Epilogue

 

 

Christmas Morning

 

“KYLE, I need your help with something,” Mrs. Giordano whispered.

Itching with nervous excitement, Kyle got up from the arm of the couch, offering Forrester a reassuring smile to his questioning look. “I’ll be right back, babe.”

Distracted by watching Jasper and the children play with their new toys, Forrester nodded. Kyle gave the family room’s explosion of wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, garish Christmas decorations, and loud chatter one more glance before he hastened after Mrs. Giordano into the kitchen. Spiked eggnog, mimosas, and Bloody Marys completed a plethora of breakfast items spread out on the kitchen island.

This had been his best Christmas since… well? Probably since he had both of his parents or maybe when he and Mom had first moved back in with Grandma. He felt like he was in a Christmas movie—all the happy children tearing open gifts, the oohs and aahs, and being a part of the adult gift exchange.

“You ready?” he asked once they were alone.

She shrugged as she withdrew five manila envelopes from an old cookie jar. Some of the color had returned to her cheeks, though he’d never known her healthy, only sick. He was happy her chemotherapy had been successful, as was her mastectomy. She’d received her last radiation treatment two weeks ago, and now she was on the way to healing, getting back to the more vibrant woman he really wanted to get to know better.

A pink turban complemented her pale blue sweater with snowflakes. She smiled at him and patted the envelopes. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to surprise my boys like this. I just wish their dad could be here for it.”

Kyle smiled, though in the back of his mind he knew if Forrester’s dad had been here, then Kyle wouldn’t be. He kept that bittersweet reality to himself.

“Do you think they’re going to be upset?” Not only had Kyle gone behind Forrester’s back but his brothers’ too. He hoped this surprise wouldn’t knock him down a few pegs.

“Probably.”

He let out a breathy chuckle. “That’s not very helpful, Mrs. Giordano.”

She gave him a pat on the cheek. “You’ve been around enough that you could call me Ma if you like.”

For a moment, Kyle thought he might cry. The whole Giordano clan had made him feel welcome, each of them learning to look at him when they spoke or filling him in on the things he missed. Lately even Dino had put in effort, but to have Forrester’s mother want him to call her Ma? He’d never been so touched.

His face contorted at the sudden swell of emotion, but a hot feeling of longing and hesitation held him back. “Thank you, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to call someone else that.”

Sympathy colored her expression and softened her brown eyes. “Yeah, I suppose not. It can’t be easy losing everyone in your family.” She patted his cheek again, her hand lingering. “How about Maria?”

“Yeah, I like that.”

“What’s going on in here?” Tony whispered, his eyes narrowed.

Clearing his throat, Kyle took a step back and smiled. “Nothing.”

“Look who’s so nosy,” Maria said.

Tony smirked and crossed his arms. “You two have been whispering and sneaking around all morning. What you got up your sleeves?”

With a surprising amount of strength for someone who’d just battled cancer and kicked its ass, Maria gave her big son a push. “Get yourself back into the living room. I have a surprise.”

Tony raised his brows at Kyle.

Kyle smiled but inside his stomach did a flip-flop. I really hope everyone is okay with this… especially Forrester.

The racket of voices and laughter washed away the emptiness inside him when he returned to the living room. His family might be gone, but he hoped to be building another.

Earlier Jasper had been rooting around under the tree, and he’d chewed open the corner of a Hickory Farms tray before Tony caught him. Now his dog was going person-to-person, looking for food or pats. Knowing his pooch was having as good a time as he was, Kyle sat on the arm of the couch beside Forrester. Natalia had possessively ensconced herself in Forrester’s lap with the new Barbie dolls they’d gotten her.

“You like your Barbies?” Forrester asked, taking one doll and pretending it was talking to the other.

“I love them,” she said. “And I’m glad you didn’t get Francine one.”

“Maybe when Baby Francine gets bigger, you and me can pick out a Barbie for her. Then you can teach her what it’s all about.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Natalia said thoughtfully. “That way she won’t play with mine.”

“Exactly,” Forrester said in the same placating tone.

Across the room, Dino and Amanda shared a pleased expression. Natalia was still jealous of Francine, but Forrester had a way of reasoning with her about it that no one else had quite mastered.

“All right, everybody. Quiet down.” Maria stood by the kitchen door, five manila envelopes in hand. “I know the adults were only supposed to do the gift exchange, but seeing as you all didn’t listen and bought me a gift, I got you something too.”

Amanda had arranged a full spa day at her salon for Maria, while Kyle and Missy had picked out a beautiful sweater with earrings to match—a group gift from all of them. Though Maria doubtless knew who had done the shopping, she had loved it.

“Mama, you didn’t have to get us anything,” Joey insisted. With his apprenticeship going well, he’d spoiled his three nephews and two nieces with an excess of gifts Amanda and Missy insisted they did not need.

“Shush, Giuseppe.” Maria began handing out the envelopes, one to each son and one to Nonna.

From his perch below Kyle, Forrester glanced up, suspicion in his eyes. “Do you know about this?”

Kyle twiddled his fingers and shrugged. Forrester wore a half-curious, half-suspicious smile as he opened his envelope—with Natalia’s help. Jasper jumped up onto the couch beside them, snorting and curious about the envelope too.

“This isn’t for you, mutt,” Forrester teased, keeping it out of Jasper’s reach as he removed the contents.

Kyle met Maria’s eyes across the room, mirroring her hopeful excitement as everyone slid items from the envelopes—papers and colorful brochures.

“What is this?” Dino asked, showing Amanda.

“We’re going to Italy!” Joey cried, his eyes wide with excitement. Then he looked at Tony and slapped the back of his hand on his chest. “Dude, we’re going to Italy!”

A burst of startled shock went through the room. Jasper barked in surprise at the outburst.

“What are you talking about?”

“No way!”

“You can’t afford this, Ma!”

Nonna placed her hand on her chest, then she crossed herself and said something in Italian, her eyes watering with happiness.

“Where did you get the money?” Tony demanded.

Forrester pulled on Kyle’s arm until Kyle looked at him. “Did you give her money for this?”

Kyle couldn’t quite read his tone—annoyed? Surprised? Pleased?

He held his breath as Maria raised her hand, insisting everyone be quiet. The room fell quiet, Jasper adding a few more barks before Maria spoke. “Your father and I always wanted to take you boys to Italy, but we never had the money. You know he still has first cousins in Bologna. I reached out to them, and they found us a house to rent. But we’re going to the Vatican in Rome too.”

Kyle had never seen the Giordano clan so quiet.

“This is a ton of money.” Scowling, Tony slapped the brochures in his hand. “Where did you get this money, Ma?”

They all stared at her suspiciously, and Kyle squirmed, his stomach leaping into his throat.

“I sold Kyle the Shelby,” she said.

The room exploded.

Kyle didn’t even bother to keep up with anything they said. Jasper jumped into Kyle’s lap, frightened by the outburst. Holding his dog, he threw Maria a frown. “What? No segue?”

She shrugged. “It was gonna come out eventually.”

Dino leaped from his chair, and Amanda grabbed his arm. “You sold Dad’s car!” It wasn’t anger but hurt on his face. “How could you?”

“This is bullshit!” Joey jumped up too, making Jasper bark protectively from Kyle’s lap. “I can’t believe you sold our car!”

“I never even got to drive it!” DJ cried.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Tony growled at his mother. “You have any idea how much that car’s worth, Ma?”

Kyle placed a hand on Jasper’s back, shushing him until he settled down. As much fun as he was having with the kids, his dog wasn’t used to all the chaos.

Forrester stared at Kyle. “You did this behind my back?”

Suddenly all eyes were on Kyle. He squirmed, the apprehension he’d had about this decision working its way through him and warming his face. Not knowing what to say, he just petted Jasper and glanced nervously around the room.

“Don’t you dare yell at Kyle,” Maria ordered, and every head in the room snapped toward her. “And it was my car to sell.”

“That’s the only thing we have left of Dad.” Dino’s face was dark and unreadable.

“Nonsense,” she said. “We have each other. That’s better than some hunk of junk sitting in my garage.”

All four brothers blustered in offense, and even Kyle had to scoff. That “hunk of junk” cost as much as a house. Amanda’s kids looked upset too.

Maria waved her hands to silence them once more. “Your father loved that car and he wanted you to have it, but he wanted us to go to Italy too. But with his medical bills and mine, well? I can’t afford to take a new mortgage on this house, or it’ll just be left for you boys when I’m dead.”

“Mama, don’t talk like that,” Joey said in a scolding tone. Her cancer had been hardest on him, but he’d really stepped up, impressing his brothers. He’d started doing all of the laundry—only shrinking a few things—most of the cleaning, and all of the yardwork. He still made time to take Nonna to “church” to see the latest films, and he went to as many doctor appointments as he could.

Forrester glanced away from his mother to Kyle, betrayal in his eyes. “How did this happen?”

Feeling everyone’s gaze switch back to him, like in a tennis match, Kyle looked to Maria. He didn’t appreciate the sadistic glint in her smile when she waved for him to take the floor. He set Jasper on the floor and cleared his throat. “When Maria asked me to convince Forrester to convince you guys to sell the car, I offered to buy it.”

“That way it stays in the family,” Maria added. “And we get to go to Italy.”

Tony dropped his manila envelope onto the coffee table and got up, muttering, “Unbelievable,” as he stormed out of the room.

Missy looked chagrined as she shifted Baby Anthony from one hip to the other. “Um, thank you, Ma.”

Immediately Amanda joined in saying thank you, slapping Dino’s arm until he did too. Joey and DJ pouted with their arms crossed, and Giovanni complained in Italian to Nonna. Whatever he said seemed to amuse the old woman and she just tousled his hair.

Forrester was still staring at Kyle.

Then Forrester scooped up Natalia and sat her on the couch next to him. “I’ll be right back, bambina.” When he stood, his height was utterly intimidating. “A word, Kyle.” Back stiff, he went into the kitchen.

Feeling like a scolded toddler, Kyle followed. Tony was nowhere to be seen.

“Are you mad?” Kyle asked nervously, his heart thumping. “I’m really sorry. Please don’t be mad. I wanted to tell you.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think I’m mad.”

“But you’re not happy.”

Forrester shrugged and waved his arms around. “I don’t think I’m unhappy either. I’m just shocked. That’s a lot of money, and I know it’s your money, but you could’ve discussed it with me.”

A measure of relief settled over Kyle. “Oh, so you’re not upset that your mom sold it or that I bought it, but that I made a big decision without you?”

Forrester made a “duh” face. “Um, we’re supposed to be a couple. We’re supposed to make decisions like this together.”

Nodding, Kyle pursed his lips, hands on his hips. “Yes, I suppose I should’ve talked to you about it, but it was all very sudden. And your mom wanted the Italy trip to be a surprise. By the way, we’re paying our way, hers, and Nonna’s. I insisted on that when I bought the car.”

“What did you pay for it?” Dino asked, startling them both. Joey wasn’t too far behind him, a solid wall of Giordano muscle blocking the entrance to the living room. “You better not have pulled a fast one on my mother.”

“Are you kidding me?” Kyle said, perturbed at his insinuation. “We had a classic car appraiser come out, and your mom and I agreed on a fair price.”

When he told them what he paid, Forrester threw up his arms and cursed.

“Jesus Mary and Joseph, Kyle,” Joey burst. “I didn’t know you were rich.”

Dino stared at him. “You serious?”

Kyle raised his hands in a truce. “I would never take advantage of Maria. She was gonna sell it whether you guys liked it or not. I like cars, so I bought it. That’s the end of it.”

“So it stays in the family,” Dino muttered, frowning and shaking his head.

Though Dino had been kinder to him, there was still something awkward between them, and seeing his disapproval sparked Kyle’s temper. Before he thought better of it, he said, “I get that I’m new around here, and you might not see me as family, but Forrester is the only family I have.” He jabbed a thumb in his own chest, his voice cracking and his words muddled slightly. “So before you get your panties in a wad, I put the title in Forrester’s name. So yeah, it is staying in the family.”

“You kidding me?” Tony burst from the doorway. “You just gonna buy Frankie a six-figure car?”

Pursing his lips, Kyle crossed his arms. “Yeah, I am. I did.”

“Why?” Forrester asked, genuinely shocked.

Kyle glared at the four Giordano brothers staring at him. “You guys are ruining it, but the car was supposed to be a wedding present.”

“A wedding present?” Dino repeated.

“Who’s getting married?” Joey asked.

Tony smacked him in the back of the head. “These two, ya idiot.”

“Knock it off,” Joey griped, smoothing his hair.

Forrester’s face turned an interesting shade of red, and his mouth twisted into a curious little smile. “You serious?”

Thoroughly pissed now that the romantic proposal he’d intended in Italy was being ruined, Kyle huffed. “Yeah, but I was hoping to do it a little bit nicer, without you meatheads all yelling at me.”

The room fell silent, and Kyle realized everyone in the living room was listening too. But he didn’t turn to see all the meddling Italian faces because the man he loved had tipped his head to the side to study him. “You’re really serious?”

Kyle shook his head, feeling like somehow he’d become Italian by injection and the hysteria and drama affected him too. “Well, yeah. I was planning candles, flowers, and a ring. The whole on-one-knee kind of proposal. Sure would’ve been better than this.” He was talking louder than he should, and he knew he wasn’t enunciating properly but he was positively fuming. “But seeing how this family is always in everybody’s business, I suppose this is far more appropriate. Surprise!” He waggled his hands irritably. “I bought you a car. Will you marry me?”

And in two heartbeats, the biggest smile he’d ever seen lit up Forrester’s face. He threw his arms around Kyle, burying his face in his neck. “Of course I will!”

Instinctively, Kyle grabbed on to him. His heart pounded when it dawned on him what he’d just done.

The room burst into cheers and barking.

Forrester pulled back and cupped his cheeks in both of his tender hands. The chaos faded, and all Kyle could hear was Forrester breathing, his own heart beating happily, and the whispered words, “Yes, Kyle, yes, I’ll marry you.”

Lost in the moment, Kyle didn’t even spare a thought that Forrester’s entire family was watching as Forrester bent his head and kissed him.

It was not an erotic kiss, no tongue at all. Rather, the deepest, most soul-touching and passionate kiss of Kyle’s entire life. He felt it from the tip of his toes to the top of his scalp.

Mostly, he felt it in his heart.

Forrester pulled back and pressed their foreheads together. “Olive juice,” he mouthed.

Then, as if someone turned the volume up on a muted TV, the room burst back to life.

Forrester ran his thumbs across Kyle’s cheeks, and he wasn’t surprised there were tears there. “So you’ll marry me?” Kyle whispered.

“Yes! A million times yes.” Forrester hugged him, squeezing him tight. Then he kissed his neck and whispered, “Ti amo, bello.”

“I love you too, Forrester.”

“This is so wonderful,” Maria cried. “Now I just have to get Joey married and then I can die.”

“I ain’t ever getting married. That way you can’t die, Mama,” Joey declared.

“You two are morbid,” Amanda chastised, bouncing Francine gently on her hip.

Forrester stepped back but kept an arm around Kyle’s shoulder in that brotherly affectionate way he always did. Kyle slipped his arm about his waist, his other hand on Forrester’s stomach. Jasper jumped up on their legs a few times, caught up in the excitement too.

Forrester bent down to give him a playful scratch. “Looks like you’re officially getting two daddies,” he said, and Jasper did a wild little twist and barked in reply.

It was like something out of a dream, everyone congratulating them, hands slapping his back, big paws shaking his arms, and the squeals of women. Nonna hugged Kyle, kissing his cheeks three times and saying something to Forrester in Italian. When Natalia called him Uncle Kyle, he swore Forrester would burst into tears. Kyle couldn’t ignore the sting in his eyes as he longed to share this moment with his parents.

But he liked to think they were somewhere, celebrating with them.

In short order they were all sitting at the table, eating again. Jasper had figured out Joey doled out the most scraps and sat right next to him while Missy poured everyone prosecco—they were celebrating, so the mimosas were put to the side. Then that chaotic dance of food being passed and loud chatter filled the house again. Lost in a lovesick daze, Kyle sat back and watched, all the conversation a dull noise he didn’t try to follow. Forrester filled Kyle’s plate, per his usual giving him too much. But this time every smile was followed up by a peck on the cheek.

I’m engaged, Kyle kept thinking. I’m engaged.

At the head of the table, Dino stood. He picked up his champagne flute and tapped his fork on it. “I’d like to say something.”

Eyes wide, Forrester glanced at Kyle, his expression curious but hopeful. Kyle swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. Around the table everyone raised their glasses. Kyle was pleased that his hand didn’t shake too much when he raised his flute.

Once Dino had everyone’s attention, he smiled, squirming just a little bit. “It’s been an eventful year for us Giordanos. Tony and Missy had their first baby. Me and Amanda had Francine.” He smiled down at his wife, then looked at Maria. “Then Ma got cancer and beat it. We love you, Ma.” His eyes glistened, but he blinked hard, and a hearty Hear! Hear! sounded around the room. Dino cleared his throat. “Hell, even Joey finally pulled his head out of his ass and got a good job.”

“Screw you, Dino,” Joey said good-naturedly.

“No cussing during a Christmas Morning toast,” Maria scolded, and Nonna gave him a pinch on the arm.

When Dino’s gaze fell to Kyle and Forrester, his fiancé’s hand tightened over his own. “Now it looks like Frankie’s getting married, and he scored himself a hot rod in the process.”

Forrester and Kyle exchanged quick glances, wondering where this was going and if Dino was upset or happy.

When Dino’s gaze locked on Kyle, his heart skipped.

“Kyle.” Dino paused long enough to smile. “Benvenuto in famiglia.”

A chorus of Hear! Hear! and Congratulations was the response.

Kyle let out the breath he’d been holding. He thought he managed to say thank you, but couldn’t be sure. When he glanced at Forrester and saw the undeniable love and affection in those beautiful brown eyes with black lashes, his heart swelled with love and belonging. Having everything he never dreamed possible, Kyle gave Forrester a trembling smile. He wasn’t fluent in Italian yet, but he knew enough to translate what Dino had said:

Welcome to the family.