Page 165 of The Temptation

He chuckles because he’s not stupid; he knows I’m part of the mob.

“Well … thank you for the car. It’s nice to drive something that won’t stall every time I try to leave the church parking lot.”

I open my mouth, ready to deny it again, but I stop myself. Instead, I nod, then turn my attention towards Dominic.

I never did it for praise or gratitude. I’ll never be able to repay this man for what he’s given me over the years. I simply wanted him to have something safe. Something that didn’t rattle like a tin can every time he turned the key, or leave him stranded in the rain, praying for a miracle.

I step out of the car, round the vehicle, and meet Lucia on the sidewalk. My eyes meet hers as I straighten the collar of my shirt and tug at my cufflinks.

“Do I look okay?”

“Is that a serious question?” she deadpans.

“I asked it, didn’t I?”

She steps towards me and fists her hands in the front of my shirt. “If we weren’t standing out the front of your grandparents’ house, I’d drop to my knees, take that glorioussalsiccia grossa(Big thick sausage) of yours down the back of my throat, and show you just how hot you look.”

“Jesus, babe, don’t say shit like that. Not here … not now. How’s it going to look if they open the door to meet me for the first time and find me with a tent in the front of my trousers?”

She winces. “Yeah, kind of weird. You look terrible, so bad that I’m struggling to hold back my gag. Is that better?”

I bark out a laugh as I lean down to place my lips on her temple. “You fucking kill me sometimes, Luc.”

Her face drops, and all the colour leaves her pretty face. “Don’t say that … even in jest.”

I inhale a sharp breath and reach for her hand, hoping she doesn’t notice the slight tremble in my fingers.

It took me weeks to finally reach out to my grandparents. I struggled with the decision at first, unsure if opening that door was the right move. But the thought of having realblood relatives—people who actually want me in their lives—was something I couldn’t ignore.

It started with a simple call, which led to this moment. My grandmother was the one who answered the phone, but as soon as I told her who I was, she broke down in tears and passed the receiver to her husband.

I’m hoping she manages to hold it together today, because I’m not sure how I’ll react if she doesn’t. Just being here makes me feel more emotional than I’m comfortable with.

We walk up the short path to their front door. My heart’s thudding in a way I haven’t felt since I was a kid, like it’s trying to punch its way out of my chest.

I fill my lungs with air before I raise my hand and knock.

A beat passes, then another, and my stomach flips when I hear movement behind the door. The sound of the lock turning echoes loudly in my ears, just as Lucia reaches for my hand, clutching it tightly in hers.

“I’ve got you,” she whispers, and not a day has passed since I stopped fighting the inevitable, that I’m not grateful to call this woman mine.

When the door swings open, my grandmother is standing there, and I expel the breath I didn’t realise I was holding. She’s smaller and frailer than I expected, but it’s the softness I see in her eyes as she stares at me that nearly undoes me.

She blinks once, then again, before her hand flies to her mouth. “Oh, goodness,” she breathes, her voice trembling. “You look just like our Gabriel. The resemblance is …”

Her words die off as her eyes well up with unshed tears. Before I can even think of a response, she takes a step forward and wraps her arms around me so tightly it steals my breath.

“I’m sorry,” she cries. “I’m so, so sorry it’s taken this long for us to get here. When we lost your father, it nearly broke us. He was our life, our mischievous boy, and what we lived for. Getting through each day without him was a struggle I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

She pauses, her voice catching in her throat.

“I wish we had known about you from the start. We would’ve been there. You would’ve healed a part of me that died right alongside him. We would’ve loved you from the very beginning … just like we love you now. I hate that we missed so much of your life. I hate that you had to grow up without us.”

Once those words are out, the tears turn into racking sobs, and I don’t know what to say or do, so I just stand there, letting her hold me, feeling like a part that was missing has suddenly clicked into place.

I have family who want me, who love me.

I wish they had known about me too, because I have a feeling my life would’ve been very different if they had.