“Great. That’s all I needed. I’ll leave you to it.”
The rest of the day is spent putting out fire after fire until I have to call it quits around five. I glance down at my watch to see that I’ve got fifteen minutes to book it to Ma’s place, which isn’t going to happen. It’ll take me at least forty-five minutes to get out to her place, which means I’ll probably make it just as everyone is sitting down for dinner.
Aside from getting to see my family, there’s another reason I love going to Ma’s, and it’s getting out of the city in my Rolls-Royce.There’s nothing like pounding the pavement and pressing my foot to the pedal while I listen to my playlists.
It’s a way to put everything on the back burner and live in the moment. The only other times I’m that in the moment is when my dick is inside a tight pussy.
Forty-five minutes later, I’m pulling into Ma’s driveway. For all the money my siblings and I have, Ma has never wanted us to get her a large house. She says it’s a waste of money when it’s just her living there.
She did still want a four-bedroom house so we would have rooms to sleep in over the holidays or for when we gave her grandchildren. I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but she can’t count on me to give her any grandchildren. That’s not in the cards for me. I’m just hoping one of my siblings falls in love and starts a family before Ma realizes I’m a lost cause.
The moment I open the door, the aromas of the house hit my nostrils and send a warmth of nostalgia through my body. Ma’s from a little place in Italy called Montepulciano. It’s known for its incredible pecorino cheeses, and Ma uses that in tons of her cooking.
“Nice of you to make time for us,” my brother Julian quips the moment he sees me.
I walk toward my seat next to him at the dinner table, knocking the back of his head with my hand on the way.
“Don’t be a dick,” I reply. “You know these renovations are taking most of my time.”
I lean down and kiss Ma on the cheek before I take my seat. “Hi, Ma. Sorry I’m late.”
“Watch your language at my table,” she scoffs.
“Sorry,” I say politely.
There’s one thing you don’t do, and that’s cross Chiara Bertini. She’ll take you down if she wants to. Which is why I’ve found it so odd that she never tried to go after more of Pa’s money after the divorce.
“How are the renovations going?” my other brother Luca asks.
“Ugh,” Izzy, my sister, grunts. “Do we have to talk work the second you sit down?”
My sister Izzy and the youngest sibling, Aria, both chose very admirable careers. Izzy is a nurse, and Aria is a veterinarian. Luca, Julian, and I sold out for the money.
That happens when you become cynical about love.
“Fine, Izzy,” Luca replies with obvious irritation. “What does the princess want to talk about?”
She rolls her eyes.
Aria speaks up. “How about you getting caught getting handsy with the mayor’s daughter?”
Luca scowls at her.
Ma gasps. “Luca Bertini. Tell me that’s not true.”
He looks over at Ma, the sting of her disapproval obvious. “I didn’t know who she was, nor was I aware that we were being photographed.”
Ma’s head falls into her hands as she mumbles in Italian to herself.
“Thanks for that,” Luca says to Aria.
“Maybe think twice before referring to your sisters as princesses,” she replies unapologetically.
Any stranger coming in and joining us would think we all hated each other, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We are all extremely close. As weird as it may sound, teasing each other is our love language.
“I spoke with your aunt Maria today,” Ma tells us.
“How is she doing?” Izzy asks.