Page 144 of Falling for Mr. October

“Does this mean you’re officially done with the business, Gio?” Nico asks, running a hand across his jaw.

Fuck, there it is.

I pause, considering what to say, and decide there’s nothing like the truth. “Yeah. I’m staying here with Bianca…at least until the nonnas go back to Maine. It sounds like my schedule should be flexible enough to allow for travel.”

“We go now,” Nonna says. “I’m tired.”

They all sign off, one at a time, and I lower my phone, feeling fully exhausted.

What a day…

“Look at me, Giovanni,” Nonna says, reaching for me with her good hand.

I stare into her eyes, feeling a twinge of shitty guilt for not having been there when she needed me. The one moment I should have been there, I wasn’t. Hell, I was probably holding that teal dildo while my grandmother was falling down the stairs. If that’s not a thought capable of fucking with a person’s head, I don’t know what is.

“I know what your nonno asked you,” she says out of left field.

My heart instantly feels ten pounds heavier. The thought of either Nico or Bianca betraying my confidence weighs at least that much.

“Who told you?” I ask with a moan.

She shakes her head so adamantly, her hair rearranges itself. “I could tell. Your nonno loved all of you children so much, but you, Giovanni. He saw himself in you.”

“Oh,” I murmur, feeling a swell of grief.

She pats my hand. “You’re a good boy, Giovanni. But your nonno, he should never have asked that of you. You can’t be there every moment. No one can.”

“You’re not living with Nonna Rose just for me, are you?” I ask, hoping she’ll say no. I don’t know if I can let her do it if the answer is yes.

“Not just for you, no. I love being around my young people, but I also need someone who understands what it means to grow old. To be tired down to your bones and have stories no one else cares about or remembers. Jokes no one else understands. I need that in a way I didn’t realize before we came here, and you and Bianca need each other.”

“We do,” I agree, feeling it down to my soul. She’s taken the weight of my promise off my shoulders, and for the first time in years, I feel free to fully make my own decisions. “I love you, Nonna.”

“And I love you. Go out there. Tell them I’m not dead yet.”

I was hoping someone would bring us the discharge paperwork soon so we could just leave, but Nonna’s right. I should give the others an update. I kiss her cheek and then hurry out of the room.

I expected to find Bianca out there. In my heart, I knew she’d wait, however long it took for them to give us news. I knew it because I’d do the same for her. Yet, seeing her in the flesh is enough to fill me with fresh hope.

And she’s not alone. Nonna Rose is there, and Miles, Theo, and Isabella. Even Emily is waiting alongside the others, a paperback splayed open in her lap. The waiting room is full of them.

Bianca gets to her feet and hurries over to me, wrapping her arms around me. “Oh my God, we were so worried. I was so relieved when one of the nurses told me it was a nonsurgical fracture. That’s the best type. We’ll take care of her just fine at home⁠—”

I pull back so I can look at her, and I feel tears well in my eyes for the first time since my nonno died. Nearly five years.

“Unless you’re leaving,” she says quickly, her voice hitching. “I understand if you need to leave. I expected that. I’ve been trying to prepare myself⁠—”

I pull her back into my arms, holding her to my chest so she can feel how my heart beats for her. “I’m never leaving you unless you tell me to. Nonna knew about the promise I made to Nonno. She knew, and she released me.” I feel the tears wanting to fall, and fuck it, I’m not afraid to cry. Not on a day like today, when it feels like I’ve finally found my place as a man.

Bianca hugs me back, so tightly it hurts. “Oh, thank God. We’ll find a way to take care of them both, no matter what.”

I’m not ready to let her go yet, so I kiss the top of her head and hold her close.

Several seconds later, I finally pull back slightly, and say, “Nonna Rose, I think maybe you have some news you’d like to share with everyone? Our nonna couldn’t wait until Thanksgiving to tell us.”

All eyes promptly land on her.

“Calm down,” Nonna Rose says with a laugh. “I’m not dying yet. It’s good news.”