“Hey!”
“We need to go if we don’t want to be late.” As I walked down the stairs, I heard mumbled cursing and his steps rushing to catch up.
“What are you doing with the laundry?”
“I’m throwing it in the wash.” He frowned at me. “You didn’t expect me to leave a damp towel in the basket overnight? Did you?”
* * *
A dusting of snow covered the Moretti mansion, and lights sat at the base of the columns, making the already massive home look obscene. The long drive and the street outside the gate were lined with expensive vehicles in an impressive show of wealth and status. Luca passed the valet his keys and joined me on the pathway. “You ready?”
My fingers traced the gems on my neck—the heirloom had become a source of strength for me. The necklace had belonged to Rosa’s mom, the underboss's wife that raised five daughters, married them all off to capos or better, outlived her husband, and ensured the family’s security. In her way, in her day, she was a bad bitch.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I smiled at him. “How about you? You ready for the Morettis to meet the Mitchells?”
Luca looked up at the house and shook his head with a grin. “I think everyone will get along just fine.” He brushed a lock of hair from my eyes. “I’m more concerned about what Axel will show up wearing. I don’t know if they make flannel nice enough to keep our moms from shoving him into one of my dad’s suits.” He pressed his hand to the small of my back, pushing me into motion.
“I’d love to see that. The fabric would bestruggling.”
We entered the foyer laughing, handed our coats to a guy at the door, and set off to find our parents. When we walked into the parlor, the group of people all turned and cheered. Dante was the first person to reach us. He threw his whole body at me, latching on to my waist. The kid was growing like a weed. He’d just turned nine, and I could tell he’d be as tall as Luca.
“Congratulations!”
“Thanks, Bud.”
“So, this means you’ll be my aunt for real?”
“Yup.”
“Awesome! Am I going to get cousins now?”
I barked out a laugh, and my eyes landed on Adriana and Marco heading our way. “We’ll see.”
Dante frowned, looking back at his mom. “She says I’m not getting siblings anytime soon, so it’s up to you.”
Adriana blushed. “I didn’t—”
“Yes, you did. You said it’s Sasha’s turn.”
Luca wrapped an arm around my waist. “Let us get married, and then we’ll talk, okay?”
“Whenever adults say we’ll talk about something, they mean no.” Dante huffed and sped off toward the kitchen.
“You using me for surrogate siblings?” I smirked at Adriana.
“I mean . . .”
Marco patted Luca’s arm and did a cute little handshake hug thing. “Congrats.” He turned to me with a smile full of genuine joy. Holding his arms out, he fanned his hands, ushering me into his hold. “Congrats, Red. Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you.” I took a step back and brushed off some powder that had settled on his shoulder. “Sorry about that. The dangers of hugging the pale.”
“No worries. Let me grab you guys a drink. A scotch and a . . .”
“Gin and tonic.”
“Got it.”
Marco left Adriana to offer her congratulations and hugs.