Following the dust up with Frankie the day their mama had been rushed to the hospital, I'd done everything in my power to avoid accompanying Tony and Enzo to the hospital when it was their turn to sit with her. After three days of picking up shifts and going in to help with inventory, Tony had figured out what I was doing. He'd come at me first, suggesting I wasn't doing a very good job showing his family the united front I'd insisted would help them accept our unconventional relationship. That alone wouldn't have been enough to make me visit Mama with them, but when Tony sent Enzo into the shower to plead their case once again, I caved.

"I get you're not a fan of hospitals, but I really don't want to sit up there alone all day today," he'd pleaded as he poured a dollop of bodywash onto the sponge. Enzo pressed his body against mine, allowing his dick to settle against the crease of my ass. He began gently rocking as he reached around to scrub my chest. "Everyone else has to be at Marino's for a huge lunch party. If you really can't do it, I'll understand, but I'd appreciate it if you could at least call and see if you can get the day off. Eli’s working you too hard lately."

Either Enzo was so good-hearted he couldn't fathom the lengths I'd go to in an effort to give the family time to cool off a bit after we'd dropped our news on them or he was giving me an out rather than calling me on my shit. I had a feeling it was the latter, and it made me feel like a horrible boyfriend. I'd been here every night when they'd come home from the hospital after talking to Eli and telling him I couldn't work nights for a bit, but it wasn't enough. I should have been as much a fixture in the hospital room as the rest of the significant others, standing guard near the door, paying attention when the doctors or nurses came in with new information about Mama's prognosis. I should've been there with them when they were given the amazing news that while she'd have some lingering issues, the doctors expected her to recover thanks to Tony's quick action the day of her stroke.

"If you can't, I understand." His voice was lower now and filled with sadness. Enzo's body sagged behind me, his weight pressing against my back as if he'd run out of energy to hold himself upright. "I can see if Levi or Calvin are around today. I know Peter has classes, and he's probably falling behind on his work since he's either been up at the hospital with Freddie or playing single dad to Sophia."

"I'll go." I turned in his grasp, sliding my hands around his waist then lower to cup his backside. "I'm sorry I haven't been there with you guys."

"You've had to work."

I simply shrugged because it was better than seeing his reaction if I admitted I'd asked to be added to the schedule the past few days. Sure, part of it had been so I could spend some time home with them at night and go to sleep with them rather than trying to wedge myself between them when I came to bed in the middle of the night, but it had been secondary to not wanting an encore awkward scene with the brothers.

Enzo buried his face in my neck, kissing his way from my shoulder to my ear. "Don't beat yourself up. Having you home with us has helped. You know I wouldn't be asking you to go with me today if there was another option, right?"

I nodded.

"No one's going to be there. And even if they were, I don't care. I want them to see nothing's changed between you and Tony, and what you and I have is just as real. It takes three people to make what we have whole. If my brothers ever give you a hard time for being with both of us, you know Tony and I will shut them down, right?"

I nodded again. Why was it suddenly impossible for me to find words? I should be down on my knees apologizing to him, and that wasn't a euphemism for blowing him so thoroughly he'd forget all the ways I was letting them down.

"Then come with me. Frankie said Mama was awake more last night. She'd like to see you." I wasn't so sure about that, and apparently didn't manage to school my features quickly enough. "Don't look at me like that. She loves you as much as she does Calvin, Peter, and Levi. And she'll love you even more once she knows how happy you make both Tony and me. It takes a strong man to put up with both of us."

"Loving the two of you is one of the easiest things I've ever done." I slid my hand over his stubbled jaw and kissed the tip of his nose. "I'm not so sure you're right about her wanting to see me, but I'll be there. For you."

"You'll see." The twinkle returned to Enzo's eyes as he stared at me as if I'd hung the freaking moon. We finished up in the shower without any sexy shenanigans. Things had cooled considerably since that fateful moment in the hospital, but I wasn't worried. If anything, we'd been working on proving to ourselves what we shared wasn't limited to sex. We were cooking together, watching movies until it was time to fall into bed, even bickering about how to split up the household chores. All mundane activities on their own, but it really felt as if we were cementing ourselves as a functional triad.

I rubbed my sweaty palms over my jeans as I shuffled my way down the hospital corridor behind Enzo. This shouldn't feel like an ill-timed meet-the-parents moment since I had already been accepted into the fold by Mama Marino, but today was the first day I was seeing her as Enzo's significant other rather than Tony's. I worried about her realizing what was going on between us, reacting poorly, and her suffering a setback because of the toll it took on her body.

"You're being ridiculous," Enzo muttered under his breath. I wasn't sure if he was speaking to me or to himself, so I didn't respond. He fell back, lacing his fingers in mine. "If you overthink any harder, smoke's going to start spewing from your ears. It's going to be fine."

"Maybe we should've waited for me to come up with you when Tony could be with us," I suggested for at least the fifth time since we parked in the ramp. The last time Enzo and I were seen together without Tony hadn't turned out so well, and I still worried about their mama's fragile state. "She's more likely to believe we're not screwing around behind his back if he's here with us."

"Do you really think she believes I'm dumb enough to bring someone to see her in the hospital who's cheating on my brother and introduce him as my boyfriend?" He turned and pressed me against the wall. "Max, now it's your turn to relax. It's not like I'm expecting you to let me sit in your lap so we can make out beside her bed while she's sleeping. You're here to keep me company. If that's all we tell her, so be it. She already knows the three of us live together; the sleeping arrangements are irrelevant. You became part of the family the first time Tony brought you home, and that's not going to change now."

"You're giving her a lot of credit. If your brothers had a hard time coming to accept us—and I'm still not convinced they're cool with the three of us being together—I'm not sure an old woman's going to welcome me with open arms."

Enzo flinched before swatting my arm. "Don't you dare let her hear you call her that. She'll hop out of the bed and beat you to a pulp."

"You know what I mean." I let out a huff. He leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine. "I'll get my shit together, promise."

"I know you will. And if it helps, Tony texted while you were driving and said the guys are letting him out as soon as possible. I think they know it's important for the three of us to be able to lean on one another right now." Enzo kissed me softly.

"Enzo?" His knees nearly gave out at the strained, quiet beckoning from inside the room. When our eyes met, I saw tears welling along his lower lashes from the sound of Mama's voice calling to him. This was the first time she'd been awake when he'd visited since the stroke. I wasn't sure if he'd noticed how she struggled to get the two syllables out, but it wasn't important. The fact she seemed lucid and could speak was a huge step in the right direction.

I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist to hold him steady. "Let's get in there and see how she's doing today."

He held my hand tightly, not letting go until he rounded the curtain shielding Mama from view of passersby. Enzo looked back and me, and I nodded, silently telling him to go on and sit with her. Maybe I was a chicken, but instead of joining him, I jerked my head toward the door, hoping he'd understand I was making a much-needed coffee run.

"Max... with you?" I stopped, one foot already in the corridor. Now, I had a decision to make: hunt down a caffeine fix or suck it up and face whatever reaction she might have. My heart twisted hearing her asking about me, and I knew there was no real decision to be made.

I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and walked back into the room. She looked frail lying in the bed, but somehow her hair was still pulled back and her lips stained with the deep lipstick she always wore. I chuckled, imagining her summoning a nurse to help her get ready for the day, unwilling to look anything less than her best even as she came back from near-death.

I bent down and kissed her cheek as she squeezed my hand. "Hi, Mama. You look wonderful."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Look...horrible. Sit."

Because I know better than to argue with an Italian mama, I pulled up a chair and sat next to Enzo. She stared at the distance between our seats and shook her head. She fumbled for the remote beside her, and it fell out of her hand. Enzo was quick to her aid. "I've got it, Mama."

She swatted toward his hand but didn't make contact. Enzo turned the controller toward her, steadying it while she concentrated on pressing the button to lift the head of the bed so she was sitting. The entire time, her gaze was fixed on me. I fidgeted under the scrutiny, wondering if she was trying to put together the words to ask why I was here with Enzo instead of Tony. I didn't have nearly as much faith in her understanding as Enzo did.

"Too...skinny," she declared, turning her focus to her son. "You need...to feed...him."

Enzo let out a strained chuckle at her admonishment. I reached over and patted his knee. "They both take good care of me."

"Good." An orderly brought in a tray of food for Mama and rolled the little table over to the bed. When the orderly removed the lid, the room was filled with an unpleasant odor. Mama apparently felt the same as she sneered at the plate and shoved the table away.

"You have to eat, Mrs. Marino." The orderly crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. I felt bad for the woman because with the way the food smelled, I had to imagine this was a battle she fought more than once per meal time. "The doctor's hoping to get you up a bit more today, and you need energy."

Mama turned a pleading gaze on her son. I coughed to stifle a laugh because I'd seen that look before, typically when Tony or Enzo wanted something but didn't know how to ask for it. He let out a sigh and pulled the phone out of his pocket. "You'll have to forgive her. She's used to either cooking for herself or eating what my brother cooks. He's a professional chef, so her standards might be a bit higher than overcooked cafeteria fare. What are her restrictions?"

"Oh, you'd have to talk to the nurses about that." The orderly shifted from one foot to the other. "Patients aren't supposed to have outside food because the doctors need to know exactly what they're eating to make sure it follows their nutritional plan."

Enzo stood and bent down to kiss his mama's forehead. "I'm going to see if we can get you some decent food for dinner, but you have to eat what this nice lady brought for lunch." Mama shook her head, sneered at the plate of what appeared to be dried out chicken and overcooked broccoli. "Mama, you have to do what they say if you want to get out of here. Once you're home, I'm sure Freddie will cook for you until you're ready to get back into the kitchen, but that won't happen if you don't do what they want right now."

Listening to him, it sounded like he'd slid into the parental role and was bargaining with a petulant child. I sat back and watched the two of them hold an entire conversation with nothing more than subtle changes in their facial expressions. I was proud of Enzo because it was obvious he had no plans of backing down. Unfortunately, he'd gotten his stubborn streak from his mama, so it could be a long battle.

I squeezed Enzo's fingers to get his attention. "Why don't you run out to the nurses' station and see if you can find out her restrictions? She won't starve if she waits to eat until Tony can get up here."

"The doctors won't like that, sir," the orderly informed me.

"Yeah, well they're not going to be happy if she refuses to eat, either. As Enzo told you, her son is a chef, and he'll follow whatever the doctors tell him to the letter. Hell, he'll probably pay closer attention than your kitchen staff does." I motioned for Enzo to go, leaving me to deal with the nervous orderly. He paused as he passed, sliding his hand over the top of my shoulders. I looked up, recognizing the longing and gratitude in his eyes. "For now, leave the tray here. You've done your job. We'll make sure she eats lunch, one way or another."

The orderly gave me a curt nod and left after recording her delivery on the computer in the corner. Silence descended on the room once she was gone. Even the ambient noise in the corridor was missing. Mama and I watched one another, neither of us saying a word. This room was all wrong for her. It was dark and cold, devoid of the life I was used to whenever she was around. I couldn't do anything about the scent of antiseptic and bland food, but I could make it a bit cheery.

Her eyes tracked me as I walked around the end of the bed to the windows. It was a sunny day outside. Cold, but that was to be expected this late in the fall, and she wouldn't notice it from inside the stifling room. Her face brightened as soon as I opened the blinds, flooding the room with sunshine. "Thank you...Max. Come. Sit with me."

I reclaimed my chair beside her bed and watched her gaze longingly out the window. The scenery wasn't much to look at, but it had to be an improvement over staring at the dry erase board opposite her bed and the TV hung near the ceiling. It was odd, but my mind caught on the television and how I'd never seen her lazing around watching it when we'd visited. Now that I thought about it, I wasn't sure she even owned a TV.

"You love him." It was a statement, not a question. Three simple words delivered without the struggle she'd shown since our arrival.

"Tony?" If she glared at me, I wouldn't know because I was busy memorizing the patterns in the linoleum floor.

"I'm sick...not dumb," she scoffed. "They're...good boys. Special. Be...be good...to them."

"I will," I promised. My chair screeched as I dragged it closer to her bed. I took her hand in mine, caressing the silky, thin skin with my thumb. It'd be easy for me to leave the conversation there, but I was overcome with a need to explain myself to her, make her understand I wasn't just fucking around with her sons. I'd be in their lives as long as they'd have me. "I know it's an odd situation, but I love both of them. None of us meant for it to happen, but I'd like to think they're as happy as they make me. It's a gift, and I'll always cherish their love."

"Not strange to a mother." She'd worked hard to keep her words in the right order, and I felt tears welling in my eyes. She might not have given birth to me, but she was everything my own mom had never been capable of being. Unlike too many parents, she understood and truly offered unconditional love. "I worry for them. Their bond...unique."

She grunted in frustration as she tried putting together the words she needed to say. Her eyes kept shifting to the door, giving me the impression she wanted to say something to me before Enzo came back. I placed my other hand over the top of hers and patted it a few times. "There's no hurry. You're doing great given everything you've been through this week."

Mama nodded. Her shoulders relaxed, and she settled against the pillows. "They need...each other. Strong man to...love and...understand them. You don't...judge."

My mouth fell open, and my eyes widened. I nodded, agreeing with what she said while also wondering if this was a symptom of her stroke or if she'd already realized there was something different about her sons. I swallowed a few times trying to get my breathing under control before saying anything else. I felt like I was standing at the fulcrum of a teeter totter and the slightest wrong move could send me crashing to the ground.

"It's okay...Max. I could never...hate them." She lifted a hand to her chest and held it over her heart. "You can't deny...who you love. Even if it's...different. You fight for them. With them."

"Always."

No other words were said. I continued rubbing Mama's hand as she drifted off to sleep. I looked up when Enzo walked back into the room, inviting him to sit with me. Later, when Tony was with us, I'd tell them about our chat. Until then, I could only hope her words had been from the heart and not borne out of drug-induced confusion.