what I did to get so lucky, but I won’t screw this up. I swear on everything I am, I’ll be exactly the kind of man who deserves a woman like Aidy Kincaid.
“Still planning a June wedding?” Wren asks.
“Yep.” Aidy reclines in her lounger, crossing her legs.
“Perfect,” Wren says. “They say when you marry in June, you’re a bride all your life.”
“Who says that?” I ask.
Wren shrugs. “No clue. It sounds nice though.”
The back patio door slides open and shut, and I veer around to spot my mother coming down, carrying a plate of hot crostini and caponata. She flew in two days ago, and she’s made it her mission to keep us well fed during her stay. She thinks we’re too thin, but we’ve told her, we’re just a little more active out here than we used to be.
“Thank you, Valentina!” Aidy says, taking a napkin and a slice of crostini. “These smell amazing.”
Wren grabs one as well. “I love you, Valentina. We’re here relaxing on the beach and you’re slaving over a hot oven, making sure we don’t go hungry.”
Mom glances at me, smiling, and then takes a seat across from me under the umbrella-covered table.
“Thanks, Mom,” I say.
“Prego,” she says.
Wren whips around. “Prego? Did she say prego? Aidy, are you pregnant?”
Laughing, I wave her off. “It means ‘you’re welcome’ in Italian.”
“Oh.” Wren shrugs, lips jutting out.
“You look disappointed,” Aidy says to her, placing her hand on Wren’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’ll happen one of these days. That one back there thinks he needs an entire baseball team’s worth of Amato kids.”
I rest my hands behind my neck and smirk, nodding. It’s true. I want a loud house, like the one I grew up in. I want chaos and laughter and memories. And I want all of it with Aidy by my side.
I’ll never leave her. I’ll never leave the family we create together.
After my career ended, I had no idea what was next for me. Most of the time, I didn’t even want to think about it. But meeting Aidy solved everything. She was the antidote to the shitty hand I’d been dealt.
At first, I wasn’t sure why we kept running into each other.
Now I know it was some kind of divine intervention.
That woman saved me.
She saved me from myself.
“When does Matteo get here?” my mother asks in her thick, Italian accent, her brown eyes lighting. “I’ve missed my dimpled smartass.”
“Tonight,” I say. “He’s finishing up a deodorant commercial.”
Mom bats her hand. “Why is he wasting his time with commercials? He should be doing movies. Blockbusters. Matteo should be the next Batman.”
“I’m afraid that’s not how it works,” I say, stifling a chuckle.
Mom huffs, staring out at the ocean like she’s got a vendetta against it. “One of these days, those dimples will make him money. Mark my words. God willing.”
She mumbles a small prayer in Italian and makes the sign of the cross.
“Dante flies in from Seattle tomorrow morning, and Cristiano and Fabrizio land tomorrow night,” I tell her. We’re celebrating Thanksgiving early this year, and with my brothers being so insanely busy and Chauncey’s restaurant getting crazy around the holidays, we all decided on the second weekend in September. Aidy’s mother, Julie, is coming as well, arriving Saturday. They’re all staying here, at our house. Even Topaz will be here, at least via Skype. It’s going to be an insanely long weekend, but I’m actually looking forward to it.
Mom rubs her hands together before leaning across the table and cupping my face. “I haven’t had my boys all together in a long, long time. You have no idea how happy you’re making your old madre.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I say.
“Mom! I found something! Come look!” Enzo yells from the shore.
Aidy rises before bending to scoop her baby niece in her arms so Wren can tend to her son, and then she moves to the table, taking a seat beside my mother.
“You’re so natural with her,” my mother says, watching Aidy and Maeve intently. “I’m not going to beat around the bush with you two. I’m getting older, and I’m going to want grandkids sooner than later, and your brothers are all too busy living la dolce vita to even think about that stage in their lives.”
“Yeah, yeah, Ma. We know,” I say, giving Aidy a wink. “It’s on the horizon. Believe me.”
“All right.” My mother sighs, rising from the table. “I’m going to head in and check on the rest of dinner. Are we dining al fresco