Page 68 of Tito

I wondered how Rocky would react to the news about his dad. I watched him across the table as he had coffee. He didn’t seem to be eating like everyone else.

Tito patted my hand. “You okay?”

I looked over at him. “I was thinking about how Rocky…like… how he might react.”

“Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. But he has more common sense than I do. So, he will probably act calm about it.”

“You didn’t act out of control about it, Tito.”

“I was shaking inside,” he admitted.

“You looked mad, yeah.” I shrugged. “Then you calmed down.”

“As a kid, I spent a long time accepting my father’s death, but I never did accept it fully. Thinking how unfair it was for him to die in an accident. Then I am told it wasn’t an accident?”

I placed my hand over his. “When Deacon told me that the Walkers murdered my mother?” I took a deep breath at the admission I was about to make and went on, “It changed me. I wanted revenge and that took over. I was a slave to it. I felt nothing but hate. It’s what made me the kind of person to actually put Della into a crypt. I allowed Deacon’s men to beat Jared when they captured him. So, don’t hate me for saying this, but I’m glad you never knew. You probably wouldn’t be here with me right now.”

Tito stared at me as he grasped my hand to raise it to his lips. Turning it, he kissed my palm. “It takes a lot of guts to look at yourself like that. And knowing the angry anti-social teen I was, you are probably right. Just like I feel like fate brought you here to me.”

“Saints,” I corrected him. “Saints brought me.”

Tito laughed. “Same thing.” He rolled his eyes at me. “Saints took you from a church and brought you right to me. That makes you my angel.”

“Oh, so now you’re elaborating on it.” I laughed.

“It’s my story,” he defended as he gave me a firm nod. “And I’m sticking to it.”

“You ready?”

We looked up to see Rocky above us.

Tito looked at him then down at me.

I nodded. “I’m coming with you, ok?”

“Of course you are.” He stood, pulled my chair out and took my hand.

Rocky headed toward the kitchen.

“Um, Rock?” Tito called to him.

Turning, he asked, “Yeah?”

“This has to be like helluva private, man.”

Rocky cocked his head at him to ask, “Really?”

Nodding, Tito stated firmly, “Really, really.”

“Ok.” Rocky shrugged. “The garage it is.” He turned back around and went past us.

We followed him hand in hand. When we passed Julianna and Romeo, I connected gazes with her.

She looked curious as she motioned her head at the brothers.

I gave her a nod, so she would know that we were about to tell Rocky the truth about their dad. Then following Rocky, I let out a nervous breath. I didn’t know how this would go at all.

We went through the hallway, past the study. Everyone was still at breakfast, so the area was empty of any family.