ANTONIO

“You missed an amazing party,” Enzo says as he sits down at the table across from me.

Lauren and I snuck back into the house just after the last guest left, avoiding any more run-ins with Camilla or any of my mother’s stuffy friends. We lay under the stars for hours, watching as the moon crossed the sky, and we talked and almost fell asleep.

I peer up from my phone and watch him pour himself a cup of coffee before he tops off mine. “I’m sure I’ll regret the decision to escape for many years.”

“Why did Camilla have to come?”

I bury my face in the emails I’ve ignored for days and scroll through the pages that seem to be endless. “She’s always liked the attention.”

“It’s so embarrassing.”

“Good morning,” Flavia says, almost skipping into the kitchen in her cutoff jean shorts and tank top that seems to have become her go-to attire. “How are my two favorite brothers this morning?”

“Good,” I mutter, switching my phone screen off because there’s nothing that can’t wait as long as I’m surrounded by my family.

“What has you so happy today?” Enzo stares at her over the rim of his coffee mug, eyeing her suspiciously.

“I’m off to Amsterdam.”

I growl. I know the pleasures and excesses the most notorious city in the Netherlands has to offer very intimately. It’s like the Vegas of Europe, often a haven for tourists and criminals because of their lax laws when it comes to drugs and prostitution.

“Don’t you think you should go somewhere that offers more…” Enzo rubs his forehead, probably experiencing the same dull ache inside his head as me that can only be caused by a sister.

“Culture,” I finish his sentence for him.

Flavia places her hands on the table and gawks at us. “I know for a fact each of you has been there. Why can’t I go?”

“We’re men.” Enzo puffs out his chest and puts on the full display. “We can protect ourselves.”

Oh God. I cringe and close one eye, bracing myself for whatever may go flying through the air toward Enzo’s head. He did not just go there with Flavia. The girl, really a twenty-three-year-old woman, could probably kick both of our asses with one hand tied behind her back. My mother insisted she take a self-defense class before she turned eighteen.

Enzo and I knew how to throw a punch and even had fancy moves to duck out of the way of a fast flying fist, but neither of us had formal training like Flavia. Enzo never bought into the belief that she could really take down a grown man who was both taller and weighed more than her. But I’d seen it with my own eyes and wasn’t about to test the waters.

Instead of throwing a fit and kicking Enzo’s ass, Flavia rolls her eyes and gags. “It’s amazing you found a woman who would marry you.”

Enzo straightens and runs his fingers underneath his chin in her direction. “Don’t get me wrong. I know Marquita can kick my ass, but we’re talking about you. You’re a bag of bones, little girl. You’re going to get yourself into trouble in Amsterdam.”

“I’m meeting a group of friends there this afternoon. I’ll be safe, don’t worry.”

I don’t ask about her friends. Knowing Flavia, she’d lie about them anyway. I just pray there’s someone bigger than her who has her back because I have a feeling she’s going to find herself partying harder than she expects.

“Just be safe, Flav. Amsterdam can be a dangerous place.”

“Yes, Antonio.” I get the same eye roll as Enzo received, minus the noise, but I said what I needed to, and the rest is up to her.

I finish the last sip of coffee, wishing I could make this trip with Lauren last longer. “I’ll be back in a few weeks. I hope I get to see Marquita next time,” I tell Enzo because she had to stay home with their youngest who was battling a chest cold.

“And you.” I turn my attention toward Flavia. “Be a good girl because the last thing I need is jail time.”

“We’ll leave that up to Stefano.” She winks at me before giggling.

I kiss them both goodbye and head toward the bedroom to get Lauren so we can say goodbye to my mother. When I arrive, she’s sitting on the bed with my mother next to her, speaking in a hushed tone. They’re smiling at each other and laugh a few times as they speak. Lauren looks so relaxed and happy that it’s hard to interrupt their moment to whisk her back to the insanity that is our lives.

I knock softly, waiting for their attention before I interrupt. “We have to leave soon.”

My mother stands and touches Lauren on the shoulder before leaning forward and kissing her cheeks. “I look forward to seeing you again, my dear girl.”

“You, too, Mrs. Forte.” Lauren smiles up at her, eyes sparkling in the morning sunlight.

“Mamma, please.”

I freeze, shocked at my mother’s words because although she’s friendly, she didn’t welcome Marquita or Marcus to use that word so quickly.

“Mamma,” Lauren says, and it rolls off her tongue as she embraces my mother in a quick hug, struggling to let her go.

I understand it. It’s always hard for me to say goodbye, but my mother never believed in using guilt to keep us close. She knows I can be here anytime she needs me, no matter where I am in the world. I’d drop everything for her.

My mother glides across the room on her slippers, still in her light pink nightgown that has been her favorite for years. “Be good to this one,” she says as she grabs my face. “Don’t mess it up.” She gives me a stern look, one reminiscent of my childhood.

“Ti amo, Mamma.” I kiss her cheeks and wrap my arms around her, taking in the sweet scent of cake and cookies that seems to follow her around. “We’ll be back soon.”

She stares me right in the eyes before giving me a quick nod and leaving us in peace. When my gaze lands on Lauren, she’s wiping tears from her eyes, and I hope I haven’t made a terrible mistake.

LAUREN

The tears start to flow before she walks out of the room. Antonio’s embracing her, whispering that he loves her, and my heart aches for my own parents. For the first time in decades, I felt like part of a family, and it made me long for something I’d missed no matter how hard I tried to block the sorrow from my mind.

When his mother asked me to call her mamma, I almost lost it. Somehow, I was able to keep my composure until she walked out the door.

Antonio rushes to my side, wrapping his arms around me. “Don’t cry, mi amore.”

I bury my face in his chest, ruining the perfect white dress shirt along with my mascara. “If you break my heart, I’ll kick your ass, Antonio.” My fingers curl into the material near his shoulders as I take a deep breath and try to regain my composure.

He’s laughing at my comment, but I’m dead serious. I’ve fallen in love with his family quicker than I fell in love with him. Losing him would be horrendous, but losing them would be… I can’t even think about it.

I’ve already let myself revel in the fantasy of Christmas and New Year’s surrounded by the Fortes, with their loud voices and flailing arms. Those holidays have always been the hardest for me since my father passed, but this year, I want it to be different. Call me foolish to think so far ahead, but I want the family. I want the Fortes.

He kisses the top of my head, gently peppering my hair with kisses as his hand glides up and down my back in a slow, steady rhythm. “You must love me a lot.”

I glare up at him with my makeup streaming down my splotchy face. “I do, but I love your family too. If you leave me, it’ll be a blow that could make Camilla seem normal.”

Naturally, I’m kidding, poking fun at the crazy ex-girlfriend. I have no room to talk. At least she never abducted him with dreams of a couple’s suicide after tying the knot. That would be me.

He smiles, holding my cheeks in his hands. “You’ve made me a happy man.”

My nose scrunches because it wasn’t the comment I was expecting at the mention of Camilla. “Because you’ve made me emotional and crazy?”

“You love my mother and my family, and there’s nothing more I could ask for. They love you just as much.”

I sit up with his hands still on my face as he gazes into my eyes. “Well, your mother does and Catarina, but the others… I’m not so sure.”

“I’ve known them my entire life. When they don’t like someone, they make it known.”

“I’m sure,” I mumble against his fingers, feeling like my face resembles a guppy fish the way he’s holding my cheeks.

He finally releases his hold on my mascara-stained cheeks. “Now, stop worrying. Let’s get back to Chicago and get the merger finalized so we’re not tied to the city for too long.”

I kiss him softly before disappearing into the bathroom to fix my makeup. But as I stare in the mirror and look myself in the eye, I remember something I muttered not that long ago. I said Chicago would always be my home. With Antonio at my side, I don’t know if that’s even a possibility. His love for my hometown is almost nonexistent, especially the cold, dark winters.

It’s a complication I haven’t put much thought into since I started traveling the world and falling in love with him. He’s made it easy to forget the grittiness of the town I’ve loved my entire life. But could I make the commitment to him that would forever take me away from the place that held so many memories?

For now, the answer is yes.