He wasn’t proud of the fact, but he had a good reason—or should he say reasons—for the whole avoidance routine, and they were currently down in the kitchen waiting for him so they could celebrate his birthday.
Ugh, I just need to bite the bullet and take them home already. Rip the Band-Aid off, Bianchi. The problem was that every time he had that thought, it was quickly followed by a mild panic attack over what would happen if his two worlds didn’t mesh.
What if the two groups of people he loved the most hated each other?
He couldn’t think of anything worse, and for that reason, every time the opportunity for him to come clean and bring his men home arose, Robbie quickly thought of a reason why they should wait.
Because honestly, no matter how well his family knew him and his tendency to be a little less traditional than most, the thought of sitting down and telling his parents that he was in love, and involved with a married couple, seemed much more difficult than he’d originally anticipated.
Hell, at this stage, he wouldn’t blame Julien and Priest if they didn’t want to go now that he’d postponed it for so long.
Robbie turned off the water and snagged one of the plush towels hanging by the shower to scrub it over his hair. Once it wasn’t dripping anymore, he toweled himself off and wrapped it around his waist, and then headed across the tile floor to where the phone sat.
A notification that his mother had left a voicemail was flashing across the screen, and as he opened it up and brought the phone to his ear, Robbie looked at himself in the mirror, checking to see if thirty was indeed being as kind to him as Julien had suggested.
With his hair sticking out all over the place, and his skin flushed and dewy from the shower’s humidity, Robbie couldn’t see any lines or bags under his eyes, and decided that if this was thirty, then he could totally deal.
“Robert Antonio Bianchi,” his mother said. “I don’t know where you are or what you’re doing that you can’t answer your phone on your birthday, but—”
“It’s not his birthday yet,” his father cut in, making Robbie smile.
“Oh hush, Antonio. He’s ignored two phone calls from me this week, and I will not put up with that.”
And, of course, she was right. Usually, Robbie would have called her back by now, but he had a feeling that she was going to—
“We want you to come home so we can celebrate your big day with you.”
—ask him exactly that.
“Do you hear me?” his mother continued. “If you can’t come this weekend, then pick one where you can. Your pa will make sure to be home from work, and we can just make it a small family affair.”
Uh, yeah, okay. Small and Bianchi did not go hand in hand…like, ever.
“Call me back, young man, or I am going to turn up on your new doorstep. Don’t think I won’t.” With that final threat, his mother ended the call, and when Robbie looked at his reflection this time, the fear of her following through on that threat was there in his wide eyes.
Not wanting a surprise visit in his near future, Robbie decided there were no more ways to avoid the inevitable and hit the “call back” button, and after two rings, it was answered.
“Pronto,” his mother said, and despite his reluctance to call, just hearing her voice made a smile curve Robbie’s lips.
“Hey there, Ma.”
“Robert, baby, it’s about time you called me back.”
Robbie turned away from the mirror to lean against the edge of the vanity. “I know. I’m sorry. I was in the shower when you called just now.”
“And the time before that?” she asked. “Were you showering then too?”
There it was. No one could guilt a person quite like an Italian mother. “No, I was just…” While Robbie tried to find an excuse that wasn’t a flat-out lie, his mother cut in.
“Avoiding me? You weren’t avoiding your mother, were you, Robert?”
“No, Ma, I—”
“Robert,” she said. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. We haven’t seen you in months, baby. The last time was at Mr. Thornton’s restaurant, which was lovely, but are you really trying to tell me that you’ve been too busy to come and visit your family? Your sister is pregnant, for heaven’s sake. With the rate you’re going, the child will be two years old and walking before you get back here.”
Robbie’s lips twitched at the thorough dressing down he was getting, but couldn’t disagree. It was time to go home and see his family. He missed them. But the problem was that he wanted to take Julien and Priest with him, and that was going to be a…delicate situation, to say the least.