I glanced at him, then looked away again and shrugged. “You were young, and I came at you out of nowhere. We both could have handled it better.”
“I never knew that my parents split up for a while. Nana talked about it for the first time on the flight here. She didn’t know about you, but she knew about the separation. I guess they were apart for six months or so, when I was about three. She said it was my mom’s doing, that she got tired of all the danger and drama that came with my dad being in the mob.”
“Yeah. That’s how my mom tells it.”
He lowered his voice, like he didn’t want everyone in the next room to overhear him. “I did the math, and it turns out my mom got pregnant with my brother Gianni while she and our dad were separated. Nana said Dad came back to see us a few times during those six months, so maybe my parents hooked up during one of those visits…or maybe my mom was seeing someone else, too. If he had a different father, it could explain why Gianni’s the only one of us that ended up with blue eyes and a smaller build.”
I asked, “Are you going to tell Gianni about this?”
“I have to, even if it’s just speculation at this point. If he has a father out there somewhere, he has a right to know that.”
“So, I may actually be one of two half-brothers.”
“No. You’re one of five brothers.” Dante’s tone left no room for argument. “You and Romy have different dads, but does that make the slightest difference? Do you love him half as much because you only share half the genes?”
“Of course not.”
“Okay, then knock it off with this half bullshit.”
I grinned a little and said, “Fine. You’re really fucking bossy, though.”
He grinned, too. “As the oldest brother, it’s my job to keep the rest of you mooks in line. Make no mistake though, Nana’s the boss and supreme ruler of this family. She’s currently sulking, because she got left out of the rescue operation last night. But she’ll decide she’s bored of that soon, and then watch out.”
I fidgeted with the tray’s handle, and after a few moments I said, “Your parents were separated when I was conceived, which means there was no cheating involved. So, why was I treated like a dirty little secret?” It was doubly hard to swallow now that I knew Gianni’s situation might be similar to mine, but he’d obviously been welcomed into the family with open arms.
“I wish I knew. The only two people who could have answered that died a long time ago. But if I had to guess, maybe your mother and our father were close, and maybe my mom was threatened by that. I’ve heard she was the jealous type, so maybe she made Paulie promise never to see either of you again. I mean, who really knows? But that’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”
“I could see that.”
“I’m sorry you were shut out of the family,” Dante said. “That wasn’t fair to you.”
“It doesn’t really matter. I have a great mom and an amazing kid brother, and I had a happy childhood. I wouldn’t change a minute of it.” After a moment, I admitted, “Well, except that I would have loved to have met my dad. I was four when he was killed. If that hadn’t happened, maybe he would have come to see me at some point. It would have meant the world to me.”
Dante paused before saying quietly, “I tracked down the man responsible for the home invasion, years later. He paid for what he did.” He didn’t spell it out, but his meaning was clear—the man who’d killed my dad had paid with his life.
I met his gaze as the weight of what he’d just admitted settled on both of us. He seemed to be making a point of keeping his expression neutral, but all kinds of emotion churned in his dark eyes.
While I was trying to figure out what to say to that, he broke eye contact and took the plate of quiche and O’Brien potatoes from my tray. “Your food’s getting cold,” he said. “I’ll stick this in the microwave while you finish getting your breakfast together.”
In other words, he really didn’t want to talk about it.
I turned my attention to assembling a collection of baked goods and heaping a bowl with fruit salad. After Dante returned the warmed plate, he asked, “Do you and Jack need anything?”
“Yeah, we do.” I picked up the tray and told him, “I could use some medical supplies so I can change his bandage, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have anything to wear besides that pink track suit.”
As we left the kitchen, he said, “I can track down a first aid kit and see if Josh and Darwin can lend Jack some clothes, since they’re close to his size. I’ll leave everything outside your door.”
Nana overheard that, and she jumped up and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me Jack needs clothes? I’ll go shopping and buy him whatever he needs! Do me a favor and ask him to write down all his sizes, Adriano.”
“That’s nice of you,” I said, “but are you sure it isn’t too much trouble?”
She waved her hand and exclaimed, “Of course not! I seem to remember there’s a great, big mall somewhere in Vegas, so it’ll be fun!”
“We’ll go with her,” Darwin said. “In the meantime, Josh and I can definitely lend Jack some stuff.” I thanked them before carrying the tray upstairs.
Jack was sitting up under the covers when I reached the bedroom, and he grinned at me and said, “I seem to be naked, and I think the only thing I have to wear is a dirty Care Bears ensemble. My suit got ruined when I was shot.”
“I’m on it. Or, technically, the Dombrusos are. Sorry that took so long, by the way. I ended up having a pretty deep conversation with Dante.”