pretty boy. My advice is to drop the cocky bachelor act with her.”
My head reared back. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I never said I—”
“Dude, please,” he interrupted. “I know you better than anyone. I know your game, and I know why you play it. You travel constantly, never in one place for very long. I know you don’t want to form ties with anyone, but you still have to get laid. It’s an approach that’s worked for you all these years.”
I stared down at my almost empty glass, feeling a heaviness in my chest that had been growing for some time. “Your point?”