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Am I gay?

Why can’t all of this be easier?

8

DANTE

Between dealing with my family and the push to put more effort into school, it feels like it’s been weeks since I’ve seen Ethan. Every time I think about running into him, cornering him, and claiming him all for myself, some dumb shit comes up and I’m pulled away.

Tessa’s wedding is coming up in a month, and the entire family is scrambling to make sure nothing gets in the way of it, or that her wedding doesn’t get in the way of something else.

Not to mention ever since I delivered my father’s message to Callum Greivan, things have been tense.

“What’s been going on with you lately?” Marco asks me. We’re standing in line to pick up pizza before our stakeout of the Greivans’ warehouses. Two bodyguards idle in the background, pretending to read takeout menus and keeping an eye on the small shop.

I shove my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket and shrug. “Nothin.’”

“Right. I know when you’re not at the top of your game, and you’ve been distracted,” he accuses me. “Got doubts about Tessa’s marriage?”

I scoff. “What? Tess? Why would I have doubts about that?” I ask, genuinely confused. I give him a look as we step closer to the counter, just one other person in front of us.

The small family-owned pizza shop smells like baking bread and Italian spices. It’s way too hot in here, the air thick and heavy. It’s crowded, and the lights flicker every now and then. A couple weeks ago there were Halloween decorations strung up around the place, but now there’s Thanksgiving décor scattered about.

We haven’t gotten pizza anywhere else since we were kids.

“Maybe her and Yvette’s marriage won’t actually fix the problems between our families,” he suggests.

I sigh and step forward when it’s our turn.

“Well, hey boys! Pickup for the usual, right?” Marnie, a woman in her early sixties who doesn’t look a day over forty, asks us.

“Damn right. Same price?” I ask her with a smirk.

She shakes her head. “It’s on the house,” she insists as she grabs the receipt off a hook near the register. “Your family has done enough for me the last thirty years.”

I pull my wallet out, grab a twenty, and put it in the tip jar. “And we’ll keep doin’ it.”

She puts a hand on her heart. “Fuck you for being so sweet, boy,” she laughs. “Give me a second.”

I look at Marco when she disappears into the back.

“I ain’t worried about Contessa and Yvette. That’s locked in—not just their marriage, but our alliance. What Iamworried about is the Greivans.”

He raises a brow. “You’re worried about them? We could take them out no problem.”

“Here you go! One large double pepperoni with double cheese. I included some breadsticks, too,” Marnie says, walking back up to the counter and placing the boxes in front of us.

“Thank you. Here’s something extra for your grandbaby, Luke,” Marco insists, sliding over a fifty. I roll my eyes. He’s always trying to out-do me.

Still, at least it’s going to a good cause.

“Oh, hell,” Marnie says, choking up a little. She swallows and clears her throat. “He’s been needing a new set of skates. Thank you, boys.”

I grab the food before Marco can, which he looks irritated about.

“Don’t mention it. Have a happy Thanksgiving,” I tell her.

I hear my brother say something else as I turn around and leave with the food, but I don’t process it. Finally, he catches up to me as I’m pushing through the door.