“That’s right,” Julien said, as Robbie’s cheeks reddened. “The Skybox. It’s our personal table. Always reserved. But if you’re ever in town, you have my permission to ask for it by name.”
“I’m going to take you up on that,” Penny said, and then turned her attention to Priest. “And you must be the famous lawyer who helped out Vanessa.”
Priest cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, that would be me.”
Valerie ran her eyes over Priest’s frame—not for the first time—and shook her head. “Man did Robbie hate you when you first met.”
“Val,” Robbie said, and tried his best to glare her to death.
“Oh, come on,” Valerie said. “I’m sure he already knows how you felt. It’s not like you’re very good at hiding your feelings.”
“Neither are you,” Felicity pointed out, then took a sip of her wine. “You’re looking at him like you’re going to pounce on him. Calm down, Val, he’s gay.”
Robbie groaned. “Could you all be any more embarrassing?”
“It’s okay,” Priest said, and then looked to Felicity and Valerie. “But to answer you, Valerie, yes, I was very aware of Robert’s…less-than-glowing opinion of me.”
“Robert, huh? No one gets away with calling him that but Ma.” Valerie laughed, and Priest couldn’t be sure, but he could’ve sworn Robbie groaned again. It was really a head-trip to see elements of Robbie in each of these lovely ladies. But it was right there: the teasing, the attitude, and the mischief.
“Pa used to call him that too. Whenever he got in trouble,” Felicity added.
“Which I’m sure was more often than not,” Priest said.
Robbie aimed accusatory eyes Priest’s way. “Okay. That’s it. I don’t have to stand here and—”
“Listen to us talk about you?” Penny said. “Since when have you shied away from the spotlight?”
Robbie poked his tongue out at his eldest sister, and Priest decided to step in and break up the brewing Bianchi battle. “We assume whatever is going on out there right now has to do with us.”
“I think that’s a pretty safe bet,” Felicity said, and her lips curved. “It’s not every day your son brings home his married boyfriends to meet the family.”
“Oh my God,” Robbie said. “Way to be subtle, Felicity.”
“Please. We’ve all been thinking it. I was just the one brave enough to mention it.”
Julien nodded. “Oui. It is a rather unique situation.”
“Yeah. But Robbie’s never done anything by the book,” Valerie chimed in. “Have you, brother?”
Robbie rolled his eyes.
“But this must be serious,” Penny said, as she sized Julien and Priest up. “He’s never brought anyone home with him, and—”
“He’s right here,” Robbie said, and put his hands on his hips. “Would you three stop grilling them? Damn.”
“It is serious,” Julien said, answering Penny, as he stepped into Robbie’s side and took his hand.
“Very serious,” Priest added, taking his other hand.
Three pairs of eyes widened at that, and then Penny said, “Serious as in…?”
Priest opened his mouth, about to respond, when some loud Italian words drifted through the kitchen window, and all of them turned in the direction of the back door.
“Don’t worry about that,” Felicity said. “If there’s yelling it just means they’re still alive, which is a bonus, considering all of this.”
Robbie took in a gulp of air and then let it out on a rush. “I think I should go—”
“Out there?” Felicity laughed. “Nah, just give them a minute. Pa’s been looking forward to meeting your guys.”
Her slightly maniacal grin didn’t bode well for them, and just as Felicity finished talking, the back door opened and Sofia stepped inside carrying four bottles of wine.
“Well, don’t just stand there, you three. Felicity. Valerie. Go help your father and bring in the rest of the alcohol.”
“We can help,” Julien suggested, but Sofia shook her head.
“No. You’ve already done plenty. Penny, you can help me, and Robert? Why don’t you three head into the living room? Your father and I will be in shortly.”
As the girls hurried to the back door, Valerie winked at Priest, and Felicity mouthed, Good luck.
“Living room’s this way,” Robbie said, and then led them down the hallway.
Well, here we go, Priest thought. God only knows how this is going to play out.
Chapter Nine
Damn, how in the hell are they mine?
~ Robbie
ROBBIE’S LEG WAS doing a nervous jig as he sat on his parents’ couch between Julien and Priest. It’d been around ten minutes since his mother had told them to go in there and wait, and the longer she took, the more nervous he became. He’d gone from sitting, to standing, to pacing, and now he was back to sitting again.
This was crazy. He knew he had nothing to worry about, and yet he felt worried about everything. Breathe, he told himself for the umpteenth time. Isn’t that what Julien always says? Deep breath in. Aaaand a deep breath out. Yeah, okay, that wasn’t doing shit for him.