by Jaime Reese
"There you go again, your mind is wandering," Ty said, snapping Cole back to the present.
"Sorry," Cole said. "You could come to the party if you want," he added quietly.
"Your mom's party?" Ty asked.
Cole nodded. "Renzo family things are like block parties. She said I could invite friends." He didn't really want to categorize Ty as a 'friend' but he was pretty sure his mother hadn't planned on Cole extending the invitation to his-boss-who-he-wanted-naked-and-writhing-under-him.
But that was a minor detail.
"I've got a few appointments tomorrow," Ty said.
Cole pursed his lips and nodded.
"But if I finish early, I'll try to stop by," he added.
Cole looked up. The tension in his body eased slightly with Ty's half smile. "Aidan's going, so he'll know where it is."
Ty lowered his brow. "Aidan's going?"
A chuckle escaped. "Um, yeah. I'm pretty sure. Long story."
Ty leaned over the car door, nearing Cole with a smile. "Now you've piqued my interest."
"And here I thought I had all your interest."
Ty's cheeks heated. "Let's get these cars wrapped up so we can work on the Yenko for a bit," he said, then turned away, casually glancing over his shoulder with a grin.
His boss sure knew how to draw his focus. Once he got through the stress of the Renzo family reunion, he'd work on moving things along with Ty.
He had to or he'd need a doctor soon for his blue balls.
Cole looked at himself in the mirror and fidgeted with the sleeves of his henley shirt, pulling them up to his elbows. He thought about wearing a buttoned-down dress shirt but the Miami heat would make him sweat in no time flat and totally ruin any attempt at looking presentable. Instead, he decided on the olive green shirt that always seemed to make his one hazel eye appear greener in color like those of the rest of the Renzo family.
He raised the edge of the loose, dark-green-almost-black beanie so it sat along his hairline and pulled the sides lower, tucking his ears under the edge of the fabric.
"Why don't you go without the beanie today?" Julian asked, coming up behind him.
Cole shook his head and flattened the edge of the cap. "My mom knit this one. So I want to wear it." He grabbed the hem of his shirt to tuck into his jeans, then changed his mind and left it out. He turned to face Julian. "You look good."
"A white dress shirt and black slacks. Even I can't fuck that up," Julian said with a shrug. "Matt thought it best to not do the black on black for today."
Cole nodded.
Julian scowled. "You're too quiet."
Cole shrugged. He walked into the room and sat at the edge of the bed to put on his boots. He hated this—hated not knowing what to expect. He always had a strategy. Here, he was walking in blind and it was driving him crazy. He was constantly pushing himself, not for the sake of improving himself and becoming a better man, but simply to try and fit in with his other siblings—like trying to fit a square into a circle slot. The effort was exhausting and the differences more obvious with each passing year. They shared similarities in personality, but that was just a result of the Renzo gene pool. Accepting that was difficult. Family was important and he struggled with the thought of growing apart from them.
"How long do you want to be there?" Julian asked, breaking the silence.
Cole shrugged again. He didn't care. The guilt of Marco's death weighed heavily on him just as much as the heartbreak his mother suffered after his arrest. He had ripped her apart not once, but twice. All that mattered was giving his mom a few moments of joy. Maybe that would ease the guilt that burned within. He hoped taking Julian, along with his whole Marco-like package, would give her a few moments of peace and bring a smile to her face. He knew it was a stupid idea, but being around Julian settled him a bit about his brother's passing. He couldn't explain so he just went with it.
"Cole?"
Cole pulled down the edge of his jeans above his boots and stood. "Yeah?"
"You give me some sign or something when you're ready to go and we'll bail. Got it?"
"Are you sure Matt can't come?"
Julian sighed. "He's not sure. He's waiting to hear from Sam in a little bit. If he can make it, he will."
"Sam could come too if he wants," he said quietly, tugging on the neckline of his shirt.
"Jessie said he'd meet us there and Matt already dropped a hint of that when Aidan stopped by earlier. Did you ask Ty to come?" Julian asked.
Cole rubbed the palms of his hands on his thighs. "He's got some appointments or something. He said he'd try to make it if he finished early. I mentioned Aidan would probably be there so he might swing by," he said with a shrug. "I'm not sure I want him to be there and seeing me like this." He was torn. He wanted to have Ty there with him. Somehow, he knew he'd be able to get through it if he were around.
Julian rubbed Cole's back. "It'll be fine. If I need to get all protective and fight off a family mob, you just let me know. Okay?"
A smile tugged at the corner of Cole's mouth. "Thanks."
"Hey, that's what big brothers are for," Julian said with a half smile.
"I swear. You make me lose it and I'll throw you down the stairs."
Julian chuckled and grabbed Cole by the back of the neck. "C'mon, let's go."
They circled for a place to park, passing lines of cars stopped along the side of the road. Cole's stomach tightened as they neared his mom's house. He craned his neck to steal a glance when they drove past the cul-de-sac. The entire area was set up like a huge courtyard to accommodate the entire family—one of the benefits of having neighbors who were also Renzos. He saw children being playfully chased by adults and an area set up for the kids with some type of clown entertainment station to keep them busy.
"What the hell," Julian said as he squeezed into a parking spot at the side of the road and looked out his truck's windshield at the crowd of people.
"I told you it'd be a lot of people." Cole sat still, not wanting to exit the safety of the truck.
"A lot of people is one thing. A small town is an entirely different story," Julian said in awe. "Are all these people family?"
Cole nodded and picked at a string on his pants. "It's a big family. I have like sixteen aunts and uncles and they all have kids and so on and so on. Apparently, we Renzos breed like bunnies. I don't remember all their names but I know their faces. Some I see only at the big family gatherings." He shrugged. "Well, before I went in. So I haven't seen most of these people in three years or more."
"You okay?" Julian asked, shifting his focus to Cole.
Cole shrugged again, not wanting to admit how badly he wanted to throw up his breakfast.
"Remember, you just give me a sign or something. Okay?" Julian said, reaching over and grabbing the back of Cole's neck.
Cole nodded.
"C'mon," Julian said, exiting the truck.
Cole met up with him and walked along the street, passing by a few running children with balloons in their hands. He tugged on his beanie, making sure it was securely in place.
Julian slapped Cole in the back of the head. "Stop fidgeting, you're making me nervous. It'll be fine."
Cole straightened his beanie and scowled. For some reason, his boots felt heavier today than usual. He felt the strain with each step but stopped when he heard a small voice call him from off to the side.
"Tio Nico," the little girl's voice called. They stopped walking and turned to find the girl who had spoken. She stared, unmoving, one arm hanging loosely at her side while the other held a balloon.
Cole's breath hitched and his throat tightened when he saw his nine-year-old niece standing there, staring at him. Maggie. A spitting image of photos he had seen of his older sister, Carmen, at that same age. Her hair, a deep dark brown, contrasted with her fair skin and clear green eyes.
"Tio?" she said again, her eyebrows arching upward and her lip trembling as if she were ready to cry.
He couldn't
speak, he couldn't move. He didn't know what she had been told about his absence. He finally nodded, unsure of how she would react seeing her uncle after almost three years.
In a flash, she released the balloon and headed toward Cole at a dead run. Cole reached for her just as she jumped up and wrapped her thin arms around his neck and held on tight. "I missed you," she whispered by his ear.
Cole screwed his eyes shut and held her close, trying to hold back the tears while Maggie's tears streamed freely down her face and wet his cheek. She didn't reject him, didn't fear him, didn't hate him. Instead, she squeezed him tighter than he thought those thin arms could bear. In that moment, he felt like the most incredible superhero to ever be created. "I missed you too, Pulga."
Maggie giggled. "You remember," she said.
Cole fought the tightness in his throat. How could he forget his niece's nickname? Always smaller than other children her age—a curse of the females in the Renzo clan—she had easily garnered the 'flea' nickname from the family. "Of course I do," he said.
She backed off enough to cup her uncle's face and wiped the wetness of her tears from his cheek. "Are you real?"
Cole cocked his head and smiled. "Of course I'm real."
Maggie neared again and whispered, "Then why do I see a ghost with you?"
Cole's brow furrowed. He brushed his niece's cheek. "What do you mean, Pulga?"
"I see Tio Marco," she said, looking over her shoulder at Julian.
Cole couldn't help the laugh that bubbled to the surface when he saw the scowl on Julian's face. Okay, so maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
Maggie reached out and poked Julian in the arm.
"Ow," he said conversationally.
Maggie giggled again. "You're not Marco. You don't smile."
Cole chuckled. "He does," he said, then whispered in her ear, "but it takes a while."
"It's nice to meet you Mr. Not a Ghost or Tio Marco."
Julian rolled his eyes, obviously playing up to the young girl.
Cole hugged Maggie closer. "His name is Julian." He smiled and whispered something in Maggie's ear. Julian squinted, probably guessing whatever was being said wasn't going to be in his favor.
Maggie nodded then turned to Julian. "It's nice to meet you, J," she said with a devilish grin.
Julian aimed a piercing glare at Cole that reminded him of the times when he had first moved into the halfway house. But who was he kidding, he was too happy right now to care. He felt like the king of the world.
She reached out to Julian and wrapped her arms around his neck.
If Cole hadn't seen it with his own two eyes, he would never have believed the transition in the man. Julian's features relaxed and a smile beamed from his expression like a spotlight. Oh yeah, Maggie was going to have him wrapped around her finger. Just as she always did with everyone she met.
"Pulga!" Cole heard yelled around the corner. He'd know his sister's voice anywhere.
Carmen turned the corner and stilled when her eyes met with Cole's. "Oh my God," she said and mirrored her daughter's earlier dead run sprint toward him. He easily caught her petite frame and spun her when she jumped into his arms. "Mami said you were going to be here so we've all been waiting for you," she whispered in his ear.
Cole pulled away slightly. Carmen, the doctor in the family, had a bedside manner that frightened most patients at first. But the signature Renzo brutal honesty and unrelenting determination endeared her to her patients after the initial shock wore off. "Everyone?" he asked nervously.
Carmen hesitated.
"Rio?" he asked, knowing his brother Demetrio would be the most stubborn of the group—the unfortunate Renzo trait his brother held more firmly than the others.
Carmen nodded. "You know how he is."
He did know how stubborn his brother was. Rio had chewed him out after the arrest—how could he shame the family in such a way, how could he hurt Mami that way so soon after Marco had been ripped from the family. And in typical Renzo fashion, Rio didn't bother disguising how he felt about something. He was the only sibling who had refused to visit Cole in prison. The night he was arrested was bad, but the day Marco died was even worse. He didn't want to remember all the horrible things his brother had said.
"He still hates me?"
"He doesn't hate you." Carmen sighed. "It's not always easy being the middle child. You know he can be a bit dramatic and needs the extra attention." She stroked Cole's cheek and smiled fondly. "You look happy. I'm glad to see prison didn't take that from you."
Cole stilled and looked over to Maggie.
Carmen waved her hand quickly. "Don't worry. She knows. You know we don't lie about things," she said. "Prison is a place where people who make mistakes sometimes go." She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Maggie. "So how about you tell me who this man is who looks freakishly like Marco."
Julian shifted Maggie in his arms and extended his hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Julian. I'm one of the owners of the halfway house."
"But you can call him J," Maggie added with a giggle, burying her face at the crook of Julian's neck.
Julian scowled at Cole but protectively wrapped his arms around Maggie. "I would appreciate it if you don't call me that," he said to Carmen.
Carmen raised an eyebrow and turned to Cole. "Oh, you are evil. You should know better than to tell her a secret."
Cole chuckled. "I couldn't resist. Look at him."
Carmen turned to face Julian and crossed her arms. "All I see is another poor sucker succumbing to Pulga's charm." She turned back to Cole. "You know, Mami's going to flip when she sees him."
Cole winced. "Do you think it was a bad idea? I thought it might make her smile. He looks like Marco and acts like him. I don't want her to—"
Carmen slapped Cole on the chest to shut him up. "Are you kidding me? She's going to barricade him in the basement and never let him escape. She's going to love him," she said, turning back to Julian, smiling at the obvious shock in Julian's expression. She moved her hand in a shooing motion. "You need a sense of humor, J," she said, emphasizing the nickname and receiving a scowl in response. "Mami doesn't have a basement."
Cole chuckled again.
"C'mon," Carmen said, herding them over to the mob of people in the makeshift courtyard area. "Everyone's been waiting to see you again."
They were immediately surrounded by crowds of people, kissing Cole on the cheek and pulling him into embraces. The surge of relief at seeing his family multiplied with each hug and kiss he received. They neared the courtyard and his pulse quickened. There, at the head of the table with his brothers sitting on each side, sat his mother in her role as matriarch of the Renzo clan.
Carmen pulled him aside. "You go see her, I'll stay here with Julian and Pulga for now."
Cole gave her a sideways glare. "He's my present to her."
"You know, I am standing right here," Julian said.
Carmen pushed Julian, shoving him toward one neighbor's house. "And now you're going to be standing over there with me."
Cole thought he heard Julian mumble something about all the Renzos being pushy, but he wasn't sure, he was too focused on seeing his mother. He squared his shoulders and tugged at his beanie. He took a deep breath and focused on placing one foot in front of the other. As if sensing his presence, his mother turned her head and immediately locked her gaze with his. She stood from her seat and a smile slowly spread across her face. Her small stature of barely five feet was no representation of her role in the Renzo family. His brothers turned to follow her line of sight and they quickly stood alongside her. Giovanni—Vanni—the oldest, stood proud next to their mother and wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders, whispering something in her ear. Rio stood next to Augustus—Gus—on her other side. They were complete opposites. Gus wore his infinitely happy grin, which contrasted sharply with Rio's overly dramatic frown. Gus immediately broke away from them and darted over to Cole for an embrace.
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"Hey, Charcoal," Gus said with his always present smile. "We've been waiting for you."
Cole hugged his brother and patted his back. "Restaurant doing well?"
Gus chuckled. "Yup. Still have my Michelin stars so I'm in heaven. We're opening up a new restaurant next year, so you better be there." He wrapped his arm around Cole and tugged him close. "It was cruel of you to not let her go by that halfway house you're staying at. She's been going nuts not being able to see you since you got out."
Cole managed to worm his way out of the embrace. "I talk to her every day."
Gus looked at him and shook his head. "You know talking on the phone's not the same."
Cole shrugged. "I'm here now, so cut me some slack."
They made their way to where his mother stood, waiting for him. Rio's scowl deepened and he turned and walked away. His mother's gaze immediately followed him and again, Cole could see Vanni whisper something in their mother's ear.
"Vanni still watches over her," Cole said to Gus as they walked.
"Like a hawk," Gus responded. "He's still like Papi number two. That hasn't changed. C'mon, if Vanni keeps holding Mami down, she'll kick him in the balls so he let's go."
Cole walked alongside his brother through the crowd of people, smiling as he saw his mother's grin grow with each step he took.
"It's good to see you," Vanni said when he neared. The always stoic Renzo brother of the group extended his hand in greeting.
Cole half smiled as he shook his brother's hand, realizing a hug would be unlikely. He released his older brother's hand and looked back at his mom. He didn't need to wait much longer before his mother stepped forward and reached up to cup his face.
"Mi amor," she said, her eyes bright with emotion. She pulled him closer and tried to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders. "You're bigger."
He bent and wrapped his thick arms around his mother. His stomach tightened as his arms encased her frail body. She was thinner than the last time he held her this close. He silently cursed the prison system and their strict rules on close contact during visits. He hadn't been able to hold his mother like this during her visits.