“Yes.” I nod and let out a heavy breath. “Thank you.”
Suddenly, she lets out a chuckle. “Adriano keeps staring at you. Let’s go inside so you can meet the others.”
I glance over my shoulder but don’t see him by the back door.
“No, he’s over there.” Tori points to my left, where open sliding doors lead to a living room, and I see Adriano sitting on a couch with his eyes locked on me.
As we get up, taking our lemonades with us, she says, “I’m here whenever you need to talk about anything. Okay?”
“Thank you.” I smile at my brand new mother-in-law who seems to be a dream come true. “I really appreciate it, and talking with you does make me feel better.”
“I’m happy to hear that.”
When we reach the sliding doors, and my eyes lock on three other men, Tori rubs my back and gestures at each of them. “That’s Adriano’s father, Angelo, and the other two are Tiny and Big Ricky.”
“Little Ricky’s father?” I ask.
“Yep,” Big Ricky answers with a heavy sigh, then he jabs his thumb at the mountain of a man beside him. “But this fucker taught my son how to eat for a baseball team.”
Tiny grins proudly while Angelo walks toward me.
Jesus, Adriano is the spitting image of his father, who is just as scary looking as his son.
When I almost take a step backward, Tori’s hand returns to rubbing my back. “It’s okay. They just look scary.” Then she levels her husband with a scowl. “Smile before you scare the daylights out of Laurie.”
Instantly, his mouth curves up while Tiny and Big Ricky chuckle.
“Hello, Laurie,” Angelo says while holding his hand out to me.
I hesitate for a couple of seconds before shaking his hand. “Hi, Mr. Rizzo.”
“Angelo,” he corrects me. “Welcome to the family.”
Adriano stands up, and not even thinking about what I’m doing, I move toward him. When he wraps his arm around me, I actually feel a sense of safety and I grab onto it with both hands.
“So, how was the shitty wedding this fucker gave you?” Big Ricky asks.
“I’m going to slap you upside the head,” Tori mutters.
I notice how Tiny inspects me before he says, “You’ve always had an eye for beauty, Adriano.”
The compliment makes my cheeks flush, and I hear a soft rumble from Adriano before he holds me tighter, squashing me partially to his chest. “I know. Have you seen her eyes.”
Tiny gets up and comes closer to stare at me, like I’m some piece of art he’s inspecting.
“Not awkward at all,” I whisper under my breath.
“That’s enough, guys.” Tori’s tone is authoritative, and the men bristle a little. “Behave.”
“You have pretty eyes, Laurie,” Tiny says, then his eyebrows fly up. “Hey, their names rhyme. Laurie and Tori.”
“Like father, like son,” Big Ricky mutters, then he locks eyes with me and orders, “Tell us about yourself.”
Shit.
“Ah… I was born and raised in Findlay, Ohio.” I fold my arms around my middle because I’m so frazzled I don’t know what else to say.
Adriano jumps in to save me. “You can all get to know my wife better this weekend. We can have a barbecue and invite Remo, Augusto, Georgi, and their women over.”