Page 175 of The Temptation

“I’m sorry,”he’d slurred, reaching out to grasp my wrist before I could leave.“I didn’t mean to drink so much. I was just sad … heartbroken for my boy. He would’ve loved to be here today. He would’ve loved you. He would’ve loved little Gabe.”

That wasn’t even the worst of it. As I stood there, staring down at him, he released his hold on my arm, covered his face and broke down. I’m talking racking fucking sobs that consumed his entire body. I swear it tore my heart in two.

Dominic and I were unsure of what to do. The quiet man who rarely let more than a shadow of emotion cross his face was unravelling right in front of us.

It wasn’t the kind of grief you could comfort with a pat on the back or some hollow words about time healing all wounds, either. This was raw and untouchable. Possibly the first time he ever truly let his guard down and allowed himself to feel the pain of his loss.

My grandmother was the type of woman who wore her heart on her sleeve, but not him.

I glanced at Dominic and flicked my chin towards the door. He didn’t hesitate to leave.

Moving to the end of the bed, I gently slid off his shoes and covered him with the throw blanket.

I was torn between staying and giving him some space before finally deciding on the latter.

As I strolled to the door, he called out my name.“Romeo.”

“Yeah,”I said, glancing at him over my shoulder.

“I love you.”

A small smile tugged at my lips.“I love you too, Nonno.”

“You make my life worth living again, son,”were the last words he said to me. By the time I reached the doorway, he was snoring.

I was surprised to find Dominic waiting for me in the hallway when I exited.

He put his hand on my shoulder as I tried to move past him.“That was heavy.”

“Yeah,”was my only reply. We’re not chicks, so that’s about as deep as we go.

I understand my grandfather’s heartache. I’ve looked through the endless stream of photo albums at our weekly Sunday dinners at their house. I’ve heard all the stories of my father’s life growing up. They were close, so a loss like that would hit hard.

I’m a father now myself, and the thought of anything happening to my little boy is unimaginable.

I brush my lips against my son’s cheek before gently lowering him into his bassinet. I held him a little tighter and a little longer tonight. The weight of my grandfather’s breakdown was still fresh in my mind.

It’s some ungodly hour in the morning, and after Lucia fed Gabe, I took over. She had a big day today and hardly slept the night before. She needed her rest. She has a house full of people to feed when she gets up, so I burped and changed our son before putting him back to bed.

The sun isn’t even up yet, so when I’m done, I slip back under the sheets and reach for my wife.

She’s already turned towards me. Her eyes are barely open, and her face is soft with sleep.

“Is he okay?” she whispers, her voice rough and low as she snuggles into my side.

“Yeah,” I murmur, pulling her closer. “He’s perfect.”

She hums contentedly, and I feel her body relax against mine as her warmth chases away the cool morning air.

I just continue to lie here, gazing up at the ceiling that’s bathed in the soft glow of the night light beside the bassinet in the corner.

The chaos and constant noise that once filled my life now feel like a distant memory.

Instead, I’m surrounded by a quiet sense of gratitude for my wife, my son, my family, and my friends. If I had known life would turn out like this, I don’t think I would’ve spent so much of my childhood worrying about what the future held for me.

Dante, Dominic, Alexander, and I headed out early to get supplies to feed the horde of people back at the house. Bacon, eggs, fried tomatoes, sausages, and juicy steaks are on the menu … an Aussie breakfast of champions.

The women are back at the house with the kids. MyNonnawas in the kitchen flipping chocolate chip pancakes for them when we left. Angelina already had two freshly made loaves of bread baking in the oven.