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“Uh, my mom stays at home and does lots of charity work, and my dad is, uh, works in the legal division.”

“Really?” My mom’s tone verges on sarcastic as she sips her wine and I don’t like where this is going.

“What is he, like an attorney or something? That could come in handy in this family.” She laughs, but there’s an edge to it I don’t like.

“He’s a judge,” she says quietly.

“Oooh, fancy,” my mother drawls, and my uncle pushes back his chair and leaves the table. Everyone falls silent and eventually my mom gets up and follows my uncle into the house.

I give Gabriella a small smile. “Are you ready to go?” I ask and she nods. “I’m using the bathroom, then we’ll leave. I get up, thankful when I hear my sister begin chatting to Gabriella and I take the steps two at a time to get inside the kitchen, where I find my uncle yelling in Italian, and my mom placing her hands on his chest to calm him.

I slide the door shut and storm over to them.

“Che cazzo era quello?”What the fuck was that back there?I yell.

My mother turns, her eyes filled with unshed tears as moves away from my uncle. He reaches into the pocket of his blacksuit pants, pulls out a packet of cigarettes and places one in his mouth and for a split second, I consider asking him for one.

“Just go, Marco,” he breathes out, smoke from the now lit cigarette filling the space between us.

“I’m not going until you tell me what the hell that was,” I say, stepping forward, ready to get physical if I have to; the old me getting ready to rear its ugly head.

My mom wipes her tears and sniffs.

“Marco, do—” I hold up my hand to stop her speaking, my stomach now in knots at the use of my real name. Suddenly, the room feels too small and the walls are creeping closer while that old feeling in my chest, which was an everyday feeling, seeps its way into my body.

I need to get out of this house.

“I’m leaving. I don’t want you contacting me or speaking to Gabriella,” I say sternly, heading to the door.

‘You know who she is, right?” my uncle yells.

I turn on my heel to face him. My mother’s hands cover her face, her body hunched over, crying.

“Who?” I ask

My uncle walks towards me, and I square my shoulders, ready to take him on. As a kid my dad and uncle would knock seven bells out of us if we ever stepped out of line, but now, I’m bigger and stronger than him, he doesn’t have a hold over me any longer.

His lip quirks up into a snarl. “Your little girlfriend out there, her daddy, he’s the prick that put your brother and dad behind bars.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Gabriella

We left the party in a rush. Brad seemed pretty tense and was silent the entire car ride back to his apartment. I have so many questions, but I’m too scared to ask. I know Brad has a past that he doesn’t share. I’ve always found that part of him intriguing. How he can go from being stern and cold, and then soft and gentle and then back again has always made me wonder what led to him being this way.

We pull into the underground car park, and Brad’s phone begins ringing. He exits the car and I’ve taken enough car rides with him now to know he will always expect me to wait so he can open my door. He gestures that he will be a moment and walks away. My phone begins vibrating in my purse, and I pull it out, my body tensing when I see Patrick’s name flash across the screen for the third time today. I look over my shoulder and seeBrad is deep in conversation, so I swipe the screen and bring it to my ear.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Gabby, it’s Patrick. I was about to send out a search party for you. You keep dodging my calls.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve just been super busy, but what’s up? Everything okay?”

“I wanted to arrange that date we keep saying we’ll do. Are you free tonight?”

I take a second to think. Do I want to go on a date with Patrick? I glance over at Brad and instantly my heart races. He’s the epitome of tall, dark, handsome, and a little dangerous. Then there’s Patrick, who, to be fair to him, is really trying, and maybe I should give him a second chance. This situation with Brad was meant to boost my confidence and help me get out there, but that’s all this. I can’t get attached to Brad.

“Yeah, sure, sounds great,” I say.