Page 33

SIX MONTHS LATER

ANDERS

“Are you sure I was actually invited?” Finn whispers, the fog of his breath hanging in the icy air as we make our way up the shoveled walk to the modest house outside of the city.

“You’re family,” Luca says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. My chest fills with warmth and I slip my hand into his. Of all the things I love about my soft mafioso, how thoroughly he’s accepted my brother as part of our lives is definitely in the top five.

He didn’t complain when Finn picked an apartment just a few buildings down from our place, he never bats an eye at the weekend movie marathons we rope him into, and he always makes extra pancakes when he cooks breakfast, just in case my brother stops by…

which he always does. When I told him I couldn’t come to his Nonna’s house for Christmas and leave Finn all by himself for the holiday, he gave me a quizzical look and said, “ Of course Finn is invited. He’s family. ”

So, here we are, about to have Christmas with a bunch of mafiosos.

The door swings open before Luca even has a chance to knock, and a small, wrinkly woman in a bright red Christmas dress greets us with a welcoming smile.

“ I miei ragazzi ,” she booms in a voice that’s so much larger than her tiny stature, pulling Luca into a hug.

“Hi, Nonna, is Mamma here yet?” he asks.

“Of course.” She pats his cheek. “She’s been here since this morning, helping me with all the cooking, unlike the rest of my lazy children.”

“Hey, I’ve been here for hours. My hands are stained red from all the tomatoes I crushed,” Salvatore protests from somewhere inside.

“And I made bread to bring over, so I helped cook,” Elio, the underboss of the Morettis shouts from inside as well.

“ I made bread,” another voice corrects him. I’m guessing it’s his MMA fighter husband, Orion.

Nonna rolls her eyes and then turns her attention to me. I shift on my feet and thrust out my hand in greeting, but she ignores it, pulling me into a crushing hug just like she did with her great-grandson.

“Benvenuto,” she says, kissing each of my cheeks before she lets me go.

My heart swells in my chest again and I laugh, not because anything is funny, but because it’s almost too much to realize that maybe Finn and I can have a family, even without our parents around.

She greets Finn just as enthusiastically and then ushers us inside.

It’s warm, and I don’t just mean the temperature.

Everything from the garlands to the twinkling lights feels cozy, like home .

Almost instantly, everything feels chaotic and wonderful, with a flurry of introductions to family members I haven’t met yet and hugs from the people I already know.

But no matter who is hugging me, I hang on to Luca’s hand, tethered by the feeling of his fingers laced through mine.

“What do you think, little viper? Too much?” he asks in a low voice once attention drifts away from us.

I lean into him and rest my head on his shoulder, watching as Finn gets pulled in by Lorenzo, wearing a Santa hat and a pair of fuzzy red pants, explaining how the white elephant gift exchange works.

“I think it’s perfect.” I sigh happily. “I think I love you and I’m happier every day that I tied you up and stole your watch.”

Luca throws his head back and laughs, looping his arm around my waist.

“So am I,” he murmurs, nuzzling my ear then pressing a kiss there. “So am I.”

The End