“You, too. I wish I had known you were coming.” My dad’s eyes glance my way. “We’re used to Amelia’s strays, but you appear to be much more to her.” He looks down at our joined hands and then up to me.
My heart constricts from the disappointment filling his matching brown eyes. I should have known to warn my family about Davis coming.
“I’m sorry, sir. I had no idea I was a surprise.” Davis turns to look at me, raising his eyebrows.
“Well, you’re here now.” Dad sits back down. “Enjoy the food cooked by my mother-in-law, because it’s a hell of a lot better than anything you can make.”
I cringe. Leaving my dad in the family room, we move toward the dining room.
“Amelia?” Davis softly questions.
I stop in the entryway.
“I’m sorry, Davis. I should have given my family a heads-up.” I cast my eyes down to his shirt.
“Hey.” He waits for my eyes to reach his. “It’s okay. Let’s have a fun time.”
“Okay. I’m sorry.”
“Dinner!” my mom calls out from the dining room.
Footsteps stomp to rush in there.
“Come, Davis, have a seat.” Where did my mom come from? She stands behind a chair with a welcoming smile on her face.
Here’s her money ticket to get her daughter married with kids.
“Thank you. You must be Mrs. Fiore?”
She places her hand on his shoulder. “It’s a pleasure to have you. Please, call me Bianca.”
“Thank you, Bianca.”
I notice Davis relax instantly. Having an ally in the Fiore household eases the pressure.
Todd emerges with my brothers, and they place all the dishes out on the table. Todd sets the pasta down and glances up through his eyelashes.
Once everything is seated, he hugs my grandma and turns to leave. “I’m gonna get going. Enjoy the meal, everyone.”
“No!” everyone at the table shouts.
But Todd shakes his head. “Don’t worry.” He lifts a take-out bag from my grandma. “I’m taken care of.”
“Are you sure?” My mom stands back up and circles around the table. “It won’t take long to eat.”
“Yes, thank you, Bianca. I have some things to do.”
She hugs him, and his eyes lock on mine for a second. Bruno follows his eyes to me, and I can see he’s curious as to why the man who can’t get enough food at our Sunday dinners is suddenly fleeing.
I scoot out my chair, and the screeching across the wooden floor brings everyone’s attention to me. “I’ll walk you out.”
Ignoring everyone’s greedy, gossipy eyes, I round the wall to the small foyer, finding Todd standing in the doorway, already waiting for me.
“Why are you leaving?” I try to whisper as discreetly as possible, since I’m positive a few ears are pressed against the wall.
“I forgot about something I have to do.”
“What?”
“Just something I’m not ready to talk about, especially with my boss here,” he whispers the end. “Things have been kind of stressful in the kitchen lately.”
I place my hand on his arm. “Really? I haven’t noticed.”
“That’s a good thing, but I don’t want to get into it, especially with Davis being two feet away.”
He backs further away from me, but I wrap my arms around him.
“Bye.”
He squeezes my arms tight and pushes me back. “Be careful. Meeting the family is a big step.” All his mannerisms are sweet, how they should be, but at the same time, they’re off. What is going on that he isn’t telling me?
“I will.”
He turns around, and I watch his slumped shoulders as he descends the steps of my parents’ house. I wish I could go with him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Amelia
Davis and I breathe white puffs of air into the darkness as we climb down the steps of my parents’ house.
“That was nice. Thank you for inviting me.” Davis’s hand finds mine, and he links our fingers together.
A warm feeling takes residence in the pit of my stomach from his affection.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Four brothers aren’t exactly every guy’s cup of tea.”
“They weren’t bad. I’ve been through worse.”
I fight my curiosity even though I want to question how many meet-my-family dates he’s been through. With ten years between us, I assume he has truckloads of more experience than me. That’s not even taking into consideration the rumor I heard about his failed marriage last year.
“I think your celebrity status won you some extra credit.”
He squeezes my hand and I glance over to his smiling face, dimples and all.
“Not my winning personality?”
If I didn’t already know he was joking, he lets me know with a wink.
“That, too.” I nod.
He laughs the most boisterous and welcoming sound that makes me smile even wider.
“Let’s walk for a while. There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.” He leads me around a corner, the opposite way of the subway.
“Oh.” My stomach drops, and the elation I was feeling moments ago turns to worry.
Is this the time when he says he’s done? Maybe he has no time for me and is too consumed with his career to date. Ugh, and right after I introduce him to my family. Relax, Amelia.
“Hey.” He stops us under a streetlight.
My back presses against the black metal pole. My heart flutters.
“It’s nothing bad. You’ve let me in, and I want to do the same.”
My throat dries, and I choke out, “Okay.”
He only laughs again. I’m glad my insecurity is humorous to him.
He grips my hand tighter, and we wander down the street that’s quickly becoming desolate due to it being a late Sunday evening.
“I was married.”
“I know.” Crap. I spoke when I shouldn’t have. Damn it. Maybe I should fess up right now. Yes, I Googled you and saw the tabloid pictures of how horrible your divorce was.
His footsteps slow, but he never looks my way. “I figured.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. That’s the thorn from being in this business. Everyone knows everything.”
His whole demeanor changes, and I immediately wish I had kept that as a secret between Tatiana and me.
“Still, I should have waited for you to tell me.”
I’m not going to stand next to this man, who’s setting off fireworks inside of me, and lie. He deserves better than that.
“I wish you had waited to hear my side without the influence of the papers and magazines. Damn, I think she even did a YouTube video, bashing me.”
This time, I stop, so he’ll see in my eyes that I believe him, not her. “No, Davis. I don’t believe the accusations she’s spouted.”
He tips his head down. “Thank you for that.” His lips curl up, and his perfect white teeth shine from the streetlight casting down on the sidewalk.
“You don’t have to tell me anything. It’s none of my business.”
Davis starts walking again, ignoring my comment. “We quickly dated and went right into marriage. I have a habit of getting serious fast. My friends warned me, said not to do it when I called them from the airport.”
Questions ping in my head. How long until you proposed? Did you even meet her parents? Was a prenup signed? But I keep them to myself because it’s none of my business.
“We were dating for two weeks before I proposed.”
“Wow.” My eyes widen, and I’m thankful it’s dark outside, so he can’t see my reaction even though I’m sure he heard my gasp. Seriously, I need some duct tape to shut my mouth.
“Yeah, it was one o’clock in the morning, and we were talking on the phone. I don’t know. Everything seemed so perfect at the time. I hopped on a buddy’s plane and popped the question on her doorstep in the middle of the night. I had no ring, and I picked up a bouquet of flowers from a street vendor. I should have realized when they died a day later that it was the wrong decision.”
He stops us by a bench and leads me to sit down. I stare out to the water in front of us, and he rests his arm on the back of my shoulders.