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I shake my head and offer another uncomfortable laugh. “Oh no. Not at all. I mean, I haven’t had a bunch of sex, but there were a couple guys. I just never dated them or anything. It was never about that.”
The tight, cracked feeling on my lips from my nervousness causes me to lick them, offering them some moisture. “My mom and I have moved around a lot, so it made forming relationships with people difficult. I would try when I wasyounger, but then I started realizing there was no point since I would be leaving soon and would never see them again.”
“That’s really sad, Lux.”
Shaking my head, I brush her off before giving her a smile. “Oh, it’s okay. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s probably why my mom and I are super close. I always had her, so I don’t regret a thing about how we lived our lives.”
Placing her hand on mine, Izzy says, “Well, now you have us, too. Don’t forget that.”
We silently finish our breakfast as I think about my feelings for Teo. We’re cleaning up our dishes when I finally speak again. “To answer your question, yes. I do like Teo. Like,reallylike him.”
Spinning on her heel after throwing away the trash, Izzy gives me a big smile, showcasing those perfect teeth all the DiMaggio siblings have. “I know. I can tell. I just wanted you to admit it.”
I roll my eyes. After all of that, she just wanted to rub it in my face.
“You guys are good together. You’re both bringing softer sides out of each other that you might’ve not even known you had. It’s pretty cool to witness. If you ever want to talk more about those feelings of yours, I’m all ears. They can be difficult to decipher sometimes, but I think you’re beginning to understand yours better than you think.”
I roll my eyes again. “Alright, I think that’s enough cheese for one day. Let’s go watch a movie or something. I’m exhausted and I could use a chill day. Watch a rom-com or something to help keep my mind off everything.”
“C’mon,” she says, throwing a comforting arm around my shoulder. “I know just the movie.”
38
MATTEO
Pulling up to the guard post at Mancini’s estate, I roll down the window to speak to one of the burly looking men he has working. Usually I’d have Enzo drive, but since we’re showing up to Mancini’s unannounced, I figured I should be the one to take the brunt of this decision, should there be any repercussions. It’s unheard of to show up at another don’s home unannounced, but this concerns his daughter, so I don’t fucking care.
“Matteo DiMaggio,” the guard says as he approaches my vehicle. “I wasn’t informed you’d be coming this morning.”
“That’s because your boss hasn’t been informed either.”
He lets out a dismayed grunt. “Mr. Mancini is busy today. Maybe you should call ahead next time and schedule an appointment.”
“Maybe you should use that headset of yours to contactMr. Manciniand let him know I’m just dying to see him.” My sarcasm doesn’t go unnoticed as the guard’s gaze turns cold. He steps back into the guard hut, knowing he can’t ignore my request.
“You think it was wise not to give Mancini a call to let him know we were heading over? What if he’s not even home?” Enzo asks.
“I thought it would be more fun to surprise him. And it’s early. Where else would the old man be?”
The guard speaks into his headset, and after a few more seconds, he reaches for something, and the gates in front of us slide open. I hold his stare until he finally gives me a slight nod to drive through.
Enzo chuckles in his seat next to me. “Well, that was easy.”
“And you doubted me,” I say with a relaxed scoff.
After parking my car right out front, Enzo and I walk up the front steps and are immediately greeted by the same butler who met Lux and me the other night. “Welcome, Mr. and Mr. DiMaggio.”That’s weird to hear out loud in a sentence.“Mr. Mancini wanted me to bring you to his study.”
The butler leads us through the foyer, down the hall, and around the corner into the room I was acquainted with the last time I was here.
“He’ll be with you both momentarily. Can I get either of you anything? Coffee perhaps?”
“We’re okay, thank you,” I say before he exits the room with a small nod.
“I could’ve used a coffee, Teo. Do you know how late our sister kept me up last night worried about how you’d react to seeing Lux working that pole?”
I snap my gaze to his. “Don’t speak about my wife working a pole again. And if you tell me you saw her?—”
Enzo holds up his hands in defense. “I didn’t see shit. Lux on a pole? I don’t believe it.”
