I said I wasn’t sure because when it came to wine I didn’t know. After tasting a variety from several different years and comparing some made by traditional methods to those created by modern methods, I still didn’t speak Italian, but I felt fluent.
Talk of the devil Dominic Corisi had vanished. The conversation revolved around how Christof and I had met, how many children we planned to have, and where we were planning on getting married. I let Christof field most of the questions while I continued to sip away at the best wine I’d ever tasted, which ended up being Nona’s home brew.
Things became quite animated when Christof said I owned a racetrack. Was I really a mechanic? At first they seemed to think it was a joke, but when his family realized it wasn’t, I was asked more questions than I’d ever received in an interview.
All the while, I kept drinking. Getting drunk in front of Christof’s grandmother hadn’t been in my plans, but my glass refilled as soon as I drained it, and I drained it more often than I should have.
I’d only closed my eyes for a minute during a lull in the conversation when Christof announced it was time to show me my room. I hung on to him as he walked me down a narrow hallway to a small room. Once inside he closed the door behind us.
“I like your family,” I said with a slur.
“They like you too.” After propping me up against the wall, he walked to the twin bed and pulled back the sheet. “They think you’re hilarious.”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny.” I brought a hand to my spinning head. “Oh God, this is why I don’t drink.”
He chuckled and walked me to the side of the bed, easing me down into a seated position. “Well, tonight you did. You kept up with the best of them.”
I groaned. “I wanted your family to like me.”
Christof bent and removed my shoes. “You don’t have to try so hard; they’re not allowed to not like you.”
I wiggled my left hand in the air. “Because we’re engaged.”
“Exactly.”
I sank back onto the bed, leaving my feet on the floor. He lifted them, straightened me, then tucked a blanket around me. “What happens when we’re not anymore?”
He sat on the bed beside me and ran his hand through my hair. “We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?”
I stuck out my bottom lip. “Wait. Wait. Wait. You’re no fun.”
“Say that again tomorrow when you’ve sobered up, and I’ll show you how wrong you are.”
I smacked his chest with a heavy, floppy hand. “I bet you’re good in bed. Do you have a recipe for sex in your database?” I snorted at my own joke.
He chuckled. “No, but I appreciate the faith you have in my abilities.”
“I’m pretty good, myself. I can do this thing—”
He put a finger over my mouth. “I promise to give you a chance to show me soon.”
I removed his hand from my mouth. “Don’t sender me—” I stopped, hiccuped, and said, “Censor me. I don’t need to be censored.”
“Tonight you do. Just a smidge.”
I made a face at him. “No man will ever tell me what to do.”
He was smiling, which irritated me a little. I lived by my own rules.
He tucked my hair behind my ear and said, “I’ll make a deal with you. We can take turns being in charge.”
I poked him in the chest. “You say all the right things now. No one is that nice. Sooner or later the ugly side of you will pop out.”
“Someone really hurt you, didn’t they?”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t need anyone. I’m fine on my own. If this doesn’t last, I’ll be okay.”
“Of course you will be. You’re one tough cookie, Mack.” Unflappable Christof was back, but I’d seen what lay beneath. I knew he was worried about his family and if he really could fix the situation between them and Dominic. I really couldn’t explain why I was pushing him away when all I wanted to do was pull him close.
Memories of my mother became tangled with our reason for being in Italy. Would Christof try to reunite Gian with his mother? I knew the pain of being left behind and exactly how it felt to reach out to someone who should love you only to discover you weren’t worth their time.
I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. “Poor Gian. Do you think his mother will want to see him? My mother’s alive. Did I tell you that? She doesn’t want to know me. She doesn’t love me. ‘I don’t have room for you in my life.’” A tear slid down my cheek. “What kind of mother says that to her child?”
“Don’t think about that now. Close your eyes and sleep this off. If you want to talk about this tomorrow—”
My gut twisted painfully, and bile rose in my throat. “I don’t want to talk about her ever again.”
“Shh, go to sleep, Mack. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
My eyes were heavy enough to close on their own. “Don’t tell me what to do. I’ll go to sleep when I want to, not when you—”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHRISTOF
And she’s out.
Until a few minutes earlier, McKenna had been upbeat, entertaining, and, oh yes, awake. She hadn’t been offended at all when my grandmother had repeatedly gotten her name wrong. It had helped, I was sure, that Nona also kept confusing me with my brothers.
I probably should have slowed the enthusiastic wine tasting my cousins had come up with for McKenna. I definitely shouldn’t have joined in as much as I had. Although I wasn’t drunk, I was definitely fuzzy headed. The introduction of the high-octane homemade stuff should have ended my night, but it was nice to see everyone getting along, and I’d missed them.
I’d known my cousins would love McKenna. They were good people. Most of them survived on what they made each week and had very little savings. They were too proud to take money from my parents but also vulnerable because of it.
Their concerns about Dominic were valid. He could do some real damage if he chose to. I had to stop that from happening.
Hopefully it could be handled without a battle. I had to believe that beneath his anger, Dominic was a reasonable man. No one had a direct number to him, so all I’d been able to do was leave messages with people who said they would have him get back to me.
It was going to happen. It had to. My family in Montalcino, as well as back home, was counting on me.
McKenna stirred in her sleep, and I ran my hand over her hair lightly. Her concern for Gian came from having also been abandoned by a parent. She’d mentioned her mother before, but I hadn’t seen the depth of how much the abandonment still hurt her until she’d shared it just then. McKenna was independent and stubborn. I smiled as I imagined what she would say if she knew how protective I felt of her now.
She would probably tell me I wasn’t allowed to protect her. I’d suspected sadness lay behind her bravado, and she’d just confirmed it. She kept making it clear to me that she didn’t need me because she was afraid of needing another person.
Funny, because when it came to helping people, she didn’t hesitate to step in. She just didn’t trust others to do the same for her.
I’d prove to her that she could trust me—no matter how long it took. Ava had called it early. McKenna was already in my heart.
I wish we weren’t engaged.
It complicated things. Instead of dating, exploring this attraction between us, then taking that leap . . . we had a week or so to get to know each other before she handed my ring back. Or was I supposed to ask for it? This was my first experience with fake engagements. Did they end with a handshake? A kiss? The sex we were holding off on?
Did they have to end?
It felt too soon for many of the questions running through my head. Could I imagine waking up to this woman each morning? What would life with her be like? Were these questions the result of finally meeting the woman I was meant to be with, the natural side effect of her wearing my ring, or the consequence of too much wine? I chuckled to myself.
It was definitely part
ly the wine.
My smile faded as I thought about how hard this trip already was on McKenna. She’d come to support me but obviously felt invested in the outcome for her own reasons. I should have realized how deeply Gian’s story would move her. Was she there for me, or was this an attempt to find her own resolution by helping Gian?
I was definitely overthinking the situation.
Luckily McKenna still slept. I doubted I would that night. I’d given the woman I had feelings for a front-row seat to what could be the implosion of my family.
When I’d heard not just my grandmother but my cousins referring to Dominic as the devil, my confidence in my ability to smooth over the situation had taken a hit. So far Dominic hadn’t even agreed to meet with me. My vision of talking sense into him, then toasting my engagement with him at Nona’s, was seeming less realistic.
Did toasting my fake engagement with a man who was buying up my family’s land as part of some sick power play seem like the best idea?
I wanted my brothers’ advice. We’d always taken on the world together. When one stumbled, we gathered, and together we made things right again. Could I do this on my own? Should I?
If I called Sebastian, he would come. Or maybe not. His place was with Heather until their second child was born. If he didn’t come, he’d hate himself for not being superhuman and able to be everything for everyone who needed him. No, I couldn’t involve him.
Mauricio had stayed with Nona when he and Wren were newly engaged. He would fly over in a heartbeat, but could he keep a secret? The little Italian he knew wouldn’t be much help. Would he out me and McKenna, even by accident? It wasn’t worth the risk.
Gian.
I quietly let myself out of McKenna’s room and made my way to my own. It was late but, with the time difference, not as bad on Gian’s side.
He answered on the second ring. “Christof. Mom and Dad just left. How is Italy with McKenna? Does this mean what I think it does?”
“I’m sure it doesn’t.” I stepped out of my shoes and sat on the corner of the bed. There was a lot I wanted to tell him, but not yet. Not until I confirmed Dominic’s character.
“Everything okay?”
Not really. “When I was younger, I took our family for granted. I thought all brothers were as close as we are. I just want you to know how important you are to me and that I will always be there for you.”
Gian chuckled. “How much wine did Nona give you?”
“Too much,” I concurred. “I hate that you’ve never been here.”
“I understand why I can’t be.”
“Do you?”
“Nona and my biological mother had a huge falling-out. Seeing me would upset her, and she’s battling early dementia.”
So clinical. So rational. It still had to hurt. “If she was okay with it, would you want to meet her?”
“She’s asking for me?”
The hope in his tone was heartbreaking. “No, but she thinks I’m Mauricio half the time, so that doesn’t mean anything either way. There’s some real family drama going on over here, things I can’t get into yet, but I need you to know that you matter more than however this unfolds.”
“You sound spooked. Did you accidentally get engaged to your mechanic?”
His question was based on the knowledge that no one brought a woman to meet Nona until they had something to announce.
Could I make it so Gian would have the same opportunity?
“Something like that. I feel better now, though. I needed to talk to one of my brothers tonight.”
“I’m always here for you, Christof.” There it was—the bond that had to be able to weather the coming storm.
“You don’t know how much that means to me. No matter what life throws our way, Gian, we have each other. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“Do you need me to fly over? I have classes, but I haven’t missed one yet. I can be there by tomorrow morning.”
“I’m good, Gian. You’re right—Nona’s homemade wine kicked my ass tonight. Cell phones should have Breathalyzers to prevent these kinds of calls.”
“Don’t get married without any of us there.”
I laughed. The way things were going, who the hell knew what turn this wild ride would take next. “I’ll do my best not to.”
“Call me tomorrow. I’ll be thinking about you.”
Thinking. Worrying. Part of me felt bad about laying some of this on his young shoulders. On the other hand, when it came to family and all the craziness that went along with having one, I was beginning to see that it was more painful to be left out than pulled in. “I will. Gian, I may need you over here. Not tomorrow, but possibly sometime during this week or next. I’ll send the plane back for you.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“Not yet. But do me a favor—keep this between us. I don’t want to worry anyone unnecessarily.”
“You’re freaking me out a little bit. What are you not telling me?”
He had a right to know. I debated what was worse—leaving him in the dark guessing or sharing what I knew over the phone. He wasn’t a child anymore. If I were him, I’d want to know. “I’m here because I recently learned that you might have—no, that you do have a brother and sister no one has ever told us about. I plan to meet with your brother first, then have you come over to meet him.”
“Wait, my biological mother has other children?”
“At least two that I know of.”
“And no one thought this was something I should know?”
“It’s complicated—”
“No, I’d say it’s pretty fucking simple. How long have you known?” It was the first time I’d ever heard Gian swear.
“A couple of days.”
“And Mom? Dad?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why am I here while you’re there meeting this brother?”
It was a valid question I wished I were more clearheaded to answer. “We’re trying to protect you.”
“No, you don’t think I can handle it. You know what I can’t handle? Being lied to.” Gian ended the call, and I swore. I tried to call him back, but it went to his voice mail. For someone who’d been tasked with making things better, I was off to a horrible start. I could have blamed the wine, but it hadn’t dialed Gian’s number. It hadn’t been the reason I hadn’t taken him aside as soon as I’d learned about Dominic.
Plan A was no longer an option.
Initiating emergency plan B, I called Mauricio. As soon as he answered, I said, “I fucked up.”
“By taking a woman you’ve only had one date with to see Nona? Mom told us. Yeah, I can’t see how that could have gone wrong.”
That was right—he didn’t know I was engaged. I didn’t know how much Mom and Dad had told him, but my guess was not as much as they’d told me. “It’s worse than that.”
“You’re obviously upset. What happened?”
“You need to drive down and make sure Gian is okay. Tonight. Right now. Go down to his place.” I put a fisted hand to my forehead. I hadn’t felt drunk earlier, but now it was hitting me hard.
“Hang on.” In the background I could hear Wren asking who Mauricio was speaking to. “It’s Christof. Christof, do you mind if I put you on speakerphone? It’ll save me from repeating all this.”
“No problem.” Wren was the best thing that had ever happened to Mauricio, and I already loved her as if she’d been born into our family. “I thought I could do this on my own. I should have called you. There I was thinking you’d ruin things with your big mouth when I proved more than capable of doing that on my own.”
“I don’t have a big mouth,” Mauricio countered.
In a gentle tone, Wren said, “Christof, just tell us what’s going on. What happened with Gian?”
“It’s an onion of shit. I keep peeling back layers, thinking I can make it better, but it gets worse. Were Mom and Dad right to say nothing? Should I have waited to say something? Taken Gian with me? I
had a plan, but I don’t know that I know what I’m doing. What if I piss off the devil and he takes out our whole family?”
“Breathe, Christof,” Mauricio commanded. “First question, have you been drinking Nona’s wine?”
“Yes.”
“You know that shit is so much stronger than anything we have here. I’m tempted to tell you to sleep this off and call me when you wake, but first I need to know what you said to Gian to upset him.”
“Too much. I said too much.”
“What does that mean?” Wren asked.
There was no sense in not telling them. To be there for Gian, they’d need to know. “Mom and Dad dropped a bomb on me yesterday and suggested a solution I shouldn’t have agreed to. I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe I wanted an excuse to spend more time with McKenna. She thinks I know what I’m doing. What if I don’t?”
“I wish I were close enough to smack him,” Mauricio said. “You’re not making any sense, Christof. Let’s start over. What did Mom and Dad tell you?”
To help Gian, there were things they had to know. They knew about Rosella, but I told them how Dominic was related to Gian and how I’d blindsided him with that knowledge. “He said what he couldn’t handle was being lied to and hung up. And he swore. Gian doesn’t swear.”
The silence on the other end of the line made me wonder if the call had dropped and I’d released this tsunami of crap to no one. “Mauricio? Wren?”
Wren answered first. “We’re here. Mauricio is just taking a moment. So Dominic is in Italy?”
“He soon will be, but not for a good reason this time.” I told them the history between Dominic and the family, right down to how they’d blocked him recently from seeing Nona. “He has every right to be angry and hurt—but I have to stop him before he does something that the family could never forgive. Right now they hate the idea of him, but they don’t know him. I have to believe he doesn’t want to move forward with any plan that will hurt the family more.”
The Secret One Page 15